Appointments

Our Appointment System

We have changed our appointment system to help efficiency manage the demand on appointments and to reduce the number of ‘non-attendances’ when some patient’s book an appointment but don’t attend.

We have a mixture of pre-bookable appointments that are bookable up to 2 weeks in advance and some ‘on the day’ appointments with our nurse practitioners and GPs should you have a more urgent need.

Patients are now able to book some non-urgent, routine appointments online.

Online Bookable Appointment Information

Urgent appointments

To request an urgent appointment for today or tomorrow (Monday to Friday):

  • phone us on 01303 235300, Monday to Friday from 8:30am to 6.30pm
  • visit the surgery and speak with a receptionist, Monday to Friday from 8:30am to 6:30pm
  • using the GP online system – EConsult

When you get in touch, we’ll ask what you need help with.

We will use the information you give us to choose the most suitable doctor, nurse or health professional to help you.

Routine appointments

To request a routine appointment in the next 7 days:

  • phone us on 01303 235300, Monday to Friday from 8:30am to 6.30pm
  • visit the surgery and speak with a receptionist, Monday to Friday from 8:30am to 6:30pm
  • use your NHS account (through the NHS website or NHS App) to book a screening test or vaccination
  • using the GP online system – EConsult

When you get in touch, we’ll ask what you need help with.

We will use the information you give us to choose the most suitable doctor, nurse or health professional to help you.

EConsult

Consult online with Oaklands Health Centre doctors. 

As well as medical advice, you can use eConsult for:

| Fit notes  |  GP letters  |  Medical reports  |  Medication reviews  |  Test results |

It may not be necessary for you to attend for an appointment.  You can submit an e-consultation via the link on the home page.  You can submit details about your condition or your administration request and you will receive a response from the practice usually within 24 hours but you will be advised of the timeframe once you have submitted.   

We will ask that you contact the surgery on the day you need to see a Doctor or Nurse Practitioner and we will endeavour to give you an appointment time to either be seen, or talk to a Doctor or Nurse Practitioner on the phone.

Your appointment

We offer late evening appointments (pre-booked) on Mondays and Tuesdays* with a GP, a Practice Nurse and HCA.  *Please note that these late days may be changed due to moveable Bank Holidays such as Christmas/Boxing Day and New Years Day.  If you require medical assistance from 6.30pm – 8.00am (Monday to Friday or at any time over a weekend or a bank holiday) please telephone NHS 111 direct.

Our receptionists will ask you some questions about your problem to check that it is suitable to book you in to one of our pre-bookable appointments with our GPs, nurses or minor illness hub.

If they are unable to resolve your query or you have a more urgent problem, they may place you on a telephone list to be called back by one of our nurse practitioners to help deal with your urgent query.

However you choose to contact us, we may offer you a consultation:

  • by phone
  • face to face at the surgery
  • on a video call
  • by text or email

Appointments by phone, video call or by text or email can be more flexible and often means you get help sooner.

Cancelling or changing an appointment

We know people forget things, cancelling GP appointments being one of them. Remember to cancel your appointment if you don’t need it as this frees up an appointment for somebody else.

To cancel your appointment:

  • use your NHS account (through the NHS website or NHS App)
  • phone us on 01303 235300, Monday to Friday from 8am to 6.30pm
  • reply CANCEL to your appointment reminder text message

Cancellations notified less than 30 minutes before the appointment time will be recorded as failure to attend (DNA).

Repeated failure to attend booked appointments is a significant waste of NHS resources and may lead to your registration being removed from our list.

If you need help when we are closed

If you need medical help now, use NHS 111 online or call 111.

NHS 111 online is for people aged 5 and over. Call 111 if you need help for a child under 5.

Call 999 in a medical or mental health emergency. This is when someone is seriously ill or injured and their life is at risk.

If you need help with your appointment

Please tell us:

  • if there’s a specific doctor, nurse or other health professional you would prefer to respond
  • if you would prefer to consult with the doctor or nurse by phone, face-to-face, by video call or by text or email
  • if you need an interpreter
  • if you have any other access or communication needs

Home visits

These are available for patients who are housebound because of illness or disability, and requests should be made between 8.30am and 11am to allow sufficient time for the clinicians to travel after the morning clinic.  We have access to a Home Visiting Service and therefore experienced Paramedic Practitioners or Nurse Practitioners may be sent to visit you at home once the request has been reviewed by a GP.

The clinician may telephone for more information and may request that you attend the surgery if that is deemed more appropriate. Lack of transport is not a reason to request a home visit.

We are not an emergency service and cannot visit in an emergency situation as our clinicians maybe seeing patients and unable to respond in time.

If you feel you have a medical emergency then please call 999

Please remember that several patients can be seen in the practice in the time that it takes to make one home visit. There are also better facilities for examining and treating patients at the surgery.