Appointments

Choose the Right Service

Many health care problems do not need a doctor or nurse. Other professionals such as pharmacists, opticians and dentists may be better placed to help. It is important that everyone uses their GP and local Accident and Emergency services wisely.

Non-urgent advice: How Pharmacies can help

Your local Pharmacist can help with 7 common problems. Please do not book an appointment for these problems. Instead, please consult your local community pharmacist directly. Find a pharmacy near you

Mental Health

Using NHS 111 online

If you’re worried about a mental health symptom, answer some questions and we will tell you what to do next.

Contact NHS 111 online

You can also refer yourself directly to a psychological therapies service (IAPT) without seeing your GP. These services offer therapies, such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), for common problems including: stress, anxiety, depression, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), phobias.

I don’t feel well… how long should I wait before I need treatment?

Most common ailments such as colds, a sore throat, cough, sinusitis or an ear infection can’t be treated with antibiotics.

Rest, drink plenty of fluids, take some painkillers and have a chat with your pharmacist for advice on relieving your symptoms.

Appointments (Routine)

  • phone us Monday to Friday during our opening hours.
  • submit an online consultation during our opening hours. Your consultation will be reviewed and you will be contacted by the end of the current day. (Please note, you may be contacted directly by a clinician or a member of our administrative team to review your request / arrange any necessary appointments).
  • use your NHS account (through the NHS website or NHS App) to book an appointment, including blood tests, screening tests or vaccinations.
  • Saturday GP and Nurse appointments will be provided by the enhanced access hub and available at Twyford Surgery between 9:00am and 5:00pm on alternate Saturdays, please call the surgery to arrange these appointments.

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. Our staff are bound by the same rules of confidentiality as our clinicians and they have no interest in your medical condition other than to direct you to the most appropriate member of the clinical team.

Our consultation guide provides helpful information.

We understand that when the Doctor runs late it can be very frustrating and inconvenient for you and we wanted to try to explain some of the reasons why this happens sometimes. 

Why do Doctors sometimes run late?

There is no one single answer to why this happens. There can be lots of things that combine to make us run late and are rarely able to tell you why as we need to maintain the confidentiality of all our patients.
a) Patients are booked at 10 minute intervals.
b) This time includes discussing patient symptoms, possible solutions which may or may not include medication, checking past medical history and recording the consultation in your records. So you can see how easy it is to fall behind schedule as the appointment session goes on.

Below are a few of the more common reasons for doctors running late.

1: Complexity or patients in distress

People come to the GPs for lots of different reasons and this can range from a simple problem which can be comfortably dealt with in 7-8 minutes or a much more complex issue such as has been diagnosed with cancer or serious illness, the loss of a loved one, or feeling that they can’t cope anymore to the extent they are contemplating taking their own life.  These are all common occurrences.
      
2.2 Multiple problems

Some people come with a number of problems, or remember another problem halfway through the consultation which can make it difficult to keep to time. Please be realistic about which problems can be dealt with during the 10 minute appointment time.

3.3 Admissions to hospital

When someone is very unwell they may need admitting to a local hospital and the GP may have to do that there and then. This will involve the GP talking to the team at the hospital which can take some time and may require emergency treatment by the GP at the practice, before they are transferred to hospital.   

4.4 Interruptions from other Health Care Providers

GPs are part of a larger health care team and are often contacted by A&E departments, hospital doctors, laboratories, midwives, health visitors, social services etc.
We try to arrange these conversations after booked surgeries, but in emergency/ urgent situations this cannot wait and so your GP may be dealing with one of these teams whilst you’re in the waiting room.

Walk-in Clinics (Urgent Same-Day Clinic)

  • Monday 9:00am to 10:30am
  • Tuesday 9:00am to 10:30am
  • Wednesday 10:00am to 11:00am
  • Thursday 10;00am to 11:00am
  • Friday 10:00am to 11:00am

Walk in clinics are non-appointment sessions and depending on demand may involve a significant wait to see a GP. Patients arriving more than 10 minutes prior to clinic start times will not be booked in. You will be asked to return at the appropriate time. We will be unable to book you in if you arrive after the clinic end time. We still have a good availability of appointments, generally within the same week, so please continue to call to book these.

We would like to remind you that we generally have appointments available within the same week. Please continue to call to book these appointments as needed.

Non-urgent advice: Emergencies

What is an Emergency?

Whatever the time of day, if you or someone else experiences the symptoms below and you feel it is so serious that it cannot wait, go to the nearest Accident and Emergency Department or call 999.

Symptoms include;

Chest pain

Severe abdominal pain

Vomiting blood

Breathlessness

Non-blanching rashes (the glass test)

Possible anaphylactic shock (swelling of mouth and throat)

Your appointment

However you choose to contact us, we may offer you a consultation:

  • by phone
  • face to face at the surgery

Appointments by phone can be more flexible and often means you get help sooner. One appointment – one patient. Always make sure that staff are aware that you are in the waiting room and please arrive on time for your appointment.

Cancelling or changing an appointment

Missed appointments or Did Not Attend appointments are an ongoing issue across the NHS. Recent estimates suggest more than 15 million appointments are missed annually in England. Approximately 7.2 million of these are missed appointments with GPs, costing NHS England £216 million per year. If you are unable to attend your appointment please let us know as soon as possible.

To cancel your appointment:

Late arrivals policy

Patients have a duty to attend for their pre-booked appointments promptly, and to take into account logistical difficulties or the time involved in travelling to the practice.

  • If you arrive less than 10 minutes late for your appointment time we will try to accommodate you as best we can and this may require a wait
  • If you arrive more than 10 minutes late for your appointment it is at the discretion of the clinician whether we are able to see you. You may be asked to rebook.

If you need help now or 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, or by face-to-face
  • if you need an interpreter
  • if you have any other access or communication needs.

Home visits

If you are housebound and need an appointment, we will do a home visit. We will phone you first to understand what you need.

To request a home visit, it’s helpful if you phone the practice before 10:00am.

Help from your pharmacy

Did you know that your local pharmacy can help you with a lot of minor ailments; and a lot of treatments are covered by the Pharmacies.

Find a pharmacy that offers free blood pressure checks