News and Notices
Extended Hours Clinics
Thank you to all those who let us know your views on our proposals for opening outside normal hours. We received over 1,300 responses with over a 90% approval rate for what we had proposed.
We will therefore be opening from 1 July 2008 for the following extended hours clinics:
1. Tuesdays 6.30 – 8.00p.m. every week (2 clinicians)
2. Thursday 6.30 – 8.00p.m every other week (2 clinicians)
3. Saturday mornings 8.30 - 10.00a.m. every other week (2 clinicians)
Some of this time may be provided by a Practice Nurse instead of a GP.
These clinics will be for routine appointments only and all will be pre-bookable. The telephone lines will not be open at these times. Urgent calls will be dealt with by our Out of Hours cover as normal.
NEW PHONE SYSTEM & NUMBER
Our Practice phone number changed from Thursday 7th June 2007 as we installed a new system designed to improve patient access to the surgery. The new number is 0844 477 3030.
The system also contains a small automated element which is designed to be as simple as possible. When you connect to the surgery you will be given the following choices
1 - for emergencies only (does not include urgent appointment requests)
2 - for appointments
3 - for prescriptions (note the prescription desk opens at 08:30am)
4 - to request a home visit
5 - blood & urine test results (1pm - 2pm)
or hold for any other enquiries (or you can press 0 when the options start).
If you are held in a queue at any time you will be told your position in the queue so you can decide whether to wait or ring back another time.
There will always be someone to speak to - your call will not be lost in a complicated system. Simply press for general enquiries if you are not sure which option to choose.
We hope that this new system will improve access to the Practice by phone - you will not have the frustration of hearing an engaged tone and we will be able to free up more staff to answer your calls rather than moving calls around the system.
Please inform us if you experience any problems with this new system and we will do our best to resolve these as quickly as possible.
The 0844 number is a lo-call number, which is slightly more expensive for local area calls, but the same cost for out of area calls and mobile calls.