Our Appointment System

How to Make an Appointment with a Doctor

We now operate a triage system to manage patient calls and requests. Although triage was initially implemented in response to Covid, it has proven to be very effective in dealing with the exceptionally high volume of patient requests we receive every day.

The system is designed to make sure we direct patients to the most appropriate person within our team.

You can submit requests for appointments via our new patient triage system or by calling reception 01865 597023.

We have trained our reception team to ask you for an outline of your problem to help direct you to the best person and appointment for you.

Your request will then be triaged by a GP and you will either be contacted with details of an appointment, sent information about how to manage your problem, or you will be asked for further information. Once the information you have provided has been triaged by our clinical team you will be contacted within 24 working hours

Please remember each appointment is 15 minutes long and for one person only. The appointment is also for one problem only, but patients will be allocated longer if multiple issues are submitted or it’s clinically necessary.

We will send an appointment reminder by text to your mobile phone one day before your appointment. Please ensure we have your most up to date mobile number.

How to Make an urgent appointment with the Acute team

Patients can access urgent appointments on the same day for problems requiring immediate treatment.

Our Acute hub is run by our experienced Advanced Nurse practitioners, nurses, paramedics and practice pharmacists, with GPs available for more complex problems. We cannot give you an exact time for this call so please make sure you are available. All urgent requests for appointments are triaged by an experienced clinician on the day.

As you will be aware, NHS general practice is coping with ever-growing demand and to respond to this we are growing our team. It may be that you are offered a different sort of appointment than you have been used to, but we will always ensure that the clinician you see has the appropriate training and supervision to deal with your problem.

Please note, if you are late for your appointment and the doctor or practitioner's clinic is full, you will be asked to book another appointment; you will only be seen at the end of the surgery in exceptional circumstances.

How to Make an Appointment with a Practice Nurse or Healthcare Assistant (HCA)

Our nursing team offers a selection of Treatment room procedures including wound care, , Long term Condition physical Health Checks, Adult and Child immunisations, smear tests, NHS health checks, blood tests, ECGs and more!

These appointments can be booked in person at the practice or by telephoning our reception team.

You can now also make appointments online for blood tests (if requested by a clinician) and smear tests (if you have received a letter stating that you're eligible), plus book your Flu and Covid vaccination (for those eligible) during our winter vaccine campaigns. You can cancel these appointments this way too.

We will send an appointment reminder by text to your mobile phone one day before your appointment. Please ensure we have your most up to date mobile number.

Please note that appointments cannot be booked via email.

How to Make and Appointment with a Clinical Pharmacist

Our Pharmacists work on all medication queries and supporting the GP team with prescribing, auditing and medication reviews. They also lead on some of our chronic disease care, as they have specialist training and knowledge of chronic disease management. We also operate a triage system to manage patient calls and medication requests and you will be contacted by the practice to book with a clinical pharmacist if that’s most appropriate.

How to make an appointment with our social prescribers

You could fill out a patient triage online form or calling the surgery to request a Social Prescribing session. One of our Social Prescribers would usually contact you in 48 (working) hours

Who is a Social Prescriber?

A Social Prescriber is someone who uses a strength-based approach to increase people’s confidence to take control of their health and wellbeing. They work in partnership with people, actively listening to understand what matters to them from a holistic perspective (social and wider determinants of health), co-creating action plans and goals to meet their needs. This means they need to gain and maintain people’s trust and confidence.

Arriving for your appointment

Both Bury Knowle and Barton sites are now operating as ‘normal’ after the Covid-19 Pandemic.

But please note the following:

Bury Knowle

Please use the intercom outside the practice if you have been advised to by one of our clinicians. If you do not have any covid symptoms (a new persistent cough, a high temperature or fever and/or a change of taste or smell), please enter the practice to speak to one of our receptionists at the reception desk. The Self-check-in screen is available to use on arrival for any appointments at Bury Knowle.

If you are parked in the car park please remember to register your car at the reception desk when visiting Bury Knowle surgery.

If you are visiting the practice to attend an appointment, please note our waiting room is now open. Please wear a face covering to the practice if requested to do so by a clinician, and maintain social distancing measures when in and around the practice as necessary.

Evenings and weekends

Evening and weekend appointments are available at the practice or at an NHS service nearby - including for your vaccinations, health checks and screenings.

Interpreters

Personal interpretation is available free of charge in all languages through NHS Oxfordshire’s interpreting service. If you, or anyone you know, needs an interpreter please let the practice know at the time of booking the appointment and we will arrange it for you.

Cancel Appointments

If you cannot attend an appointment for any reason please inform us by telephone as soon as possible in order to enable us to offer the slot to another patient