Appointment System
To get the best medical care online consultations with Patchs is very effective as it allows you to express your ideas, concerns and expectations in your own time and space. The online consultation can be followed up by the Doctor with a telephone or a F2F (face to face) consultation. We understand that some people prefer to talk about their health issues F2F. In consultation with our PPG we have decided to allow patients to book F2F appointments with the Doctor of their choice. From September 2022 patients will have a choice of 3 appointment types:
- F2F bookable appointments
- Patchs (online consultation)
- Telephone triage and consultation
In addition to offering greater choice from within our own practice we have formed a confederation with other General Practices that allow us to offer a more comprehensive and immediate service. We have a surge service which allows you to be seen "on the day" by a Doctor for problems that need attention on the day. The Doctors concerned are all linked to our practice and have access to your clinical records. Due to the immediate nature of the provision of this service you do not have to use the Urgent Care Centre or Accident & Emergency but you have to travel to our surge practice instead.
Working people find it difficult to access our services during working hours; Monday to Friday. To allow access to our services out of hours we have created out of hours’ hubs by working with other General Practices in Hillingdon. You can now be seen in the evenings and weekends by a fully comprehensive primary care team who we work with. These services are based at Eastcote Health Centre or in some cases, Uxbridge Health Centres. The Doctors and Nurses at these centres are part of our team and have full access to your medical records. Moving to this model of care we are able to provide you with a comprehensive multidisciplinary primary health care service.
If our appointment system does not meet your needs, please let us know directly or via our PPG.
Emergency appointments
For emergency appointments call the surgery as early in the day as possible. We are open from 8.00am for calls. These appointments are for patients who have a true medical emergency and need to be seen that day. For emergency appointments you will need to see the doctor on duty on the day, which might not be your preferred doctor. If you have requested an emergency appointment, you will be offered a telephone consultation in the first instance. If the doctor feels that you need to be seen in person after speaking with you on the telephone, you will be seen that day. Please note this may be at the surge practices in the evenings or weekends.
Telephone consultations
As all our consultations will be via telephone or Patchs in the first instance it is important that you tell the receptionist what the problem is. They are bound by the same rules of confidentiality as the doctors and medical staff, and will be able to direct you to the appropriate consultation type.
Minor Ailments and Local Pharmacies
Please try and use self-help methods available in our website. Local pharmacies are the best suited to deal with minor ailments.
Extended access
Extended Access Hubs
There are now appointments with GPs and nurses available to book outside of the standard GP practice opening hours. Ask at reception for availability.
- Acorn Medical Centre Hub, 149 Long Lane Uxbridge Middx Weekdays 6.30pm to 8.00pm.
- Eastcote Health Centre Hub, Abbotsbury Gardens Pinner Middx HA4 7JT. Weekdays 6.30pm to 8.00pm. Saturday 9.00am to 5.00pm.
- Mead House, Mead House Ln, Hayes UB4 8EW Weekdays 6.30pm to 8.00pm. Saturday 9.00am to 5.00pm.
- Uxbridge Health Centre Hub, George Street Uxbridge Middx. Weekdays 6.30pm to 8.00pm. Saturday 9.00am to 5.00pm. Sunday 9.00am to 1.00pm.
- Yiewsley Health Centre, 20 High St, West Drayton UB7 7DP Weekdays 6.30pm to 8.00pm
Who can book these appointments?
Improved Access appointments are available for all patients regardless of where they are located. This means that patients can be seen by a clinical professional 7 days a week, 52 weeks of the year.
How can I book an appointment?
In order to book these appointments, you can contact your surgery reception staff as normal or sent your request online via PATCHS
Home visits
Please telephone before 10.00am. A doctor may phone you back as it may be that your problem can dealt with by telephone advice, video Call or that it would be more appropriate to send a nurse, or indeed arrange a hospital attendance.
Home visits are only available for patients who are housebound because of illness or disability.
There is a continuing need for home visits for the house bound. Children with fevers can safely be brought to the surgery.
It should be remembered that each home visit takes approximately 30 minutes which includes a doctor’s travelling and visiting time. For each home visit a doctor can see at least three patients in surgery.
Please think carefully before requesting a home visit and use this facility appropriately.
You can also be visited at home by a community nurse if you are housebound or unable to get to the surgery due to ill health
How to Cancel an Appointment
If you are unable to keep your appointment, please give us as much notice as possible so that your appointment can be offered to someone else.
If you are cancelling please telephone us as soon as possible, and at least 30 minutes before your appointment time. This will enable us to offer your appointment to someone else.
Alternatively you can cancel your appointment online using The NHS App if you are signed up to the service.
Please remember that there may be a shortage of appointments and when you fail to attend you have prevented someone else from being seen in your place. On average about 230 appointments are missed each month
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.
If you need help when we are closed
- Use NHS 111 online (111.nhs.uk) or call 111. 111 online is for people aged 5 and over. Call 111 if you need help for a child under 5.
- Evening and weekend appointments are available from 6.00pm to 8.00pm Monday to Friday, 8.00am to 4.00pm Saturdays and Sundays 10.00am to 2.00pm. Appointments are at the local Health and Wellbeing Centre.
- If it’s a life-threatening emergency call 999.