NHS App Bookings

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Appointments via the NHS App

Most of our Doctors appointments are available to book via the NHS app. We have found this a popular service and they are available to be booked from midnight each day.

This saves patients from having to call the practice to book an appointment. We also have extended hours appointments at St Charles bookable for our patients over the weekends via the NHS App.

Our nurse, HCA, pharmacist, some doctors and allied health care professional appointment are not available to book online as we have found that people book into them by mistake, as different clinician are able to see different things and patients are not always aware of this.

Therefore each morning, our admin  team look at all the appointments booked and assess if they feel a patient they would be better placed to see another health care professional; or book online for a telephone when they would be best placed to see a clinician face to face. 

Practice Health Navigators

The practice health navigators, who are trained in this work, will then move the appointment to the most suitable clinician or admin member. This is in line with our ‘who do you see’ policies.

If the appointment is moved from telephone to face to face the health navigators  will call and inform the patient this is a condition that can not be addressed via the telephone and therefore they will offer a choice of face to face appointments times when possible. 

If the appointment is moved to another clinician, you might not always be informed, but we can assure you that you will be directed to the most appropriate clinician for the condition you have stated on your online booking.

It is vitally important that you detail the whole reason for your appointment in the online booking slot.

Examples would include:

• Patient books with doctor for smear test – we would move to a nurse
• Patient books with doctors for travel vaccines – we would move to a nurse
• Patient books for a cough, sore throat or fever – we would move to a physician associate or paramedic
• Patient books for medication we would move to a pharmacist
• Patient books for high blood pressure we would move to a pharmacist

Your choice of GP

Whilst we will do what we can for you to see the doctor of your choice this may not always be possible due to unforeseen circumstances, for instance if the doctor is working remotely, on sick leave,  annual leave, or they have a health condition which limits what patients they can see.

If you want to see a specific clinician therefore do not book online, call the practice and speak to a receptionist and detail who and why you want to speak/see that clinician only.

We support all patients wanting continuity of care, but these appointments must be booked via phone or patches, not via the NHS app.