Appointments Policy
Our Appointments Process
When contacting the practice for an appointment, patients will be informed that Stanwell Road Surgery has a multidisciplinary clinical team, which includes:
- GPs
- Foundation Year 2 (F2) Doctors
- GP Specialty Trainees (GPST2/GPST3)
- Physician Assistants
- Clinical Pharmacists
- Nurses
- Healthcare Assistants
Patients will also be advised whether their appointment is face-to-face at the practice or a telephone consultation. Where appropriate and depending on availability and the nature of the problem, patients may choose between a telephone or face-to-face appointment.
We will make every effort to accommodate requests to see a preferred clinician whenever possible. However, this may not always be achievable.
Same-Day Appointments
All same-day appointments are released at 8:00am, Monday to Friday. These appointments are available with GPs, Physician Assistants and Trainee Doctors. Patients will be informed which clinician they are booked to see.
Appointments are offered on a first-come, first-served basis.
To help ensure safe and effective care, patients are asked to discuss one problem per appointment, as clinicians may not have sufficient time to address multiple concerns safely during a single consultation.
Online Request Forms
All patients are asked to complete an online request form. Separate forms are available for adults and children.
If you are unable to complete the form yourself and do not have anyone to assist you, a member of our reception team can help you complete it either over the phone or in person.
All appointment requests are treated equally, regardless of how patients contact the practice.
After submitting the online form, some patients may be offered the option to self-book an appointment without needing to speak to the reception team. The appointments available for self-booking will depend on the urgency and nature of the request.
In some cases, requests will be reviewed manually by the on-call GP before an appointment is offered. This is more likely for:
- Children’s medical requests
- Situations where no appointments are available
- Requests where email details do not match the practice records
Routine and Follow-Up Appointments
The practice aims to offer routine appointments within a reasonable timeframe.
Routine appointments should be booked into the appropriate allocated appointment slots. For continuity of care, follow-up appointments should usually be booked with the same clinician previously consulted, unless:
- An alternative clinician has been specified
- The appointment relates to matters such as blood test results
- The patient requests a different clinician
Please contact the practice directly by telephone or in person if you require any of the following:
- Home visits
- Follow-up appointments
- Annual health checks
- Medication reviews
- Nurse appointments
- Appointments requiring an interpreter
Walk-In Patients
To ensure fair access to same-day appointments for all patient groups, we ask patients to complete the online request form rather than attending the practice in person.
However, flexibility will be provided for patients who are unable to use the online system or telephone service, including elderly, vulnerable or disabled patients.
If you are unable to complete the form yourself and have no one available to assist you, a member of our reception team can help you complete the form over the phone or in person.
All requests are handled equally, regardless of how patients contact the practice.
Minor Illnesses and Digital Triage
Patients may not always need a GP appointment. Local pharmacies can often provide advice and treatment more quickly.
Through the Pharmacy First service, pharmacists can:
- Offer expert healthcare advice
- Recommend treatments that do not require a prescription
- Supply prescription-only medicines for certain conditions without the need for a GP appointment
Patients can self-refer to a pharmacy for the following minor illnesses:
- Acute otitis media (ages 1–17 years)
- Impetigo (1 year and over)
- Infected insect bites (1 year and over)
- Shingles (18 years and over)
- Sinusitis (12 years and over)
- Sore throat (5 years and over)
- Uncomplicated urinary tract infections (women aged 16–64 years)
Pharmacists are qualified healthcare professionals who can provide same-day consultations at a convenient time.
Please complete the digital triage form to check whether your condition is suitable for self-referral to a pharmacy.
You can:
- Find more information about Pharmacy First - HERE
- Find a pharmacy near you - HERE
- Complete the digital triage form - HERE
When No Appointments Are Available
The practice has limited capacity for same-day appointments.
Once capacity has been reached, our team will help patients access alternative healthcare services where appropriate, including:
- Ashford Walk-In Centre
- St Peter’s Hospital A&E
- Local pharmacies
- Ashford AIC
- NHS 111
If an online request form is submitted when no appointments are available, the request will still be reviewed by the on-call GP and patients will be advised on the next appropriate steps.
Once same-day capacity has been reached, the practice telephone system will be updated with a message explaining that no appointments remain available and advising patients about alternative services.
Cancelling an Appointment
If you are unable to attend your appointment, please cancel it as soon as possible so that it can be offered to another patient.
Appointments can be cancelled:
- By following the link in your appointment confirmation message
- Through the NHS App
- By calling the practice on 01784 730580 and using the automated cancellation system or speaking to a member of staff
Help During Your Appointment
When requesting an appointment, patients should let us know if they require any additional support, for example if they:
- Cannot attend the surgery
- Require an interpreter
- Have any other communication or accessibility needs