I need an appointment – how do I book one, and how does the system work?

Appointments can be booked by presenting to the front desk at either site, telephoning the practice, or via online.

Appointments are booked according to clinical need. This means that same-day appointments will generally be retained for those with a new, acute presentation or worsening symptoms of an existing problem. If you contact us with an acute problem, and we do not have any availability to organise an appointment on the day, you may be advised to contact us again to try and arrange a suitable appointment. We will always try to offer an appropriate appointment the first time you contact us but would ask that you take the current pressures on the NHS into account and show understanding if we are unable to offer something at the point of contact.

Can I make an appointment on behalf of someone else?

Appointments can only be booked by the patient concerned. The exceptions to this are where:

• The patient has nominated another person to be able to deal with their medical affairs, this can either be via explicit consent obtained from the patient, or via legal documentation such as a Lasting Power of Attorney where the patient concerned does not have capacity.
• Where a child is below the age of 13, their appointments can be booked via those who have parental responsibility. Children aged 13 or over can provide their own consent – where their competency to provide their own consent is in doubt, a Gillick competence test will be performed to determine if parental consent should apply.

Further information regarding consent for children can be found on the Information Commissioner’s Office website.

Why do the receptionists ask me so many questions?

All our receptionists have undergone specialist training to help them deal with patients more effectively. The questions asked are for the clinician’s information ahead of the appointment, and it ensures that we book you with the most appropriate clinician for the reason you have provided. Most appointments are only 10 minutes, so if the clinician has some idea of what your symptoms are, they can utilise those 10 minutes more effectively. There have been times where patients have provided incorrect information, which has led to the appointment being booked with an unsuitable clinician, meaning another appointment had to be booked which led to another wait for the patient.

You can specify if the reason is personal (i.e. you don’t want to give any further detail) – this is not a problem but please note that we will be unable to book a same-day appointment for this reason.

Depending on the symptoms reported, we may be able to offer a direct referral to the Community Pharmacy Consultation Service (CPCS).

How can I order a prescription?

Medications can be ordered by presenting to the front desk at either site, emailing our dedicated prescription email (WCLTP.Prescriptions@nhs.net), or online via the NHS App, AccuRx Triage, or Patient Access. Ordering via the front desk can be done at any time within our opening hours, and both the email and online can be submitted 24 hours per day – note that, although it can be ordered at any time, we can only process them during our opening hours.

We do not issue prescriptions automatically – they must be ordered by the patient as and when they are required.

I’ve ordered my prescription; how long will it take to be issued?

Prescriptions can take up to 3 working days. Please take this into consideration and order in good time, factoring in weekends and bank holidays accordingly.

I need sedation for a procedure/flight, how do I obtain this?

The practice does not prescribe sedation for procedures such as scans or dental work. Requests for these should be directed to the organisation performing the procedure, such as your dental practice.

The practice also does not prescribe sedating drugs, called benzodiazepines, for treating fear of flying. Further support can be found in the practice policy for fear of flying treatment.

I’ve been waiting a while for a hospital appointment; can you escalate my referral?

Waiting times for an appointment, following a referral, vary due to many factors. This could include the hospital you are being referred to, your symptoms etc.

Urgency of referrals can only be changed based on worsening symptoms (‘red flag symptoms’). If this is the case, you will need to be reviewed by a clinician.

Is it possible for you to chase the letter following my recent hospital appointment?

We do not chase hospital appointments, correspondence, or results. All NHS hospitals/services endeavour to have the necessary information/appointment sent out at the earliest opportunity and, as such, we must simply await its delivery. Patients are at liberty to contact the hospital themselves if they so desire, but please take the above information into account.

I’ve been off work due to illness for a few days this week, can I have a sick note?

As per the Government’s guidance, “If employees are off work for 7 days or less, they do not need to give their employer a fit note or other proof of sickness from a healthcare professional”. For any sickness below or equal to 7 days, the patient should complete the online form by clicking here (links to GOV.uk). If you are unable to complete the online form, your employer should have paper versions available.

Periods of sickness that exceed 7 days require a medical certificate – if this is the case, you will need to arrange an appointment with a clinician.

The practice's opening hours can be found by clicking here, and the complaints form and procedure can be found by clicking here.