Staff sickness this week – reduced appointment capacity

Did we believe Covid was a thing of the past?

If we did, we’re wrong.

Unfortunately, Covid has caught up with a number of our staff members (clinical and non-clinical), which means we will have a reduced capacity for appointments in the coming week.

We apologise for the inconvenience this will cause our patients.

Please bear with us while we do our best to offer you the best care we are able to.
Our receptionists will even more than before need to ask for a reason for your call to ensure they signpost to the right person or service to help you. Good preparation for what the government expects of us from the 1st of April.

The receptionists will be able to signpost you to the most appropriate service or clinician to help you:

  • The Community Pharmacy Consultation Scheme – referral for a same-day appointment
  • The First Contact Physio – booking an appointment that will usually take place within a few days of booking, sometimes even same-day
  • The optician Minor Eye Conditions Service – opticians have more specialised equipment and knowledge of eye problems than GPs do
  • IAPT (Improved Access to Psychological Therapies) – self-referral for mental health problems like depression and anxiety
  • Social Prescribing – many people have more socially natured issues like loneliness, money problems, and similar that would be better placed to see someone from this team – our staff can refer you to the social prescribing team (age 13 and above)
  • The dentist – if you have a dental problem, the GP is not the person best placed to deal with this as they have not been trained in dental problems
  • A&E – if your problem is related to an accident or an emergency this is the better service
  • Urgent care centre – if urgent care is required
  • 999 – if you have symptoms of a heart attack or stroke, please contact 999 immediately as every second counts