Access the Online Appointment System
Enjoy the convenience of GP online services with the ability to interact with your GP practice at any time of the day or night, from any location. This online service gives you the option to order prescriptions, book a daily triage for a call back and to email reception. Just click and complete the Patient services on-line registration process or contact reception. Create an account and get started today
Appointments
Meadowbridge Surgery operates a GP triage only appointment system. Appointments can not be booked in advance. The GPs ask that patients provide succinct information on their symptoms, length of illness and of any treatment already prescribed or purchased. If during the initial telephone call back the GP considers a face to face appointment is necessary an appointment will be offered at this point . This provides best use of our clinical resource and ensures that those who need seen by a GP get an appointment in a timely manner!
Patient Facing Services
Triage appointments are available on line from 8.30 am any week day allowing patients to add triage information and receive a call back the same day. Patients are urged to use the on-line facility if available to them which helps to support easier access to those patients that can only access us by telephone. A phone call can be placed to reception from 8.30 am any week day and a member of our team will take your triage information for the triage doctors information.
The triaging GP works within the reception office each morning from 8.30am and manages the triage list. This doctor will close general triage when it is considered that capacity has been reached for the day which will be 10.30am at the latest. At this point ONLY telephone triage will be available for the rest of the day, but strictly only available to immediate necessary medical treatment requests that can not wait until the next working day.
If more than 1 issue needs to be addressed by the Doctor, please highlight this in triage information given to allow the appropriate time to be allocated. Also indicate if a call back can only be taken at a certain time due to work commitments or if an appointment can only be attended on a specific day/time period.
Photo Requests
If asked to email photographs to a GP, please carefully read the guidance which will be sent by SMS text and send photos with a name and DOB to [email protected]
Walk-ins
We discourage ‘walk-ins’ at reception and advise patients to use the triage system which ensures a shorter waiting time for the patient. Triages are allocated to an appropriate GP/ Health Professional and walk in patients will be asked to take a seat in reception while triage information is passed to a GP. These patients will be asked to wait until an appropriate appointment slot becomes available which may take some time.
Surgeries may sometimes run late due to unexpected emergency situation which we can only apologise for. Patients can also do their bit to avoid surgeries running late by adhering to the following points:
Where a Face to Face Consultation is required:
- Arrive 10 minutes early for your appointment leaving time to park and compensate for the unpredictable and check in on arrival
- The doctor will have a set time for each consultation. Be realistic with your expectations as to what the doctor will be able to address. Each problem requires the proper line of questioning, physical exam and possible tests. Your health is too important to gloss over certain issues.
- Provide clear accurate information during your consultation as to the names of medication you are taking and provide logs of blood pressure recordings or blood sugar reading etc. to aid diagnosis and treatment options. Why not write the information down for the Doctor ahead of your appointment. A little preparation will help keep surgeries running on time.
Advice for Patients: How Triage Works at MBS
- Triage is available weekdays from 8.30 am until capacity is reached or by 10.30 am each day, whichever occurs first. The Triage GP is the person who decides when capacity is reached ensuring sufficient time remains to accommodate urgent matters that may arise during the remainder of the working day.
- At this point it is the sole decision of the patient as to whether their medical issue can wait until the next day or needs to be added to the triage as an urgent matter.
- A GP will assess the triage and the patient will be contacted before the end of the day with the GP’s decision on when and if the patient can be consulted.
- Please remember that community pharmacists can offer treatments and advice for many minor ailments and illnesses.
- Lots of self help, advice and information is also available through our monthly bulletin, website and face-book page.
Giving Triage Information to a member of our admin team: download the Triage Information Leaflet below:
Practice Nurse / Nurse Practitioner / Practice Pharmacists / Local Chemists
In a number of cases it might be worth considering an appointment with an alternative health care provider rather than a doctor. These professionals are qualified to deal with many ailments, disease reviews and medication queries and you may be seen more quickly.
Treatment Room
An appointment system is in place and minimum appointment slots are 10 minutes for both treatment room and practice nursing team appointments.
Hospitals now run their own phlebotomy clinics to facilitate routine blood tests If however Oncology patients and those going for CT scans are requested by the hospital to attend the treatment room, hospital bottles and labels must be supplied and brought along to your appointment.
Urine Samples
Samples strictly only accepted between 08:30 and 16:00 hours. (Due to the last lab collection time). Samples received after 16:00 will NOT be accepted and will have to be resubmitted.
If you are leaving a urine sample in the collection box please ensure you leave the following information with the sample:
- Name
- Address
- DOB
- Complete the symptoms check list.
Without this information the sample will not be tested.
Cancellations
If you cannot attend an appointment for any reason please inform us as soon as possible in order for us to be able to allocate the slot to someone else.