To find out about how you can make the best of your appointment please visit the NHS Choices website where they have useful tips to help you.
We kindly request that patients to adhere to the general rule of ‘one appointment for one problem’. The reason for this is clinical safety.
In the present climate we know that getting a Doctors appointment is sometimes difficult. Patients often take the opportunity to talk to the Doctor or Nurse about all of the problems that they have been experiencing. This often means that the clinician will run late. More importantly however, it may cause mistakes to happen or information to be missed. The clinician is aware that they will have patients waiting for them and may feel pressured to rush.
We would always encourage patients to book double appointments if there are multiple problems that need discussing.
Each GP is only 10 minutes long. This will allow the clinician 3 minutes to collect a history from the patient. They will have 3-4 minutes to examine the patient. Leaving 3 minutes for advice and treatment. If a referral is required then this will be done in between clinics. There is no time left in the ten minutes to write up notes, fill out forms, dictate referrals or speak to other team members for advice.
Please do not be offended if your GP or Nurse asks you to make additional appointments to discuss your problems further. We cannot see huge numbers or patients with multiple problems safely.
