On occasions your request may be dealt with without the need to speak to a doctor. The receptionist will explain how to contact the most appropriate professional, or will give clear guidance of how we are able to help you.
Urgent appointments
To request an urgent appointment for today or tomorrow (Monday to Friday) during opening times:
- phone us on 01531 820689
When you get in touch, we’ll ask what you need help with.
We will use your answers us to direct you to the most suitable clinician to help.
Routine appointments
To request a routine appointment in advance during opening times:
- phone us on 01531 820689
- use your NHS account (through the NHS website or NHS App) or SystmOnline to book an appointment
When you get in touch, we’ll ask what you need help with.
We will use your answers us to direct you to the most suitable clinician to help.
Enhanced access
The following practices offer access, during the evenings and on Saturdays, to routine GP and practice nurse appointments across our primary care network (PCN):
- Staunton and Corse Surgery
- Newent Doctors Practice
- Mythe Medical Practice, Tewkesbury
- Church Street Medical Practice, Tewkesbury
- West Cheltenham Medical, Cheltenham
You will be able to make an appointment Monday to Friday 6:30pm to 8pm and Saturday 9am to 1pm at one of the practices above, while Saturday afternoon appointments will also be available in Gloucester.
Newent Doctors Practice are offering appointments every Thursday evening and some Fridays, 6:30pm to 8pm and some Saturdays 8:30am to 12:30pm.
Appointments are pre-bookable through the practice but please note there is no telephone access to the surgeries after 6:30pm Monday to Friday or at weekends when the countywide out of hours service will take over.
To provide the highest quality of care under this enhanced access offer, our five PCN practices have entered into a data sharing agreement which ensures confidentiality and information governance. This means that your personal medical information will only be available to the consulting clinician and will automatically be recorded in your own medical records if you are registered at another practice in the PCN. To find out more about PCNs, please watch this video from NHS England, while you’ll find our TWNS PCN page on Facebook.
Your appointment
We believe in continuity of care with all patients having their own GP. This means that your doctor will get to know you and be able to help you better. You must usually book with your own doctor, however if you need to see someone different please explain why to reception (for example, if you want to see a female or male doctor).
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.
Monitoring and reviewing our appointments
We constantly monitor our appointments and try to be reactive, adding extra appointments as needed. All doctors offer appointments in the morning and in the afternoon, with most of these bookable up to eight weeks ahead.
- We have some appointments that can only be booked on the day or for the next day as we have found over time this seems to give the best balance. Please enquire at the practice for more information.
- If you cannot find a suitable appointment, you can arrange a telephone call with your GP. Your GP will assess the problem and provide appropriate treatment advice over the telephone or arrange an appointment for further assessment.
- We do offer some appointments that are kept for patients who need the support of ‘dial a ride’ services to attend the practice.
- All patients are encouraged to attend the practice if they are able to do so, however home visits are available if clinically appropriate.
- Each appointment is allocated for 15 minutes. In this time your doctor may not be able to deal with multiple problems and may ask you to make a further appointment. If you have multiple issues to discuss with the clinician, please inform reception to ask to book a double appointment, allowing more time
We continue to look at the numbers of doctors and staff required to deliver a good service to our patients.
Cancelling or changing an appointment
If you are unable to attend your appointment please let us know as soon as possible.
To cancel your appointment:
- use your NHS account (through the NHS website or NHS App)
- use the GP online system: SystmOnline
- phone us on 01531 820689 during opening times
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.
If you have a very urgent medical problem between 8am and 8:30am on a weekday, and do not feel that you can wait until 8:30am when the surgery opens, you can call 01452 229143. You will be asked some basic questions about who you are and the nature of the problem by a messaging service operator. This information will then be sent through the duty doctor’s pager, and he/she will call you back as soon as possible.
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
Please come to the surgery whenever possible, as facilities here are far better for examination and treatment and the doctors can see several patients at the surgery in the time it takes to do one home visit. If you feel too ill to attend the surgery and a home visit is needed we ask you, whenever possible, to telephone the surgery before 11:30am so that the doctors can plan their rounds.
If you are unsure whether you need a visit or not, please ask the receptionist when it will be convenient to speak to your doctor.