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Appointments, telephone consultations and visits.

Cranleigh Medical Practice is open from 08.00 to 18.30 Monday to Friday. We answer the phone from 08.00 and do not close for lunch, so we are always available to our patients.

We have extended opening surgeries one evening a week until 20.00 and on Saturday mornings from 08.30 to 10.30. These surgeries are useful for our working patients who may find it difficult to arrange a GP or nurse appointment during normal working hours.

Appointments are grouped into morning and afternoon surgeries and can be booked up to 6 weeks in advance. Our doctors triage every call that comes in for patients who would like to be seen the same day. We have found that this provide an efficient and clinically safe service, as patients can be prioritised according to their clinical need. It may be that the doctor can offer you advice on self management or he may direct you to our minor illness nurse. He may book you into an emergency GP clinic or into a longer appointment with your regular doctor. Please be assured that if you need a face to face appointment this will be arranged for you.

We are keen to promote continuity of care as we feel this benefits both patients and clinicians. We try to make sure you can see a particular doctor of your choice within 3 days, but if that doctor is not available, or you need to be seen more quickly, we will offer you an appointment with someone else. If you particularly need to see either a male or female doctor for a particular problem, just ask - we will do our best to accomodate your wishes.

Telephone consultation service:

Sometimes a quick word with your doctor on the phone may mean you can solve your problem without needing to come down to the surgery. Our doctors are more than happy to give telephone advice, though if they feel you need to be seen they will arrange for you to come in. Just tell us if you need a telephone call - we will take your details and pass them to your doctor who will call you back.

Visits

are available for housebound patients who need to see a doctor. If possible, please phone through with visit requests before 10.30 am. A GP can see three or four patients at the surgery in the time it takes to see one patient at home. Please do give details about the nature of the problem so your request for a visit can be prioritised appropriately. If you are not sure how quickly someone needs to be seen and you are worried, please ask to speak to the doctor directly for advice - it may be that calling an ambulance is appropriate, or the doctor may decide to leave their surgery and come out to you immediately, or he may be able to give you advice to follow until the time he will be able to visit.