Important changes to our appointment system

You may have seen from recent press coverage that there is currently a shortage of Doctors, and practices are now looking at different ways to cope with the increasing demands on their services.  As you may be aware, Dr Williams has retired from the Practice and, in order to meet the increasing demands on the remaining clinicians, over the next few months we will be joined by additional clinical staff.  

We have been very fortunate that we have been able to recruit an additional experienced Nurse Practitioner, Penny Burrows, who will be working alongside Lynette Reeves from mid June.  We are also introducing two new roles to the Practice team, a Paramedic Practitioner who will help us with our "book on the day" demands and home visits and also later in the year a Clinical Pharmacist who, amongst other things, will help make sure that you are receiving maximum benefit from your medication.

To try to improve our service to you we are making changes to our appointment system.  Our aim is to help you make the best use of the services that we offer and ensure that our patients are being seen by the people that are best able to help them within a timescale that is medically appropriate.

• If you require an appointment for today the Reception team will ask you for a brief description of why you need to be seen.   Please do not be offended or alarmed by this, we have instructed the Team to ask this as it will allow us to prioritise your care.

• The Paramedic Practitioner, Doctor or Nurse Practitioner will then contact you later in the morning/ afternoon to discuss how they can best help you and offer you an appointment time if they feel that you need to be seen in the Surgery.  Please could we ask that if you are waiting for a call back, you give the Reception team the most convenient number to reach you on.

• In many cases your medical needs may be able to be dealt with over the telephone or, for acute minor illness and injuries you may be asked to come in to see a member of the clinical team other than the Doctor.  This will enable us to free up more appointments to be booked in advance for the Doctors to deal with more complex ongoing illnesses.

In order to make the new system work for everyone there are ways that you can help:

• Please make sure that if you are waiting for a call back you are available to take the call.  Please note that you will not necessarily be contacted by the clinician of your choice and if you refuse a call back it will be noted on your medical records.

• If you have an appointment with a Doctor or Nurse Practitioner and they ask you to return for a follow up appointment (for example in a month’s time) we strongly advise you to make the appointment before you leave the surgery so that you are able to book a suitable time with the clinician of your choice rather than wait and be given an appointment on the day.

• If you no longer need a booked appointment please cancel it. Even at short notice an appointment can be rebooked.

In order to free up the telephone line for people requesting appointments please telephone for test results and non-urgent enquiries in the afternoons.

We ask for your patience whilst the changes are in progress however please be reassured that you will always be seen if you have an urgent medical problem.  

Booking an Appointment

Bookings are made via our Receptionists by telephone, in person, or by using the on-line booking service. The Reception desk is continuously staffed while the Health Centre is open.  

Each morning there are a selection of appointments released to book today, tomorrow and in two days time as well as up to 6 weeks in advance for non-urgent problems. If you can't find what you want on the website it doesn't mean we can't accommodate you, try phoning for appointments that might not be showing online.  

If you require an appointment for today and all the appointments have been filled the Reception staff will ask you a few details and ask for a contact telephone number.  A Doctor, Nurse Practitioner or Paramedic Practitioner will then contact you later in the morning/afternoon to discuss how they can best help you and offer you an appointment time if they feel that you need to be seen in the Surgery. 

Please note when booking an appointment for childrens immunisations with the Nurse,  if anyone other than the parent brings the child to the appointment, they must bring with them a letter, signed by the parent, giving consent for the immunisation.  If the Nurses do not have parental consent, they will be unable to give the immunisation.

Upwell Health Centre Telephone Number: (01945) 773671

Online Appointments

We  offer an on-line appointment booking system for some surgeries. Please ask at Reception for details and to get a personal log in. 

Improved Access - Hub Appointments

We are able to offer an extended access appointment at either our King's Lynn- or our Swaffham- hub.

How do I access the service?

The provision of this service is only available to patients who are registered with one of the 21 surgeries within West Norfolk.

Appointments are made via the patient’s own GP surgery and are available to patients who are unable to access appointments during normal surgery hours or when surgery appointments are fully booked.

What appointments are available?

King's Lynn - evening appointments are available from 6.30 - 8.00pm and Saturday appointments from 8.00am - 1.00pm.

Swaffham - Saturday appointments are available from 8.00am - 1.00pm

Where do I need to go?

Our Receptionist will advise which practice to attend for the time of your appointment.  Each hub has three duty surgeries now offering extended access appointments on a rotation basis; the practices are:

King's Lynn

1) Southgates Medical Centre, 41 Goodwins Road, King’s Lynn, Norfolk, PE30 5QX

2) St James Medical Practice, County Court Rd, King’s Lynn, Norfolk, PE30 5SY

3) St John’s Surgery, Main Road, Terrington St John, Wisbech, Norfolk, PE14 7RR

Swaffham

1) Campingland Surgery, Beech Close, Swaffham, Norfolk, PE37 7RD

2) Litcham Health Centre, Manor Drive, Litcham, Kings Lynn, PE32 2NW

3) Gt Massingham Surgery, Station Rd, Great Massingham, Kings Lynn, PE32 2JQ

What conditions can be treated?

The hubs are designed to treat patients with acute minor ailments who require a face-to-face clinical assessment in order to be treated appropriately.  Appointments are available with a GP, Nurse or HCA

Patients who cannot be seen:

• Babies under 12 weeks old

Those with:

• with pregnancy-related problems
• with chronic disease or long-term condition management that requires continuity of care
• with severe mental health problems
• identified with a potentially life-threatening medical condition which requires referral to urgent or emergency care settings
• Walk-in patients

Home Visits

If you are too ill to get to the surgery the Doctor will visit you at home. This service is not intended for people with transport problems.

It is your responsibility to get to the surgery if you are fit enough to travel. Please help us by phoning before 10:00am to request a visit.