What to expect for your appointment

Appointments

To find out how to book an appointment, please visit the ‘appointments’ page on our website. Appointments are typically booked by telephone, online (using the NHS App or Patient Access) or in-person at the reception desk.

Talking to the receptionist

If you call us to book an appointment you will speak to a member of our reception team.

The receptionist might ask you some questions to find out more about why you need an appointment. This is so that they can book you an appointment with the right healthcare professional. All reception staff keep the information you give them confidential.

If you come into the practice to book an appointment then you can ask to speak to the receptionist in private, away from the reception desk or you can ask to write down your concerns on paper and hand the paper to them so that they can read it.

If you feel that your issue is very private and do not wish to say what it is, then this will be respected by the receptionist.

If you require any reasonable adjustments for your appointment, you can tell the receptionist so that they can make the doctor or healthcare professional you are going to see or speak to aware.

Busier times at the practice are usually between 9am and 12pm.

Before your appointment

When you arrive at the practice you will need to tell the receptionist that you are there for your appointment. This usually involves going to the front reception desk and telling the receptionist your name and date of birth so that they can mark you as having arrived for your appointment.

The receptionist will then ask you to take a seat and wait to be called by the healthcare professional you are seeing. When the doctor/healthcare professional is ready to see you, your name will appear on the digital announcement board. If this is not working, then either the receptionist or the doctor/healthcare professional will come and invite you in to the consulting room to be seen.

It might be helpful to ask the receptionist how long you might have to wait to be seen. You can also ask to wait outside or in a quieter space. You can bring things like headphones with you to help you feel more comfortable while you are waiting for your appointment.

During your appointment

During your appointment your doctor or other healthcare professional will usually make an assessment about your health condition by asking questions about:
•    your medical history, and your family’s medical history
•    any pain or discomfort you might be experiencing
•    your lifestyle and any recent events in your life that might be affecting your wellbeing
•    any sleep problems or changes in appetite
•    your mood, thoughts and behaviours – sometimes by using questionnaires or forms which measure depression and anxiety

They might also check your physical health which might involve:
•    taking your blood pressure
•    measuring your weight and height
•    examining any body parts that you may have complaints or concerns about

Your doctor or other healthcare professional should tell you what they are going to do before they do it.

Based on what you have told the doctor or healthcare professional, what they think might help, and what kinds of support you would like, the doctor or healthcare professional will tell you what the next steps will be. This might be:
•    referring you for further tests (like blood tests, or an outpatient’s appointment at the hospital or another clinic)
•    giving you a treatment plan or prescribing some medication
•    referring you to another professional who might be able to help more
•    arranging a follow up appointment in a few weeks or months’ time

You can ask your doctor or healthcare professional to summarise the next steps and write them down in bullet points if it will help you to remember what to do.

If you have any questions about reasonable adjustments or coming in for your appointment, then please contact the reception team at the practice.