We are fortunate to benefit from the expertise of a wide range of healthcare professionals (clinicians) at The Ridgeway Surgery which include GPs, practice nurses, advanced nurse practitioners, physicians associates, pharmacists, healthcare assistants, dietitians, health visitors and a highly skilled team of non-clinicians.
This means the best person to help deal with your issue may not always be a doctor but GPs are always available where necessary. Having our varied team helps to share learning and best practice and means we can be more responsive to patient need. This means when you access us, you will be directed to the member of our team who is best able to deal with your problem.
How to Make an Appointment
Can I book an appointment online?
Using your Patient Access account or other equivalent website such as Evergreen Life, you can book routine appointments for long term condition reviews, blood tests and nursing appointments.
Can I book a telephone call / face-to-face appointment with a GP online?
To access GPs online, please complete an PATCHS:
The reasons for this are:
- PATCHS will ask specific questions about your condition / symptom. This make it quicker for the clinician to assess and safer because the clinician has more information about your medical problem.
- PATCHS is also safer than booking a telephone appointment online because it will advise if it thinks the condition you need help with may be an emergency and cannot wait
- Currently we acknowledge all PATCHS by the end of the next working day and in the majority of cases, clinicians make contact with the patient within 24 hours of the PATCHS being submitted. If it will be longer than this, you should receive a text message advising when a clinician will contact you
- In some cases where patients have booked a telephone call back online and manually entered what they need help with, this has delayed urgent matters. Therefore it is no longer safe to continue with this pathway and PATCHS should be used as a safer system.
In order to complete an PATCHS please follow this link
Book an appointment using the NHS e-Referral Service
If you have been referred to a hospital or clinic through the NHS e-Referral Service, booking your appointment online is easy, safe and secure.
You’ll need:
- the booking reference number stated on your booking letter
- the password or access code you were given by the person or organisation that referred you (for example, your GP practice)
If you have been referred but don’t have your booking reference number or a password or access code, please contact the person or organisation that referred you.
Please visit this link for how to:
- check your appointment details
- change your appointment
- cancel your appointment
- cancel your referral
For more information, read about what happens when you’re referred.
How to choose your hospital or clinic
In some cases you’ll have more than 1 clinic or hospital to choose from. The list of options will be the same if you book online or over the phone.
Before you select your clinic and appointment slot, consider all the options.
For example:
- How long do I have to wait for my first appointment?
- How quickly can I start my treatment?
- How far away is the hospital or clinic?
In most cases you have the legal right to choose the hospital or service you’d like to go to.
This will include many private hospitals, as long as they provide services to the NHS.
Learn more about your choices in the NHS.
What to do if you haven’t been referred yet
If you want to be seen at a hospital or clinic, you’ll need to speak to your GP.
They’ll help you decide what care is best for you and make any necessary referrals.
