Appointments

New Appointment System

From the 12th September 2016 we started operating a new appointment system, with GP's being accessed following telephone triage. Please note we are reviewing this system and would be interested in patients opinion on how we can improve the access within the allocated resources. Please email SHECCH.AvenueMC@nhs.net or use the survey on this website to tell us your thoughts.

Doctors' Appointments

When requesting an appointment, the Receptionist will confirm your contact details as before, and to help the doctor, our Receptionist will ask patients for basic details of the nature of the problem.  This is asked so that calls can be prioritised appropriately based on clinical need.  You can of course decline to give this information.

Visits

Home visits should be requested before 11am. Any requests after this will be passed through to the Doctor on call in the first instance.

Children under 15 will only be seen unaccompanied at the doctor's discretion.  Let us know if more than one person in the family needs to be seen.  We can give you a longer appointment if necessary.

Extended hours

We now open early on Tuesday mornings for a Doctor's and Nurse appointments, late evenings on Mondays for a Doctor's appointment . These times are strictly by appointment only and the Practice is not available for any other service.

Telephone Lines

Clearly the appointment system can put a great demand on our ability to answer calls at particular times.  We have more staff on duty to answer your calls at busy times.  Please only contact the practice during our busy morning period for urgent problems or appointment booking. It is unlikely you will get a same day appointment if you call after 11am unless it is medically imperative a GP speaks to you that day. If you need to ring for test results please contact the surgery after 11am.  Please be patient – we will answer your call as soon as possible.  Surgery lines will be open from 8am.

Home Visits

If possible please try to telephone reception before 11am if you require a home visit.

A doctor or nurse may phone you back as it may be that your problem can be dealt with by telephone advice, or that it would be more appropriate to send a nurse, or indeed arrange a hospital attendance.

House visits are only available for patients who are housebound because of illness or disability.

Please remember that several patients can be seen in the practice in the time that it takes to make one home visit. There are also better facilities for examining and treating patients at the Health Centre.

Patients with Particular Needs

Our surgery is accessible to patients using a wheelchair and we have disabled parking.

We can arrange interpretation and translation services in person or by phone for patients who do not speak English. Please let us know if you need this service when booking an appointment.

The satellite units enable patients to access an evening and weekend service at one of four locations across the city when they need an urgent appointment with a GP or nurse practitioner. These are located at Crookes Practice, North (The Healthcare Surgery), Sloan Medical Centre and Woodhouse Health Centre.

Patients are booked an appointment at a satellite unit by their GP practice if they need to be seen urgently – please note: appointments aren’t available on a walk-in basis.

The appointments will be with the on shift GP or nurse practitioner, depending on the patient’s needs. The units open outside of standard practice hours covering weekday evenings 6pm – 10pm, and weekends 10am-6pm. The units have all been set up within either existing practices or as an extension to the current out of hours service and are staffed on a rota basis by GPs and nurses across the city.

Patients will find it easier to get a GP appointment when they urgently need one and avoid having to wait to see their GP or consider going to A&E unnecessarily. You are booked into satellite units through your registered GP practice or if they are closed by calling 111 and then via the out of hours service – you cannot book yourself directly into a satellite unit appointment.

Practices will be more able to meet the demand for their services, with reduced daily pressure on GP workloads.

Please see this PDF for more infomation.