Amersham Health Centre

HOW DO I...

Obtain Telephone Advice

Ring 0844 477 8733. Your doctor will usually be available to give advice over the telephone at 11.30am and 3.00pm.

HOW DO I...
Make An Appointment?

Appointments can be made in person or by telephone to 0844 477 8733. The reception desk is open from 8.30am to 6.00pm each weekday.

• Morning Surgery 8.30 - 11.00am
• Evening Surgery 3.30 - 5.30pm

We also offer a limited number of appointments before 8.30am on Monday morning (doctor and nurse) and between 8.30am and 12 noon on Saturday mornings (doctor only). Please ask at reception for more details.

We have an automated telephone answering system. When you call you will be asked to:

Press 1 to book an appointment
Press 2 to request a home visit
Press 3 for prescription queries
Press 4 for results

Other options may be offered but if you do not have a touch-tone phone the system will automatically put you through to the appointment desk. All calls are held in a queue until a receptionist is free to take the call. Please be patient at busy surgery times - your call will be answered as soon as possible.

When you telephone for an appointment we would be grateful if you could provide the receptionist with brief details of your problem so that you can be offered an appointment with the most appropriate member of our team. Sometimes this will be with a nurse practitioner, specialist nurse or clinic nurse rather than with a GP, but your wishes will always be respected. If you need to see a doctor we aim to be able to offer you an appointment on the day that you phone the surgery, but as patients are now registered with the practice rather than with an individual GP, it may not always be possible for you to see your preferred doctor. We do have some appointments that can be booked in advance, mostly early and late in the day. Please call as early as you can for an appointment on the day.

We try to run to time as far as possible. Inevitably an appointment can run over time, so please bear with us if you have to wait. To keep the surgeries running as smoothly as possible, please remember the following points:

1. Please arrive on time for your appointment and allow time to park your car (on site parking is very limited).
2. Please let us know if you cannot keep your appointment.
3. Please don't 'squeeze in' other people to your slot.
4. Please let us know if you need more than the allocated 10 minutes so that we can give you a longer appointment.

Express Appointments - Tel: 0844 477 8733

Express appointments are available daily for single, uncomplicated problems such as sore throats, earache and rashes that can be dealt with in a 10-minute appointment.

Express clinics are run by specialist nurses with doctor back-up. Our receptionists will be pleased to advise you if you think that an express clinic appointment might be suitable to deal with a problem.

Special Appointments - Tel: 0844 477 8733

These are available via your doctor, the practice nurse or health visitor, for such as:

• Contraception advice
• Antenatal care
• Cervical smear
• Foreign travel advice and immunisation
• Baby clinics
• Parentcraft and antenatal relaxation clinic
• Medical examinations for fitness to drive, insurance, sports etc.

Please ask at reception for further details.

HOW DO I...
Cancel An Appointment?

If you have an appointment that you need to cancel, you don't need to wait until the surgery next opens to let us know. Please call on 0844 477 8733 and select 'Option 2' and cancel your appointment using the automated system. You will be asked the following questions:

• Please say your full name after the tone
Answer - just say your full name and last name

• Please say the date and time of your appointment after the tone
Answer - just say the date and time eg. 1st March at 11.00am

• Please say the name of the doctor you have your appointment with after the tone
Answer - just say the name of the doctor or nurse who you are due to see

This is particularly helpful if you have an early morning appointment and will save you from queuing on the phone when the surgery re-opens. We will then have time to offer the appointment to another patient.

HOW DO I...
Obtain A Home Visit?

Home Visit Requests During Surgery Hours - Tel: 0844 477 8733

These are available to patients who are too ill, disabled or immobile to come to the surgery. Please do not request a home visit for reasons of transport or convenience. It is important that requests for home visits are made if possible before 10.30am, when the doctors plan their rounds. It is safe to bring children with temperatures to the surgery. They will be seen more quickly and, if infectious, can be accommodated in a separate room.

Urgent Visits During Surgery Hours - Tel: 0844 477 8733

In cases of emergency contact the health centre at once and your doctor or the doctor on call will be informed and will respond.

HOW DO I...
Obtain Test Results?

Specimen results are received from the hospital laboratories every morning and then need to be checked by the doctors. Please telephone for any results after 11.00am daily and try not to call during morning or evening surgery when the staff are extremely busy. We would appreciate your consideration in this matter. Please allow at least five working days before phoning for your test result.