APPOINTMENTS
The Surgery operates an appointment system. Appointments for Doctors can be pre-booked up to three weeks in advance. For a more urgent appointment on the same day please ring the Surgery, these appointments are time controlled and are not released until 8.45am.
You can check availability and book online, please ask at reception for registration details.
Please note that appointments are generally for one person and one medical issue.
Extended Access Service
West Lancashire now has an Extended Access Service running 7 days a week:
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Monday – Friday 18:30-20:00
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Saturdays – 10:00-16:00
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Sundays – 10:00-14:00
The service runs from various locations on weeknights and from 3 hubs in West Lancs on the weekend:
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Burscough Helth Centre
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Ormskirk Medical Practice
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Sandy Lane Health Centre
The service offers pre-bookable and same-day primary care appointments with a range of Clinicians including:
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GPs
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Nurses
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Health Care Assistants
Appointments are available to all patients that are registered in West Lancs and can be booked by contacting reception.
Please be aware that this is not a walk-in service – you must have an appointment. Should you need to cancel your appointment, please contact the Extended Access Service directly on: 01695 736 053
TELEPHONE
ADVICE
You can telephone the surgery to speak to a member of the healthcare team however you will be asked the following questions:
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Is it an urgent problem or enquiry?
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Can the practice nurse help with the problem on the telephone?
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Can the receptionist help?
In the case of an emergency your call will be put through to the GP. For routine enquires the receptionist will inform you of a convenient time to telephone back and speak to the GP/practice nurse
HOME VISITS
This policy is taking into consideration the rising demands and our strive to maintain safe, high quality care for all of our registered patients.
Only patients who are terminally ill or truly bed bound will normally be granted a home visit. A Video Consultation option is also available.
All other patients are expected to attend the surgery.
Patients with common problems such as cough, joint pains, general malaise and those having abnormal test results are readily transportable by car either by relatives or by taxi.
It is not the doctor’s responsibility to arrange transport.
Benefits for patients seen at the surgery
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We have full medical equipment and staff to give patients a higher quality of care.
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They are likely to be seen quicker; We offer urgent same day appointments if needed.
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They are guaranteed a face-to-face consultation rather than telephone consultation.
Please request visits before 10.30am whenever possible as this allows the Duty Doctor to assess the request for necessity and urgency so that it can be appropriately managed. In some situations the Duty Doctor may arrange assessment by another member of the community team (District nurse/neighbourhood team)
Also routine seven day access appointments are now available in the extended access clinic, and these can be booked by ringing the surgery.
ZERO
TOLERANCE
POLICY
The NHS operate a zero tolerance policy with regard to violence and abuse and the practice has the right to remove violent patients from the list with immediate effect in order to safeguard practice staff, patients and other persons.
Violence in this context includes actual or threatened physical violence or verbal abuse which leads to fear for a person’s safety.
In this situation we will notify the patient in writing of their removal from the list and record in the patient’s medical records the fact of the removal and the circumstances leading to it.