Dear Patients,
We are excited to announce the launch of our new appointment system at Topsham Surgery. In our efforts to provide you with better and more efficient healthcare, we have made some changes to how appointments are booked and managed.
Starting Monday 30th October, we are moving towards a system where the majority of appointments can be booked on the day, rather than far in advance.
This change aims to reduce the number of wasted appointments due to non-attendance. In the month of September 44 GP appointments were lost due to patients failing to attend and not cancelling beforehand.
We will encourage you to contact us on the day that your usual GP is working, to book your appointment with them. By booking with your usual GP, this promotes continuity of care, which has proven benefits to long-term care and patient satisfaction. The GP timetable is below; however, may be subject to change with leave, sickness and training.
Pre-bookable appointments will still be available; however, these will be limited when we move towards an on the day booking system.
Our Admin team will be asking a few questions when you request an appointment with a GP. This will help to ensure that you are directed to the most appropriate Healthcare Professional or service, which may not always be your GP. Your cooperation in answering these questions will aid us in providing you with the best possible care. If you have an urgent medical problem, that cannot wait until your own GP is available, you will be triaged by our Duty team.
Our in-house team consists of GPs, Minor illness Clinicians (Nurses and Paramedics), Pharmacy Technicians and Physiotherapists. In addition, we have excellent local Community Pharmacists, who are able to provide advice and treatment for a broad range of conditions, often over the counter, without the need for a prescription.
There are several ways to contact the practice:
- Online consultation via Accurx for medical and administrative requests
- Using the NHS App, Airmid App and the SystmOnline website
- Prescription requests and queries via our dedicated email address
d-icb.topshamscripts@nhs.net - By telephone 01392 874646
- In-person at our reception desk
We kindly ask for your patience during this transition period. Adapting to the new system may take a month or so, and we appreciate your understanding as we work to implement this and improve our service.
Thank you for your cooperation and continued understanding.
The Partners & Team at Topsham Surgery and Glasshouse Medical Centre
