Appointments

 

For non-urgent issues, please follow the guidelines below and choose the right service. An appointment may not be necessary.

This will help us to be more efficient by making an appointment available to you when you need it the most.

If patients are expecting a telephone call from the Practice, can they please ensure that they keep their phone with them and alerting so they are able to take the call. Please note: the number will show as a withheld number.

Pharmacy and Self Care

See a Pharmacist

Patients can now get treatment for seven common conditions directly from their local pharmacy, without the need for a GP appointment or prescription.

Patients suffering with any of these conditions can be treated with an appropriate antibiotic/antiviral medicine at participating community pharmacies through the Pharmacy First scheme:

  1. Uncomplicated Urinary Tract Infection (Women aged 16 to 64 years)
  2. Shingles (Aged 18 years and over)
  3. Acute Otitis Media (Children aged 1-17 years)
  4. Acute Sinusitis (Aged 12 years and over)
  5. Infected Insect Bites (Aged 1 year and over)
  6. Impetigo (Aged 1 year and over)
  7. Acute Sore Throat (Aged 5 years and over)

Visit your Pharmacy First!

Learn more about the Pharmacy First scheme

Making the Right Choice

Stop Think Choose helps relieve pressure across the healthcare system by supporting patients to make the right choice about health care. The Stop Think Choose website details the services patients should use and highlights the benefits of 111 and community pharmacists.

Urgent (Same Day) Appointments

To request an appointment for today (Monday to Friday):

  • Consider Pharmacy First 
  • Complete an Anima request.  Anima is open Monday to Friday between 7.30am and 4pm. If you are unable to complete an Anima request, please contact us on 01892 544777 and you will be called back to complete a request over the telephone. We do prioritise the telephone call system for patients who are digitally excluded so please do complete an Anima request if you can.
  • Our Practice team carefully triage all Anima requests and will contact you with an appropriate outcome which may include appointments with a Clinical Pharmacist or Paramedic.
  • Your appointment may be over the telephone or face to face in either our Grosvenor or St James practices.

Routine Appointments

All GP appointments are triaged via Anima (our online triage system) first.

To request a routine appointment:

  • Complete an Anima request. Anima is open Monday to Friday between 7.30am and 4pm. If you are unable to complete an Anima request, please contact us on 01892 544777 and you will be called back to complete a request over the telephone. We do prioritise the telephone call system for patients who are digitally excluded so please do complete an Anima request if you can.
  • Our Practice team carefully triage all Anima requests and will contact you with an appropriate outcome which may include appointments with a Clinical Pharmacist or Paramedic.
  • Your appointment may be over the telephone or face to face in either our Grosvenor or St James practices.

Appointments with our Nursing Team

Nursing appointments can be made:

Cancelling or changing an Appointment

If you are unable to make your appointment, please notify us as soon as possible.

To cancel your appointment, you can:

Further Appointment Information

  • There are face to face GP appointments available on Saturdays between 9am and 5pm at Rusthall Medical Centre Tunbridge Wells and/or The Vine Medical Practice in Maidstone. Please see our Enhanced Access information below.
  • If you are housebound and require a home visit, please try to contact us as early in the day as possible. Home visits typically take place between 12:30pm and 2:30 pm.
  • Please let us know if you require an interpreter as this can be arranged.
  • Please inform us if you have any other access or communication needs so we can assist you.
  • If you would like a Chaperone to be present, please request one. There is more information in our Chaperone Policy.

Out of Hours

Enhanced Access

Improved Access at Evenings/Weekends

On the 1st October 2018 Improved Access was launched nationwide and you can now see a range of clinical professionals during:

  • weekday evenings between 6:30pm and 8pm
  • Saturdays and Sundays

These appointments offered could be:

  • at your registered practice
  • another local GP practices
  • another local NHS service - such as a General Practice Hub
What type of appointments will be available?

Evening appointments between 6:30pm to 8pm Monday to Friday will be offered by a practice in your area. These appointments will be offered by a range of clinical professionals. On Saturdays, a clinical professional will be available between 9am to 12pm. On Sundays and Bank Holidays a GP will be available between 9am to 12:30pm (at a hub in Tunbridge Wells or Maidstone).

Who can book these appointments?

Improved Access appointments are available for all patients registered with a West Kent practice. However, it will be unlikely that you will be seen by your normal GP and it is likely that you will have to go to a different surgery to your registered practice for these appointments.

How can I book an appointment?

Request an appointment online

You will not be able to phone the reception staff on Saturdays, Sundays / Bank Holidays or between 6:30pm to 8pm Monday to Friday.

Life Threatening

Call 999 or go to A&E now if:

 
  • you or someone you know needs immediate help
  • you have seriously harmed yourself - for example, by taking a drug overdose

A mental health emergency should be taken as seriously as a medical emergency.

Find your nearest A&E

Urgent But Not Life Threatening

Visit an urgent care centre if:

 
  • You have an urgent medical issue requiring on the day attention

Find Urgent Care Services

Non-urgent

Use NHS 111 if:

 
  • You need help now, but it's not an emergency

There will be someone to provide you with advice and to direct you to a clinician if it is necessary.

Visit NHS 111 Online