Latest News
Important Patient Updates
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 and 6.30pm you can contact the surgery via telephone if urgent, otherwise please visit a local walk-in centre or utilise the form the next day.
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.
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
Thank you for your patience and understanding whilst we implement this new system.
⚠️ Important Information for Patients Using Mounjaro (tirzepatide) and Taking the Pill ⚠️
If you’re using the contraceptive pill and have started Mounjaro (tirzepatide), please be aware it may reduce
the pill’s effectiveness. This is due to how Mounjaro works in your body.
👉 We recommend using condoms or
another non-oral contraceptive method for:
• 4 weeks after starting Mounjaro
• 4 weeks after any dose
increase
💬 Other GLP-1 medications (like Ozempic, Saxenda, Trulicity) have not been shown to affect
oral contraception.
📞 If you’re unsure or need advice on your contraception, please contact the
surgery to speak with a clinician.
More information on using Mounjaro
Covid Spring Booster Clinic
Appointments are now available for Covid Spring Booster Vaccinations.
Appointments are available to book via the National Booking Service online or by calling 119.
Vaccinations are available to anyone aged 75 and over, those living in nursing /residential homes and anyone who is immunosuppressed.
Patient Feedback
We are very pleased to have received excellent feedback in the May Friends and Family test. The themes are summarised in the tag cloud above, 95% of patients were either 'extremely likely' or 'likely' to recommend our services. To read more please visit our Patient Feedback page.
A Respectful and Heartfelt Plea to our patients
Right Person, Right Care
Did you know general practice has a range of healthcare professionals who can help with health issues? Practices across Lancashire and South Cumbria are supporting the #RightPersonRightCare campaign.
General practice now offers much more than just being able to see your GP. From advanced nurse practitioners to pharmacists and physiotherapists to social prescribers, these specialists can give comprehensive advice on specific health issues.
Our trained receptionists may offer you an appointment with a healthcare professional other than your GP. This could mean you get the right, specialist care for your condition, save you time waiting for an appointment with a GP and help your local NHS manage the current extraordinary demand.
If you think another healthcare professional can help, please mention this to our reception team when getting in touch.
Find out more by visiting the Do you know about the wide range of healthcare expertise available via your local GP practice? ICB page.
Reception staff are trained care navigators and ask questions about your symptoms and/or condition to ensure you get the correct, specialist care in a timely manner. This may also include a referral outside of general practice where relevant, for example to a community pharmacist, who can treat minor illnesses and issue urgent supplies of prescribed medicine.
If an appointment with your GP remains the most appropriate choice for your condition, this will be arranged for you.
The NHS Community Pharmacist Consultation Service (CPCS) is a community pharmacist led clinical service for people with a minor illness or who require an urgent supply of their regular medicines, to get help at a community pharmacy instead.
If, during your initial assessment we think you will get the quickest and safest care via a consultation with a pharmacist, we will arrange that for you, so you avoid having a long wait.
Appointment Cancellation Line
We are still seeing a high volume of missed appointments, with 266 appointments not attended in the past month. We have, therefore, been looking at ways to make it easier for patients to cancel unwanted appointments. Along with the methods detailed below, we have now introduced an Appointment Cancellation Line. This can be accessed via our main phone line by pressing option 1 for the Surgery, followed by option 4 for the Cancellation voicemail. Please leave your name, date of birth and details of the appointment you wish to cancel. Please note, this is a cancellation line only. If you wish to rearrange your appointment, please call the surgery and speak to a receptionist to make a new appointment.
You can also cancel your appointment:
- via Patient Access or the myGP app.
You can cancel appointments here even if they were not booked via online services
- by responding 'CANCEL' to your text message reminder
Please ensure we have your current mobile phone number so that text message reminders of your appointments can be sent. For any patient aged 0-15 years, please provide a mobile number for a parent/guardian.
- or by calling reception on 01995 607399.
Macmillan Cancer Support Clinics
Macmillan aim to help everyone with Cancer to live life as fully as they can. They offer a range of support for patients, families and carers and can provide information and support services; emotional and practical support; financial support and benefit advice.
Macmillan Cancer Information and Support Clinics are held here at Garstang Medical Practice on the first Friday of each month. If you would like the opportunity to see or speak to the Macmillan Advisor, please contact the Cancer Patient Priority Care Line on 01995 608107 or Reception on 01995 607399 to arrange an appointment.
Local Macmillan Cancer Information & Support Services can also be accessed via:
-
Macmillan Cancer Information and Support Service Preston
Rosemere Cancer Centre, Royal Preston Hospital, Sharoe Green Lane, Fulwood, PR2 9HT, Telephone 01772 523709 Email cancerinfocentre@lthtr.nhs.uk -
Macmillan Cancer Information & Support Centre Lancaster, Macmillan Hub, Royal Lancaster Infirmary, Ashton Road, Lancaster LA1 4RP Telephone 01524 519578 or 07972 639424 Email: macmillan.info@mbht.nhs.uk
-
Macmillan Cancer Information & Support Centre Blackpool, Windmill Unit, Blackpool Teaching Hospitals, Whinney Heys Road, Blackpool, FY3 8NR Tel 01253 955710 Email: bfwh.macmillan.info@nhs.net
Macmillan have a phone line which anyone affected by cancer can call where cancer experts can answer people’s questions and worries, or just listen if they need to chat. Please call 0808 808 00 00.
Veterans Priority NHS Treatment
All patients who have served in the armed forces are entitled to priority access to NHS care (including hospital, primary or community care) for conditions associated with their time within the armed forces (service-related). This includes veteran-specific services like prosthetics and mental health. Please let the surgery know if you are a veteran so that this can be recorded in your medical record. For further information, see NHS page - priority NHS treatment for veterans.
Garstang Medical Practice is an Armed Forces Veteran Friendly Accredited GP Practice.
Easy Eye Care
Easy Eye Care is available for people with learning disabilities and autistic people of all ages. Appointments are available locally at Clare & Howard Opticians, High Street, Garstang.
For easy read information about having an eye test, visit www.seeability.org/EReyetest
For more information, please
contact Steve Kill on 07738 040307 or s.kill@seeability.org
Clinical Practice Research Datalink
This practice contributes to the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD). Information in patient records is important for medical research to develop new treatments and test the safety of medicines. This practice supports medical research by sending some of the information from patient records to the CPRD.
CPRD is a Government organisation that provides anonymised patient data for research to improve patient and public health. You cannot be identified from the information sent to CPRD.
If you do not want anonymised information from your patient record to be used in research you can opt out by speaking to your doctor. For more information about how your data is used visit the CPRD Website or view our Privacy Notice.
Audiology Screening Service
We are now able to offer a free to access screening service for patients who are suffering from hearing related difficulties. This service is provided by Scrivens Audiology at Garstang Medical Practice. A limited number of appointments are available each week for patients aged 18+.
If the screening identifies a hearing loss, patients aged 55+ will be referred to the appropriate Audiology or ENT service. Scrivens are unable to refer patients under 55 years of age directly to NHS Audiology services, however options will be given to the patient at the screening appointment and a report will be sent to their GP for onward referral as required.
If you believe that you are suffering from hearing related difficulties, please contact the surgery to arrange an appointment. For further information, please contact the surgery on 01995 607399 or Scrivens Patient Services on 0800 027 5102.
Full Audiology Assessments are also available free of charge by contacting Scrivens Patient Services directly on 0800 027 5102.
Hospital Blood Requests
We are unable to book appointments for patients who need bloods requested by a hospital. We are not responsible for doing bloods requested by the hospital and need to reserve our appointments for blood tests requested by our clinicians at the surgery.
Hospital blood request appointments should be arranged directly with the relevant hospital blood clinic. Details as follows:
Royal Preston Hospital
Blood clinics are currently running by appointment only. Open
8:30am – 4:45pm Monday to Friday. Tel: 01772 524143. Please take the blood form from your consultant with you.
If you do not have a blood form please give the name of your consultant when booking.
Lancaster Royal Infirmary
Please attend RLI Blood Clinic. No appointment needed. Please
take the blood form from your consultant with you. If you do not have a blood form please give the name of
your consultant when booking in. Please avoid attending in mornings as this is their busiest time.
Bookable appointments are available at Dalton Square surgery on Fridays. Please ring 01539 715700 to arrange your appointment (lines open Monday to Friday 10am – 2pm).
George Cross Medal awarded to Garstang Medical Practice
We are very excited to be able to announce that, following nomination by one of our lovely patients, Angela Mather, we have received the George Cross Medal from the Queen!! 🎉🥳🍾
This honour was given to the NHS as a whole last year, but only those who are specifically nominated receive their own George Cross Medal.
Angela Mather applied for our medal in appreciation of the great work we do. She especially recognised our contribution during the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccination programme.
Thank you Angela! We are overwhelmed by your support and this great honour. 💙
