Emergencies and urgent (same-day) appointments
For life-threatening emergencies, call 999. Read more here. Same-day appointments for URGENT care can be arranged by calling the surgery.
Lines are open to discuss urgent same-day appointments from 8am – 10.30am and from 2pm – 4pm. If you call outside these times you will not be able to request an emergency appointment.
Urgent issues include:
- Infections
- Significant bleeding
- Shortness of breath
- Chest pain – but if you beleive you are having a heart attack, call 999.
- Severe pain that is new and not responding to over-the-counter treatment. Chronic pain is dealt with ina routine appointment.
- Emergency prescriptions (this is not the same as late requests)
Our receptionist are a vital part of the practice care team, and will ask you to provide a brief description of your probelm so they can discuss this with a doctor while you are on the line. We have 3 doctors based with the reception team to prioritise the hundreds of request we receive each day and respond to the most urgent probelms. Patients unwilling to briefly discuss their urgent issue with a receptionist will still be put in touch with a doctor, but this may delay your care if others are prioritised.
The doctor will assess your issue then ask the receptionist to add you to the list for a same-day callback, compelte an online consultation or help you book a routine appointment. The practice has a limited number of emergency appointments each day. Once these are all allocated, your options will be to call NHS 111 (who may be able to arrange an appointment wiht the out-of-hours service) visit your local urgent treatment centre, speak to your local pharmacist, book a routine appointment or try again the next day.
How to book & cancel appointments
Routine appointments
Routine telephone appointments are released every day and can be booked online, via the NHS App or by telephone on 0207 428 5700. Lines can be very busy so please book online if you can.
The Caversham also hosts Camden’s out-of-hours service. The GP Hubs offer appointments to all Camden patients on weekdays from 6.30pm to 8pm and on weekends from 8am to 8pm. You can book by calling their booking line on 0207 391 9979 (8am – 8pm) or using their online booking service. Please note that the hub is not staffed by our own clinicans, but will have access to your medical notes.
Online consultations
Simple medical and admin matters can be managed using an online consultation. Read more here.
Appointments with nurses and pharmacists
Our practice nurses can treat a wide range of medical conditions. Read more here.
Our pharmcists can manage a range of common conditions (e.g. hypertension, eczema, asthma), carry out yearly medication reviews, monitor medications and discuss doses, side effects and effectiveness.
Out of Hours
If the practice is closed, then please call 111 – they will advise you of the best course of action relevant to your symptoms. You can also book routine out-of-hours appointments with the GP Hub. See ‘Routine appointments’ at the top of this page.
Appointment length
Telephone and face-to-face appointments are 10 minutes long. If you require extra time or need an interpreter then please get in contact with reception and they will arrange this when booking your appointment.
Please be available by telephone and attend on time
Please be available on your mobile or home number at your scheduled telephone appointment time. Clinics often run late – this flexibility is vital as it means we can offer good clinical care (not rushing important clinical assessments) while making available as many appointments as possible. Telephone appointments may be up to an hour later than the scheduled time so please make sure your phone is on and the line is free.
If you are more than 10 minutes late for a face-to-face appointment it may not be possible for you to be seen. You should receive a reminder text message 24 hours before your appointment. If you are not receiving these then please make sure that we have your correct contact details. You can update your contact details here.
Cancellations
We would like to thank the 89% of patients that do attend their appointments on time. If you are unable to make your appointment then please let us know so that it can be offered to someone else. We can usually fill an appointment even at very short notice so please help us by cancelling any appointments which you are unable to attend.
- Cancel by text: If we have your mobile number then you will receive a text before your appointment, you can text back “CANCEL” and this will cancel the appointment for you. If you are not receiving these texts then please let us know your correct mobile number. You can update your information here.
- Cancel by phone: You can cancel your appointment by telephone on our main switchboard number 020 7428 5700 (choose option 1 for appointments and then select 2 to cancel an appointment).
- Cancel online: You can use Patient Access or the NHS App to book & cancel appointments online.
How can I find my results?
Results are reviewed by a doctor then made available to patients in 2 ways:
- You can sign up to Patient Access to view your results online with the Medical Record Viewer.
- You can call the Practice any time after 2pm during opening hours, to ask for your results.
Most lab tests take 5 working days to come back to the practice. For imaging and other specialist tests, the wait can be a few weeks.
Where the test results are reassuring, your doctor will record this on your notes but will not contact you directly – it is important that you follow up on your own test results so you know that your tests have been reported and the results checked by a doctor.
What if my results are abnormal or require action?
Urgent results are followed up as soon as possible. For non-urgent results that need further action, your doctor will contact you in 5 working days.
