The Constable Country Medical practice
www.constablecountrymedicalpractice.co.uk 07th September 2010

Appointments

For all appointments call
East Bergholt 01206 298272         Capel St Mary 01473 310203

All GP appointments are allocated a 10 minute slot

If you have problems with transport, please advise the receptionist and she will endeavour to make a convenient appointment for you.

New ways to make appointments

From 4 August 2009 you will be able to book, cancel and check your own appointments, at any time of the night or day, using a new telephone service at the surgery.  You will also be able to book or cancel appointments and order your medication online.
Click here for more information

Types of appointment

Several types of appointment are available daily and a GP appointment may not be the most appropriate. You may therefore be offered a Minor Illness Clinic appointment, Nurse appointment, telephone appointment, pre-booked appointment or prescription following consultation with the Doctor. It may be necessary to consult a clinician and return your call.

On-the-day-appointments

Patients are asked to telephone from 8am on the day they require an appointment. We aim to deal with all queries on the day but will not necessarily be able to offer you an appointment with the clinician of your choice.

If you contact the surgery before 1200 and you need to see a doctor the same day you will be given an appointment for that morning.

If you telephone the surgery after 1200 and require an appointment on the same day you will be asked to give your contact details to the receptionist.  These details will be given to the duty doctor, who will contact you by telephone in the afternoon – if necessary you will be offered an appointment with the duty doctor during the afternoon.

Pre-booked appointments

These are available to any patient, with a GP of his/her choice. However in order to keep the balance between pre-booked non-urgent appointments and on-the-day acute appointments it may be necessary to wait for 1 – 2 weeks for a mutually convenient date.

Telephone appointments

These appointments are available to all patients who are unable or feel it unnecessary to attend the surgery but require simple advice without examination. Please request a telephone appointment. The GP or nurse will phone you back within a given time scale.

Minor illness clinic

The Clinic is run by a specialist nurse together with a GP and operates on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday morning. The clinic sees conditions such as coughs, colds, sore throats, urinary infections, recent onset of back ache, headache, conjunctivitis, rashes, earache, constipation, period problems, sprains and minor injuries of a non-suturing nature.

You may be offered a place in the Minor Illness Clinic by the receptionist when phoning for an appointment. It may be more appropriate for you to be seen in this clinic than in the GP’s clinic. Please take advice from the receptionist.

What you can expect when you book an appointment

  • Your call will be answered as soon as possible, although at peak times there may be a delay
  • Reception staff will be polite and helpful
  • If you contact the surgery before 12.00 and you need to see a doctor the same day you will be given an appointment for that morning
  • If you need to  be seen on the day you ring, your appointment may not be with your usual doctor
  • If you telephone the surgery after 12.00 and require an appointment on the same day you will be asked to give your contact details to the receptionist.  These details will be given to the duty doctor, who will contact you by telephone in the afternoon – if appropriate you will be offered an appointment with the duty doctor during the afternoon

How you can help

  • Please arrive on time for your appointment
  • Unless you need to book an appointment for the same day, please phone after 10.00 am if possible
  • For the benefit of all patients, the doctors need to keep to time during their surgeries.  If you have a number of problems to discuss with the doctor, please ask the receptionist for extra time when you book the appointment
  • Please remember that an appointment is for one person only
  • Always ring to cancel your appointment as early as possible if you can no longer attend.  This frees up appointments for other patients
  • Notify the practice if you change your address or telephone number
  • Consider whether you need to see a doctor at all.  Could you see  a practice nurse in the minor illness clinic


© The Constable Country Medical practice
Advice presented on this web site is for information only and is not intended as a substitute for seeking professional medical advice. Links to other web sites are offered for information only and this practice does not endorse any other web site.