Appointments

Urgent appointments

To request an urgent appointment for today or tomorrow (Monday to Friday):

• phone us on 01527595600, Monday to Friday from 8am to 6.30pm
• visit the surgery and speak with a receptionist, Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm

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.

Routine appointments

To request a routine appointment in the next 7 days:

• phone us on 01527595600, Monday to Friday from 8:30am to 6.30pm
• visit the surgery and speak with a receptionist, Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm
• use your NHS account to book a screening test or vaccination

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.

Enhanced Access

At St Stephens Medical Partnership, we offer Enhanced Access appointments. This is where additional appointments are offered to patients during the evening and weekend. This provides convenience for patients who find it difficult to come into the surgery during the normal working day.

Appointments may also be available within the PCN (Primary Care Network). This means that our care navigators may offer you an appointment remotely or at another practice, to help meet the demand for appointments. The PCN practices are: Elgar House Surgery, St Stephens Surgery including Maple View Medical Centre, Hillview Medical Centre, The Dow Surgery and The Bridge Surgery.

Please contact our care navigators if you wish to book one of these appointments. 

Your appointment

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

• by phone
• face to face at the surgery
• on a video call
• by text or email

Appointments by phone, video call or by text or email can be more flexible and often means you get help sooner.

Request an appointment online

Click here to view our online services.

Cancelling or changing an appointment

It is important that you inform the reception staff if you are unable to attend your appointment, this will allow that appointment to be offered to another patient. If you fail to notify the Practice that you are unable to attend, you will be sent a letter informing you that you have defaulted from your appointment. Persistent defaulters maybe removed from the list.

By telephone – appointments line 01527 595600

What We Are To Doing To Reduce DNAs

We are reminding the general public what our policy is and we feel that it is important to enforce it robustly.

We are currently reviewing our emergency appointments and routine appointments availability.

Here is what we will endeavour to do to help you not become a DNA:-

• We will always print appointment details for Patients who make an appointment face to face at our reception desk. Our appointment slips contain our telephone number should Patients need to cancel (even at short notice).
• If you make an appointment over the telephone, we would suggest that Patients’ record/document the date and time in a way that can be easily accessed – in a diary, on a calendar or for the more technically minded on a mobile phone.

Our staff are trained to repeat all appointment details and clarify understanding with Patients at the time of making the appointment.

KEEP IT OR CANCEL IT! SOMEONE ELSE NEEDS THE APPOINTMENT!

If you need help 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, face-to-face, by video call or by text or email
• if you need an interpreter
• if you have any other access or communication needs

Home visits

Patients are requested, where possible, to telephone before 11am if a home visit is required that day.

We would request that, apart from the genuinely housebound, all other patients attend the surgery rather than request a home visit because of the extra time home visiting takes. On average four to five patients can be seen in surgery in the time it takes to do a single house call. In addition, the care that can be offered due to the lack of adequate lighting, examination facilities and equipment means that you may not receive as good a service as the doctor may be able to offer if you came to the surgery.

Please note that the doctor may telephone you rather than visit you if this is medically appropriate. Ultimately it is the doctors right to decide whether or not a visit is appropriate for a particular set of circumstances.

Online Access