Appointment Types
Urgent appointments
To request an urgent appointment for today (Monday to Friday) during opening times
- Click the following link: RapidHealth– You will be asked a series of questions and offered an appointment appropriate for your problem
- By telephone: A receptionist will complete the Rapid Health triage form with you Derwent Valley Medical Practice St Marks Road 01332 224588 or Spondon 01332 673905
- Online: via mobile phone, tablet, or computer using the link on our homepage
- At the practice: ask (reception/ staff member) to help you complete the Rapid Health triage form or use the tablet in the waiting room
For more information on this system, please see here: Rapid health- Appointment Online
Routine appointments
To request a routine appointment in advance during opening times:
Click the Following link: Rapid Health
- You will be asked a series of questions and offered an appointment appropriate for your problem
- Depending on appointment availability, you will be offered a choice of clinician, date and time
- Appointment dates are offered based on the urgency of your problem
By telephone: A receptionist will complete the Rapid Health triage form with you Derwent Valley Medical Practice St Marks Road 01332 224588 or Spondon 01332 673905
Online: via mobile phone, tablet, or computer using the link on our homepage
At the practice: ask (reception/ staff member) to help you complete the Rapid Health triage form or use the tablet in the waiting room
Completing the form online yourself is the fastest method. Reception-assisted completion will take longer.
COMING SOON use your NHS App to book an appointment
For more information on this system, please see here: Rapid health- Appointment Online
Click here to Book an Appointment Online
Phone Appointments
You may book a phone consultation with a GP or Nurse. Phone appointments slots are allocated a maximum of 10 minutes
Phone appointments are accessed the same as our routine and urgent appointments.
Upon completing the questions, you will be offered a choice of a face to face appointment, or a phone appointment.
If no phone appointments are offered, your problem might not be suitable for a phone call.
The receptionist will ask for your contact phone number and the relevant clinician will contact you at a later time. You will be advised by the receptionist a time period during which the GP will be making phone calls, usually between morning or afternoon sessions (8am to 2pm for morning session, 2pm to 6:30pm for afternoon sessions). It is not possible to arrange specific time slots for phone appointments.
Please ensure that you are available to take the call during the allotted period.
If the GP is unable to get through to you during this allotted period the appointment will be missed and you will need to contact the surgery to arrange a new phone appointment for the next available time.
Online appointments – Rapid Health
Please note, you cannot use Rapid Health to arrange an appointment if you require:
- A home visit: Please try and call before 10:30am. Home visits are only available if you are genuinely housebound or clinically unable to travel
- An interpreter or British Sign Language (BSL) services
- Nursing appointments (e.g. blood tests, cervical screening, wound care, vaccinations and injections)
- NHS health checks and long term condition annual reviews (e.g. Diabetes, Hypertension, Respiratory)
- Medication reviews
- Post-natal appointments and baby checks
- Contraceptive procedures (implants and coils)
- Minor operations and steroid injections
- Follow up appointments requested by a clinician
- If you require any of these, please call the practice to discuss arranging your appointment
Click the link to request an appointment with a nurse or HCA
Click the link to request an appointment for a contraception health review
Our practice works as one organisation from two sites in Chaddesden and Spondon. Whilst we will try to accommodate your requests, you may be asked to attend at either of these two surgeries if that is where the appointment is available to you.
Our appointments can be booked up to two weeks in advance for all clinicians. This is to allow those who work, need to arrange transport or have other commitments, to plan ahead.
Self check-in
We have a self check-in system which enables you to check in when you arrive for your appointment.
Should you feel uncomfortable about using such a system, you can obtain help, or book in with one of our reception staff in the traditional manner.
Your appointment
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
Chaperones
If you would like a chaperone to be present for your appointment it would be useful if you could let us know at the point of booking, so that we can ensure that an appropriate chaperone can be available.
Did Not Attend (DNA) appointments policy
To ensure all patients receive access to a doctor in a timely manner, each patient that fails to arrive for a pre booked appointment will receive a letter reminding them of the appointment that was booked and missed. A patient will be advised of our DNA policy once a clinician confirms a patient’s first DNA incident. Any patient that does not attend a total of three times within a 12 month rolling period will be given a written notice to register with an alternative GP practice.
Patients who do not attend for appointment
Presently more than 15% of all appointments to your GP are requested by patients who subsequently do not attend. This is a disgraceful misuse of the appointment system and results in patients, who genuinely need to be seen by their doctor, having to wait longer than they should do. The number of appointments lost is staggering and runs into thousands per year.
The practice has decided that patients who abuse the appointment system will be removed from the practice list.
Reception
The receptionists are there to help you but have a difficult job managing the volume of phone calls and enquiries. When phoning for medical attention the receptionist will ask you for a few details. They have been asked to do this by the doctor and it is to ensure that your enquiry is dealt with as effectively and efficiently as possible.
Enhanced access
We are now open for pre-booked appointments at Derwent Valley Medical Practice between:
- Tuesdays, 6:30pm to 8pm at St Marks Road Surgery.
- Thursdays, 6:30pm to 8pm at Spondon Branch Surgery.
The surgery phones and reception service are not available at this time.
We will open our surgery occasionally on Saturday.
Derwent Valley Medical Practice is working with 10 other practices, as Greater Derby Primary Care Network, to provide an extended access service.
The service is available:
- Monday and Friday 8:00am to 8:00pm
- Saturdays 9:00am until 4:30pm
These appointments may take place at a neighbouring practice or at the Derby Urgent Care Centre (also known as the Walk-In Centre). Please note: these are scheduled practice appointments with a specific clinical time slot allocated for you. They are not walk-in appointments—the clinician is simply using the building to accommodate your appointment.
There is a wide range of services available from GP appointments along with a range of clinics for minor surgery, dressings, phlebotomy (blood taking), smear clinics and long term condition clinics (asthma, COPD and diabetes).
Cancelling or changing an appointment
To cancel your appointment:
- use your NHS account (through the NHS website or NHS App)
- use the GP online system: SystmOnline
- please call the surgery on 01332 224588, using option 2 to leave a voicemail
- alternatively, please send an email to dvmp@nhs.net
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.
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 you would prefer to consult with the doctor or nurse by phone, face-to-face or by text
- if you need an interpreter or sign language interpreter
- if you have any other access or communication needs
Home visits
If you require a home visit, please call the practice before 10:30am if possible.
- St Mark’s Road & Sitwell Street- St Mark’s Road 01332 224588 or Sitwell Street 01332 673905
This helps us to plan our daily workload.
The receptionist will discuss your request with the doctor or nurse, who will then decide if the request for a visit is appropriate. The doctor or nurse may ask to speak to you directly.
You may also be visited at home by a community nurse, community matron or paramedic if you are referred by your doctor or nurse
If at all possible please try to attend surgery. We have better facilities for examining you and treating you in surgery than in the home.
Home visits should be requested only when you are genuinely too ill to travel to the surgery. If you have a rash or a temperature, coming to surgery will not harm or endanger others but please inform the receptionist on arrival. The doctor can see several patients in his or her consulting room in the time it takes to make one home visit.