Book an Appointment

BACK TO MAIN INDEX

Appointments can be made by telephoning the  practice  on 01620 823 183. You may consult any doctor you choose but we would  recommend that when possible, you try to see the same  doctor, as this enables us to get to know one another.

The practice operates an on-the-day triage system for all GP appointments. Patients are asked to contact the practice on the day they wish to be seen. Telephone lines open at 8:00am.

When you call, the reception team will ask for your contact number, who your Usual GP is, and the nature of your problem. This information is passed to the Duty Doctor, who triages requests based on the details provided. The more information that you can share, the better the Duty Doctor can prioritise requests. If you feel that your problem is urgent, please relay this information to the reception team.

Patients may request a telephone consultation or a face-to-face appointment. We aim to offer appointments on the same day, but there may be delays if you wish to see a specific doctor or if demand is particularly high.

The Duty Doctor will allocate appointments as needed—either with your usual GP or with an available doctor that day if appropriate. If a face-to-face appointment is required, the reception team will call you back with the time. Please note that there may be occasions when the Duty Doctor feels that a face-to-face appointment is more appropriate, even if you initially requested a telephone consultation. The Duty Doctor may also ask reception to book a routine appointment with your usual GP or another available GP.

A standard GP appointment is 15 minutes long.  If you have several problems to discuss, please let your doctor know at the beginning of the consultation.  That way both you and the GP can decide which problem to deal with immediately, and what might be better dealt with at another appointment with more time.

The practice reserves a number of appointments for routine reviews. These will be used by the GPs if they wish to review a patient, discuss tests carried out in the practice or a follow up after attendance at hospital. If a GP determines that a review is needed, they will instruct the reception team to contact you. You will be notified by reception with the GP’s message and offered a date / time for your routine review.

Home Vists

Home visits are provided for those patients whose illness or disability is sufficiently severe that it is not possible for them to attend the practice.  When requesting a home visit the receptionist will ask for your name, address, contact telephone number and details of your problem. 

It is vital that you give accurate information to the receptionist as this enables the doctor to assess the urgency of the call.  These requests will be triaged by the Doctor and home visits will only be carried out at the discretion of the Doctor.

Requests for home visits should be made before 10.00am when possible. This assists the duty doctor to plan their day efficiently and avoids any unnecessary delay.

If your call is urgent and cannot wait until the doctor is available, please ensure that you advise the receptionist of this and they can direct your call to the duty doctor.

Interpretation & Translation Service

The practice complies with NHS Lothian’s policy to provide interpreters and translations when requested by the service user. Please ask reception staff for further information.