Appointments

If you need any other small changes as a disabled person to make your visit to us possible please let us know when you book.

Disability Access

How to make an Appointment

Occasionally, there may be a wait for the next available appointment. We apologise for this, and we understand how frustrating this can be. As a GP practice, we promise to provide as many appointments as we can, but demand is very high, especially in the winter months. Again, we would thank for your patience.

All consultations with the Doctors and Practice Nurses are by Appointment only.
Please do not come to the surgery and ask to be seen without an appointment, as this simply causes delays for other patients.

GP Appointments have a duration of 10 minutes each.
We ask that you kindly discuss 1 complaint per appointment, in order for us to explore it sufficiently to ensure safe and effective healthcare. We will happily deal with more than one problem if we can do so within the allocated time. Please consider the other patients in the clinic, as if you have a list of problems, this may cause us to run late.

Check your condition first

Many conditions can be dealt with without the need to see your GP.

You can try a local pharmacy for advice about a range of conditions and we also have lots of self help information. Please try this advice before contacting the Practice.

Check your symptoms

Speak to a Pharmacist First

Your pharmacy can advise you on minor illness without the need of an appointment. Please speak to a pharmacist first.

Pharmacy & Self-Care

Pharmacists are qualified healthcare professionals who can offer clinical advice, over the counter medicines and their use, to effectively and safely manage a range of minor health concerns. They can also help you to decide whether you'll need to see a doctor. You don't need an appointment and you won't even be asked to make a purchase. Every pharmacy also has a private consultation area for you to talk about your symptoms in private if you prefer.

FIND A PHARMACY

Self Referrals

Routine Appointments (1 - 2 Weeks)

Do you have a non-urgent problem and can wait for 1 to 2 weeks to be seen?

There is a limited amount of Pre-bookable routine face-to-face and telephone appointments, which become available daily on a four-week rolling basis.

Appointments can be made by telephone, attending in person at reception or via Online Services. Online appointments become available on the day at 6:30am.

Pre-bookable late evening appointments with the Primary Care Paramedic are also available on Mondays at Westwood Surgery between 6:30am – 8:20pm. Please see the receptionist or call the surgery for more information.

We are able to book you with a GP or nurse at the Bexley extended-hours hub in the evenings and weekends via reception.

Each of our Doctors works on different days - Please ask the receptionist for the days they are available. Locum doctors work to cover holidays, study leave and maternity leave.

You can book an appointment online or by calling reception with the following details:

Urgent (Same Day) Appointments

If you have an urgent medical problem and need to be seen on the same day, please phone the surgery and speak to a receptionist.

Urgent Appointments are firstly by telephone and face-to-face will be offered if appropriate throughout the day.

Only one problem per appointment, please. If you have more than one problem to discuss, please request a double appointment.

Please call us directly on: 020 8303 5353

Initially, you will have a triage telephone call with the duty doctor, who will then arrange an in-person assessment if needed. The receptionist will ask you for a brief summary of the reason for your booking and a few questions to confirm that the problem needs to be dealt with the same day - they may, with the guidance of the clinical team, offer you a pre-booked appointment in the near future if this is appropriate.

If you are worried about your issue, you can contact NHS 111 by calling: 111 or by visiting their website.

Life Threatening - Go to A&E

If you or someone you know has a life-threatening condition, such as loss of consciousness, a sudden confused state, chest pain, breathing difficulties etc, you should call 999.

Call 999 or go to A&E now if:

you or someone you know needs immediate help
you have seriously harmed yourself - for example, by taking a drug overdose

A mental health emergency should be taken as seriously as a medical emergency.

Find your nearest A&E

Who will I see?

The surgery has other Clinicians and Practice Nurses that can deal with less serious conditions and it may be quicker to make an appointment with them. You may see them for wound assessment or a repeat prescription of the contraceptive pill. Also, note that all travel clinic/immunisation appointments are with the Nurses.

MEET OUR TEAM

Emergency Dental Treatment

A GP is not appropriately trained to deal with dental problems. This includes toothaches, abscesses and problems experienced after dental treatment. We cannot provide antibiotics as it is necessary to have a full assessment before prescribing such things.

We would therefore suggest patients register with and attend regularly a dentist who can provide appropriate routine and emergency advice. Dentists offer a 24 hour emergency service. Out of normal surgery hours, this service is only for urgent dental treatment that cannot wait until the next working day to be treated.

For emergency dental treatment outside normal working hours, registered patients should contact their dental surgery. Most surgeries have an answering machine message referring you to out-of-hours information.

Telephone Consultations

We also have telephone consultations available, where your details will be taken by a receptionist, and the GP or nurse will ring you back. We cannot always call you at your desired time as we fit this around our surgery time, but we promise to always try. We will only call once, so please keep close to your phone.

Enhanced Access

Evening and Saturday Appointments

We want to make it easier for you to get an appointment at our surgery. In addition to our normal opening hours, we also offer appointments in the evenings and on Saturdays.

You will be offered a face-to-face appointment, but your appointment may also take place by phone or video.

We are working with our neighbouring GP surgeries to offer these additional appointments; you may be offered an appointment from one of these other surgeries. Our surgery is part of a small group of surgeries called a Primary Care Network and we work together in a number of ways.

Our neighbouring GP surgeries in the Clocktower Primary Care Network are:

How to Book an Enhanced Access Appointment?

Contact us in the usual way (by phone or online) to make an appointment.
If the practice is closed and you are calling to change or cancel your evening or Saturday clinic appointment please call 0208 103 4506.
Alternatively, if you need any support, please contact NHS 111 online or by calling 111 if you do not have access to online services.