Upton Group Practice

APPOINTMENTS – THE ADVANCED ACCESS SYSTEM

Like other surgeries across the country we now operate the “Advanced Access” system.  The aim of this is to ensure that you can see a GP or other healthcare professional when you feel you need to.    Some appointments in the early morning, afternoons, and evenings will be available for booking ahead up to a month in advance so do please enquire about this option if it may be of use to you.    For the system to work most effectively, these appointments should only be used by people whose jobs or other circumstances make it impossible for them to ring on the day for an appointment that day.  Most appointment slots will be kept for use on the day.  This means that if you ring on any particular day you should get an appointment for that day.

One problem associated with this system is that everyone rings up first thing in the morning and the phone lines are overloaded.  To try to improve this, we are using a rolling 24 hour appointments programme so that you can ring in the afternoon and make an appointment for the following morning.  So if you require a morning appointment with the doctor this can be booked from 1-30pm the previous afternoon.  If you require an afternoon appointment this can be booked from 8-30am on the day the appointment is required.

Another way of helping to overcome the overload problem on the telephone lines would be to avoid phoning in during the first 2 hours of the morning for anything other than appointments or home visit requests for the housebound.

Our appointment capacity, whilst being managed differently under Advanced Access, is still not infinite.   However if your problem is urgent and you feel you need to be seen that day please tell the Receptionist and we will do our utmost to help.  It may mean that you are not offered an appointment immediately but the doctor may call you back to discuss the issue and will then advise if you are to come in the same day to be seen. 

Alternatively if you feel that telephone advice is all you need please ask to leave a message for the doctor who will contact you at the end of morning surgery.

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Last modified: 15/09/2005