Appointments
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.
How to Book an Appointment
You can book an appointment in the following ways:
- Online by visiting our Consulting Room
- By calling St Mark's Road 01332 224588orSitwell Street 01332 673905
- In person by visiting the practice
If you are not registered for online services you can register online.
Routine Appointments
All appointments are booked at a minimum of 10 minutes.
The doctors will try their best to give enough time to each patient, but if two members of one family try to be seen in a single appointment, other patients will be kept waiting.
Please make an appointment for each person wishing to be seen.
Self Check-in
At the St Mark’s Surgery branch, 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.
Emergency Appointments
We will always see emergencies where appropriate on the same day. During surgeries you may be asked to speak to a doctor or one of the nurses.
They will discuss with you the most appropriate way of dealing with your medical need(s).
If you wish to make an emergency appointment, please telephone the surgery on:
Telephone Triage
We use a telephone triage service, to assess the urgency of requests for same day appointments with the GP. When you call, our reception staff will take your name and telephone number and the duty doctor will call you back as soon as possible.
If the clinician thinks you need to be seen, you will usually be offered an appointment the same day or very soon afterwards. Please note that this service is not available during the extended hours appointment times specified above.
Telephone Appointments
Patients requesting to speak to a clinician during surgery times, will be asked for their telephone number. The on duty clinician will then return their call.
Please do not be offended if you are asked for the reason for this request. The doctors have requested the receptionist ask this, to assist them in assessing the urgency of your need.
If you are booked into a telephone appointment, please ensure you stay available on the number you have provided for the doctor to call you back.
Please be aware the doctor may be delayed in calling you back. This may be due to emergencies or home visits.
Cancelling an Appointment
If you do not need your appointment with the doctor or nurse it is very important that you cancel so that the appointment can be made available for another patient. At present we offer over 50,000 appointments per year but at peak times we can still struggle to satisfy patient demand. We therefore reserve the right to remove patients from our list who persistently abuse and misuse the appointment systems.
You can cancel an appointment in the following ways:
- Online by completing our form
- By telephone: 01332 224588
Please let the receptionists know if you will be unable to make, or no longer need, an appointment that you have booked so that it can be given to someone else.
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.
For further information, please read our DNA policy in full.
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 telephone calls and enquiries. When telephoning 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.