Appointment System

We offer both face to face and telephone consultations. Please note that once we are fully booked, we will look for the next available open appointment. If none are released we may try and book you into the out of hours service that runs from 18:30 Monday to Friday and at weekends.

If you are unable to book an appointment online please telephone our receptionist desk on 01229 484100 giving as much information as possible so that the patient administrators can triage your request and book an appropriate appointment for you. This may not always be with a GP but a more approprate clinician or service depending on your symptoms.

If you think you will require extra time (standard telephone appointments are for 10 minutes) please ask for a double appointment. Face to face appointments are 15 minutes, please try and keep it to one problem so that the clinic can run to time.

A number of GP appointments are available to book online via the NHS app. We open up availability 2 weeks ahead via patient access or NHS app. (You must register at Reception to use this service -you will need a valid email address and mobile number) You will also be asked security questions to validate your identity.

Urgent Problems

If you feel you need to be seen urgently by a GP during normal hours, then please contact the surgery as soon as possible.  Our receptionists may need take a few details from you to assess the situation and find you a suitable appointment. In certain instances this may mean being advised to go to A&E.

 

Telephone Consultations

If you would like to book a telephone consultation, please ring during surgery hours and tell the receptionist you would like to book this (or book online via the NHS app).  The receptionist will take your details and your current telephone number and book you in for a call. Please note, where a time for the GP to phone you is given it may be within a 30 minute window either side so please make sure you are near the telephone or carry your mobile with you, if you have asked us to use this number.

Practice Nurses

Practice nurses are qualified to deal with many ailments, and you may prefer to see them initially rather than seeing the GP.  Practice Nurses provide a number of different appointment types that can vary in duration so it is important to let the receptionists know what type of appointment you would like at the time of booking. 

Enhanced Access

As a result of the National drive to ensure everyone has convenient access to GP services, 7 days a week, GP practices and Cumbria Health On Call, the local Out of Hours service provider, are working together to offer GP, nurse and health care assistant appointments in the evenings, at weekends and on Bank Holidays.

The Service, running since September 2017, includes pre-bookable and same day general practice appointments on weekdays from 6.00 pm to 10.00 pm and on both Saturday and Sunday.

What is currently available?

The South Cumbria Extended Access Service is provided by Cumbria Health on Call (CHOC) from four sites:

Site

Services Offered

Furness General Hospital

Barrow-in-Furness

 

Monday to Thursday

6.30 pm to 10.00 pm GP and Health Care Assistant appointments

 

Saturday and Sunday

9.00 am to 1.30 pm Health Care Assistant appointments

 

Sunday only

9.00 am to 1.30 pm OR 1.30pm to 6.00pm GP appointments

9.00 am to 3.00 pm Practice Nurse appointments

Westmorland General Hospital

Kendal

Monday to Thursday

6.30 pm to 10.00 pm GP and Health Care Assistant appointments

 

Saturday only

9.00 am to 1.30 pm GP and Health Care Assistant appointments

 

Sunday only

9.00am to 1.30pm Health Care Assistant appointments

9.00 am to 3.00 pm Practice Nurse appointments

Ambleside Health Centre

Tuesday and Wednesday

6.30 pm to 10.00 pm GP, Nurse Practitioner and Health Care Assistant appointments

Grange Health Centre

Monday and Thursday

6.30 pm to 10.00 pm GP, Nurse Practitioner and Health Care Assistant appointments

GP appointments are for all routine conditions but exclude patients with on-going chronic conditions which require continuity of care from their usual GP, e.g. patients with severe on-going mental health issues.

Nurse Practitioner appointments are for all routine conditions. However Nurse Practitioners cannot see patients who are pregnant, children under 2 years of age, and patients with ongoing chronic conditions requiring continuity of care from their usual GP, e.g. patients with severe on-going mental health issues.

Practice Nurses provide annual reviews for adults over 16 years old with a long-term condition, e.g. COPD, Asthma, hypertension and cardiovascular disease.

Healthcare Assistants can carry out blood testing; basic patient observations (monitoring and recording patients' conditions by taking temperatures, pulse, respirations and weight); blood sugar and urinalysis; new and annual patient health checks; and ECG recording. They CANNOT undertake ear syringing or dressings. HCAs will see children 12 and over if accompanied by an adult and 16 years and over unaccompanied.

How to Book

Patients can book any of these appointments via their practice receptionist as usual or by calling the service direct on 03000 247 247.

Home Visits

Home Visits are for housebound patients only. If you do require a home visit, Please contact the surgery before 11:00am.

Our home visit clinician will only visit you at home if they think that your medical condition requires it and will also decide how urgently a visit is needed.

Please bear this in mind and be prepared to provide suitable details to enable the clinician to prioritise home visits.

You can also be visited at home by a community nurse if you are referred by your GP.

Cancelling an appointment

GP services are under increasing pressure and every missed appointment is adding to this pressure. If you cannot attend an appointment for any reason, please inform us as soon as possible in order for us to give the slot to someone else. 

If you fail to notify us that you cannot attend an appointment a "Did not Attend" entry into your records will be made backed up with a text.

If you miss 2 consecutive appointments a letter will be sent to outline our policy.

If you miss 3 consecutive appointments this may result in you being asked to register at an alternative practice. 

 

Not Registered for Online Services?

Contact Reception

If you are not registered for online service access then please call or visit reception where our team can advise you of the process.

Text Reminder Service

We have a texting service which allows you to receive confirmation and reminders about your appointments.

To have this service you will need to register by completing a consent form.

Please remember to update your contact details with us when you change address, telephone numbers and email address.

Complete our SMS Reminder Form