Check it’s not an emergency

Call 111 or 999 for urgent medical help if you have any of these, as your request will not be seen immediately:

  • Crushing chest pain and tightness
  • New drooping on one side of the face, slurred speech, difficulty raising your arms, weakness, or numbness on one side
  • Severe difficulty breathing
  • Heavy bleeding that won’t stop
  • Severe injuries
  • Feeling suicidal or wanting to harm yourself or others

Appointments

You can make an appointment with the Doctor or Nurse by phoning the Medical Centres or by calling in person when reception is open:

Ring from 8:15 am for Telephone-first appointments

  • We will do our best to give you an appointment with the Doctor of your choice.
  • We ideally like to telephone triage all appointments initially.
  • The receptionist will take your details and arrange for a doctor to call you back.
  • The doctor will either give you advice over the phone or arrange a face-to-face appointment.
  • Doctors work between both surgeries and have limited appointment times in each location.
  • If your preferred Doctor has no availability, you’ll be offered another GP.

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Online appointment requests

We offer a service called Engage Consult, enabling patients to request help from our clinicians online or via smartphone. You can request email advice, telephone, or face-to-face help.

Engage Consult availability may vary depending on demand. The service helps us manage patient requests efficiently while maintaining urgent care capacity.

  • Demand at the practice is currently very high.
  • We receive around 600 calls and over 100 online requests daily.
  • Using Engage Consult helps us triage your needs safely and effectively.
  • Urgent problems will always be prioritised – please use this service for non-emergency requests.
  • If urgent, please call us; for non-urgent issues, call to pre-book an appointment.

Thank you for your understanding.

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Non-Emergency Requests Only

PLEASE NOTE: THIS SERVICE IS NOT TO BE USED FOR PRESCRIPTION REQUESTS

Please be available for a phone call until 6:30 pm and able to attend the surgery if requested. If you cannot be available that day, please re-contact us on a day you are.

Parents or carers can use Engage Consult on behalf of a patient.

For advice outside normal hours, contact 111.

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Urgent Appointments

If you need immediate treatment for a condition needing urgent attention, please telephone the Medical Centre.

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Out of Hours

If the surgery is closed, contact 111 or if you have difficulty, call 0845 4647.

All cases are triaged to determine if a Doctor callback or referral to the SBU Health Board Out-of-Hours Service is needed.

If you have severe breathing problems, chest pain, or heavy bleeding, call 999.

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How do I arrange a Home Visit?

Request a home visit only if the patient is too ill to attend the surgery. Whenever possible, attend the Medical Centre where you will be seen more quickly.

Home visits are for medical reasons only – for terminally ill or bed-bound patients whose condition would deteriorate by travel. Please inform Reception so a triage Doctor can decide the best option: Nurse visit, Doctor visit, or hospital referral.

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