Alternatively you can call the practice on: 0333 332 7300.
Making an Appointment
A secure and convenient way to book and cancel routine appointments with your GP over the internet. It’s quick and easy to use, and can be particularly useful during those times when the practice is closed or telephone lines are busy. Easy to follow screens and prompts ensure it’s simple for you to view, book or cancel appointments online whatever time of day or night.
Telephone
If you would like to speak to a doctor on an aspect of your health or advice on whether you need to make an appointment, please telephone and leave your name and number and we will call you back. This will usually be the duty doctor.
Please note, all calls are recorded and recordings are kept for 36 months. Recording equipment is stored in a secure environment with restricted access.
Appointments can be made by telephoning the surgery during opening hours (0333 332 7300). We have access to ‘Language Line’ telephone interpreting service.
We offer two types of appointments:
Routine
These are bookable up to two weeks in advance. We always try to book your appointment at a time that suits you. If you need to discuss more than one matter with the doctor or nurse please ask the receptionist for a double appointment. You can submit online request for routine or non-urgent appointment here: Submit Triage Request for Non-Urgent Medical Problem or Admin Query
Duty Doctor
We run a telephone duty doctor system each morning. The receptionists will take your name, contact number and brief details of your condition. The duty doctor is able to offer same day appointments and reassure if a routine appointment is more appropriate.
Cancellations
Every week a number of patients fail to turn up for their appointment. If for whatever reason you cannot keep an appointment please let us know by replying CANCEL to your appointment reminder text message or cancel the appointment on NHS app. We always have patients waiting to see a doctor or nurse and cannot afford to waste an appointment.
If you need help with your appointment
Please tell us:
- if you have any other access or communication needs
- if there’s a specific doctor, nurse or other health professional you would prefer to respond
- if you would prefer to consult with the doctor or nurse by phone, face-to-face, by video call or by text or email
- if you need an interpreter
Vanbrugh Group Practice is committed to providing a safe, comfortable environment where patients and staff can be confident that best practice is being followed at all times and the safety of everyone is of paramount importance.
All patients are entitled to have a chaperone present for any consultation, examination or procedure where they feel one is required. This chaperone may be a family member or friend. On occasions you may prefer a formal chaperone to be present, i.e. a trained member of staff.
Where ever possible we would ask you to make this request at the time of booking appointment so that arrangements can be made and your appointment is not delayed in any way. Where this is not possible we will endeavour to provide a formal chaperone at the time of request. However occasionally it may be necessary to reschedule your appointment.
Your healthcare professional may also require a chaperone to be present for certain consultations in accordance with our chaperone policy.
We aim to offer services which are ‘teenage-friendly’. In summary, this means that:
- We welcome teenagers and aim to put them at ease when they contact the practice
- We can assure teenagers that confidentiality will be maintained if aged 12-16, and they ask to keep details of their consultations confidential or if they consult us about potentially sensitive issues
- Teenagers are welcome to see/speak to a clinician on their own if they wish and are aged 12-16. We would however advise them to be joined by an adult where possible.
Sexual health advice is available, as is advice on other issues such as depression, drugs, alcohol and self-harm and we can advise teenagers about emergency contraception if required.
Our doctors and nurses will listen to you and take your concerns seriously, sometimes, young people can find it more difficult than adults to talk about the underlying problem and the reason for seeing a GP.
As a young person, you can have a consultation on your own, with no lower age limit. Our reception staff can make an appointment for you to speak to a GP without a parent if you would prefer to.
For face-to-face appointments, if you come with a parent/carer/friend, you can still be seen on your own for part of the consultation while they wait outside.
People aged 16 or over are entitled to consent to their own treatment. This can only be overruled in exceptional circumstances.
Like adults, young people (aged 16 or 17) are presumed to have sufficient capacity to decide on their own medical treatment, unless there’s significant evidence to suggest otherwise.
Children under the age of 16 can consent to their own treatment if they’re believed to have enough intelligence, competence and understanding to fully appreciate what’s involved in their treatment. This is known as being Gillick competent.
You have the right to accept or refuse treatment that is offered to you, and not to be given any physical examination or treatment unless you have given valid consent. If you do not have the capacity to do so, consent must be obtained from a person legally able to act on your behalf, or the treatment must be in your best interests.
Your valid consent (agreement to the course of action) is needed for the treatment that’s offered to you before any physical examinations or treatment can be given. If you haven’t given your consent, you can accept or refuse treatment that’s offered to you.
It’s important to be involved in decisions about your treatment and to be given information to help you choose the right treatment. When making treatment choices, you’ll often discuss the options with your doctor or another healthcare professional.
Sick (fit) Notes
If you’ve been off sick for more than 7 days
To request a sick note:
- fill out a sick note request form, here.
- phone or visit the surgery from 10am to 6pm
If you’ve been off sick for 7 days or less
If you’re off work sick for 7 days or less, your employer should not ask for medical evidence that you’ve been ill. Instead, they can ask you to confirm that you’ve been ill. You can do this by filling in a form yourself when you return to work. We call this self-certification.
Find out more about sick notes on the NHS website
Home Visits
If you think that you need a doctor to visit you at home, either because you are housebound or because you are too ill to be brought to the Centre, please telephone 0333 332 7300, before 10:00am whenever possible.
When requesting a home visit it is helpful to give as much information as you feel able to the receptionist as this will enable the doctor to assess the urgency of your call.
You can be assured that your call will be dealt with in the strictest confidence.
Non-urgent advice: If you need help when we are closed
NHS 111 online is for people aged 5 and over. Call 111 if you need help for a child under 5.
Call 999 in a medical or mental health emergency. This is when someone is seriously ill or injured and their life is at risk.