Appointments

For routine appointments we encourage our patients to complete a Patchs request.  This is the new format of an e consult. This allows us to look into your request and book the appointment with the most relevant clinician or service. clock the linke below: https://patchs.ai/practice/ashwellmedicalcentre

Requests are actioned within 3 days. 

For further queries, please contact our reception team, on 01274 490409  who will be more than happy to help!

The receptionists make all the routine appointments and manage the unscheduled care requests (same day service). If you require a same day appointment our triage staff will ask you about your problem taking “triage information”.

This information is needed to help the doctors to prioritise the same day appointments for those in greatest clinical need. All our triage staff have undertaken additional training in message taking, data protection and confidentiality.

Please be assured that all information forms part of your medical record which is treated in the strictest confidence.

Our Triage service runs from 08:00 - 16:00 each day.  Please note on days where demand may be particularly high we may have to finish this service earlier if all appointments are taken.

GP Registrar/FY2

We have been a training practice since 2003 and we also supervise Foundation Year doctors (FY2).

FY2s are recently qualified doctors who come to general practice to gain GP experience before deciding which specialist training program to enter. GP Registrars are qualified doctors who are on a three year specialist training program now required to become a GP. GP Registrars are assessed by an experienced GP educator analysing their consulting skills using video recording of real consultations.

You may therefore be asked to give consent for your consultation to be recorded for teaching purposes.

Medical Students

We teach and support medical students who are training to be doctors. There may be a medical student in with the doctor you have made an appointment to see. Our staff will make you aware of this and ask your permission before entering the consultation room.

Patients are requested, where possible, to telephone before 11am if a home visit is required that day.

We would request that, apart from the genuinely housebound, all other patients attend the surgery rather than request a home visit because of the extra time home visiting takes. On average four to five patients can be seen in surgery in the time it takes to do a single house call. In addition, the care that can be offered due to the lack of adequate lighting, examination facilities and equipment means that you may not receive as good a service as the doctor may be able to offer if you came to the surgery.

Please note that the doctor may telephone you rather than visit you if this is medically appropriate. Ultimately it is the doctors right to decide whether or not a visit is appropriate for a particular set of circumstances.

If you are unable to attend your appointment, please let our reception team know as soon as possible. This allows us to offer the appointment to another patient who may be waiting. We kindly ask that you provide at least one hour’s notice if you need to cancel or reschedule.

If you do not give sufficient notice, you will receive a letter confirming that you have missed your appointment. Repeated missed appointments may result in removal from the Practice list, so we really appreciate your help in keeping appointments available for everyone.

We have a texting service which allows you to receive confirmation and reminders about your appointments.

To have this service you will need to register by completing a consent form.

Please remember to update your contact details with us when you change address, telephone numbers and email address.

Please attend your appointment on time, if you are late you may not be seen. Patients are allowed up to 5 minutes past their scheduled appointment time. Any later arrivals will only be seen at the clinician's discretion, depending on the circumstances and clinic schedule.

If you are not seen due to lateness, and it is a doctor’s appointment, you will not be able to rearrange it until the next working day, except in the event of an medical emergency that requires immediate attention.

We provide an online, on-demand telephone interpreting service that offers support in all languages. This service helps patients communicate more effectively during their consultations, ensuring they receive the best possible care.

If you require translation services, please inform our reception staff at the time of booking your appointment so that appropriate arrangements can be made.

As a patient registered with this practice, you have access to the following:

• GP Appointments
• Advanced Practitioner Appointments
• Nursing Appointment (Asthma and Smears)
• Healthcare Assistant Appointments (Blood Tests)
• Physiotherapy Appointments