Why is the surgery offering telephone appointments?
Many people don’t need to come into the surgery to be seen at all; their problem can be dealt with by telephone. This gives your doctor more time to see those people that need appointments in the surgery. This helps appointments to run to time and means you’re more likely to be seen on time. We also know that when people make an appointment close to the date that they call, they are more likely to keep the appointment.
Can I still telephone to make an appointment for a home visit?
When you speak to the receptionist, she will put you down for a call with the duty doctor. The duty doctor will assess if a home visit is required or if an alternative option is more appropriate.
Are telephone appointments safe?
During your call with the doctor, he or she will ask questions to help them make a decision about whether you need to be seen in person or not. For example, if your doctor needs to look at something or examine you, you will be asked to come into the surgery for the appointment. Alternatively, it may be possible for you to send in a photograph. If your doctor thinks you need to be seen he or she will always ask you to come in to the surgery.
If you have difficulty using a telephone you can still come in to the surgery to book an appointment.
Unless your problem is an emergency, you won’t be seen more quickly if you come into the surgery to make an appointment. You may have to wait at the surgery, so if you can telephone for an appointment it’s usually more convenient for you.
You can still book some appointments in advance. The best way to do this is via an e-consult.
Yes, the calls are recorded for training & monitoring purposes. The telephone appointments are as confidential as the appointments in the surgery.
Knowing what your health problem is generally helps the staff at the surgery to make sure those people with more urgent problems are seen quickly. However, you don’t have to tell the receptionist what is wrong. If you’re not comfortable talking about your health problem, simply say you would rather not and the receptionist will respect your wishes. You may need to wait longer for an appointment though, as staff may not be able to assess if your issue requires an emergency appointment.