Appointments
Did you know you can now get 24/7 health support online with clinical advice at your fingertips.
There’s now no need to wait on the phone to speak to us. Submit your query to us online at https://www.online-consult.co.uk/org/darwin-medical-practice and we’ll get back to you with the advice you need.
Consult with your doctor online
Getting clinically approved advice when you need it.
We know that you don’t just need medical support during practice hours and that you may need advice at any time of day. Online Consult gives you 24-hour access to a wealth of health advice, self-care tips and information on your next steps. Plus, you can submit request forms directly to your GP for review if you need further guidance.
Why use Online Consult?
Round the clock advice: Access a wealth of health advice at any time of day or night.
Accurate medical advice: Receive tailored advice and information based on your symptoms.
Less time on the phone: Submit your form online so you spend less time waiting in phone queues.
Clinically approved information: All the advice and information available through Online Consult is clinically approved and provided by medical professionals.
Using Online Consult
Step 1
Visit our practice website and click on the Online Consult link on the home page.
Step 2
Fill in a simple online form outlining your symptoms to view relevant articles and information to help you manage your condition.
Step 3
If you’re still having issues after viewing the support material, submit your form directly to your GP.
Step 4
We’ll direct you to the most appropriate form of treatment for your condition based on your form.
Routine Appointments: We offer both face to face and telephone appointments and pre-bookable appointments can usually be booked up to six weeks in advance. Our reception team will be happy to offer you the next available appointment with any clinician or with your preferred clinician.
Urgent Appointments:
If your problem is urgent and you feel that you need advice on the same day, please advise the receptionist. We have an Urgent Care Team who deal with all urgent problems. You may be seen by a Nurse Practitioner or a GP. We are not able to advise you in advance who your appointment will be with and the available appointment may be at any of the 3 branches. It would be helpful if you can tell the receptionist a brief description of why you need an urgent appointment so that we can ensure that you are seen by the most appropriate clinician. Our Nurse Practitioners are qualified in treating a wide range of problems. They are able to prescribe and should they feel that you need to have a further urgent assessment with a GP are able to arrange this.
Appointments can be made by:
- telephoning the surgery
- via the internet (see the EMIS Patient Access section of our practice website)
- calling in personally to the reception desk
Appointments
We allow 10 minutes per consultation for one person only. However, if you feel you need longer please tell the receptionist when booking.
We ask that you try to observe the “One appointment, one problem” ethos. We aim to deal with each medical problem to the highest standard and this can be difficult if we are asked to deal with a number of problems in one appointment slot.
Please also note that your appointment is for you only. Please do not ask the doctor to deal with the problems of a child or other relative in the same appointment slot. Please make a separate appointment for your child/relative if they need to be seen as well.
We do consider that GP appointments are a limited resource and we would kindly ask that our service be used with care and consideration. Please do not be offended if the doctor asks you to rebook for your other problems. We are working in your best interests in order to keep you safe.
You are entitled to see a doctor of your choice. We encourage you to see the same doctor for an ongoing problem. However, we may not always be able to offer you a suitable day and time because not all the GPs work full time and some divide their time between different sites. If you are unable to see a doctor of your choice at your usual surgery, we may be able to offer you an appointment at one of our other surgery’s or offer you an appointment with an alternative GP or Nurse Practitioner.
Please ensure you arrive in good time for your appointment. If you are unable to attend, please let us know as soon as possible as someone else may be able to make use of that appointment. If you repeatedly waste appointments the practice may, after a warning, remove you from our patient list.
We realise that it can be frustrating for patients to have to wait beyond their appointment time and we always try our best to run on time. However, as it is often not possible to predict how much time an individual patient may need as sometimes emergencies arise, so there will be times that our surgeries run behind. We apologise when that happens and aim to inform you if the waiting time is likely to be more than 30 minutes.
Extended access
In addition to the Practice's normal opening hours, you can also book an appointment to see a local clinician in the evenings between 6:30pm to 8:00pm, or on Saturday and Sunday at our Burntwood practice.
GP practices are working together to provide Extended Access appointments to our patients. this means that your appointment may be with a different GP or health professional based in a different location or Practice than you are used to, and some of these appointments are telephone only. These appointments are pre-bookable by contacting the surgery during our normal opening times. When you call, our receptionists will be able to help you find a suitable appointment.
Text Messaging Service
If you would like us to send you information and reminders regarding your appointments and services we offer, please let us know and provide us with your up to date mobile number.
Telephone Consultations
If you are unable to attend the surgery or the matter can be dealt with over the telephone, we also offer telephone consultations.
Chaperones
All patients are entitled to have a chaperone present for any consultation, examination or procedure where they feel one is required. This may be a family member, friend or a formal chaperone. Your healthcare professional may also require a chaperone to be present for certain consultations in accordance with our chaperone policy. If you wish to have a chaperone present during your consultation, please mention this to the receptionist when booking your appointment or to the doctor at your consultation.
Interpreters
If you are non-English speaking and require an interpreter please tick the appropriate box when completing your registration form.
An interpreter can be organised to either accompany a patient or translate via telephone. You must mention this when booking your appointment so that the necessary arrangements can be made prior to your visit.