Patients requiring help for a medical problem should complete a form via the NHS App or our home page www.binscombe.net.  The form is available between 7am and 6.30pm, Monday to Friday.  All requests will be triaged by our Care Navigators and we will contact you with the outcome of your request.  Our experienced team, consisting of highly trained reception staff supported by a senior doctor, will establish the best outcome for your problem.

 

If you do contact us by phone, the receptionist will complete and submit the form for you.

 

When you contact us with a medical problem, you will hear back the same day, (non-urgent requests received after 4pm may not be dealt with until the next working day).  This may be via a phone call or text from a member of the team, a timed appointment for that day, a text allowing you to book an appointment on a future date, or advice directing you to the most appropriate service (such as Pharmacy First or the minor injuries unit for instance).  Patients who cannot receive text messages will be phoned by the reception team with the outcome instead.

 

Routine nurse appointments such as immunisations, cervical smears & dressings and long-term condition reviews such as asthma & diabetes can be booked via the receptionist.

 

With the exception of the above, patients are not able to phone and book an appointment unless this has already been agreed with the doctor.  For other problems, we will contact you to arrange the most appropriate clinician or service for you. 

 

Our system provides better continuity of care, something that we understand is very important, and it enables us to better manage demand in a way that works for patients and protects staff from overload and unsafe working.

 

We encourage patients to contact us via the NHS App, but you can also find out more information about the online form by visiting this page on our website https://www.binscombe.net/single-post/get-help-via-our-website-all-you-need-to-know      

 

All details you provide will form part of your medical record and will remain confidential.  Whichever route you choose to submit your request, we will respond to it in exactly the same way.

 

Outside of our opening hours, when the form is not available, you should contact 111 for help, or 999 in an emergency.

 

 

It is possible to conduct a home visit, although these should be for people who are housebound or if you are too ill to come to the surgery, and not because of transport difficulties alone. It is very rare for a child to be too ill to be brought to the surgery to be seen. If possible, please try to phone the surgery before 10.30am if you think you might need a visit at home that day.

 

The receptionists will require your name and address and brief details of the problem so that requests can be given the necessary priority.  A doctor will often telephone you first to discuss the problem, and visits are usually performed in the afternoon.

 

 

If you struggle to attend appointments during the working day, you may find our out of hours provision, Enhanced Access provides a convenient alternative.​

 

GP appointments are via a 15 minute face to face or telephone consultation.  In addition you can see a nurse or healthcare assistant for routine procedures such as blood tests, cervical smears or dressings.​

 

Appointments are available at Binscombe on a Friday evening as well as every Saturday If one of these slots would best suit your needs, please mention this when completing our online form.

 

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When the practice is closed it is still possible to seek help from a GP via the NHS 111 service.  The service is intended for medical problems that cannot wait until the practice reopens.  You can call 111 when the surgery is closed or you can seek help online at www.111.nhs.uk