Appointments
All surgeries are by appointment and each appointment is for one person only. Appointments can be made through the receptionists. When an appointment has been made, the receptionist will repeat the appointment details to you, or write an appointment card.
When making an appointment to see the doctor, you have the right to ask to see the doctor of your choice. Please be aware that this will be the next available appointment with that doctor and may not be as soon as you require the appointment. We have a limited number of routine available appointments each morning and these appointments can be booked the same morning but may not be with the doctor of your choice.
We aim to see any patient who is happy to be seen by any doctor within 48 hours. However, this may not be at the surgery of your choice. We would recommend contacting the practice as early as possible if you want one of these appointments.
If you prefer to wait for a doctor of your choice or with a time of your preference we aim to to provide a suitable appointment within 7 working days.
A longer appointment time may be requested at the time of booking but the receptionist will always confirm these requests with the doctor as it is at the doctors' discretion and on the doctors' instruction that these appointments are made. We aim to have a range of pre-bookable appointments available up to one week in advance for those patients who prefer to book at particular times or who wish to see a particular doctor. We regularly monitor our appointment availability and believe we offer sufficient appointments to comfortably meet our usual demand. However there may be occasions when the doctor or appointment time of your choice has already been booked and we would ask you to be flexible in your requests to the practice.
Appointments with the Practice Nurse
Although you may ask to see the practice nurse of your choice, the reason for the appointment may determine which nurse you need to see. The receptionist, following Practice Protocol, will book your appointment with the appropriate nurse.
MISSED APPOINTMENTS
Parklands Medical Practice is a busy practice and appointments are very much in demand. If you make an appointment and are then unable to attend, a reasonable notice of cancellation should be given whenever possible. Appointments which are not kept should be made available for use by other patients. The amount of the doctors' and nurses' time wasted through missed appointments is monitored and is also displayed in surgery.