Registration, Appointments & Visits

How to register with the practice

Registrations 10:00 am – 4:00pm

Please attend our reception desk and bring your medical card. If your card is lost you can still register.

Your registration is with the practice but you can request a specific doctor.

Once you have registered, you will be requested to attend for a medical check. This is important: to ensure we have a medical history and, to screen for high blood pressure etc. The consultation is also an opportunity to discuss any health issues.

Once registered with the practice your records will be requested from your previous doctor.

Appointments

Extension 207-208 (or press 1 when you hear the automated greeting )

CLICK HERE TO BOOK APPOINTMENTS ONLINE

Appointments may be booked for both surgeries by phoning 01756 799622 in surgery hours (press 1), by phoning the Gargrave surgery on 01756 749226 or online through our website. Please try to let us know well in advance if you will be unable to keep an appointment.

An appointment is for 10 minutes. If you think you will need longer, please inform the receptionist when you make the appointment.

We will try to offer you an appointment with the doctor or nurse you prefer to see, though you may sometimes have to wait a few days to see the doctor of your choice. People with urgent problems will always be able to speak to a doctor or nurse, who can offer appointments the same day, or may give advice or a prescription if appropriate.

To enable you to get the most out of your appointment and to enable us to offer you quicker access to doctors and nurses we may ask you the reason for your appointment. We may then be able to fit you in more quickly either with a doctor who has greater experience in a particular subject or in one of our specialist clinics (eg asthma, blood pressure, women's health, travel).

A hearing induction loop is available at Reception.

Home visits

Extension 220

Most people do not need home visits. Most people can be brought safely to the surgery by car or taxi and will be seen sooner than if they'd waited for the doctor to visit them. The old, frail or housebound may need visits when they are ill. If possible try to phone in with urgent problems before 10.00am. There will be circumstances when speedier and more appropriate treatment can be offered at the surgery or the district nurse may be able to help you at home.

Telephone calls

Doctors see patients by appointment at the surgery. Your doctor may ask you to phone him/her to report on a medical condition rather than book a further appointment.

Occasionally when things are very busy it may not be possible to return the call on the same day. (The duty doctor does not deal with routine enquiries.) On calling, the telephone operator will ask for a brief outline of your enquiry. This is to enable them to direct you to the most appropriate person and to ensure the doctors are left with time to deal with medical problems other personnel are unable to advise on.

When the surgery is closed

We are open from 8.00am to 6.00pm Monday to Friday. At all other times medical advice or assistance is available 24 hours a day for urgent problems. If you phone 0845 056 8060 you will reach the Primary Care Trust (PCT) Out Of Hours Service. The service will contact you and may give you advice. In many cases, even late at night, you will be asked to attend the medical centre to be examined and treated. Only when a medical condition warrants it will a visit be offered. In the case of collapse, severe chest pain or suspected heart attack we advise you to call 999 for an ambulance.

You can also call NHS Direct (a nurse-led advice line) on 0845 46 47.

How you can help us

We will try to offer you a friendly, efficient and professional service. To help us provide this, please try to:

  1. Let us know if you cannot keep your appointment or may be late.
  2. Arrive in plenty of time for your appointment.
  3. Remember that your appointment is usually only for 10 minutes and that we can normally only deal with one problem per appointment.
  4. Try to come to the surgery if you can. We can see four or five patients at the surgery in the time it takes to do one home visit.
  5. Be prepared to give our staff information that helps them assess the urgency of your request for advice/ appointment /visit.
  6. Call in the afternoons for routine or follow-up appointments - the phones won't be so busy.
  7. Tell us if you change your name, address or telephone number. Also inform the hospital if you have been referred to a consultant.
  8. Make sure we receive copies of any discharge letters, medication lists or other information you may have been given after attending hospital appointments.
  9. Remember that our staff are here to assist you, but do welcome a degree of courtesy.

Thank you for your support.

Back to top