Appointments

Our Appointment System

Booking Appointments

We offer same-day appointments for medically urgent problems and we advise patients to call early in the morning. We also offer book-ahead appointments for routine matters and we advise patients to call later in the day when are phones are less busy.

Care Navigation

At Ryeland Surgery we have a team composed of a wide range of clinicians, with different skills and interests to deliver excellent care to our patients. In order that you get to see the right person at the right time, we have a dedicated team of ‘Care Navigators’ trained to signpost you to the best service to fulfil your needs.

In order to do so, they will need to ask you a little about the nature of your problem. This information you give them is all in strictest confidence. Please help us to help you by sharing information with our Care Navigators, so they can book your appointment with the best person to help you.

Call the practice 01568 614141

How to help us help you…

In order for you to get the most of your appointment and to ensure you’re getting the best care, please:

  • Tell us what the problem is so we can book you with the most suitable clinician
  • Tell us if there is more than one problem as you will need more time for the appointment
  • Be on time for your appointment
  • If you no longer need your appointment please cancel it via the NHS App or telephone the practice to use our automated service or to speak to a Patient advisor.
  • If you are making an appointment for a result, check that we have received it before you come in. Test results are available to you on the NHS App.

Our Clinical Team

Ryeland Surgery offers a variety of clinicians :-

  • Paramedic Practitioners
  • Visiting Paramedic
  • Advanced Nurse Practitioners
  • Musculoskeletal Practitioners
  • Mental Health Nurses
  • Pharmacists
  • Social Prescribers
  • Health and Wellbeing Coaches
  • Dieticians
  • Specialist Dementia Nurses
  • Doctors

Extended Access

In addition to our normal opening hours, you can also book appointments in the evenings and at weekends. These appointments are pre-bookable by contacting the surgery during our opening times –  please ask our staff about this service. Extended Access appointments are available for Doctors, Advanced Nurse Practitioners, Practice Nurses and Healthcare Assistants. Face to face or telephone consultations are available.

Training Practice

Our practice is a training/teaching practice. Our registrars are fully qualified doctors and have a great deal of hospital experience. Registrars are attached to our practice for 6 to 12 months and usually become general practitioners after completing their training. They are at all times encouraged to seek advice when required from the practice partners.

We are also fortunate to be affiliated with Keele University and assist with the training of medical students in years 3 and 5 or their degrees. If you are seen by a medical student they will see you alone initially and then discuss your problem with a GP who will also assess you and help the medical student in forming a management plan.

.

As well as our GPs, practice nurses and HCAs, our team includes:

A team of Nurse Specialists who can help with many acute illnesses and exacerbations of existing medical conditions.
A paramedic who has undergone additional training to deal with non-life threatening emergencies and acute illnesses.
A specialist physiotherapist who can see and assess patients with pain or altered function in bones, joints and muscles. They can offer advice and refer into physiotherapy services or onwards to more specialist services.
Specialist Mental Health Nurses who are able to help with any problems such as anxiety, low mood/depression, bereavement and other psychological and behavioural problems. They are able to prescribe medication and advise you on other options to help manage, and recover from, many mental health difficulties.
They can answer questions about your medication, such as changes in dose or preparation, problems with prescriptions and altering dose of medication. They are able to initiate and adjust medication for many different conditions.
This is a team of people who are very experienced in assessing any social needs, problems with housing, care services, children’s services. They include Social Prescribers, Health Coaches, Care Coordinators, an OT, a Child and Young People’s Nurse and a dietician. They can help at times when life is difficult – we feel lonely, isolated or overwhelmed. They can signpost you to local services which may be of help. They are able to offer advice and information on weight loss, smoking cessation and exercise facilities locally.

Social Prescribing
Your local Pharmacist is trained and able to provide many services previously delivered by the surgery. This is a great support to us and our Care Navigation team know what can and can’t be dealt with by the local Pharmacy. They are able make the appropriate referral for you which will be responded to that day.
Can see you up to 2 weeks after the incident causing your problem. They have X-ray facilities if you have had an accident which may have resulted in a bony injury. You can attend MIU without a referral or our Care Navigation Team may suggest you see them if it is appropriate.

Home visits

Whilst we encourage our patients to come to the surgery, where we have the proper equipment and facilities available, we do appreciate this is not always possible. If you need a home visit please try and call us before 11:00.

You may only request a home visit if you are housebound or are too ill to visit the practice. The Duty Doctor will only arrange a home visit if they think that your medical condition requires it and will also decide how urgently a visit is needed. Please bear this in mind and be prepared to provide suitable details to enable the practice to schedule house calls. Children are safe to be brought to the surgery even if feverish. We shall make every effort to see them quickly. The majority of home visits are carried out by the practice’s Visiting Paramedic.

Chaperones

All patients are entitled to have a chaperone present for any consultation, examination or procedure where they feel one is required.

Wherever possible we would ask you to make this request at the time of booking so that arrangements can be made and your appointment is not delayed in any way.  Where this is not possible we will endeavour to provide a formal chaperone at the time of request.  However, occasionally it may be necessary to reschedule your appointment.  Your healthcare professional may also require a chaperone to be present for certain consultations in accordance with our chaperone policy. 

Cancelling or changing an appointment

GP appointment? Don’t need it? Cancel it!

We know people forget things, cancelling GP appointments being one of them. Remember to cancel your appointment if you don’t need it.

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.

You can cancel your appointment online using The NHS App if you are signed up to the service or by calling us on 01568 614141 and using the automated service (24/7) or holding to speak to a member of the team.

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.

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.