When you call for an appointment, the Patient Services Administrator will ask you if you are willing to give them a brief outline of your symptoms. This is so that they are able to direct you towards the right service for your issue; this could be a Doctor, Nurse Practitioner, Paramedic, a member of the nursing team, an MSK Practitioner or your local Pharmacist.

We would appreciate your co-operation towards our Patient Services team. If you do not want to tell the Patient Services Administrator what your symptoms are, it is perfectly acceptable to say that it is a private matter.

• You can ring us on 01323 502200 - we now offer callback, which holds your place in the queue and the practice calls you back when you reach the front of the queue
• You can book at our reception desk
• Book online via the NHS app (not currently available)
  You can download the NHS App if you are aged 16+. For more information and to download the App:  Click here
• Book online via Patient Access (not currently available).
  You can register for a Patient Access account if you are aged 16+. To register for a Patient Access account please Click here.

If you feel that your problem could be dealt with over the telephone please ask the Patient Services Administrator to book you a telephone consultation with a clinician.

We would like to inform our patients that we record, store, monitor and use incoming and outgoing calls, email and any other communication with the practice for training purposes and to improve the quality of our services. Calls are stored on a standalone recording system and may be accessed for training or monitoring purposes.  Calls are automatically deleted after 6 months.  You do not need to act on receipt of this message; however, should you wish a telephone call to be deleted before the 6 month period, please contact the practice to request this from a member of the management team.

Patients can find examination of intimate areas, or consultations involving dimmed lights or prolonged periods of physical examination or proximity, to be distressing.

Patients can ask for a member of the practice team to be present as a chaperone for any such appointment.  The clinician will also ask for a chaperone to present in these instances.

A limited number of appointments can be booked up to 6 weeks in advance with the remaining appointments released on the day.

The usual appointment time is 10 minutes.

If more than one family member needs to seen/spoken about, each patient must be allocated a separate appointment.

The `Pharmacy First' scheme enables patients to get certain prescription medications directly from a pharmacy without the need for a GP appointment following assessment by a Pharmacist.  Pharmacists can also triage and offer advice and over the counter medication for minor ailments.

Our Patient Services Administrators will ask you a series of questions when you call with either a minor ailment or a condition that is suitable for Pharmacy First; your answers will determine whether you can be referred to the pharmacy or whether input from us is needed.  You are also able to go directly to the pharmacy for these issues without the need for a referral from us but they may advise that you need to contact us.

The seven conditions that pharmacists can manage under the Pharmacy First scheme and provide any necessary prescripton medication for are:

• Acute otitis media (ear infection) for ages 1 to 17
• Impetigo for ages 1 year and over
• Infected insect bites for ages 1 year and over
• Shingles for ages 18 and over
• Sinusitis for ages 12 and over
• Sure throat for ages 5 and over
• Uncomplicated urinary tract infections for women between the ages of 16 and 64

Engage Consult is an online platform that allows you to contact the Practice via the link below.

You can use this service to request medical advice but please note you may be asked to make an appointment based on the information provided.

Please ensure you complete all questions presented to you prior to submitting the consultation, to avoid having to resubmit information to us. We require this level of detail to be able to help you safely.

The opening times of this service will be presented to you prior to starting an online request, with confirmation emailed to you once your request has been submitted.

You can also contact our admin team with administrative queries and our staff will deal with these in-house.

To sign up for Engage Consult, click the link below:

https://engage.gp/8868/#/portal

It is important that you inform the reception staff if you are unable to attend your appointment, this will allow that appointment to be offered to another patient.

Please cancel your appointment via the appointment reminder text message or you can call us.  You can leave a message on our cancellation answerphone or if your appointment is within the hour of your call, please speak to a member of the Patient Services team so that the appointment can be promptly offered to another patient.

If you fail to notify the Practice that you are unable to attend, you will usually be sent a text message informing you that you have failed to attend your appointment; this information is added to your medical record.

Please attend your appointment on time; if you are late you may not be seen. If you are not seen you will not be able to rearrange your appointment until the next prebookable appointment or you will need to contact us again for an on the day appointment (except in the event of an medical emergency that requires immediate attention).

If you require an interpreter to attend with you when you see a clinician. please notify the Patient Services Administrator and they will arrange this for you.  Advance notice is required in most cases, as interpreters are not immedlaitely available.

In most cases, a telephone translator is arranged for your appointment.

South Downs Health and Care GP Federation (SDHC) provides additional appointment capacity for GP practices in the local area.

The Extended Access Service (EAS) that they offer is designed to help increase the capacity to talk to and see a healthcare professional. Appointments are available at varying times across the week, including Saturdays and Sundays.

The GP or Advanced Care Practitioner that you see or speak to may not be one that you are familiar with but they are a fully qualified healthcare professional, who will be able to access your medical record and arrange tests/issue a prescription as needed.

These appointments are bookable via our Patient Services team at Park Practice, they cannot be booked directly; you may be routinely offered one or you may be able to request one. There are restrictions with what can be seen by the service but the Patient Services team member that you speak to will be able to advise regarding this.

Face to face appointments are usually at the Hampden Park Health Centre, Brodrick Close.

To cancel an appointment at the Extended Access Service when Park Practice is closed, please telephone 01323 402550.

Pharmacists are highly trained and therefore equipped to deal with medication needs and are often a quicker alternative than ringing the surgery.

NHS 111 can help you if you need urgent medical advice or if you have an urgent medical problem and are not sure what to do.  The NHS 111 service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Whilst we encourage our patients to come to the surgery, where we have the proper equipment and facilities available, we do appreciate this is not always possible. In this respect, if you do need a home visit, you can help us by calling reception as early in the day as possible.

You may only request a home visit if you are housebound or are too ill to visit the practice. Your GP will only visit you at home if they think that your medical condition requires it and will also decide how urgently a visit is needed. Please bear this in mind and be prepared to provide suitable details to enable the doctor to schedule house calls

You can also be visited at home by a community nurse if you are referred by your GP. You should also be visited at home by a health visitor if you have recently had a baby or if you are newly registered with a GP and have a child under five years.