The Practice operates an appointments system which runs between 8am and 6pm Monday to Friday, with extended hours opening on Tuesday mornings from 7am and Thursday evenings until 8pm.  Click here to view Surgery Opening Hours

Our reception staff can be contacted on 01480 483100 or by calling in at the Oak Tree Centre - they will always try and help you to arrange a convenient appointment.  Where possible the appointment will be with a Doctor/nurse of your choice. If you need to be seen as an emergency it may not be possible for you to see a particular Doctor. Please remember that each appointment is for one person only. Please keep all appointments or let us know if you are unable to attend.

Appointments for consultations are generally 10 minutes in length - if you think you need a double appointment, please discuss with the Receptionist who will try accommodate this wherever possible.  We are very keen to ensure that patients have a consultation with the most appropriate person when they request an appointment. This may mean it is necessary for our Receptionists to ask for some information about the nature of your problem. Our Receptionists are highly trained and authorised by the Doctors and nurses to do this, so that an appointment can be booked with the most appropriate person.

Routine Appointments

If you need to book a routine appointment with a particular GP you can usually make an appointment up to four weeks in advance. Please phone after 10.30am to avoid busy times. Many routine appointments are for patients who have a long-term or chronic condition that needs monitoring on a regular basis. We will let you know when your next appointment is due with the practice nurse or Doctor either by post, email or phone. It is important to continue your regular check-ups, even if you are feeling well.  Routine appointments are available during normal surgery hours with the practice nurse and/or Doctor.

The surgery is particularly busy on Mondays and Tuesdays especially during the winter months. If your appointment is not urgent, please try to book on a less busy day.

Missed Appointments

Each month over 100 patients fail to turn up for their appointment. If you let us know as soon as possible you can't attend your appointment, we can then make it available for another patient.  If we can’t offer you an immediate appointment, we may phone back to offer you a cancellation slot.

Telephone Consultations

To save you having to come to the Surgery (particularly if you do not need to be examined), you can book to have a telephone consultation with a Doctor if you wish. He or she will ring you at an agreed time on the telephone number you have given.

We are a busy Practice and providing some same-day appointments makes it easier for you to see a Doctor quickly. 

At the acorn we operate a fairly unique system of 'telephone triage' where patients who have an urgent problem which needs same day attention, can ring the Surgery to leave a message with the Receptionist, along with a contact telephone number, and the on-call Doctor or nurse will call you to offer advice or to ask you to come along to the Surgery for examination and treatment, if appropriate. 

Nurse Appointments

Our practice has a highly caring, very experienced and efficient nursing team providing a whole range of services. Patient satisfaction surveys echo this. We hold regular meetings which are used for communication and training. In addition we have a comprehensive computer network which means that clinical information is available to all relevant healthcare professionals as appropriate.

There has been public perception in the past that seeing a nurse is ‘second best’. Research does not bear this out. It has been well proven that nurses deal effectively with most minor conditions and that trained nurses are excellent in referring to the Doctor in an appropriate manner, thus leaving the Doctor more time for complex problems.

Patient Views

We are continuing to develop these systems and they remain under constant review. Feedback from our patients is always very valuable and it would be helpful if you could let us know of any problems or good experiences you may have had.