Before booking an appointment, please consider other services available in Lancaster and whether they may be more appropriate.
To enable us to work safely and effectively, we have trained our receptionists and developed an appointment system which guides patients to the most appropriate appointment. Our receptionists work to guidance established by our doctors.
Please follow the Receptionists advice when contacting the Practice for an appointment. We ask that you consider carefully if your condition is an emergency or urgent for that day so as to ensure we have sufficient appointments available for those who need to see us.
Medical Emergencies
When you contact reception, you will first be asked ‘Is this problem a medical emergency?’ If the answer to this question is ‘yes’ then we will direct you either to the ambulance service, or to Lancaster Royal Infirmary.
Urgent Medical Problems
You will be asked ‘Do you require an urgent or routine appointment?’ If the answer to this question is ‘urgent’ then you will be given an appointment in the surgery that day to see a clinician. These appointments are shorter than routine and will only be able to address the single clinically urgent problem.
When we lack appointment capacity and our ability to continue to operate a safe service is compromised, you will be directed to an appropriate alternative service, such as 111.
Non-Urgent/Routine Medical Problems
If you require a non-urgent/routine appointment, our reception staff will add you to a waiting list until one becomes available. Wherever possible we will allocate you to your preferred GP, or to whichever GP/clinician may have already been dealing with the problem. There is good evidence to show that waiting slightly longer to see a clinician who knows your case will give better outcomes in the long term.
These appointments are in 15-minute slots and are where we can address longer term queries and concerns such as new non-urgent problems, chronic disease management, medication changes, follow ups etc. If you are aware that you have more than one problem which need to be discussed, please let the receptionist know so that we can allocate a double appointment.
When an appropriate routine appointment becomes available, we will attempt to contact you by telephone. We will make three attempts over multiple days. Please note, if we haven’t been able to make contact after three attempts you will be informed that we are removing you from the waiting list.
Once you have been allocated a routine appointment, we will not be able to bring this forward unless the problem becomes clinically urgent, in which case we would offer an urgent, on the day appointment.
Due to the significant increase in demand for General Practice services, we continue to monitor our processes for improvements. As always, we are grateful for the support of our patients to ensure the surgery operates safely and with our patients’ best interests in mind.
Telephone Appointments
By default, all of our appointments are done face to face. If appropriate and necessary, some appointments can be carried out over the phone.
Where possible we try to give you an approximate time at which the clinician will call you back.
For this reason, it is important that your contact details are kept up to date.
Home Visits
We would like to remind patients that we can only do home visits for people who are housebound or terminally ill.
House calls are only for patients who are terminally ill or medically housebound. We cannot visit under any other circumstances.
The doctor can see at least FOUR patients in surgery in the same time it takes to do ONE house-call.
Please do not misuse this service.
If you feel a home visit is necessary, you must ring before 11:30am. Your request will be triaged by member of the clinical team and you may be rung back to find out more about your medical problem. If we feel there is a more appropriate way of helping you we will offer this instead.
The Receptionist will ask you for some basic information to help the doctors and nurses assess and plan the visits.
For a home visit please ring:
Queen Square: 01524 843333
Enhanced Access Hours
We have extended opening hours to accommodate those who find it difficult to get into surgery during normal surgery hours. This includes Thursday evening and the second Saturday morning of the month. Please note, that Saturday appointments must be cancelled by Friday at the latest as we do not open our phonelines at the weekend.
You can also access a GP locally in the evening, at weekends and on bank holidays via other local services, please ask our receptionists.
Click here to read further information and venues on the Enhanced Access page
