Urgent Walk‑In GP Appointments
Information for Patients

Our priority is to keep patients safe while making the best use of our limited GP appointments.

This explains how our urgent, same‑day walk‑in service will work.

There will no longer be urgent telephone triage phone calls with the doctors.

We have changed the system to create space for direct face to face appointments with a GP every day.
Calls for routine issues with remain and can be prebooked to suit you.

When is the urgent walk‑in service available?

The urgent walk‑in list runs Monday to Friday(on working days only).

• You must arrive at the surgery before 9:30am to be added to that day’s urgent list.
• After 9:30am, we will not be able to add further patients to the urgent list and you may be:
• Offered a routine appointment on another day, or advised to attend the next day for the urgent list Or Signposted to another NHS service (e.g. Urgent Care, A&E, pharmacy)

This system helps us manage demand safely and fairly.

We are not an emergency department and cannot provide walk‑in care for all problems at all times.

Who is the urgent walk‑in service for?

Urgent problems are those that cannot safely wait for a routine appointment, these are problems that are likely to get significantly worse in the next 24 hours if not assessed.
Examples include (not a full list):

• Significant symptoms that have developed or are worsening in the previous 7-14 days
• Sudden, severe illness or rapid deterioration
• Severe abdominal pain, heavy bleeding, or signs of serious infection
• Very unwell children
• Acute mental health crisis or risk of self‑harm

If your condition is life‑threatening, please do not come to the surgery first:

Call 999 or go to A&E immediately if you have:

• Possible stroke symptoms (e.g. new facial droop, arm weakness, slurred speech)
• Sudden onset chest pain
• Severe shortness of breath

How does the urgent walk‑in list work?

If you attend the surgery before 9:30am asking for urgent same‑day help:

Our reception team will:

• Ask for a brief description of your symptoms so we can prioritise safely.
• You will usually be added to the urgent walk‑in list for that day.

Patients are generally seen in order of arrival , but based on clinical judgement we may prioritise:

More unwell patients and Young children

You will be seen face‑to‑face by a GP, but may be required to wait depending on the nature of your problem and capacity on the day.

This will be a rapid appointment for assessing and managing your urgent issue.
Due to anticipated busyness of this clinic we will not be able to address other issues ‘while you are here’; such as prescription requests, letters, results or additional medical problems.

There is generally less than a 1 week wait for telephone appointments regarding routine issues, please speak to reception to book.

When we may signpost you elsewhere

To use GP appointments for those who most need them, we may direct you to:

• Pharmacy– for minor illnesses such as coughs, colds, sore throats, simple skin rashes, hay fever, mild diarrhoea, threadworms, head lice, etc.
• Dentist– for all dental pain, infections, or problems with teeth/gums.
• Optometrist / eye service– for many eye problems (red eye, painful eye, sudden visual changes).
• Sexual health / contraception clinics– for some sexual health and contraception needs.
• Urgent Care Centre / A&E– for more serious or urgent problems.

Vulnerable patients and reasonable adjustments

We will always try to make reasonable adjustments for:

• Young children
• Older adults, especially those who are frail or housebound
• People with learning disabilities, serious mental illness, or on palliative care
• People with language barriers or other vulnerabilities

If you or someone you care for needs extra support to access urgent care, please tell reception so we can record this and adjust our approach.

Why we cannot always see everyone urgently

Demand for GP appointments is currently far higher than the safe capacity of our clinical team. National BMA guidance recommends that GPs limit the number of daily patient contacts to reduce the risk of errors and burnout.

We are required by our NHS contract to:

• Provide for the reasonable needs of our patients.
• Ensure urgent problems are assessed and directed appropriately.

We are not required, and it is not safe, to offer an immediate GP appointment for every problem.

Should you attend the urgent clinic with non‑urgent issues, reception or the doctor will recommend booking a routine appointment and you will not be seen regarding your non-urgent issue that day.

This helps us focus on those with the greatest clinical need and keep care as safe as possible.

Urgent same-day appointments are for problems that are likely to get significantly worse in the next 24 hours if not assessed. Many issues feel urgent but are actually safer and better managed in a routine appointment where we have more time.

The following examples generally do not need to be seen the same day but we are happy to see routinely and can usually offer an appointment to speak with a doctor within 1 week:

• Symptoms present for more than 2 weeks with no sudden change.
  Such as;
  - Longstanding joint or back pain.
  - Tiredness or fatigue
  - Long term skin problems (eczema, acne, psoriasis, fungal nails)
  - Changing moles or new skin lesions or lumps in patients who are not unwell.
  - Stable mental health conditions
• Follow up for blood/scan results – A doctor will contact you if results are urgent.
• Sick notes, requests for letters or other administrative/paperwork requests.