We know that getting an appointment isn’t always easy and patients tend to “save” their problems and come in with a list to discuss. We also know that clinicians do run late. All of this increases the tendency of patients to present with multiple problems per consultation.
Our doctors perform over six hours of appointments each day and running to time is a problem for them.
Each appointment we offer with the GP is 10 minutes long. Ten minutes is not a long time, even for one clinical problem. Once the patient and GP have talked about the problem, 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 you are asked to make another appointment to discuss your other problems. We are working to keep you safe.
Presenting with multiple problems means that there is an increased risk of mistakes or missing a significant piece of information.
If you have more than one problem, please ask Reception to book you a double appointment. 20 minutes will give you time to discuss 2 problems or one complex problem.