This guide tells you what to expect from us and how you can help us, so you get the best from the National Health Service (NHS).
When and how can you contact us
We ask you use the Anima online tool (Anima) or call us ideally before 10am if you need a home visit or 11am with urgent requests, so that we can prioritise you for appointment on the day. If you need us later in the day, please phone us to make sure we prioritise your request.
If you have an ongoing issue that is routine and doesn’t need a response on the day, you can submit that between 8am-6.30pm every day using Anima or call us. We discourage attendance at site to ask for appointments, as it increases queues for those that need to check in, or are picking up items, and we need to ask lots of personal questions which is not ideal at a desk; also you won’t be given an appointment immediately as we triage requests, so you will need to leave the practice and wait for us to contact you with a response. So we prefer contact through Anima or the phone, but if you need to come to the site you can. Please note some branch sites are not open all the time
What if the practice is closed?
If you need urgent help for your physical or mental health when the general practice is closed, and you cannot wait until they open, go online to 111.nhs.uk or call 111. They will tell you what to do next.
What if it’s an emergency at anytime?
If it’s a serious or life-threatening emergency, go straight to A&E (Accident and Emergency) or call 999.
What happens when you contact your practice to request an appointment?
However, you make your request the practice team will consider your request for an appointment or medical advice and tell you within one working day what will happen next.
This could be:
· An appointment that day or a subsequent day
· An appointment at your practice or another location
· A visit if you are housebound
· A phone call that day or a subsequent day
· A text message responding to your query
· Advice to go to a pharmacy or another NHS service.
We will decide what is best for you based on your clinical need.
Please find more detail at https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/you-and-your-general-practice-english/