Appointments

Surgery opening times:

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 8.00am to 6.00pm

Appointments are usually available from 8am to 12.30pm and 2pm to 5.20pm.

Each appointment lasts for 12 minutes and we ask you to try and bring one problem to each appointment. You may consult with any of the doctors but for ongoing problems we prefer you to stay with one doctor if possible to provide better continuity of care.

If you at any time would like a chaperone to support you during your consultation, please inform the doctor or the nurse and this can be arranged. Occasionally there may be a short delay whilst a suitable chaperone is arranged.

To book an appointment ring 01538 399008.

When booking a routine appointment you will be offered an appointment 2 weeks in advance.

If it is urgent that you see a practitioner today you will be offered an appointment with the Duty Team, this consists of a Nurse Practitioner and GP. Please try and ring or call into the surgery as early as possible on the day for same day urgent appointments

If you wish to speak to a practitioner on the telephone you can ring for a telephone appointment (routine or urgent appointment) and the practitioner will call you back near to the allotted time.

Enhanced Access and Out of Hour appointments

Enhanced Access and Out of Hour Appointments are available for patients within the Leek and Biddulph Primary Care Network.  These appointments are available from 4.00pm-8.00pm Monday-Friday and 9.00am-2.00pm on Saturdays and 9.00am-12.00pm on Sundays.  The reception team will offer and book you one of these appointments and advise you of the location of the appointment where you need to attend.  This is not a walk in service.

You will most likely be seen by a clinician from another practice who can access your medical records, order tests and investigations and refer you on if required.

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. You can leave a message on our new telephone system by ringing 01538 399008 and pressing option 2.

Home Visits

Whilst we encourage our patients to come to the surgery, where we have the proper equipment and facilities available, we do appreciate this is not always possible. In this respect, if you do need a home visit, you can help us by calling reception before 10:00am.

You may only request a home visit if you are housebound or are too ill to visit the practice. Your GP will only visit you at home if they think that your medical condition requires it and will also decide how urgently a visit is needed. Please bear this in mind and be prepared to provide suitable details to enable the doctor to schedule house calls.

Sometimes home visits are also performed by our Nurse Practitioner, Community Matron or District Nurses, who may call the doctor out if required.

Sickness Certificates

You do not require a doctor's sickness certificate for any illness lasting seven days or less. Your employer may however require you to complete a self-certification form (SC2) which is available from your employer or on the HMRC website.

Evidence that you are sick

If you are sick for more than seven days, your employer can ask you to give them some form of medical evidence to support payment of SSP (statutory sick pay).

It is up to your employer to decide whether you are incapable of work. A medical certificate, now called a 'Statement of Fitness for Work’ (see below) from your doctor is strong evidence that you are sick and would normally be accepted, unless there is evidence to prove otherwise.

You could also provide evidence from someone who is not a medical practitioner, e.g. a dentist. Your employer will decide whether or not this evidence is acceptable. If your employer has any doubts, they may still ask for a medical certificate from your GP.

Statement of Fitness for Work - ’Fit Note'

The 'fit note' was introduced on 6 April 2010. With your employer's support, the note will help you return to work sooner by providing more information about the effects of your illness or injury.

For more information see the DirectGov website (where this information was sourced).

Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) : Overview - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Percentage of Patients that Did Not Attend for their Appointment (DNA rates)

The percentage of patients that did not attend for their appointment in the month of August 2024 was 3.3%. 

There were 2572 booked appointments and 85 patients Did not Attend for either the Doctor, Nurse Practitioner or Nursing team.