Surgery Hours

The surgery building and phone lines are open to patients at the following times:-

SATURDAY, SUNDAY and BANK HOLIDAYS- CLOSED ALL DAY
(Click here for out-of-hours services).

Note:
On Wednesday afternoon the surgery does not deal with emergencies. This is to enable staff training and continuing medical education for the doctors. If you need a doctor in emergency after 1pm please contact the Primary Care Centre (Fylde Coast Medical Services) at Whitegate Drive, on 01253 305895. From 1.00pm on Wednesdays the surgery is open for pre-booked clinics and routine telephone contact only.

In an emergency when the surgery is closed, telephone 0300 123 1144.

(page updated 02-07-2010)

Appointments

The practice operates an appointments system with surgeries held at different times of the day. The receptionists will try to offer you an appointment time to suit your personal needs, although this may not be possible if your usual doctor is unavailable at the time you require.
You may make an appointment with any of the doctors, not just the doctor with whom you first registered.

There are always appointments reserved for SAME DAY EMERGENCIES and we would request that you honour this arrangement and accept a routine appointment if your needs are not urgent. The receptionist will usually arrange in the first instance for you to see our nurse practitioner Sr Evonne Key . She is able to assess, diagnose and manage a wide range of conditions. She is able to prescribe for most common illnesses.

The doctor may also be able to offer you advice on the phone to help give you the quickest and most appropriate help with your problem. Many of our patients find this facility convenient and effective. URGENT/EMERGENCY appointments will be allocated to the duty doctor who may not be the doctor you would usually consult.

Making an Appointment

Appointments may be made by telephoning 01253 - 345328 or by calling at the surgery during opening hours, or for routine bookings through the internet via this secure link (you must pre-register at the surgery in order to use this service). Please call after 10am for routine appointments and enquiries. It helps to keep the phone lines free before 10am for urgent requests and home visits.

Cancelling Appointments

Should you be unable to keep an appointment please try to let us know as soon as possible. Every week, appointments are wasted when patients fail to attend. If you let us know in advance, someone else can be given your appointment time. You can cancel an appointment 24 hrs a day either by clicking this link, or by phone: during surgery hours ring 345328 and choose option 1; out of hours ring 336598 to leave a message.

 Click Here to book/cancel using your EMIS access password

Home Visits

Please only request home visits if you are too ill to come to the surgery. It is now generally recognised that patients with most illnesses can be safely moved in order to receive medical care. If you feel particularly poorly, tell the receptionist beforehand, and she will ensure you are not asked to wait in the waiting room.

The Health Service does not provide transport but friends, relatives, neighbours and taxis usually make personal travel possible and we can offer the best care for all our patients at the surgery.

If you think you need a doctor to visit, telephone the surgery on 01253 345328 before 10.30 a.m. Please explain to the receptionist what is wrong so that the more urgent calls can be given priority. The doctor will probably phone you to see if you can be helped more quickly, and if a house call is the best way to help you so that the rounds can then be planned.

(page updated 03-05-2010)

Telephone Consultations

We encourage patients to make use of the phone to speak to the doctors. You can usually leave a message and the doctor will return your call. Wherever possible please tell the receptionist the nature of your call, since many of the doctors work part-time and there may be a delay in calling you back. Remember also that advice can be obtained 24 hours a day from NHS Direct on 0845-4647

(page updated 03-05-2010)