Appointments
To make an appointment, please phone reception on Stromness (01856) 850205. The receptionist will offer you the next routine appointment. However, this will not necessarily be possible with the doctor of your choice. A separate appointment is required for each person who needs to be seen. If you think your problem could be dealt with by a telephone call, please let the receptionist know.
Routine appointments are booked at 15 minute intervals. If you wish a longer appointment than this, please inform the receptionist at the time of booking, stating how long you wish your appointment to be. If you feel it is necessary to be seen on the same day the reception staff will ask for some details and someone will get back to you.
Why Our Administration Team May Ask for More Information
To ensure you receive the most appropriate care as quickly and safely as possible our administration team will ask you for a brief description of your health concern when you contact the surgery. This is an important part of helping us direct you to the right member of our clinical team.
Our admin team are trained to ask these questions and all information you provide is handled with the same level of confidentiality as if you were speaking directly to a GP or nurse.
By understanding the reason for your appointment we can:
- Ensure you are seen by the most suitable healthcare professional
- Prioritise urgent problems
- Reduce waiting times and unnecessary appointments
- Help clinicians prepare in advance, improving your overall care
We appreciate that some matters may feel personal. You only need to share as much as you feel comfortable with and everything you tell us remains strictly confidential.
Please try to arrive at the surgery on time for your appointment. If you arrive late, you will usually be asked to make another appointment. We have limited seating in the waiting area so please do not arrive too early either and where possible please come alone. If you cannot keep your appointment, please remember to let us know as soon as possible as this will enable us to give your appointment to another patient. You can cancel your appointment through our online services, if you are registered for this. Many appointments are lost through patients not attending as arranged. This increases waiting times for all patients and wastes a considerable amount of surgery time each month.