36 Parkstone Road, Poole, BH15 2PG  Telephone (01202) 682174























APPOINTMENT INFORMATION




WE AIM TO
  • To see all patients on the day of their choice.
  • To see urgent patients within half a working day.
  • To offer same day appointments wherever possible.

IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE THIS YOU MAY BE ASKED TO

  • Come to the surgery straight away if you need an urgent appointment.
  • See the Specialist Nurse Practitioner before or instead of seeing the Doctor.
  • To telephone again on the day you wish to have your appointment.

PLEASE HELP US BY:

  • Being ready to attend the surgery at short notice for urgent appointments.
  • Where possible, being prepared to accept a morning appointment.


IF YOU FIND IT DIFFICULT TO GET TO THE SURGERY OR IF YOU ARE UNSURE OF THE NEED TO BE SEEN BY THE DOCTOR YOU CAN HAVE A TELEPHONE CONSULTATION:
With the Doctor/Nurse/Specialist Nurse Practitioner. Telephone reception (before 10:30am if possible) Leave your name and telephone number and they will return your call.



SOME FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

QUESTION. Why, when I ask for an urgent or same day appointment, am I asked to come to the surgery in the morning when it is more convenient for me to have an afternoon appointment?
ANSWER. If you have an urgent problem or feel you need to be seen on the same day it is important, wherever possible, to be seen in the morning. This means that any tests/investigations/further referrals needed can be sent to the hospital and processed on the same day. Therefore you will have less time to wait for test results, and if you need it, emergency admission to hospital will be quicker. It also means that afternoon appointments can be kept free for patients who suddenly become ill during the day and therefore need to be seen in the afternoon.

QUESTION Why, when I ask for a same day or urgent appointment with the doctor am I sometimes given an appointment with the specialist nurse practitioner?
ANSWER On very busy days it is impossible for the doctor to see all patients asking to be seen on the same day himself. However, it is vital that all patients who feel they need a same day appointment are seen on that day. Therefore, on busy days, the doctor shares his surgery with a Specialist Nurse Practitioner, who works with him to ensure all patients are seen by either or both of them. This is not meant to stop you seeing the doctor, only to help us to continue to provide a service whereby you are not asked to wait for days to be seen when you feel you must be seen on the same day.

QUESTION Why, when I ask for an appointment on a certain day, am I sometimes asked to phone back on the day?
ANSWER As we have a flexible appointment system our number of appointment available changes from day to day. Therefore, if you wish to be seen on a certain day, and all of our pre booked appointments are full, we may ask you to phone on the morning of the day you wish to be seen. You will be offered a same day appointment on that day, usually in the morning of that day. Whilst we understand that this may sometimes not be convenient for patients it is the only way we can continue to provide quick access to all our patients and most patients prefer to sometimes undergo this inconvenience in order to have fast access to a doctor when they need it.