What is the duty doctor list and how does it work?
The reception staff have been trained by the Doctors to sign post patients to the most appropriate service. They will ask you for a brief indication of your problem, and this information will be passed on to the Duty Doctor. If you prefer not to tell the receptionist why you need to see a GP, you do not have to. However, this will most likely mean we are unable to offer you an appointment to suit your needs.
Please note that all information discussed with the receptionist is in the strictest of confidence.
In some instances patient are happy to wait until the next routine appointment is available, particularly if they wish to see a specific GP. Routine appointments are normally available to book up to 4 weeks ahead.
In some instances, based on the symptoms described to the receptionist, patients meet the criteria for a same day urgent appointment.
In some cases the symptoms described to the receptionist do not meet the criteria for a same day appointment, but patients many feel they cannot wait until a routine appointment is available. In such instances your request for an appointment will be passed to the Duty Doctor who will, based on the information you have given to the receptionist, assess your symptoms and if necessary offer you an appointment appropriate to your medical needs. Alternatively they may contact you to discuss further.
You can tell the receptionist that you would prefer to see a specific GP or can only come in after a specific time and this will be taken into consideration by the Duty Doctor, however, although we will attempt to offer you a convenient appointment time, there is no guarantee that we can meet your needs due to the high demand for appointments.
You will be offered 1 appointment only. If you cannot attend at the time offered, you will not be offered a further appointment. You will be asked to book a routine appointment or attend the Walk in Centre instead.
Please note, that if you ring after 4pm, your request will not be triaged by the Duty Doctor until the next working day.
What happens once the duty doctor has triaged my request?
You will be contacted by a member of the reception team once the Duty Doctor has triaged your request. We cannot guarantee what time you will be called back, but please ensure that you have provided the reception staff with a valid contact telephone number.
If you do not answer your phone, the reception staff will leave a voicemail (if you have a voicemail facility) or send you a text asking you to call the surgery back as soon as possible. Due to the high demand of appointments, we are unable to hold your allocated appointment slot for more 2 hours. If you delay calling the surgery back, your appointment may have been offered be to another patient and you will be asked to book a routine appointment or attend the Walk in Centre instead.
All routine appointments are now available to book on-line, and are now released on a phased basis instead of weekly. You can check appointment time availability very easily by signing up to Patient Access.
For further details on how to register for an on-line account (which will enable to you book and cancel appointments, order repeat medication and view your test results) please call into the surgery for an information pack.
We appreciate your cooperation.