Why a member of the reception team asks for a reason for your appointment?

There may be times when we have little, or no appointments left.

Our receptionists and admin staff are bound by the same rules of confidentiality as the clinicians in the surgery.

We hope you find it helpful to have a little insight into why our receptionists ask you for a reason for your appointment.

For instance, if you have a musculoskeletal problem, it may be more appropriate if the receptionist offers you an appointment with a First Contact Physio instead of the GP. This saves you time as you won’t have to wait for the GP to refer you and wait to be seen after. Instead, the First Contact Physio can offer appointments within a few weeks.

If you have a sore throat, verruca, cold sore etc, then the receptionists can refer you to our community pharmacy consultation service.

You may have a query over your medication, and you feel you need to speak to a GP about this. A receptionist can send your query to our Practice Pharmacist.

Also, certain problems may require a longer appointment. And, if you have more than one problem to discuss, you will also need more than one appointment to ensure all problems get the attention they deserve.

Please, help us to help you.

If the problem is a personal one, and you don’t want to share, that is okay too. However, it may mean your appointment won’t be as suitable for your problem as you had hoped. 

We hope that helps you understand why a receptionist is asking the reason for your appointment.

Useful Links 

National Domestic Helpline: 0808 2000 247 https://www.nationaldahelpline.org.uk/

NSPCC helpline: 0808 800 5000 If you're worried about a child, even if you're unsure, contact NSPCC professional counsellors for help, advice and support.

Childline 0800 1111: Offers free, confidential advice and support for any child 18 years or under, whatever the worry.

MIND: Mental Health Support with specific advice on ‘Coronavirus and your wellbeing’. www.mind.org.uk

YoungMinds:  Supporting children and young people and their parents/carers with their mental health and wellbeing. Specific advice on managing self-isolation and anxiety about coronavirus. https://youngminds.org.uk

ICON: Babies cry: You can cope. http://iconcope.org/

SafeLives:  Specific resources for domestic abuse and COVID. http://safelives.org.uk/news-views/domesticabuse-and-covid-19

IRISi interventions: irisi.org/iris/find-your-local-iris-site/

Practice Area

A map of the practice area is available Here.