Our Appointment System
This information is intended to assist you in understanding how our appointment system works to best meet your needs and in line with our capacity or recommended options.
With nearly 5,500 patients, Northern Moor Medical Practice conducted over 25,000 appointments last year with an average DNA (did not attend) rate of 10%. With appointments required to support both new and ongoing illnesses, it can be challenging to ensure that appropriate appointments are available for our patients and within a timescale appropriate for their problem.
Appointment Types:
We have set out below the different types of appointments that we offer which should meet the needs of the majority of our patients:
- Routine appointments – these are booked up to 4 weeks in advance and are used for a new but not urgent problem or for follow-up to ongoing problems
- On the day appointments – these are for urgent problems which need to be dealt with as a matter of medical emergency. As these appointments may be in demand, please call early and only in genuine situations should you wish to book one
- Nurse appointments – our nursing team are able to deal with a variety of medical problems including monitoring long term health conditions, vaccinations, and smears.
- Mental Health Practitioner appointments – these longer appointments are delivered by our mental health specialist to understand your needs and direct you to the most appropriate treatment
- Musculoskeletal Appointments – these longer appointments are delivered by a senior physiotherapist who will diagnose your problem and may request further investigations such as x-rays or scans, refer you for specialist treatment or support or provide you with a rehabilitation plan to manage your pain.
- Home visits – these appointments are restricted to patients who are genuinely housebound and unable to attend the Practice in person; please contact the Practice for further information on how to request a home visit
- Telephone appointments – these are used for patients who are unable to attend the Practice or if the problem does not require a face-to-face interaction; these appointments help save time for both patient/clinician. Routine and urgent appointments can be by telephone.
In addition to our Practice appointments, you may be offered other medical services which are provided by external providers:
- Enhanced Access – these appointments are conducted either here or at other surgeries nearby, and take place in the evening or weekend (days and times vary according to the Practice)
- Pharmacy – you may be advised to visit your local pharmacist who can assist on a range of ailments, to include: aches & pains, sore throat, cough, cold, flu, earache, cystitis, skin rashes
Making an appointment:
There are several ways in which you can make an appointment at the Practice:
By phone –our phone lines open at 8am; due to the high volume of calls, you may have a lengthy wait to have your call answered
Online consultation – suitable for routine appointments or queries via the online link on our website or text; problems are triaged by our team of clinicians who will advise of appropriate action. Requests will be reviewed the following day and you may be subsequently contacted with the offer of an appointment, or your query answered with a text message. Do not use for urgent issues.
In person – the Practice opens at 8am; please speak to a member of our reception
Please understand that the receptionists and clinical staff are trying to meet the needs of thousands of patients, each of whom is very important. Although we want to offer personal, patient-centred care, we are often stretched to the limit. Please try to be understanding if things are not completely to your satisfaction.
Request an Appointment
We primarily book appointments through our Online Consult.
Click the link below to open a list of symptoms you may be experiencing or queries you may have.
If your query is not listed select ‘General Health Query’ or ‘Ask the Receptionist a Question’ from the list and type in your problem.
Your completed form will be submitted to the surgery and we will respond by text within 48 hours – although this is often sooner – with a response or an appointment time.
Cancelling & Rescheduling Appointments
If you cannot attend your given appointment please call us on 0161 998 2503 to cancel or reschedule. Unfortunately we often we have patients fail to turn up for their appointments without informing us. These appointment slots could be put to good use and offered to another patient, allowing the doctors and nurses to reduce any backlog of patients and reduce waiting times. Please think of others when you can no longer attend or need a rescheduled appointment.
Text Message Appointment Reminders
Please click here to fill in our online form if you would like to sign up to receive text message reminders from the surgery. Please ensure there is an up-to-date mobile number on your record to receive a text message appointment reminder.
Alternative Options
NHS 111 is a free-to-call, non-emergency, medical helpline operating in England. The service is part of the country’s NHS telephone triage and advice services.
Available 24 hours-a-day, the NHS 111 Service is intended for ‘urgent but not life-threatening’ health issues .
Provided nationwide, you are able to pick up the phone at any location in England and Scotland and ring 111 and receive the same level of care.The service is available for urgent healthcare assessment and you will be directed to the most suitable local service for your needs. If you are unsure which healthcare service you need to visit, the NHS 111 service will signpost you to the most appropriate care for your condition, for example, GP, local pharmacy, Walk-in-Centre, community-based services, A&E or an emergency ambulance response