Appointments
Contact Us Online
If you need help with a non-urgent medical problem or admin request, you can now contact us online via our web-based consultation tool.
How to Book an Appointment
Online
If you have registered with Patient Access, you can book or cancel an appointment online.
By Phone or in Person
Appointments can be made in person or by telephoning the Surgery during normal opening hours. Monday is our busiest day and we would be grateful if you could avoid telephoning before 11.30am on a Monday morning unless your call is urgent. Calls can be answered twice as quickly during the rest of the week.
- To book - 01278 720000
- To cancel - 01278 720015
Opening Times
Parking and Disabled Access
Car Parking
There is a car park adjacent to the building and access is via the drive between the Surgery and the pharmacy. Please approach with caution and be aware there is a 5 mile an hour speed limit as you enter the Surgery premises. Parking is limited but we do have some dedicated spaces for disabled drivers. The car park is often full and we ask that you not to leave your car here whilst shopping.
NB: Please do not stop or park in the entrance drive to the Surgery, duty doctor space or ambulance space as this can interfere with emergency access.
The Practice cannot take responsibility for loss of property or damage to your vehicle while on the premises.
No Smoking
The Surgery has a No Smoking Policy and this extends to patients and visitors. It is against the law to smoke inside the building or directly outside the entrance. We would also ask you to consider others when smoking in the car park.
Facilities for the Disabled
Most patient facilities are located on the ground floor but we now have four clinic rooms on the first floor of the new building. We try to ensure appropriate access to our services whatever a person's disability. A wheelchair is available for use on the premises by patients who have difficulty walking and there is a lift for access to the first floor rooms. If you require an assistance accessing the building please ask a member of staff.
For help with Language or Hearing difficulties
We can arrange for you to speak to an interpreter on the telephone and can book an appointment for you with a translator if needed. We also have a hearing loop installed and can arrange for someone to help with sign language. If you require any help please ask at Reception.
Chaperones
If you would like a chaperone, please ask at the time of booking your appointment and not wait to ask for one when you have arrived. It is easier to arrange one in advance than on the day. Read our chaperone policy here.
Booking in
When you arrive for an appointment please report to reception or use our self check-in touchscreens to avoid the queue.
Waiting areas
When you have booked in please note we have three waiting areas:
- The doctors waiting room is to the left as you enter the surgery on the ground floor
- The nurses waiting area is to the right as you enter the surgery. Please proceed along the green-floored corridor. You will see a list of treatment rooms.
- The upstairs clinic rooms are through the nurses waiting area on the first floor. Please proceed down the narrow green-floored corridor through the nurse waiting room through the door and up the stairs. Alternatively use the lift located at the entrance to the nurse waiting area.
If you are unsure where you should wait please check with the receptionist.
Types of Appointment
Routine GP Appointments
Routine GP appointment can be booked as routine telephone appointments and face to face appointments. For routine health issues we would encourage that you see the same GP as this will help with the continuity of your care, so please wait for your usual GP. There is a wait for routine appointments and we aim to keep this to 2 weeks, however there may be occasions when they can be shorter or longer.
Urgent on the Day Appointments
We do have a duty team available for health issues which are medically urgent. The duty team has asked reception to obtain a brief reason for the request. The duty doctor will then review the requests and will book a telephone appointment, a face to face appointment or direct the patient to the most appropriate service.
Extended Hours Appointments
We have a number of GP and Nurse appointments outside of normal opening hours.
Home Visits
Patients are requested, where possible, to telephone before 11am if a home visit is required that day.
We would request that, apart from the genuinely housebound, all other patients attend the surgery rather than request a home visit because of the extra time home visiting takes. On average four to five patients can be seen in surgery in the time it takes to do a single house call. In addition, the care that can be offered due to the lack of adequate lighting, examination facilities and equipment means that you may not receive as good a service as the doctor may be able to offer if you came to the surgery.
Please note that the doctor may telephone you rather than visit you if this is medically appropriate. Ultimately it is the doctors right to decide whether or not a visit is appropriate for a particular set of circumstances.
Practice Pharmacist
Offers appointments for medication queries, medication reviews and undertakes some birthday reviews for long term conditions.
Advanced Nurse Practitioner/ Nurse Prescriber
These nurses are able to diagnose and prescribe. They offer appointments for minor illnesses, contraception advice as well as undertake annual reviews for those patients with long term conditions.
Healthcare Assistants
Support the nursing team and undertake initial appointments for many birthday reviews including diabetic patients, urgent and routine blood tests as requested by a GP, dressings appointments as well as assisting the GPs in contraceptive clinics and minor surgery clinics.
First Contact Physiotherapist
Have enhanced skills and an expertise in the management of Musculoskeletal conditions. The role of First Contact Physiotherapists in practice is to assess patients with soft tissue muscle pain at their first point of contact or for follow-up management as appropriate. First Contact Physiotherapists enable adult patients to be seen in their GP practice without being referred by a doctor. FCPs working in this role can be accessed directly by self-referral, or staff in GP Practices can direct patients to them to establish a rapid and accurate diagnosis and management plan to streamline pathways of care.
Health and Wellbeing Coaches
Support people with long term conditions to access physical activity in order to promote and protect their health. If you are living with a long-term health condition, or just ready to take control of your health, our team of Health and Wellbeing Coaches can give you the support you need to make healthy changes to your lifestyle.
Community Pharmacy Consultation Scheme
This was launched by NHS England on the 29 October 2019, to facilitate patients having a same day appointment with their community pharmacist for minor illness or an urgent supply of a regular medicine, improving access to services and providing more convenient treatment closer to patients’ homes. The service is helping to alleviate pressure on GP appointments and emergency departments, in addition to harnessing the skills and medicines knowledge of pharmacists. Should the patient need to be escalated or referred to an alternative service, the pharmacist can arrange this. For more information please click on this link - NHS England » NHS Community Pharmacist Consultation Service (CPCS) – integrating pharmacy into urgent care
Improved Access - Evening and Weekend Appointments
To improve appointment availability you can now access appointments in the evening until 8pm on weekdays and on a Saturday if you are registered at a practice in the Bridgwater or surrounding area. In the Bridgwater and surrounding area the following practices are currently involved in this scheme:
|
Cannington Health Centre |
Quantock Medical Centre |
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Cranleigh Gardens Medical Centre |
Redgate Medical Centre |
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East Quay Medical Centre |
Somerset Bridge Medical Centre |
|
North Petherton Surgery |
Taunton Road Medical Centre |
|
Polden Medical Practice |
Victoria Park Medical Centre |
How do I book an appointment?
To book an evening or weekend appointment please contact a practice during their normal opening times and they will be able to advise you at which GP practice an appointment is available to suit your needs. Health staff at these appointments will have access to your medical records (only if you consent for your records to be shared).
The service is for anyone who is booking an appointment to discuss a routine problem with their doctor or practice nurse. If you don’t want to visit a different surgery then you don’t have to - it’s entirely up to you.
What are the benefits of the service?
Many practices already offer appointments in evenings and at weekends. What is new here is that practices are working in groups to offer more appointments at more flexible times which should make it easier for patients to see a doctor or nurse.
But won’t the doctor need access to my patient record?
In order for this service to work, the doctors and nurses need access to your patient record. Your practice has signed a local Data Sharing Agreement (not linked to any national data sharing agreement) to allow this to happen, but you can opt out at any time.
For more information about the Improved Access pilot scheme please see the attached or speak to your registered practice.
Last Updated
This page was last updated on 11/01/2024.