You and Your General Practice

At St Augustine's Medical Practice, we already follow most of the principles set out in this document. It explains both what you can expect from us, and what we ask of you as a patient.

However, we also want to be open with you. The British Medical Association (BMA) GP Committee – which represents GPs – is currently disagrees with the Department of Health and Social Care about some of the changes being introduced. Because of this, we want to be honest:

• We will do everything we can to meet the standards in the document, but we will let you know when we can’t. This may be because of a lack of safe capacity, an agreed closure due to staff training, unforeseen events, IT system failure or anything that we feel compromises our ability to provide a safe service to patients. During such instances we would ask that routine queries wait, and we may direct you to another provider for urgent/emergency care.

Our core contract hours are Monday – Friday, 08:00– 18:30.

Our consulting times are between 08:00 and 18:00. We have a subcontract with Health Hero who provide out of hours cover between 18:00 and 18:30. Patients needing to speak to a GP between these times should contact 111 who will arrange an appointment.

Unfortunately, we are not a walk-in provider of emergency care and if you need immediate care we will direct you to another appropriate provider.  

In an emergency, please dial 999 for an ambulance or attend the nearest Accident & Emergency Department – do not attend the practice.

We believe patients deserve more

• At present, GPs and their teams are under huge pressure – caring for more people with fewer resources.
• Without proper investment, the safety, stability, and continuity of care that patients value most are at risk.
• As your GP practice, we will always do what we can to deliver the best service possible for you and your family. With the right resources and support, we could expand our services, employ more staff, and deliver the safe, timely, and personalised care you deserve.

So please bear with us.

What this means in practice:

• If you contact us asking for a specific appointment (for example, with a particular doctor, on a certain day, or at a certain time), and we don’t have anything available to match that request, we’ll tell you straight away. We may offer an alternative or direct you to another service that can help.
• We always try to be flexible, but demand for appointments is higher than ever. We need to support as many patients as we can, so sometimes that means we can’t meet every individual preference. But if you work with us, we’ll work with you to find the best way forward.
• We have tried to avoid introducing a waiting list for routine appointments, and make appointments as soon as they become available, however due to rising demand this may become necessary. 
• Most of the time, we can respond to patient queries the same day, or by the next working day. Some queries need input from a specific member of staff or a bit more investigation. If that’s the case, we’ll let you know and keep you updated.

What we ask from you:

• Submitting requests
• Be clear when submitting requests and give as much information as possible.
• For new and changing symptoms please do not use the general admin forms. If the medical form is closed it will reopen the next day at 8am.
• If you feel your problem is urgent call for further advice and guidance. Please ensure that routine booking requests are appropriate. 
• Self-Referral - There are many options for local self-referral without the need for a GP. Please use the self-referral links on our website or in the NHS app. 
• Before contacting us you may wish to review NHS advice on common health conditions: Conditions A to Z
• Be respectful to our staff – Our team is working hard under growing pressure, and we’re seeing the effects of years of underfunding in general practice. We will always treat you with respect and compassion, and we expect the same in return. We have a zero-tolerance policy towards any verbal or physical abuse.
• Be prepared – Please arrive on time for your appointments. If you no longer need it, cancel it so someone else can have it.
• Order repeat medications on time – We can’t always provide same-day prescription requests, especially if they are urgent simply because they weren’t ordered in time. Please plan ahead.
• Give us feedback – We want to hear from you – whether it’s something that went well, or an idea for how we can improve. We are always looking at how we can work better, even if we can’t meet every individual request.

We know that in an ideal world, everyone would be able to see a GP whenever they want. What we can promise is that we’ll keep doing our best to provide safe, high-quality care to the right person, at the right time.

Thank you for your continued patience and support while we try our best for you and your family.