Appointments

To request a GP call back please use e-consult click here.

If for any reason you are unable to use e-consult please call the surgery on 02085040532, please note we are open from Monday to Friday 8am to 6.30pm.

When you get in touch, we’ll ask what you need help with.

We will use the information you give us to choose the health professional to help you.

If you are housebound and need an appointment, we can arrange a home visit. This may be a GP, paramedic or another healthcare proffesional. We will phone you first to understand what you need.

To request a home visit, it’s helpful if you phone the practice as soon after 8am as possible.

We have developed a definition of housebound in collaboration with GPs and community teams to encourage people, who are able, to attend clinics for their appointments and to limit the use of home visits.

Our agreed definition of housebound guidelines aims to ensure that community nurses and GP clinical teams are providing routine clinical appointments in the home setting only when it is appropriate.  It is acknowledged that an individual’s needs may change and therefore eligibility for a home visit should be reassessed on a regular basis.

Definition of Housebound

Patients are eligible for home visits for routine treatment only when a patient is unable to leave their home due to physical or psychological illness as this type of appointment takes much more time than if the patient is able to make it into their local clinic or GP surgery.

An individual will not be eligible for a home visit if they are able to leave their home environment on their own or with minimal assistance or support, for example: unassisted/assisted visit to the Doctor, dentist, hairdresser, supermarket, social events or hospital outpatients. Some patients may not be housebound permanently but rather are housebound temporarily as a consequence of an episode of illness. Minimal assistance would be described as a person who can leave their own home and travel to a clinic appointment in a vehicle such as a personal car, taxi or public transport adapted for their use or not and with or without the use of a wheelchair either by themselves or with an escort.

To avoid confusion any person who requires a specialist vehicle (Ambulance) or a two person escort would be regarded as housebound. To avoid further confusion a person will not be regarded as housebound because they do not personally have a companion to escort them to a clinical appointment or use of a car.

Our local GP surgeries are now grouping together to provide an Enhanced Access Service on weekday evenings from 6.30pm to 9.30pm and from 9am to 5pm on Saturdays. These are currently located at both The Shrubberies and Glebelands Practices in South Woodford.

This service is by appointment only and will be with either a GP, nurse, health care assistant or first contact practitioner (FCP) depending on need. The appointments can be booked via the GP practice or additionally can be booked by the patient directly between 6.30pm and 8pm Monday to Friday and 8.30am to 5pm on Saturdays by calling 0204 506 8827. If you call outside of these hours there will be a message asking you to call back.

After being seen at the Enhanced Access Service, details of the consultation and any medicines prescribed will be sent to your own GP. Outside of the above hours please call 111 or in an emergency 999.

However you choose to contact us, we may offer you a consultation:

• by phone
• face to face at the surgery
• by text or email

Appointments by phone or by text or email can be more flexible and often means you get help sooner.

Appointments are a valuable resource and if you cannot make an appointment you must let us know as soon as possible.  We monitor non-attendance and if there are 3 missed appointments within a year, you may be asked to register with another practice.

We appreciate that things do not always go according to plan. However, if you need to cancel your appointment on the day, please try to let us know at least 2 hours ahead of time, or as soon as possible, so that we can offer another patient that slot.

To cancel your appointment:

• if appointment was booked via a booking link please use link to cancel
• phone us on 020 8504 0532, Monday to Friday from 8am
• reply CANCEL to your appointment reminder text message

We are currently looking at easier ways for patients to cancel appointments so please watch this space.

If you need medical help and the surgery is closed or it is ouside of the time that our enhanced access service is available then please use NHS 111 online or Call 111.

NHS 111 online is for people aged 5 and over. Call 111 if you need help for a child under 5.

Call 999 in a medical or mental health emergency. This is when someone is seriously ill or injured and their life is at risk.

Please tell us:

• If you have any other access or additional communication needs
• If you need an interpreter (including British Sign Language)
• Require a chaperone