Please click the 'Contact us online' green banner above to submit an online form (including appointment requests). If you are unable to use a computer, then please telephone us and a receptionist will complete this form for you.

All appointment requests and queries are reviewed on the same day by an experienced GP. The GP will advise whether you need an appointment and if so which type. The GP may advise another course of action if more appropriate.

Please keep your phone with you from the point that you submit your request.

Please see more detailed information below:

1. How to request an appointment, or raise a query with a GP

To request an appointment, or raise a query with a GP, please contact us online:

· As described above, please click on the green button (‘contact us online’), follow the steps as instructed to submit a request for an appointment or submit a query. This service is available from 7am to 5pm on Monday to Friday.

· Your query will be assessed by a GP within the same working day to offer the most appropriate care for you, based on the nature of your request as follows:

o If deemed to be a medical emergency, you may be advised to attend A&E.

o If medically urgent, you may receive a text or phone call from reception to offer you a same day appointment. Same-day appointments may be offered at the Minor Illness Hub at St Albans City Hospital or at The Elms, alternatively you will be directed to your local community pharmacist. This is in line with guidance from the HWE ICB which oversees primary care.

o You may be asked for more information to help us decide on an appropriate course of action or you may be offered an appointment within a very short turnaround time, so please keep your phone with you and ensure that you are available to attend the surgery.

o If the GP has recommended a routine appointment, you will receive a text or phone call to arrange this.

o This online service is available from 7am to 5pm on weekdays.

o If your query does not require an appointment, you will receive a non-urgent response from a GP, usually this will be later on the same day. 

Please note:

· If you do not have access to the internet, please contact the surgery by telephone and a receptionist will fill in the form on your behalf.

· Please keep your phone with you from the point that you submit a form (we may contact you within minutes and require a response).

· For urgent issues after 5pm, please telephone reception.

· NHS regulations do not allow us to provide medical advice to patients abroad. Please contact us again when you get back to the UK.

2. What to expect when you attend an appointment at The Elms

Our practice team now involves several different types of clinicians as follows:

· GPs

· GP Trainees (qualified doctors undertaking specialist training in General Practice)

· Final Year Medical Student

· Paramedics

· Nurses

· Health Care Assistant

· Clinical Pharmacists

· Mental Health Practitioners

· Physician Associates

· Physiotherapists

This has diversified and strengthened our team and is in line with NHS England guidance. Every team member is supervised by a GP.

You will be informed who you will see when the appointment is booked. Appointments will typically be ten minutes in length. We can usually only discuss one problem per appointment.

Notes made by a clinician following your appointment will usually be viewable on your NHS app from the next day. This will include the agreed management plan.

Please contact reception if you need to cancel your appointment so that this can be offered to somebody else. Please arrive on time for your appointment.

Whilst we encourage our patients to come to the surgery, where we have the proper equipment and facilities available, we do appreciate this is not always possible. If you do need a home visit, you can help us by calling reception before 10:00.

You may only request a home visit if you are housebound or are too ill to visit the practice. Your GP will only visit you at home if they think that your medical condition requires assessment and will contact you in advance of the visit to talk through your symptoms. Please be aware that your telephone display the surgery telephone number as withheld. 

In certain circumstances, your GP can refer you for a home visit by the community nursing team.

MISSED APPOINTMENTS (DNA)

With high demand for GP appointments, it is disappointing when a patient fails to turn up for their appointment and has not contacted us to cancel their booking. Released appointments can be offfered to other patients and help to improve access for everyone. Missed appointments are automatically recorded on your medical record. 

The surgery offers extended hours through our Primary Care Network (PCN) new 'Standard Network Hours'. These appointments will be varied including young persons mental health, Covid vaccine clinics and you may need to attend another local practice.

Currently we do offer GP appointments at The Elms on:

Monday evening from 6.30-7.45pm and 

Friday morning from 07:00 - 08.00 

All appointments at this time are pre-bookable. Reception operates on a skeleton staff during this session and general queries and appointment bookings cannot be accommodated.

Telephones and the main reception open at 08:00am and close at 6.30pm. 

These appointments are especially beneficial to those patients who find daytime appointments difficult.

Referrals to a Specialist

This leaflet describes what you can expect to happen when your GP refers you to see a specialist or consultant, at a hospital or a community health centre. When Seeking a Specialist Leaflet

All clinicians endeavour to run to time but the nature of our work means that this is not always possible. On your arrival, we will inform you of any significant delay to your appointment and appreciate your understanding and patience in these circumstances. 

If you are late for a routine appointment, the clinician will try to see you if time allows. Where this is not possible we will ask you to make another appointment.

If you require a telephone based interpreter please notify the receptionist and they will arrange this for you. If you require an interpreter to attend in person, please inform the receptionist when booking- we may need up to two weeks to organise this service. 

Chaperones

A chaperone can be provided to reassure and support both the patient and clinician.

Our chaperone guidance is designed to assist patients to make an informed choice about their examinations and consultations.

If you would like a chaperone present during your consultation, please either inform the receptionist when booking your appointment or when checking in or speak to the clinician at the start of your appointment.

Download policy here

It is important that you inform the reception staff if you are unable to attend your appointment, this will allow that appointment to be offered to another patient. To cancel or rebook an appointmnet please either contact a receptionist on 01582 767444 (Option 2) or respond to your appointment reminder text.

We have a texting service which allows you to receive confirmation and reminders about your appointments.

Please remember to update your contact details with us when you change address, telephone numbers and email address.

Health Education England has approved The Elms Medical Practice for teaching and training within the East of England Deanery. This means we are able to host newly qualified doctors within their Foundation years, as well as those undertaking General Practice training. 

The practice team are enthusiastic about the delivery of high-quality teaching and training, and are supported by a dedicated team of educators and administrative support:

Dr Charlotte Allam (Associate Trainer)

Dr Rebecca May (Associate Trainer)

Dr Ellen Sibly (Trainer)

Dr Vidya Kanthi (Trainer)

Dr Hannah Smithers (Trainer)

Dr Danielle Franzmann (Associate Trainer) 

Miss Emma Heaton (Practice Manager – Education Non-Clinical Lead)

 
Appointments with our learners may be offered to you and booked only with your consent. All learners are closely supervised by a named GP Partner. For training purposes, learners may require video recordings of some consultations and again, only with your consent. These are used solely for teaching and confidentiality is upheld between both the learner and GP educator.  

We hope you will support our commitment to the teaching and training of undergraduate and postgraduate healthcare professionals, and we would welcome any feedback regarding your experiences with them.