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For up to date information regarding changes to appointments and prescriptions, as these are subject to change 

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Parking

Parking is limited at the surgery, please allow plenty of time prior to your appointment to park. 

We are also based in a residential area and ask that you do not park your vehicle where it might cause an obstruction to other pedestrians, road users or access to properties.

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                                      Appointments

Our priority is to ensure that patients with urgent problems are managed safely and quickly; and that patients with routine problems are dealt with in the most efficient and helpful way.  Standard appointments can now be booked 2 weeks in advance and we will hold a number of appointments "on the day" for urgent issues. 

Nurse Appointments

Nurse appointments can be made in advance and appointments can booked at any time, please avoid calling early in the mornings as the phone lines will be extremely busy with patients booking GP appointments. 

Cancellations

If you cannot attend an appointment for any reason please inform us as soon as possible in order for us to give the slot to someone else.

Patients who fail to attend three appointments in a 12 month period may be removed from the practice list.

Please note, online appointments are currently not available.

Prescriptions

Repeat Prescriptions

All repeat prescriptions will be sent to your chosen chemist - no collections in surgery. For further information please  click here

Acute Prescriptions

For acute prescriptions ordered before 12.30pm these can be collected between 4pm and 5.15pm.

If ordered after 12.30pm, these can be collected the following day between 9am and 5.15pm

Please do not ring the surgery to check if ready - you will be called if the GP wishes to speak with you.

Reception Triage

When you request an appointment, our receptionists will ask you the reason why you are calling.  If you tell us the reason for your call, the receptionist might be able to give you information about services or self-care options that you could access for your symptoms – for example the minor ailments service at your local pharmacy.

* Receptionists are NOT trying to be doctors or make medical assessments and they are duty bound to respect your confidentiality, in exactly the same way the GPs are.*  

When you telephone the surgery to book an appointment, the receptionist will ask you the following question:

• Can I ask the reason for your appointment?

This is because the receptionist has a number of different options and types of appointments available, and can direct you to the most appropriate option for your specific problem. The best option might be to go to the pharmacy or if you do need an appointment it might be the Practice Nurse, Physiotherapist or Mental Health Practitioner is the best trained person to help, or perhaps another member of our clinical team.

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Private Tests & Bloods

If you attend a private facility to get bloods or tests taken, it is important that you ensure this facility has the ability to follow up and action these results.

It is your GPs responsibility to follow up and action tests that we order in the practice.

We do not have the time or capacity to deal with blood tests and scans etc. taken in private hospitals and private testing facilities.

We would also remind you that if a hospital Dr orders tests or scans, the results go to that Dr and you should contact that Dr or department to get these results. 

If you attend a private hospital and are prescribed treatment or have an operation, the rule in general is that all aftercare or further scripts should also be issued by that private facility.  

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Referrals

Referrals are made by GP practices and are then managed by the relevant Hospital Trust. In most cases appointments are then sent to patients directly from the hospital trust, not from the GP Practice.  Below is a tool for you to be able to see the current expected wait times for appointments at our local trusts:

HSC Waiting Times 

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Communication Support

You have the right to an interpreter if you need one. Please ask the receptionist to organise this. For a face to face consultation you will need to give at least one week's notice. 

Sign language interpreters (BSL & ISL) can be provided for patients with hearing loss. 

Appointments can be made by emailing reception.z00615@gp.hscni.net or download the (Video Relay System) ‘VRS’ app which allows patients to access interpreters (BSL& ISL)

https://signvideo.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/What-do-I-need.mp4  http://www.signvideo.co.uk/download   

https://vimeo.com/714399513

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Further Information

With patients' needs at the heart of everything we do, our website has been designed to make it easy for you to gain instant access to the information you need. As well as specific practice details such as opening hours and how to register, you’ll find a wealth of useful pages covering a wide range of health issues along with links to other relevant medical organisations.

If you prefer you can download a copy of our practice leaflet here