Accessing Our Services

We want to give all our patients a choice in how they contact the practice, whilst also making sure that those who need appointments can have one within a reasonable (and clinically appropriate) timeframe. 

The vast majority of contact is currently via telephone, and at times the wait to get though is much too long. 

To improve matters, we are asking those who are comfortable using online services to contact us via our website. We undertake to respond to all queries on the same working day, and in many cases you'll receive a reply within just a couple of hours - either with a proposed diagnosis and treatment plan, or at the very least confirmation of when we'll offer you an appointment. In many cases we can increase the speed and efficiency of reaching a diagnosis by arranging investigations before you see the clinician, sometimes even on the same day. 

We have introduced a new target of answering the phone within an average of 5 minutes. You will be able to track our performance on this and other key metrics on the forthcoming 'Data & Performance' section of the website. 

In addition, sometimes when capacity is limited, if you phone us we'll ask for some details of the problem and ask an appropriately trained clinician to triage the request before we allocate an appointment. This might mean that we ask you to see a clinician on the following day, in a few days time, in the evening, or at the weekend - but we will always make the most clinically appropriate decision in order to keep you safe. 

Published: Oct 10, 2025