Wherever possible, for routine appointment requests, please use our online options.  Doing so will assist us by keeping our phone lines free for those who need urgent medical help or cannot access online sources of information.

Our practice uses an appointment system. Your routine appointment will usually be with your registered GP during surgery hours. If you require an urgent same day appointment we operate a triage system which involves leaving your name and contact telephone number with the receptionist following which a triage doctor will call you back to deal appropriately with your medical need. This maybe either be by arranging an appointment to see a clinician or by a telephone consultation.

Patients have the right to request to see a particular GP in the practice either generally or in relation to any particular condition. However, when you need a doctor urgently, it may not be possible to match the request with available appointments.

In some cases, it is worth considering an appointment with a member of our Nursing Team rather than a doctor.  Practice nurses are qualified to deal with many ailments and you may be seen more quickly.

We aim to connect you with the most suitable care.

Our receptionists are here to help you: they are fully trained in Care Navigation and will ask you for brief details of your condition when you telephone. This is so that they can record these details to inform the clinician who will contact you.  This approach ensures that we can assist you as speedily and professionally as possible. It also ensures that you are directed to the correct clinician.

Beyond GPs, you may also be booked with a member of our team of healthcare professionals, including Physician Associate and clinical pharmacists, mental health practitioners, and paramedics in our care network.  We’re all here to provide comprehensive care tailored to your needs.

Depending on your needs, you might be directed to local pharmacies, eye units, minor injury units, or emergency services (dial 999) for urgent situations.  Visit our Access to our Service page for more information on how we are improving access to our services>>

Scroll down to learn more about your options to book an appointment.

We offer the ability for patients to book face-to-face or telephone appointments online, which means you can book an appointment 24/7 without having to phone the surgery.  

The NHS App is provided and managed by the NHS. You will need an NHS login to use the NHS app.  If you don't already have one, you will need to set up an NHS login before using the NHS App.

Once registered, you will be able to log in to NHS online services using the NHS App on your Smartphone or through an internet browser using your email address and password. 

Learn more about the NHS App here>>

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

To have this service you will need to register by completing a consent form.

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

Follow this link to sign up to this service by providing your consent on our Text Message Consent form>>

Verwood Surgery offers a limited number of additional doctor appointments outside of usual opening hours. This provision is to help patients who are unable to attend the surgery during normal surgery hours.

These appointments are for routine matters only and must be booked in advance by contacting reception during normal surgery hours. Please be aware that follow up appointments, nurse and phlebotomy appointments will generally need to be arranged during normal surgery hours.

The extended surgery appointments are available as follows:

• Monday 6:30pm to 7pm hours
• Tuesday 6:30pm to 7pm hours
• Wednesday 6:30pm to 7pm hours
• Thursday 6:30pm to 7pm hours

Home visits and urgent problems during these times will continue to be handled by Out of Hours service on 111

It is hoped that this service will benefit those patients who previously have had difficulties in attending appointments during normal surgery hours. We ask that if you can attend surgery during normal surgery hours you continue to do so if at all possible.

Whilst we encourage our patients to come to the Surgery, where we have the proper equipment and facilities, we understand that sometimes it may be appropriate for care to be given in the community.  However, it is important to bear in mind that most medical problems are dealt with more effectively in the clinical setting of a well-equipped surgery. 

Home visits are offered to housebound patients or those with a clinical condition that prevents them from attending the Surgery.  Please do not request a home visit unless the patient is genuinely too ill to visit the Surgery.  Most children can safely be brought to the Surgery by car, taxi or pushchair. 

If you need a home visit, please telephone before 10 am, as this helps the doctors plan their rounds.  Brief details of the problem should be given to the receptionist to help the doctor assess the urgency of your request.  Please note that the home visit may not be on the day or with a doctor of your choice. 

Please help us by giving the receptionist as much detail as possible, and please include the following details as appropriate:

• The name, address and date of birth of the patient needing a home visit.
• Your name, contact details and relationship to the patient if you call on behalf of the patient.
• The nature of the problem, which gives the doctor an indication of the degree of urgency.
• Any relevant past medical history or relevant recent events.
• Any key entry codes needed to access the patient's home.

A community nurse can also visit you at home if your GP refers you. A health visitor may also see you at home if you have recently had a baby or are newly registered with a GP and have a child under five years old.

If you would like a chaperone present for your appointment, please just ask when booking, or in the consultation.  You may prefer to ask a relative or friend to accompany you, which is perfectly acceptable.  At times a GP may request a chaperone, and a trained staff member may perform this task

We can arrange interpretation and translation services in person or by phone, for those patients who do not speak English. Please let us know if you require this service when booking an appointment.

Training Practice

Verwood Surgery is a ‘training practice’. GP Registrars are doctors experienced in hospital medicine, but fresh to general practice and may be working in the practice for up to one year at a time. 

As part of their training, some consultations will be recorded on videotape. These recordings are strictly confidential and only seen by doctors. They are done with your consent which of course you are entitled to withhold.

We know people forget things, cancelling GP appointments being one of them. Remember to cancel your appointment if you don't need it.

Every appointment you don't cancel means we have lost the opportunity to help someone who needed it.  If you cannot attend an appointment for any reason, please inform us as soon as possible to enable us to give the slot to someone else. 

Please contact us as soon as you know you cannot attend your appointment. If your appointment has been arranged for a time within the next 24 hours, please call Reception directly on 01202 865800.

If your appointment has been set for more than 24 hours in advance (excluding weekends and public holidays), you can cancel an appointment quickly and easily using our online. Follow this link to our online appointment cancellation form:>>