Capacity and Demand Posted or Updated on 22 Sep 2023

In recent months we have seen an unprecedented increase in the demand for appointments at the practice. Despite adding more telephone lines and increasing staff hours, demand continues to grow and outstrip capacity.

We have reviewed and made changes to our appointment system. This will offer the option of routine pre-bookable appointments and on-the-day appointments for more urgent problems.

Many appointments booked can often be managed in another way. Minor issues can sometimes be managed with advice from our pharmacy and we can book certain muscle and joint complaints directly in with our first contact Physio. For questions regarding delays in referrals or hospital appointments please direct your query directly to the hospital or clinic providing your care. However, when you do need to see a GP, we will do our best to fit you in according to priority.

When calling to book, our reception staff have been trained to ask you some questions in order to prioritise your appointment appropriately, please help them by answering the questions asked where possible.

We understand that because of increased demand you may be waiting on the phone or intercom a little longer than usual, I would like to assure you that all of our staff will be working hard to help you as soon as possible. We would be incredibly grateful if patients could remain kind and understanding as we continue to try and weather this storm.