Appointments

You can either attend the surgery and ask for an appointment or ring 01305 262886 and you will be transferred to the relevant receptionist. When you ask for an appointment you will be offered the next routine slot. This may be some time ahead as some appointment times are blocked in advance in order to be able to offer an increased number of urgent appointments should this become necessary.

Urgent Appointments

Some appointments are made available every day for problems that need to be seen urgently. If you feel that your problem needs to be seen that day, it will be, although this may not be with your usual doctor.

If you accept a routine appointment but your problem becomes more pressing in the interim, then either phone for an urgent appointment or ask to speak to the doctor.

We realise that no system is ever 100 per cent satisfactory but we do try to accommodate as many patients as we can as often as we can.

Improving Access to General Practice Services

We are working to improve access to appointments for our patients, in particular at evenings and weekends.  If you would like to be offered one of these appointments, please ask.  These appointments may be at a different site eg Dorset County Hospital or Weymouth Walk-in Centre.

Chaperones

All patients are entitled to have a chaperone present for any consultation, examination or procedure where they feel one is required. This chaperone may be a family member or friend. On occasions you may prefer a formal chaperone to be present, ie a trained member of staff.

Wherever possible we would ask you to make this request at the time of booking your appointment so that arrangements can be made and your appointment is not delayed in any way. Where this is not possible we will endeavour to provide a formal chaperone at the time of request. However, occasionally, it may be necessary to reschedule your appointment.

Your healthcare professional may also require a chaperone to be present for certain consultations in accordance with our chaperone policy.

If you would like to see a copy of our Chaperone Policy or have any questions or comments regarding this please contact the Practice Manager.

Telephone Advice

Many problems can be dealt with by telephone and if you feel that this is the case, then a time when your doctor is free to discuss your problem can be arranged. The best time to speak to your doctor is usually at the end of morning surgery (approximately 11:30 to 12:00). Alternative times can be arranged with the receptionists and will vary from doctor to doctor.

Cancelled Appointments

If you are not able to keep your appointment please give us as much notice as possible as this allows us to free up slots for others who need them. Even a few hours’ notice can help us use surgery time more efficiently.

Please try and keep your appointments, or cancel them with reasonable notice. Thank you.