How to make an appointment
Before contacting us, please consider the following.
Check it's not an emergency.
Call 999 for Emergency medical help if you have or are concerned about any of the following:
- Chest pain
- New drooping on one side of the face, slurred speech, difficulty raising your arms, weakness, or numbness on one side of your body.
- Severe difficulty breathing
- Heavy bleeding that won't stop
- Severe injuries
Call NHS Wales 111 for:
- Suicidal feelings, wanting to harm yourself, or others
- Minor or major injuries which may require you to attend A&E
We offer:
SAME DAY / URGENT APPOINTMENTS
- Urgent appointments can be booked from 8 am. Please telephone or come into the surgery straight away to arrange an urgent appointment.
- We will ask you questions about why you need an appointment to direct you to the right person the first time, this may be an alternative healthcare practitioner within, or external to our practice for example community pharmacist, dentist, optician, or other local service.
- If the request is deemed as urgent, you will either be offered an appointment at one of our three sites, or your request will be reviewed by the on-call doctor who may telephone you for more information.
Contact the Practice or the appropriate service for an urgent appointment if you have, or suspect you have, any of the following:
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Abdominal pain (new/sudden) |
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Abscess |
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Burns (Minor) |
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Breast Lump/Pain |
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Chest Infection |
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Child <16 new problems |
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Confusion |
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DVT |
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Ear Infection |
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Early pregnancy problems |
Contact Early Pregnancy Unit |
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Emergency contraception |
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Exacerbation of Asthma or COPD |
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Eye infection |
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Fainting |
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Fall (Minor/Major Injury) |
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Headaches & Migraine (severe) |
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Minor injuries |
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Rashes sudden on set |
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Shingles (condition) |
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Skin Infection/cellulitis and impetigo |
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Sore Throat/Tonsillitis |
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Swollen Joints/Monoarthritis |
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UTI |
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Vertigo |
ROUTINE APPOINTMENTS (GP & NURSE)
You may book with a clinician of choice up to 4 weeks in advance. However, note that clinicians are part-time, sometimes on leave or undertaking training, which will impact the number of appointments available.
Telephone our automated booking service 24/7 01446 500562 to book a routine GP or Nurse appointment, across our three sites. Please note that these are the same appointments that are available if you telephone the practice. The less specific you are about which clinician you want to see, the more likely you are to be able to book an appointment within 4 weeks.
HOME VISITS
A Home Visit is provided when a patient who is housebound and unable to attend the surgery, or a resident in a care/nursing home, are too unwell to attend the surgery.
- Please telephone the practice to make a request, which will be discussed with the on call doctor
OUT OF HOURS
Should you need to access to a doctor outside of surgery hours, please call NHS 111
GP Trainees/Medical Students
- We are a training Practice for GP trainees (GP Registrars) medical students and trainee Pharmacists.
- On occasions, you may be asked whether you mind a student observing or a trainee recording the consultation for training purposes. If you object, please say so.
Preferences
Patients do have the right to express a preference to receive services from a particular clinician either generally, or in relation to any particular service/condition for ongoing care.
- Please advise us if you have a general preference so that it can be recorded on your notes. We will always try our best to comply with any reasonable request for ongoing care; where we are unable to do so, you will receive an explanation as to why and you will be given alternative options.
- We cannot accommodate preferences where your request for an appointment is deemed as urgent for that day. In this situation, you will be given an appointment with the most appropriate clinician in our team, dependent on your condition and availability of appointments.
Chaperones
Western Vale Family Practice is committed to providing a safe and comfortable environment and strives to achieve good practice at all times.
- All patients are entitled to have a chaperone present during any consultation, examination or procedure. A chaperone may be necessary during any intimate examination; this is to safeguard both the clinician and you, the patient.
- Where a chaperone is not available, the clinician will ask you to make an appointment and request the presence of a chaperone at the time of booking.
- We only use trained chaperones. Family and friends are not permitted to act as chaperones as they do not have the knowledge required nor have they had the necessary training.
- Should you have any questions, please speak to the receptionist or Reception Manager.