Appointments

 

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Our Care Navigators are highly trained and work closely with the clinical team to help our patients access the right care, from the right place, at the right time. They will always ask for a brief reason or an overview of your symptoms and aim to signpost you to the most appropriate professional available.

Demand for GP appointments is growing, and the NHS is finding new ways to cope with this demand. We are seeing an increasing number of roles in primary care.

At Westbury On Trym Primary Care Centre we have:

  • Prescribing Pharmacists
  • Urgent Care Practitioner
  • First Contact Physiotherapists
  • Mental Health Practitioner
  • Care Coordinator
  • Social Prescribers
  • Advanced Nurse Practitioners
  • Medical Students / Trainee GPs
  • Nurses
  • Health Care Assistants
  • General Practitioners (GPs)

These are all qualified healthcare professionals who have regular appointments you can book. They can offer specialist, patient-centred, care and support without a referral from your GP.

We know it can be difficult to navigate your way through the system efficiently. Our Care Navigators are here to help you!

 

How Can I Make an Appointment?

  • Phone us on 0117 9623406 - Monday to Friday (excluding Bank Holidays) from 8.30am to 6.30pm
  • Visit the surgery and speak with a Care Navigator – Monday to Friday from 7.30am to 6.30pm
  • Use our online AccuRx form which is open during our practice hours.
  • Some appointments are available to book online via the NHS App.

Same Day Appointments

If your symptoms require same day treatment you can request a same day callback from our Duty Team (Monday-Friday, excluding Bank Holidays). 
If the team decide they need to see you face-to-face they will arrange a time for you to come in that day.

Urgent Appointments

We also have Urgent appointments made available to book within 48 hours. These can be telephone calls or face-to-face appointment depending on your needs.

Routine Appointments

Routine appointments are pre-bookable up to 4 weeks in advance. They can be telephone, face-to-face or video consultations. Please be advised that our GPs have 10 minutes per appointment and only one problem can be discussed per appointment so if you have multiple things you wish to discuss, you will need to book multiple appointments.

The following nurse appointments can be booked via the NHS App:

  • Cervical Screenings
  • Diabetes Review
  • Asthma Review
  • COPD Review
  • Children’s Immunisations

If you have a long-term condition (such as Diabetes or Asthma), you will be invited for an annual review in your birthday month.

 

Cancelling or Changing an Appointment

If you are unable to keep your appointment, please give us as much notice as possible so that your appointment can be offered to someone else.

You can cancel by:

  • Replying ‘CANCEL’ to the text reminders that are sent 1 and 3 days prior to your appointment. 
  • Calling us on 0117 9623406 and speaking to our Care Navigators.
  • Using our contact us form. Please don’t use this form if your appointment is on the same day as it may not be received in time.

Please remember that there may be a shortage of appointments and when you fail to attend, you have prevented someone else from being seen in your place. On average, 230 appointments are missed each month.

Cancellations notified less than 30 minutes before the appointment time will be recorded as failure to attend (DNA). Repeated failure to attend booked appointments is a significant waste of NHS resources.

 

If You Need Help When the Practice is Closed

If you need medical help outside the hours of Monday to Friday 8.30am to 6.30pm, use NHS 111 online or call 111.

NHS 111 online is suitable for patients over the age of 5. Call 111 if you need help for a child under 5.

In a medical or mental health emergency call 999. This is for when someone is seriously ill or injured and their life is at risk.

 

If You Need Help With Your Appointment

Please tell us:

  • If there is a specific doctor, nurse or healthcare professional that you would prefer to see/speak to.
  • If you would prefer to consult with the doctor, nurse or healthcare professional in person or by phone.
  • If you need an interpreter.
  • If you have any other access or communication needs.
 

Home Visits

If you are housebound and need an appointment, the doctor where necessary will do a home visit. The doctor will phone you first to understand what the problem is.

The doctor may ask for the patient to be brought to the surgery so that its full facilities are available for tests and treatment. It is not possible to request a specific doctor for a home visit.

 

Chaperones

All patients are entitled to have a chaperone present for any consultation, examination or procedure where they feel one is required. This chaperone may be a family member or friend. You may prefer a formal chaperone to be present.

Your healthcare professional may also require a chaperone to be present for certain consultations in accordance with our chaperone policy.

If you wish to have a member of the Practice staff present during your consultation, please mention this to our Care Navigators when booking your appointment, or to the healthcare professional at your consultation, and this can be arranged.