Appointments

Appointments can be requested by visiting our Appointments Room or at reception in any of the three surgeries.

Routine Appointments

Routine appointments may be booked up to two weeks in advance.

Wherever possible we try to offer everything you need in one visit.

Appointments are available mornings and afternoons, five days a week. For our opening times please visit our opening hours page.

If you require urgent attention out of hours, please call 111.

Urgent Appointments

For urgent appointments you will be offered access to the ‘assessment team’. The assessment team provides a mixture of telephone consultations and face to face appointments (with a practice nurse, nurse practitioner or duty doctor). In most cases the nurse practitioners will be able to deal with most patients’ concerns. There is always a duty doctor available to see you on the day if necessary. We do not offer a walk in service.

Extended Opening Hours

To improve the service available to patients, we offer evening GP appointments at Holt Medical Practice every Monday from 18:30 to 20:00, except Bank Holidays. These appointments can be booked in the normal way through our Appointment Room.

Please note the dispensary will not be open during this time.

Improved Access Appointments

Visit our Improved Access Appointments page for more information.

When you arrive at the surgery

Please notify reception of your arrival at the surgery and if you have waited over 15 minutes after your appointment time, enquire about the reason for the delay. At holt there is a check in screen in reception to speed up the checking in process.

If you cannot attend your appointment must let us know that you no longer need it as early as possible so that the appointment can be offered to another patient.

Home Visits

For more information visit our Home Visits page.

Birthday Month Recalls for all long term conditions

From April 2024 – we will plan your annual reviews and/or blood test monitoring to coincide with your BIRTHDAY month.

This new system is designed to be simpler for everyone. Simpler for the patient to understand and safer for the Practice to administer. After the first year, it may also reduce the number of annual appointments that patients with long term conditions or who require annual blood tests, need to attend.

So, starting in April 2024, we will be changing the way we schedule these health reviews and annual blood tests. Rather than be subject to lots of different dates of reviews throughout the year, you will now be contacted and asked to book your blood test and/or review appointments during your birth month.

Which conditions require an annual health check?

If you have one of the following conditions, then often you are required to attend the Surgery for an annual health check.

  • Diabetes
  • Hypertension
  • Kidney disease
  • Coronary Heart Disease
  • Asthma
  • COPD
  • Rheumatoid arthritis
  • Learning disabilities
  • Dementia
  • Severe mental health problems

Sometimes you may need an interim review (for example every 3 months, or after 6 months) in which case you will also be asked to book an appointment at this time.

Wherever possible, if you have more than one long term condition, we will try to reduce the number of different appointments you have to attend. However, it is possible that you will still need to attend more than once for your reviews.

Annual Blood Tests

Where we hope to save time is by ensuring that ALL the blood tests that you will require each year for ALL your annual reviews, are done in ONE main appointment, once a year. This should streamline the process and hopefully reduce the number of times you must attend for an appointment for each long-term condition you have.

Appointments

During the first year to 18 months, this change could mean you are asked to attend earlier or later than you expect for your annual review.

For example;

  • If your long-term condition is usually reviewed in June however your birthday month is April you will be asked to attend earlier and then your annual review date will be April every year going forwards.
  • If your blood test monitoring appointment is usually in September however your birthday month is not until January, you will still be asked to attend in September (so there is no gap in your monitoring) and then again in January to bring everything in line with your birth month.

Please be reassured the change in recall system is clinically safe and any patients who require monitoring sooner will be contacted.

How will I be contacted about booking your Appointments?

You will be contacted by the Practice (as you are now) either via text message or letter when your long-term condition review is due.

You may need a blood test before the appointment, in which case the text or letter invitation will state this.

If you receive a text – You will receive either a pre-booked appointment or be provided with a self book link to give you a choice of time and day to attend.

If you receive a letter – You will receive either a pre-booked appointment or be asked to call into the Surgery to arrange an appointment at a convenient time for you.