HOW DO I...
Telephone the Practice (01625 532244)

Your call will be answered by a pre-recorded message which will give you a number of choices, so that you can select the service you need. If you have any difficulty following the instructions then either press 2 on your telephone, or wait on the line and your call will automatically go through to a receptionist. If your call can wait, please avoid calling the practice between 8.30 and 9.30am. This is our peak time for incoming calls and consequently the queuing time for held calls is longest.

Reception 01625 532244
Practice secretaries 01625 417920 or 417926
Practice nurses 01625 417912
Health visitors 01625 417925
General manager 01625 531707
District nurses 01625 441196

Messages for Doctors and Nurses

Doctors and nurses cannot take outside calls whilst holding surgeries or clinics. Telephone requests for advice or information should be made before 11.00am. Receptionists will record details in the message book. If appropriate the receptionist will transfer you to a doctor's voicemail service so that you can leave a brief message, together with your name and a telephone number where you can be contacted. If appropriate the doctor or nurse will call back after the morning surgery. If you are unavailable on the number when called, the doctor will not leave messages, nor make further calls.

HOW DO I...
MAKE AN APPOINTMENT?

• Telephone 01625 532244 between 8.00am and 6.30pm
• Via this website (See below)
• Via your Sky or Freeview TV
In order to be able to make appointments via this website or your television you have to be registered to do so. For details ask at the reception desk.
Receptionists are busiest between 8.30 and 9.30am, and 2.00 and 2.30pm; at these times it may take longer for the staff to respond to telephone calls.
A routine appointment to be seen by a doctor can also be arranged up to five working days ahead. Doctors (only) can arrange follow-up appointments for patients up to six weeks ahead where they feel this necessary eg patients referred for tests/investigations. Normal consultations are for 10 minutes; if felt necessary, longer consultations may be requested. An appointment is for one patient only and does not cover accompanying family members or carers. Telephone consultation appointment slots are also available, bookable two days in advance.
Owing to other commitments, the doctor of your choice may not always be available, but all doctors and nurses have access to your up-to-date medical record.

Making Urgent (Triage) Appointments

Rapid access appointments with the triage doctor or a nurse clinician are available for patients with urgent medical problems. Telephone between 8.00 and 11.00am for morning emergency surgery and after 12 noon for afternoon emergency surgery (4.00 - 5.30pm).

Should the nurse practitioner require it, she has free access to the duty doctor as the two surgeries run in parallel with each other.

Please note that appointment times are only approximate. Some problems will take longer to deal with than others - we expect our patients to respect that delays may occur because of the nature of this service. If after an initial assessment the clinician seeing you feels that your problems will be more appropriately dealt with in a longer routine appointment you will be asked to rebook one.

Appointment Delays and Cancellations

If surgeries have to be cancelled for any reason, our eceptionists will try to notify you as quickly as possible.

Doctors endeavour to see patients on time, but if they are running seriously late for any reason or emergency, you will be informed. Delays of this kind are rare but unavoidable, and your patience is requested.

If you are unable to attend an appointment, please inform reception as far in advance as possible, in order to free time for another patient.

Patients who repeatedly fail to keep appointments or cancel them at short notice may, if they persist after a written warning, be removed from the practice list.

Chaperone Policy

When booking your appointment with the doctor please consider whether you are likely to need a chaperone; if you think you will require a chaperone it would be helpful if you would let our reception staff know when booking that appointment. For more information on the practice's Chaperone Policy see the notice at the automated check-in position.

HOW DO I...
OBTAIN HOME VISITS?

A home visit may be requested by a patient too ill or infirm to attend the surgery. Telephone before 10.30am and give the receptionist the full details to allow a doctor to decide whether and when a home visit is appropriate. Urgent home visits can be requested at any time and will be passed on to the duty doctor for assessment.

HOW DO I...
OBTAIN TEST RESULTS?

Doctors and nurses will advise patients whether and how discussion of results will be needed. As a general rule, the surgery will not contact patients of test results that are normal.

If you have any queries relating to results you can ring the daily results line on 01625 532244 between 11.30am and 12.30pm. This line is staffed by personnel trained to give out test and investigation results as instructed by the doctor who received your results.

Pregnancy Testing

For a free pregnancy test, a urine sample must be supplied in a suitable container. Allow three days for results to be returned to the surgery from Macclesfield Hospital. Routine same-day pregnancy tests are not provided by the practice, but this service can be purchased from local pharmacies.