Appointments

Fit notes take 5 working days & letter requests will take 7 working days from the date of your request.

If a patient contacts the surgery and feels that their medical condition is urgent but there are no available bookable appointments left for that day, we endeavour to ensure that the patient will either be seen by a clinician or will have a telephone assessment that same day.  In order for the practice to understand the urgency of a medical condition, the receptionists will ALWAYS ask you the reason for the appointment.  The reason for this is so that we can ensure that you are seen by the right person at the right time, and all answers are kept confidential. It is not a case of the receptionists being nosey! 

• Children aged 12 and under will be given an emergency appointment with a doctor the same day if the medical condition is urgent.        
• Patients aged over 12 years, will be asked for details of their medical condition and if this is urgent, the receptionist will ask for contact details for a doctor/nurse/healthcare professional to make contact by telephone with them the same day to assess the condition and will either advise over the telephone or ask the patient to attend the surgery at the end of the clinic as an emergency appointment.

PLEASE NOTE: ONLY THE EMERGENCY PROBLEM WILL BE DEALT WITH IN THESE EMERGENCY APPOINTMENTS.

We offer routine face to face or routine telephone consultations

Appointments can be made by telephoning or calling into the surgery between 8am and 6:30pm Monday to Friday.

Please note that appointments are for one person only. Separate appointments should be made for other family members.

Our Reception Team will ask you the reason for the appointment.  The reason for this is so that we can ensure that you are seen by the right person at the right time, and all answers are kept confidential. It is not a case of the receptionists being nosey! 

Appointments are 10 minutes long.  If you have a number of issues to discuss then we are more than happy to offer longer appointment slots.  Just ask the receptionist when booking your appointment.

Due to the increased demand on Primary Care, we would like to make patients aware of the following:

A maximum of TWO problems will be discussed in non-emergency appointments.  If you need to discuss more than one problem in a non-emergency appointment, please inform our receptionist when you are booking the appointment, you will then been offered a longer appointment.

Whilst we encourage our patients to come to the surgery, where we have the proper equipment and facilities available, we do appreciate that some of our patients are housebound and cannot leave the house for any reason. In this respect, if you do need a home visit, you can help us by contacting us before 10am.

You may only request a home visit if you are housebound. The healthcare professionals only visit at home if they think that the medical condition requires it and will also decide how urgently a visit is needed. 

The Practice is signed up to an evening & weekend service (Enhanced Access) with the Bolton GP Federation.  Patients can pre-book an appointment in an evening or at the weekend booking in with our reception team.

The Enhanced Access Service is held at the Halliwell Surgery.

There are appointments available with a GP, advanced nurse practitioner, nurse, healthcare assistant, Mental Health Practioner and MSK practitioner. Our receptionist will book you in with the relevant healthcare professional.

Please note - this is not a walk in service, therefore these non-urgent and routine appointments must be booked in advance.  

What is Pharmacy First?

 Pharmacy First enables community pharmacists to supply prescription-only medicines, including antibiotics and antivirals where clinically appropriate, to treat seven common health conditions without the need to visit a GP.

What are the seven common conditions?

• Sinusitis
• Sore throat
• Earache
• Infected insect bite
• Impetigo (a bacterial skin infection)
• Shingles
• Uncomplicated urinary tract infections in women.

How can I access treatment from my pharmacy?

You can get treatment for these conditions by walking into the pharmacy or contacting them virtually. GP receptionists, NHS 111 and providers of emergency care will also be able to direct patients to pharmacies, that offer the service, if contacted.

For more information, you can visit Pharmacy First: what you need to know – Department of Health and Social Care Media Centre (blog.gov.uk)

Sickness Certificates (now known as FIT Notes)

You do not require a doctor's sickness certificate for any illness lasting seven days or less. Your employer may however require you to complete a self-certification form (SC2) which is available from your employer or on the HMRC website.

Evidence that you are sick

If you are sick for more than seven days, your employer can ask you to give them some form of medical evidence to support payment of SSP (statutory sick pay).

It is up to your employer to decide whether you are incapable of work. A medical certificate, now called a 'Statement of Fitness for Work’ (see below) from your doctor is strong evidence that you are sick and would normally be accepted, unless there is evidence to prove otherwise.  If you require a "Statement of Fitness for Work" from your doctor, you can submit an online consultation request (via Econsult, as above). 

The doctor will review the request and will either issue a FIT note or ask one of our reception team to contact you to arrange a routine appointment.

Statement of Fitness for Work - ’Fit Note' - The 'fit note' was introduced on 6 April 2010. With your employer's support, the note will help you return to work sooner by providing more information about the effects of your illness or injury.

For more information see the DirectGov website (where this information was sourced).

If you require urgent medical assistance when the surgery is closed and cannot wait until the surgery re-opens, please see below for the number to call:

• Monday from 6.30pm to Tuesday 8.00am - call 0161 763 8940
• Tuesday from 6.30pm to Wednesday 8.00am - call 0161 763 8940
• Wednesday from 6.30pm to to Thursday 8.00am - call 0161 763 8940
• Thursday from 6.30pm to Friday 8.00am - call 0161 763 8940
• Friday from 6.30pm to Monday 8.00am - call 0161 763 8940.

If you need medical help now you can also 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.

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 or by text or email
• if you need an interpreter
• if you have any other access or communication needs