Telephone Advice

The surgery operates a telephone advice system conducted by the nurse practitioners. They can deal with urgent, same-day appointment requests or home visit requests. When a patient phones in these circumstances they will be asked by the receptionist for a phone number and a very brief description of the problem. The latter does not have to be given but it will help the nurses prioritise the call.

If the problem is life threatening, the call will be passed to the nurse or duty doctor of the day. The caller may be offered advice over the telephone, an appointment that day, a home visit or a routine appointment later in the week. In more serious cases a doctor will visit or arrange an ambulance. A patient may also contact their local pharmacy for medication advice.