When you call us or contact us online to request an appointment, our trained care navigators will ask you for some information so we can determine how best to meet your needs.
Continuity of care Our Practice is working hard to improve continuity of care. There has been lots of publicity about how important it is to see your GP quickly, but there is also lots of evidence that seeing the same GP for all or most of your appointments leads to a better patient experience.
For patients wanting to be seen for a follow-up or monitoring of a medical condition, it is more beneficial to see your usual GP because they already know your ‘story’.
When your usual GP is fully booked, you can choose to wait until they are available or be seen sooner by another GP at the Practice. For anything urgent, you can be seen as quickly as possible by the most appropriate clinician other than your usual GP. We want to get the balance right so that you are receiving the type of care you need, when you need it.
Next time you book an appointment with us, please consider whether you would prefer seeing your usual GP for all medical problems, or seeing them for a specific, ongoing issue. Continuity of care helps you feel more familiar, understood more, and listened to regarding your care and decisions about your treatment.
Urgent appointments
Call 999 in a medical or mental health emergency. This is when someone is seriously ill or injured and their life is at risk.
If you need to speak to one of our clinical practitioners urgently, please phone us on 01242 513 975
If the matter is urgent, we will arrange for a call back or appointment with a clinician the same day.
Routine appointments
To request a routine appointment:
- Contact us online
- use your NHS account (through the NHS website or NHS App)
- if you have a SystmOne account, use SystmOnline
- If you are unable to contact us online, please phone us on 01242 513 975 after 10.00
- If the situation is not clinically urgent, you will be offered the next available routine appointment with an appropriate clinician. This may be with a doctor, nurse, pharmacist or a first contact practitioner.
Cancelling or changing an appointment
It is important to let us know if you need to cancel or change your appointment. You can do this in the following ways:
- phone us on 01242 513 975
- use your NHS account (through the NHS website or NHS App)
- if you have a SystmOne account, use SystmOnline
If you need help when we are closed
Call 999 in a medical or mental health emergency. This is when someone is seriously ill or injured and their life is at risk.
If you need medical help outside of our working hours, use NHS 111 online or call 111. NHS online is only for adults or children over the age of 5, so always call 111 for babies or young children.
If you need help with your appointment
Please tell us:
- if there’s a specific doctor, nurse or other health professional you would prefer to respond
- if you would prefer to consult with the doctor or nurse by phone, face-to-face, by video call or by text or email
- if you need an interpreter
- if you have any other access or communication needs
Home visits
If you need to request a home visit please telephone the surgery before 10.30am.
Berkeley Place Surgery provides home visits to our patients that are genuinely house bound by illness or injury.
For more information, please read our home visit policy (PDF).