Appointments:

‘On the day’ appointment with the doctor –. please ring reception from 8.30am onwards. Appointments with the nurse can be booked ahead. If you are unable to keep your appointment, please inform the surgery as soon as possible, so that it can be offered to someone else in need.

Home Visits:

Your doctor’s time is very precious. Please ensure that it is absolutely essential, before you request for a home visit by 10.30am on the day.

Emergencies / Out-of-hour Cover:

• Emergencies within the surgery hours will be dealt with by the doctor / nurse, at the earliest.
  
  
• For medical emergencies on Wednesday p.m. between 12.00 noon and 6.30 p.m. only, please call: 01582 608420.
  
  
• For out-of-hours emergencies, please ring 0333 2004072 .
  
  
• Alternatively if you just need medical advice outside surgery hours, please contact NHS DIRECT on 0845 4647.

Please remember that if you have requested an emergency appointment, you have been added to an already full surgery list.
Hence you must appreciate that priority will generally be given to patients with booked appointments.
You will be seen at the end of the surgery and we request that you remain seated patiently, until the doctor is free to deal with you.
As an emergency patient, the doctor can only deal with your urgent, immediate problem. For any other matter, you will be asked to book a routine appointment.
An emergency appointment is for genuine emergencies – otherwise you will be depriving someone else who really needs it

Repeat Prescriptions:

Please allow 48 hours before collecting your prescriptions at reception, during surgery hours, after 11am. This can also be mailed to you, if provided with a stamped, self-addressed envelope. Please note we are unable to accept prescription requests over the telephone.

Test Results:

Please allow at least ten days before contacting surgery after 2pm. Some results, such as cervical smears, may take as long as six weeks. Please call surgery with your queries only after 11am.

Change of Address or Telephone Number:

It is essential you inform the surgery when you change your address or telephone number to enable us to ensure all of your records are up to date.

Registration / Changing your Doctor:

To apply for registration with the Practice, please bring your NHS card to the reception and complete the registration form.
If you move house, please inform us of your new address. It may be necessary to register with a Practice nearer to your new home.

Please remember that if you are dissatisfied with the service given by us, it is in your rights to transfer to another Practice. Bedfordshire Health will allocate you a Practice if you cannot find another Practice who will accept you onto their list.
The Doctor is entitled to remove a patient from the Practice List if the partnership between the Practice and patient is not working.

Complaints Procedure:

We always try to provide the best service possible but there may be times when you feel that this has not happened. We hope you will allow us to look into and put right any problems you have identified or mistakes that have been made. If you wish to make a complaint or have a suggestion please phone or write to our Practice Manager who will take full details and decide how best to address the issues raised.