How to Make and Cancel an Appointment

Care Navigation (Signposting)

Over the coming months you will notice your receptionist begin to ask for a brief outline of your problem when you ring to book an appointment.

This is because we are introducing something called “Care Navigation”. It means we are training receptionists and clerical staff to help them help patients by identifying the most appropriate place for their care.

Through this specialist training, our practice team will be able to direct you to the most appropriate health clinician for your needs first.

Receptionists will never offer clinical advice or triage; this new way of working is about offering you the choice to see more appropriate professionals in the practice team or even somewhere else. If they can deal with the problem directly, it will often be quicker and means you may not need to see the GP at all.   More Information...

 

Appointments

We prefer you to submit an eConsult to make and cancel appointments. This means you will not have to wait on the phone and frees up the phone lines for those who are unable to contact us digitally

Telephone Woodlands Health Centre, Paddock Wood 01892 833 331 between 8am and 6.30pm.

It may be possible to arrange a telephone consultation with the doctor. 

 

GP appointment? Don't need it? Cancel it!

We know people forget things, cancelling GP appointments being one of them. Remember to cancel your appointment if you don't need it.

 

How to Cancel an Appointment

If you are unable to keep your appointment, please give us as much notice as possible so that your appointment can be offered to someone else.

Cancellations notified less than 30 minutes before the appointment time will be recorded as failure to attend (DNA).

Repeated failure to attend booked appointments is a significant waste of NHS resources and may lead to your registration being removed from our list.

 

Extended Access

Many more General Practice appointments now available in West Kent

We are delighted to be able to tell you that from 1 October 2018, you can book to be seen by a GP, nurse and other health professionals in West Kent until 8pm Monday to Friday, and at weekends and bank holidays.

This is part of a national drive to improve access to GP services and give people the opportunity to see health professionals at a time that suits them.

To find out more, and book one of these appointments, please just phone us on 01892 833 331 and speak to the receptionist, who has been trained in care navigation, and will help you see the right person for your needs.

They will offer the new appointments routinely but do tell them if you particularly need a Saturday, Sunday or evening slot. They will also tell you where the appointment will be – please note the details carefully, as it may not be at this surgery.

Please ring 111 as usual if you need medical assistance when we are closed and it cannot wait until we reopen.

 

How to Request a Home Visit

If possible please try to telephone reception before 10am if you require a home visit.

A doctor or nurse may phone you back as it may be that your problem can be dealt with by telephone advice, or that it would be more appropriate to send a nurse, or indeed arrange a hospital attendance.

House visits are only available for patients who are housebound because of illness or disability.

Please remember that several patients can be seen in the practice in the time that it takes to make one home visit. There are also better facilities for examining and treating patients at the Health Centre.

 

GP Training

You may be offered an appointment to see a GP registrar, a fully qualified doctor who is receiving special training for General Practice. Sometimes you will be asked for your permission to video record your consultation for training purposes.

You may also withdraw your consent after you have seen the doctor. Medical and other clinical students also gain experience in our practice in a more supervised way.  

 

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