Appointments

New Appointment System

We are now operating a total triage model for appointment requests, which means all requests are submitted through the same form and triaged by a GP who will determine the outcome.

Ideally, we would ask that patients complete this themselves via the link below. If patients are unable to do so, our receptionists are more than happy to help over the telephone. You can also use the link below to submit administrative queries online such as sick notes and test results.

We can currently only accept appointment requests on weekdays between 8am-3.30pm to ensure they are reviewed in a safe timeframe. Between 3.30pm-6.30pm you can contact the surgery via telephone if urgent, otherwise please visit a local walk-in centre (Word document), or utilise the form the next day.

Online appointment & Admin requests

What is Total Triage?

Total triage is a General Practice workflow where every patient contacting a practice first provides some information on the reasons for contact and is clinically triaged before making an appointment. All patient requests will be triaged by one of our GPs, who will decide what the best course of action is.

How can it be accessed?

You will be able to submit a request by clicking on the link above or scanning the QR code. The form can also be accessed directly from the Home page via the 'Online services' link or through the NHS app. A short video is available to show you how to submit a request.

We are currently only able to clinically triage online appointment requests up to 3.30pm, in order to ensure all requests are reviewed in a safe timeframe. In times of sickness or exceptionally high demand, we may have to close the triage form earlier. In these circumstances you will be advised to ring to speak to a receptionist if you feel your problem is urgent, or otherwise contact us another day, or to go to a local Walk in Centre.

What will happen after I submit the form?

You will be contacted by text message if possible, or telephone, with the outcome of your request. You could be given a face to face or telephone appointment, or you may receive a reply from the GP with self-care advice, or you could be signposted to a more appropriate service. Where possible, we may send you a ‘self-book’ link to allow you to make your own appointment within the clinically assessed applicable timeframe.

The main purpose of the Total Triage model is to:

enhance the quality of care our patients receive
ensure they are given the most appropriate appointment or advice to meet their needs
communicate with patients in a timely way

How does this benefit you?

We know that change can be difficult sometimes, but we are confident that Total Triage will bring many benefits to our patients – for example:

Total Triage has been shown to reduce waiting times and it enables us to attend to your medical needs more promptly.
Using digital communication, where possible, allows you more flexibility when engaging with the practice.
Clinical triage ensures that limited healthcare resources are allocated to patients who need them most urgently.
Total Triage will address the increasing demand for appointments and reduce the frustration of having to call and be in a long queue at 8am

Please note, we are no longer offering routine GP and NP appointments at the current time, in order to be able to move towards this system with an empty appointment book.

More information will follow in due course. Thank you for your patience and understanding whilst we implement this new system.

We offer a range of different appointments to cater for all of our patients. When you contact the surgery to make an appointment, you will be asked for a brief outline of the reason for your appointment in order for you to be directed to the most appropriate clinician, as outlined in our signposting information leaflet for patients. We greatly appreciate your help with this and ask for your continued support to enable the most efficient use of our resources. This way we will be able to provide you with the best, most flexible and most timely service.

For most acute and minor illnesses, you DO NOT need to see a doctor. Our highly trained Nurse Practitioners and Pharmacists can treat a whole range of symptoms including:

Joint and back problems
Skin problems including rashes, eczema, moles, lesions
Abdominal pain, constipation, heartburn
Eye problems including conjunctivitis, itchy eyes, eye pain
Respiratory problems including flu, cough/wheeze, laryngitis, pleuritic pain
ENT problems including tonsillitis, earache, sinusitis, hay fever, allergies, swollen glands
Female health – cystitis/urine infection, vaginal discharge, menstrual problems, contraception.

Obviously we do understand that very occasionally something is felt to be very personal and we will respect your decision not to give details on those occasions. We do ask, however, that this is the exception rather than the norm.

You can book an appointment by completing an online medical request form or by calling the surgery on 01995 607399.

Some nurse appointments are also available to book via the NHS Online/App, Patient Access or the myGP app.

Types of Appointments

When your appointment request has been triaged by the GP, you may be offered an appointment ranging from the same day to up to four weeks ahead. Patients are offered a choice of a telephone or face to face consultation.

We also offer a full range of nursing services.

If we have reached our appointment capacity, you may be advised to go to a local Walk in Centre. We hope signposting patients to Walk in Centres proves a positive and efficient way for you to access good quality healthcare in a local setting. By doing so, you are helping us to provide robust GP service for groups of patients whose healthcare needs make them more vulnerable e.g., the elderly, young children, pregnant women, and patients with a palliative condition.

Fylde and Wyre Clinical Commissioning Group commission and organise Walk in Centre services for all our patients. You can access these services at; Royal Preston Hospital Urgent Care Centre, Royal Lancaster Infirmary Minor Treatment Centre, Whitegate Drive Walk in Centre, Blackpool and Fleetwood Health Centre. Please view our Walk in Centre leaflet for more information. The Walk in Centres can deal with many problems such as:

sprains and strains
suspected broken limbs.
minor head injuries
cuts and grazes
bites and stings
minor scalds and burns
ear and throat infections
skin infections and rashes
eye problems
coughs and colds
high temperature in child and adults
stomach pain
being sick (vomiting) and diarrhoea
emergency contraception

We would also like to remind patients of simple self-care measures which should be tried prior to accessing our services. Please view our Self-care page and Self treatment page for more information.

Or you can visit:

The NHS website - NHS (www.nhs.uk)

Cancelling Appointments

If you no longer require your appointment, we respectfully request that you cancel it as far in advance as possible so the appointment can be provided to another patient. You can cancel your appointments via Online services such as NHS online/app, Patient Access or the myGP app, by responding 'cancel' to a text reminder, or by calling reception on 01995 607399 - please press option 1 for the Surgery then option 4 for the Appointment cancellation voicemail.

Online Appointment Booking

If you are a patient aged 16 years or over, you can now book some types of appointments online, using the NHS app or other online services such as Patient Access. Once registered you can also order repeat prescription items, update your contact details online and request access to view part of your medical record.

If you haven't registered yet you can do so by registering with the NHS app and uploading your ID for verification, or by visiting our reception desk to sign up for the service. You will need to do this yourself in person and bring with you two forms of ID; one form of photo identification and the other containing your address. For example your photo driving licence, passport, national 60+ bus pass, birth certificate, or any of these documents dated within the last 12 months; bank statement, council tax statement, P60/P45.

Types of appointments available online

It is extremely important that the appointments are booked appropriately in order to avoid putting additional pressure on our clinical resources. We therefore respectfully request patients follow the guidelines below to enable us to continue to be able to offer this service.

The nurse appointments available are:

Cervical screening - smear test for those who have received an invite. If you believe you are due a smear test but have not received a postal invite, please let us know and we can check this for you.

Respiratory – for planned review appointments of patients with asthma or COPD – by invitation only. Please note these should not be used if you are experiencing an acute illness such as a suspected chest infection; please call the surgery to book an appropriate appointment.

Blood tests – to be booked at the request of a clinician only. If you book a blood appointment without having being asked to do so, the nurse will not be able to do the test for you.

Health checks – NHS health check for eligible patients aged 40-74 years following a postal invite. A blood test must first be booked at least three working days before this appointment.

B12 injections – for those prescribed by a GP. Please note there are separate appointments for first injections and follow up appointments.

Childhood immunisations/vaccinations - For all early year vaccinations. Parents will receive an invitation from the NHS Screening & Immunisation Team when their child is due. Please view the NHS.uk website for further details.

Flu vaccination - NHS vaccines are available for patients who have diabetes, are pregnant, are aged 65 and over, and for those patients with a long-term condition affecting the lungs, heart, kidneys, liver, brain or nervous system, the immune system or the spleen.

Free NHS vaccines are also available for Carers (unpaid carers who receive Carer’s Allowance or who are the main carer for an elderly or disabled person), young carers (young people who help to carer for a family member) and patients with learning difficulties.

Shingles vaccination - for patients who are aged 70 or 78 years old or were previously eligible but missed immunisation. NB: People aged 80 years and over are not eligible for the vaccine because it becomes less effective as you get older.

If you need support accessing online services please contact our receptionists, who will be more than happy to help.