Appointments

Please remember that one appointment is for one person only.

This practice has a ‘preferred doctor’ system, which we believe provides a higher and more consistent standard of medical care. You will normally be offered an appointment with your preferred doctor, except in the case of emergency or when your doctor is away, when an appointment will be made with another available doctor. Appointments are for 10 minutes, however if you have more than one problem you may feel you need to ask for a double appointment.

Urgent appointments

You can request an urgent appointment for today or tomorrow (Monday to Friday) during opening times.

Get help for any health problem

We will respond to requests within 2 working hours.

You can also:

When you get in touch, we’ll ask what you need help with.

We will use your answers to choose the most suitable doctor, nurse or healthcare professional to help you.

Same day appointments, our telephone triage system

Where possible, please call as soon as possible after 8.30am first rather than coming into the surgery. From Monday 2nd December 2024 the triage list will be closing at 11:00 daily – any online request sent after this time will not be dealt with until the next working day. For urgent medical problems after 11.00pm please ring 01986 874618, for emergencies ring 999.

Your details will be taken by the care navigator who will ask for details of your problem; this is to help us prioritise the calls. A nurse practitioner/practice nurse or doctor will call you to assess whether the problem can be dealt with over the phone, or whether you need to be seen by a:

  • Nurse practitioner
  • Practice nurse
  • Urgent care practitioner
  • Doctor
  • Mental Health Nurse
  • Physio

Routine appointments

Follow-up and routine appointments should be made in advance.

To request a routine appointment in advance during opening times:

When you get in touch, we’ll ask what you need help with.

We will use your answers to choose the most suitable doctor, nurse or healthcare professional to help you.

Please remember that emergencies occur throughout the day and on occasions your doctor may be delayed. You will be informed by the receptionist if this happens and offered the choice of awaiting the doctor’s return or making another appointment.

Telephone appointments

If you need to speak to your doctor, but do not necessarily need to have an appointment, you may ask for the doctor to call you. You will then be given an approximate time that you will be called back.

Enhanced access

Appointments available at Bungay surgery and Beccles medical centre.

Evening and Saturday appointments are now available at a number of local practices, to enable patient choice. These appts are available to speak with GP’s, advanced nurse practitioners, and nurses, at a time which may be more convenient for you. There will be cervical screening appts as well.

These appointments are available from 6:30pm to 8pm on weekdays, and 9am to 5pm on Saturdays. The clinician will have access to your notes to ensure safe and effective treatment plans.

Contact the surgery to book an enhanced access appointment at a local practice in the Primary Care Network, at either Beccles Medical Centre or Bungay Medical Practice.

Your appointment

To help us to continue to give the best possible service, it is important to attend your booked appointments with either the doctor or the nurse.

However you choose to contact us, we may offer you a consultation:

  • by phone
  • face to face at the surgery
  • on a video call

Appointments by phone or video call can be more flexible and often means you get help sooner.

We send confirmation and reminders when you book your appointment, please make sure we have your current mobile number.

Cancelling or changing an appointment

To cancel your appointment:

If you need help when we are closed

If you need medical help now, use NHS 111 online or call 111.

NHS 111 online is for people aged 5 and over. Call 111 if you need help for a child under 5.

Call 999 in a medical or mental health emergency. This is when someone is seriously ill or injured and their life is at risk.

If you need help with your appointment

Please tell us:

  • if there’s a specific doctor, nurse or other health professional you would prefer to respond
  • if you would prefer to consult with the doctor or nurse by phone, face-to-face, by video call
  • if you need an interpreter
  • if you have any other access or communication needs

Home visits

Home visits are available at the discretion of the doctor.

Please do not ask the doctor to call unless you are genuinely too ill to come to the surgery, or are housebound. If you have a temperature or a rash, coming to the surgery will do no harm and will not endanger others, but please inform the receptionist when you book your appointment or on arrival.

If you think you need a home visit, please call before 10:30am whenever possible. If you request a visit, the receptionist will ask for your name, address, age and telephone number and the reason for the visit. It is helpful if you can give the receptionist an idea of the urgency of the problem. This enables the doctors to plan their calls and allows urgent visits to be dealt with promptly.

Several patients can be seen in the surgery in the time it takes to travel to and from a patient’s house. In addition, the surgery provides better facilities for examination and treatment. Therefore we would request that patients come to the surgery if at all possible.

Lack of transport is not the responsibility of the surgery, therefore lack of it is not a sufficient reason for requesting a home visit. In these circumstances your request may be questioned.

Do you really need a home visit? (PDF)

Related information

Health A to Z

Sick notes

Test results