Appointments

(Before calling us you may be able to get advice or a direct referral without needing to see or speak with a GP. See our Referrals page for information on which services are available for self-referral.)

To book an appointment at Ramsey Health Centre, please call our Patient Services Team on: 01487 812611

We aim to see all patients as soon as possible but we obviously do not have unlimited appointments or resources.

Appointments can be booked up to a maximum of four weeks in advance to see a doctor or practice nurse. Please remember to let us know when you want to cancel an appointment as a large amount of doctor and practice nurse time is wasted by patients just not turning up.

We know that shared decision making between patients and professionals can make a lasting and significant difference to healthcare outcomes. Receiving and understanding the right information during an appointment is key to involving people in decisions about their treatment and care. Please read the Department of Health's "Questions to Ask" leaflet (PDF, 94KB).

Cancelling Your Booked Appointment

Every day appointments are wasted because people do not cancel a booked appointment. If you need to cancel your appointment, please do tell us so your appointment can be allocated to someone else.

To cancel an appointment please ring 01487 812611.

Missed Appointments Policy

Ramsey Health Centre has a policy on missed appointments. Any patient that does not attend three of their appointments in a twelve month period (without cancelling them) may be removed from our patient list and would need to find an alternative practice to register with.

A text message will be sent after first missed appointment, a written warning will be sent after two missed appointments and if a third appointment is missed the GP Partners will then review missed appointments and the patient may be removed from our practice list.

Urgent Access to a Doctor

Urgent access to a doctor can be requested on the same day but may not be with the doctor of your choice and will mean you waiting until the emergency doctor is available. Please give Patient Services staff a brief idea of the problem and they will inform the emergency doctor and s/he will call you back.

Preference of Doctor

Patients are not registered with a specific doctor but with the practice as a whole, but you can request to see a particular doctor if you so wish. It may just mean a longer wait for an appointment. However, we fully recognise that continuity of care is extremely important, both to the patient and the doctor to ensure ongoing treatment is managed efficiently. The Patient Services staff will always try to ensure that your request to see a specific doctor is fulfilled. This will depend on your flexibility and availability for an appointment with that doctor.

Consultations

We are fortunate in having a large team of clinical and administrative staff who can help you with your health needs. In order for us to help you to access the most appropriate health resource we need to be aware of your specific needs. It is not always appropriate for you to see a doctor - it may be that another one of our clinical or administrative team will be able to help you. We are happy to offer a health check with a doctor or Practice Nurse for patients aged between 16 and 75 who have not attended the Health Centre within the past three years and for those patients aged over 75 who have not attended during the last 12 months.

You can help us by:

• Telling us why you would like to speak to a doctor or need an appointment with another healthcare professional. This means we can direct you quickly to the appropriate healthcare professional.
• Letting us know if you need to cancel an appointment.
• Ringing the dispensary after 9.30am and 3.30pm.
• Requesting a home visit before 11.00am.
• Ringing for results of tests between 10.00am and 4.00pm

Extended Access 

Details of this service to follow.

View our Chaperone Policy here

Why does my doctor sometimes run late?

This is a commonly asked question – all appointments are for ten minutes, however, many patients attend with complex or multiple problems that need much longer consultation times than this. If you know you will need more time, please mention this on booking so that an appropriate slot can be allocated. Emergency calls for visits or urgent attention must be fitted in appropriately throughout the day. All these calls on the doctors’ time add up to delays. We fully accept that it can be extremely frustrating to be kept waiting in our busy lives. As a result, the Patient Services Team will endeavour to keep you informed of any delays that may affect your appointment times. However, all patients are important to us and we would ask you to be patient. Next time it could be you that has a difficult problem to discuss or an emergency.

I have difficulty getting through by telephone in the mornings!

Although we answer four lines on our main telephone system they are very busy first thing in the morning. Calls are held in a stacking system and are answered in the order they are received. If you can leave non-urgent calls until later in the morning we will be able to deal with them more quickly.

Emergencies

If you are confronted by a serious problem such as acute chest pain or severe bleeding call an ambulance (telephone: 999) before calling the surgery.

Nurse Team Appointments

Appointments with a team member may be booked up to two weeks in advance. Routine blood test appointments are available each morning until 11:30 and until 4.00pm in the afternoon.

Our nurse team can help you with:

If you need help when we are closed

• Use NHS 111 online (111.nhs.uk) or call 111. 111 online is for people aged 5 and over. Call 111 if you need help for a child under 5.
• Out of hours information
• If it’s a life-threatening emergency call 999.

Try the NHS App

You can now use the NHS App, a simple and secure way to access a range of NHS services and your GP account on your smartphone or tablet.

You can use the NHS App to check your symptoms and get instant advice, book appointments, order repeat prescriptions, view your GP medical record, access your Covid vaccination status and more.

If you already use online access you can continue to use it. You can use the NHS App as well.

For more information go to www.nhs.uk/nhsapp

Home Visits

Home visits are intended for those who cannot, for medical reasons, make it into the surgery. This is because three (sometimes four) patients can be seen at the surgery in the time it takes to complete one home visit. Please phone before 11.00am if you are requesting a home visit. A doctor may return your phone call to discuss the need for a home visit. The doctor will make the decision to make a home visit based on medical need.

Interpreter Service

Ramsey Health Centre is able to arrange a telephone interpreter service for patients who do not speak English. Please ask our patient Services staff if you wish to book this service for a forthcoming appointment.