Booking an appointment – Why the receptionist asks you questions
When booking an appointment, the receptionist will ask you questions about your symptoms, this is to ensure you are booked with the most appropriate person.
Our reception team are well trained and have lots of different appointments they can offer. To help you quickly and safely, they need to know who is best for you.
Sometimes, you will see a GP (doctor).
Other times, you might see a Physician associate, Nurse, Pharmacist, or another expert who is best to help you.
Our team will tell you if your appointment is:
Routine – your appointment will be within the next 14 days
Urgent – you need to be seen quickly
For all appointments (Monday to Friday 8am – 6:30pm)
To request an urgent appointment:
- – Phone us 01983 618388, Monday to Friday from 8am to 6:30pm.
- – Use eConsult
- – Visit the surgery and speak with a receptionist.
What to do when we are closed
- Use NHS 111 online or call 111.
- NHS 111 online is for people aged 5 and over. Call 111 if you need help for a child under 5.
- Call 999 in a medical or a mental health emergency. This is when someone is seriously ill or injured and their life is at risk.
Cancelling or changing
To help us provide the best service, please let us know as soon as possible if you need to cancel or change an appointment.
- use the – NHS App
- using the GP online system – SystmOnline
- phone us on 01983 618388
Think Pharmacy First
Most pharmacies can provide prescription medication for certain conditions without the need to see a GP or make an appointment. This service, known as Pharmacy First.
Pharmacy First means you can go straight to the pharmacist for treatment of some minor health issues, without needing a GP prescription first. If you are exempt from prescription charges, the medication will be free. If you pay for your prescription, you will pay the regular cost of the medicine. To use this service, you must be a registered patient at one of the surgeries on the Isle of Wight. Please note most pharmacies have a private consultation room.
- Download a list of minor ailments treatable through the Pharmacy First scheme
- Download a list of pharmacies offering Pharmacy First and other services (including opening times)
Your appointment
When you get in touch, we’ll ask what you need help with.
We will use the information you give us to choose the most suitable doctor, nurse or health professional to help you.
However you choose to contact us, we may offer you a consultation:
- – by phone
- – face to face at the surgery
- – on a video call
- – by text or email
Appointments by phone, video call or by text or email can be more flexible and often means you get help sooner.
Cancelling or changing an appointment
To cancel your appointment:
- – phone us on 01983 618388, Monday to Friday from 8am to 6.30pm.
- – ** You will receive a text reminder 24 hours before your appointment with a link to cancel if you need to **
If you need help when we are closed
If you need medical help now, use NHS 111 online or call 111.
NHS 111 online is for people aged 5 and over. Call 111 if you need help for a child under 5.
Call 999 in a medical or mental health emergency. This is 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’s a specific doctor, nurse or other health professional you would prefer to respond
- – if you would prefer to consult with the doctor or nurse by phone, face-to-face, by video call or by text or email
- – if you need an interpreter
- – if you have any other access or communication needs
Home visits
With the exception of emergencies, requests for home visits should be made before 11.00am. The receptionist may need to ask for some details of the problem. Please consider the necessity for a home visit. A child with a high temperature can safely be brought to the surgery where a more complete assessment is possible. Home visits are intended for the housebound and those too ill to travel. Remember we can see three or four people in the surgery in the time an average visit takes. Requests for urgent medical attention which may involve a home visit are referred to the duty doctor at the time.
Home visits – important information for patients
Home visiting remains an important part of General Practice, but with an escalating workload and diminishing workforce, the practice is obliged to review its home visiting policy.
The criteria for a home visit are:
- – those at end of life care
- – the completely housebound (uncommon)
- – those whose clinical condition would be adversely affected by attending the surgery (rare)
The practice has traditionally interpreted these criterial fairly liberally, but such is the pressure of work, this is no longer possible. Between 8 to 10 hours per day is set aside for home visiting and consequently this has a profound effect on our ability to provide timely appointments in the surgery.
The most frequent complaint is of the time to wait for an appointment and an important means to address this is to ensure that home visiting is targeted to those with a genuine need and therefore allow us to free up some of the time otherwise spent on visiting.
All requests for home visits will be assessed by the duty doctor who will decide on the most appropriate way to deal with the individual’s problem. This might consist of telephone advice, referral to another health professional, a home visit, or for the patient to attend surgery in a booked appointment.
Difficulties with transport, arranging childcare, personal inconvenience etc are not valid medical reasons to receive a home visit.
We hope you will understand the enormous difficulties facing the practice in trying to maintain a high quality service and we thank you in anticipation of your responsible use of the services we provide.
Further information
Fitness-to-work notes
When requesting an appointment or home visit, tell the receptionist the name of your preferred doctor. At times, we may not be able to guarantee that you will see your preferred GP. Yet, we will do our best to accommodate your request.