Priory Road Medical Centre

Appointments

We operate an appointments only system.

Routine Appointments

Please telephone or call in to the surgery. We would encourage you to consult with the same doctor whenever possible as this helps them to get to know you better

An appointment system is run for all GP’s, Nurses and Attached Staff.

Appointments can be made in person by telephone or using the on-line appointment booking facility.

Nurse Triage Service

If you require Triage Services for “an on the day medical problem” calls will be taken at the following times:  8.00am to 10.00am and 1.30pm to 3.00pm

Cancellations

If you find that you are unable to keep an appointment, please let us know AS SOON AS POSSIBLE so that we can re-allocate the appointment time to another patient. You can cancel your appointment online if  you have access to online services, or by using the telephone message service.

Home Visits

Patients are generally seen at the surgery.  If the doctor considers a home visit necessary because of the patient’s medical condition this will occur between the hours of 8.00am and 6.30pm. Note that there may be a delay of several hours before the doctor can make the visit, except in emergencies. Please try and ring before 11.30am to book a home visit.

Telephone call back

The practice operates a policy of patients being able to speak to a doctor or nurse by telephone. However, this is usually implemented by a “call back” system by the doctor or nurse as soon as practically possible after a request by the patient.

Out of hours – Enhanced Access Clinics

Enhanced access aims to offer appointment times that may be more convenient to some patients. The Swindon and Shrivenham clinics run every Saturday to provide routine primary care appointments between 9am and 1pm at –

TAW HILL MEDICAL PRACTICE -North Swindon SN25 1UH 

CARFAX MEDICAL PRACTICE – Swindon NHS Health Centre – SN1 2DQ

Services Available

  • Routine GP appointments
  • Routine ANP appointments
  • Mental Health Support
  • Chronic disease reviews
  • Smear Tests
  • Diet and lifestyle advice
  • Musculoskeletal Problems
  • NHS Health Checks
  • Weight management
  • Immunisations
  • Wound care
  • Routine ECG’s

Please ask the reception team if you would like to book an appointment.

Priory Road Medical Centre can refer patients to the
Pharmacy First Service.

What is this service?

Patients who contact the GP practice for advice on minor illnesses are assessed by the practice team to determine if they are suitable for referral via the Pharmacy First Service for consultation with a community pharmacist.

If patients meet specific criteria, they will be offered the referral and provided with details of local pharmacies that provide the service. Patients are free to choose a pharmacy close to them.

If referral agreed, details of the reason will be sent to the pharmacy via a secure electronic message so the pharmacist can review this ahead of the patient consultation.

The patient should then wait to be contacted by the pharmacist. In most cases, this will be via telephone consultation at first. If the pharmacist determines that the patient needs to be seen face-to-face, the patient will be asked to attend the pharmacy. There will be a consultation room available for a private discussion. If you do not hear from the pharmacist within 4 hours (or at the otherwise agreed time) please contact the pharmacy directly to discuss.

The outcome will be that the pharmacist may offer clinical advice, treatment or, if necessary, onward referral. Details of the consultation will be sent back to the GP practice for our records.

Why are you doing this?

The NHS Pharmacy First Service will make it easier for patients to access quick and convenient consultations with the right healthcare professional.

Pharmacists are qualified healthcare professionals and experts in medicines. They can offer clinical advice and over-the-counter medicines for all sorts of minor illnesses, and a same day consultation can be arranged quickly and at a time to suit you.

This in turns frees up GP appointments for those people with more complex symptoms who really need to see a GP.

What if I get free prescriptions from my GP?

Your pharmacist will provide you with advice on how to treat your symptoms, which may include a medicine or product. Medicines that can be purchased in a pharmacy to treat minor illnesses are usually inexpensive and would not normally be prescribed by your GP anyway. You are free to choose if you wish to make a purchase or not.

What happens if I don’t want to see the pharmacist?

We want to ensure that you are offered an appointment with the most appropriate qualified health care professional based on your symptoms. If you have minor illness symptoms that can be treated the same day through a consultation with a qualified community pharmacist, but do not want to accept this referral, you will be offered a routine appointment with your GP at a future date.

What if the patient is my child?

Children aged over one year are eligible to use this service and can be seen by the pharmacist. Children who are able to make their own decision about their health may be seen unaccompanied.

Why is this a good thing for patients?

Community pharmacies are local, open longer hours than the GP practice and can offer you the same consultation outcome at a time that is more convenient for you. If the pharmacist thinks you need to see the GP, they can help arrange an urgent appointment for you. Patients who have already used the service liked the convenience of having a consultation on the same day, or a day that suited them, at a pharmacy of their choice. 78% of people who had a consultation with a community pharmacist were successfully helped.

🤒🩹 Visit your local pharmacy for help with seven minor conditions which used to require a GP appointment.

Sore throat

Sinusitis

Shingles

Urinary tract infection (in women under 65)

Impetigo

Infected insect bite

Pharmacists have been backed by Government and the NHS to provide a new ‘Pharmacy First’ service.

 

🔍 Find the service at a pharmacy near you: https://bit.ly/3vPV09F

 

 

 

 

Date published: 8th October, 2014
Date last updated: 26th February, 2024