Appointments

Appointments

We have been working in different ways during the pandemic to ensure our patients needs are met, delivering telephone, face to face and on-line consultations. As restrictions are lifted, we will continue to use a triage system for GP appointments. Nurse appointments can be booked directly by reception.

You can either call the surgery or contact us via e-consult using this link,  Consult Online from Home – South Street Surgery (webgp.com) If calling you will be asked a few simple questions and will then be called by a member of our clinical team within 24 hours who either will be able to meet your needs on the phone or arrange an appropriate appointment. This helps us to ensure your care is managed in the right time frame by the right person. Our reception team do not make any clinical decisions about your care, they are not booking patients who wish to see or speak to a GP into an appointment but will ensure you are contacted by a member of the clinical team.

If you have a non-urgent problem, please complete an e-consult if you can do this. These are reviewed by a member of the clinical team. You may be called to book for a face-to-face appointment, called for a telephone consultation or responded to on-line.

We provide face to face appointments for those patients where face to face assessment is the best method to deliver the care they need. We appreciate that some patients for a variety of reasons would prefer their care to be face to face, please let us know if this is the case. Others find telephone consultations and digital options more convenient and enables them to access the care they need. We do not offer a sit and wait service as we have in the past and have no plans to return to this.

We have expanded our clinical team over recent years and now have clinical pharmacists and physicians associates who may see you rather than a GP or member of our nursing team for some of your care.

We are actively recruiting to clinical and non-clinical teams please have a look at our job vacancies.

Telephone lines are open between 8.00am and 6.30pm Monday to Friday and the main surgery telephone number is 01279 465700. We operate a menu telephone system and when you call you will be asked to select the appropriate number on your keypad.

If you are attending for a face to face appointment, please wear a face covering and arrive no more than 5 minutes before it to help with social distancing.

Consultation Time

The standard time for a consultation with a Doctor is 10 minutes which is generally for one problem.  If you feel that your problem is more complex or you wish to discuss a number of medical issues please request a double appointment at the time of booking.

Telephone or Online Advice

You can leave a non-urgent message with our receptionists for someone to call you or you can complete an e-Consult request at any time. We aim to respond                  e-Consults by the end of the following working day.

If you wish to speak to a specific doctor it may take a little longer to respond to your message due to the working patterns of our doctors

Evening and Weekend Appointments

GP and nurse appointments are now available in your area during the evenings and at the weekend, as part of an ‘extended access’ service for patients registered at practices in Bishop’s Stortford, Sawbridgeworth and the surrounding areas.

You will be able to book appointments to see a GP, Nurse or other health professional in the evenings between 6.30-8pm and at weekends from 9am-1pm. Appointments can be booked either in advance or on the day and will be held in different locations across the area. Again these appointments are being triaged to reduce the risk of infection and protect patients and staff.

For more information on the extended access service or to book an appointment please contact your practice reception or call 01279465700.

Cancellations

If you are unable to attend your appointment please call 01279 464789 to cancel your appointment. We please ask for patients to cancel their appointment as soon as possible as other patients may need the appointment.

Out of Hours

If you require urgent medical assistance which cannot wait until the surgery re-opens, please call the 111 service by simply dialling 111. Calls to the NHS 111 service are free from both landlines and mobiles.