Appointments
Seeing a Doctor or Nurse Practitioner
Since our move to Alderwood Medical Practice we have reviewed our appointment system a number of times.
The practice offers patients the opportunity to book appointments in three different ways:
The majority of our appointments are 'book on the day'. We ask patients to contact us on the day they wish to be seen. This means that we begin our working day with all but a few appointments available.
A small number are available for patients to pre-book. This allows for patients who have been advised to return for a review with a certain GP or Nurse Practitioner to pre-book an appointment at the appropriate time.
Alternatively, appointments are available via our on-line booking service, and we would encourage patients, wherever possible, to register for on-line booking.
We are aware that our appointment system will not suit everyone, but we have found that the 'book on the day' system has reduced the number of appointments that are wasted by people who have booked in advance and then failed to attend.
Seeing a Nurse or Healthcare Assistant
All nursing appointments are pre-bookable and are allocated according to the requirements of each individual patient.
When requesting an appointment to see the practice nurse you will be asked the reason you are booking to see her. This allows the receptionist to offer you an appointment at the most appropriate time.
We realise that you may not want to discuss your appointment with the receptionist, but we can assure you that all information is completely confidential. Knowing in advance what each patient is attending for allows the practice nurse to manage her time more effectively and reduce waiting times for other patients.
Telephone Consultations
If you would like to speak to a doctor or Nurse Practitioner, we can arrange for this at the end of morning surgery. Please give the receptionist as much information as possible including an appropriate contact number; this will then be passed to the doctor.
Please note that the doctors have a limited amount of time between finishing morning surgery and leaving for home visits, it is important therefore that you are available on the number you have given.
Cancellations
If you cannot attend an appointment for any reason, please inform us as soon as possible for us to give that slot to someone else.