Harptree & Cameley Surgeries
Our appointment system
Type of appointment
Harptree surgery has introduced a new appointment system to ensure that patients can see a doctor quickly when they need to, and that they receive continuity of care with a regular GP.
We have 4 different types of appointment which are allocated based on medical need: same day appointments, 7 day appointments, home visits and routine appointments. Wherever possible, appointments will always be booked with your registerd GP. However patients needing to be seen on the same day or within 7 days may see another doctor if their own doctor is not available. If ongoing follow up is required you will be booked an appointment with your own GP, to ensure your own doctor can coordinate your care.
We have a team of permanent GPs at the surgery who are supported by a team of GP registrars, GP locums, a highly experienced nurse practitioner and clinical pharmacist. Depending on your needs, you may be booked an appointment with another clinician for a particular problem, after triage for urgent appointments or after discussion with our reception team for routine appointments.
The diagram below summarises the types of appointment we have and how they are accessed.
Is my problem ‘urgent’
It can sometimes be hard to know if the problem you have is ‘urgent’. If you feel your problem cannot wait until the next available routine appointment or you are not sure whether your problem needs to be seen urgently, it is best to use our urgent triage system. It is important to give as much information as possible when using this system so that the doctor can assess the problem.
What happens when I’ve submitted my request?
We can only accept urgent requests when our surgery is open. Requests submitted during these times will be assessed by our doctors on the same day. We aim to respond to all urgent requests within 2 hours wherever possible.
When you have submitted your form, the doctor will assess your case. You will then receive either a phone call or text message to discuss the next steps. This may be a face to face appointment, a prescription or a request for more information, depending on the situation.
Not everyone submitting an urgent request will be offered a same day appointment or telephone call. If you have a non-urgent problem you may be asked to book a routine appointment instead, to allow our team to prioritise the most unwell patients.
Who is my registered GP
All our patients now have a registered GP for continuity of care. If you submit a routine booking request you will only be offered appointments with your own GP. If you need an alternative you can speak to our reception team. If you would like to check who your registered GP is or request to change your registered GP, you can submit an admin request via our online system. If you cannot use online services, please speak to our reception team.