Hall Grove Group Practice - How to make an appointment to see your doctor or nurse at the surgery

SURGERY CONSULTATIONS

Consultations are available at both surgeries Monday to Friday by appointment which can be arranged at the reception desk at either surgery or by telephone to the Central Appointments Desk – 328528 (receptionist 8.30am-6.30pm Monday to Friday, automated line for routine appointments 24 hours a day).

If you are unable to keep your appointment for any reason please let us know as soon as possible so that it may be given to another patient. Over 2000 appointments per year are missed so please let us know! You can use the autmoated line to check and to cancel your appointments.

Both Hall Grove and Parkway surgeries are part of the same practice with the same computer system and same doctors doing sessions at both sites. If you have a preferred doctor and they are not doing a session at your closest surgery on a convenient day for you consider booking an advanced routine appointment at the other surgery.

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EMERGENCIES

In life threatening emergencies call 999 for an ambulance and then our emergency number 01707 323355.

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URGENT APPOINTMENTS

We operate an OPEN SURGERY SYSTEM for URGENT PROBLEMS at Hall Grove (every morning) and at Parkway (Tuesday-Friday mornings). You may telephone the appointments line where you will be given a time to attend. We will see EVERY SINGLE PERSON that requires an appointment IF it is an URGENT problem that must be seen that day.

Please note you can phone Parkway Surgery to make appointments at Hall Grove and vice versa.

We urge patients to only discuss ONE problem with the doctor in the urgent surgeries as these appointments are shorter to ensure everyone can be seen that day. We strongly advise patients for non urgent or chronic problems to book routine appointments.

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ADVANCED ROUTINE APPOINTMENTS

If you would like to be seen for a routine problem (such as a medicines review, a problem that has been present for months, or chronic illness review) then it is best to book an advanced routine appointment with your preferred doctor. Please let the receptionist know if you have a preferred doctor.

SEEING YOUR PREFERRED DOCTOR

If you have a specific doctor you prefer to see please ask for them when you book your appointment.

If it is for a routine problem (such as medicines review, a problem that has been present for months, or chronic illness review) then it is best to book an advanced routine appointment with your preferred doctor.

If you make a book on the day appointment for an urgent problem your preferred doctor may not be doing a urgent appointment session that day. If they are then we will try and fit you in with your preferred doctor if you ask.

HOME VISITS

Home visits are reserved only for patients who as a result of their medical condition are unable to leave the house. The decision whether a home visit is appropriate is at the discretion of the visiting doctor who may call before visiting. Approximately 4 patients can be seen in the time it takes for the doctor to do 1 home visit so please only request this if you are unable to come to the surgery. Not having transport is not accepted as a reason to request a home visit.

If you require a home visit telephone 323355 or send a message to Hall Grove Surgery between 8.30am-10.30am.

Only emergency visits should be requested after 10.30am.

There is only one of the doctors doing visits each day and therefore we cannot accept requests for visits by a specified GP. If you have a preferred doctor and the problem is not urgent please try to arrange for transport/help to get into see your preferred doctor at the surgery in an advanced routine appointment.

Every 3 months across the country 200 people from each GP practice are called and asked a series of questions about their local surgery. Scoring badly can have serious consequences for the services the practice provides, for example the health authority could remove services such as minor operations or annual health checks for our patients with learning disability.

At a recent meeting we discussed our on going plans for improving access to the surgery with representatives of the health authority.

Phone access:

This has been our lowest scorer in the survey but we have made significant improvements after employing more receptionists to answer phones, increased number of phone terminals and lines, and the new automated phone line enabling you to book appointments 24 hours a day. Please help us by using the automated service, and by delaying non urgent calls until after the busy early morning period.

Opening hours:

We are open from 8.30am-6.30pm 5 days a week. We do not shut any lunch times or afternoons like some practices still do. In addition we have extended hours until 7.30pm two evenings a week, plus alternate Saturday mornings for routine appointments. There are few GP surgeries in Hertfordshire with more extensive opening hours.

Seeing patients with urgent problems:

We run an open surgery policy all day, everyone that has a medical problem (most commonly infections) who need to be seen that day will be seen. If the morning surgeries are full we will continue seeing any urgent cases that must be seen that day. In the afternoon if you call to be seen you will be put on the triage list for the duty GP to phone you back.

Being told there are ‘no appointments left today’ does not mean that we will not see you if you have an urgent need.

Number of appointments:

We now have a new full time partner to increase the number of appointments we offer. On top of that we also now have Fin, our minor illness and dermatology nurse.

Calling patients back:

If you have a problem/question but feel it doesn’t need a face to face consultation you can call reception to leave a message for a doctor. The doctor will call you back between sessions that day if possible. Many practices do not offer this kind of service.

If you are called for the survey we hope you remember the efforts we have gone to improving the service and feel able to mark us as high as possible as we would like to continue providing the current range of services and more.

We have been trying our best to improve how easy it is to get through to us on the phone. To significantly improve this further we have installed a new automated phone system for booking doctor appointments.

By using this system you will not have to wait to speak to a receptionist to book your appointment. It can be used for both urgent appointments in the morning as well as normal advanced routine appointments 24 hours a day .

With receptionists no longer spending so much time booking appointments it will become much easier to get through to them for other queries (please call after 10am for these). The option will still be there to speak to a receptionist to book your appointment if you need.

The automated system will also allow you to cancel your appointment and check your appointment time.

We needed to set the options you choose when booking your appointment. The options will be: 1. Parkway or Hallgrove; 2. Urgent or Routine;

If you need a routine appointment you can choose: 1. Next available appointment; 2. male or female doctor; 3. specific doctor.

For urgent on the day appointments you will be given the next available slot that morning. If all slots are filled you will be diverted to a receptionist.

Please use the automated system if possible.

Noticeboard

Home Visits
If you require a home visit telephone 323355 or send a message to Hall Grove Surgery between 8.30am-10.30am.

Test Results
If the doctor has asked you to telephone for a test result please do so between 1.00pm-4.30pm. Most results will be available within 5 working days.

Cancelling your Appointment
If you are unable to attend an appointment with one of the doctors or nurses, please telephone.

Further Information

Patient Participation Group