Appointments Updates May 2023

Like all NHS services nationwide, we face increased demand and continue to work tirelessly to offer the best service possible. We thank you for your patience and understanding that waiting times for all services, including our own, are longer than before. 

Our phone lines are answered as quickly as possible, however with increased volume of calls this is taking longer than we would like.  We understand this can be frustrating, particularly when you or a family member are feeling unwell.  However, we do remind you that our staff must be able to come to work without fear of abuse, both on the telephone and face to face.  Like other NHS services, Anchor Mill Medical Practice has zero tolerance for staff abuse. 

Reception are doing their best to get you the soonest appointment possible with the most appropriate clinician. They will ask for a brief description of your problem and may direct you to another service (Community pharmacist, Emergency department, Optician, Dentist) if more appropriate.

At this time, we continue to offer telephone appointments in the first instance. This is not a barrier to seeing patients at the surgery, but provides an opportunity to assess the urgency of your problem.  We are able to assess for unwell patients who may need seen sooner in the day, for those who would benefit from attending for blood tests before examination, and for those who may require a little more time.  This helps us to provide as efficient a service as possible and aims to avoid lengthy waits at the surgery, bearing in mind that emergencies do occur and sometimes delays are unavoidable. We continue to offer some pre-bookable telephone appointments for non-urgent appointments.