Making an appointment to see a GP from September 22nd 2025

Further to our earlier announcement and changes in March 2025 we have reviewed our triage session on Tuesdays and Fridays and have decided that as from 22nd September we will be using full triage Monday to Fridays for all appointments to see a GP including both urgent and non-urgent appointments. 

All patient requests will be channelled through the online Medical forms. This means that rather than calling the practice you can simply go online and complete the AccuRx triage request form. All patients, whether going on line, telephoning the surgery, or attending in person, will have their request dealt within the same way. There will no longer be any advantage in calling at 8.00am or coming to the practice before we open. You will be able to contact the surgery via the online Medical form 08:00 and 11:00 or until we reach capacity and between 13:00 and 18:30 and have the peace of mind that your request will be reviewed and the appropriate action will be taken. Please note any forms that come in after 4pm may not be dealt with until the following day unless deemed urgent.

Any urgent appointments forms should be completed from 0800 to enable them to be dealt with quickly and efficiently.  Appointments that are more routine please complete a form later in the day to enable staff to complete any urgent requests.

Once you have completed the form you MUST keep your phone or computer close to hand so that you do not miss the time of your appointment or any information relating to your request.

Any forms that are received after 4.00pm and not urgent may be dealt with the following day.

You can still phone the surgery if you are unable to use online services or do not have access to the internet and one of our staff will complete the form for you whilst you are on the phone.

The online form is simple to use. You just need to answer a few short questions about your issue. If we need more information then we will contact you. If you have any difficulty completing the online form, you can still contact the practice by phone and a member of the team will talk you through this or complete a form on your behalf. Urgent medical problems can still be dealt with over the phone outside of these times until the practice closes at 6:30pm.

Through the website, you will also be able to access lots of trusted online advice and guidance on conditions, symptoms and treatments as well as details of relevant local services, such as pharmacy support, which may be more appropriate than visiting the surgery.

All medical requests will be assessed to identify the nature of treatment required; this could be signposting to other services that are better suited to your needs, giving advice on self-care or a direct referral. Appointments with a relevant health care professional such as a physiotherapist, nurse or doctor will be given where appropriate. All medical queries will be reviewed on the day we receive them unless after 4pm; we will respond to urgent matters the same day – if it’s less urgent within 2 working days.

Administrative requests, such as requests for a doctor’s letter, fit notes, medication enquiries, chasing a referral or test results will be picked up and dealt with by our highly trained reception team. Administrative requests will be responded to within 5 working days.

We appreciate that this is going to be a big change for you as patients; it’s a big change for the team here at St Stephen’s House Surgery too.   While we are adjusting to this change and new way of working, we would ask that you are patient with our reception team. Calls may take a little longer to begin with, so we encourage anyone who is able to go online to complete the AccuRx requests to please do so.  We are anticipating that this new way of booking appointments will reduce the wait time for routine appointments with a GP.

Partners St Stephen’s House Surgery

Published on 29 July 2025