Appointments
Routine appointments
Please contact reception to book an appointment by calling in at 01442 250 117. Alternatively, please do so by visiting the surgery.
Each telephone call will be triaged in the first instance by a member of our reception team. They have been trained by our doctors, to ask certain questions to understand where best to place your query.
If a doctor decides that you need a face-to-face appointment at the surgery, a member of the reception team will contact you to arrange this.
Telephone Consultations
Telephone consultations are available to book to speak with the doctor. This is for those who cannot get to the practice for a face-to-face appointment.
Chaperones
Parkwood Surgery uses trained receptionists for all chaperoning. Full confidentiality is assured. During your care, a clinician may need to examine you. Occasionally this may involve an examination of intimate areas. We understand that this can be stressful and embarrassing.
If this sort of examination is necessary:
- We will explain to you why the examination is necessary and give you the
opportunity to ask questions. - We will explain what the examination will involve.
- We will obtain your permission before we carry out the examination.
- You will be offered a chaperone to be present during the examination.
- At all times we will respect your privacy during the examination and while dressing and undressing.
The following procedure will then take place:
- A receptionist will be called to the consulting room.
- The patient will be introduced to the chaperone.
- The chaperone should be able to see the patient’s face during examination. If a patient isn’t happy for a receptionist to be on the patient side of the curtain then a Nurse can be called.
If you have any questions or concerns about intimate examinations or chaperoning, please do not hesitate to ask.
Urgent Appointments
The practice operates a same-day urgent appointment system for only emergency situations. Appointments can be booked via our Online Consultation Form or by telephone for those unable to access the online form.
Urgent appointments will not necessarily be with the doctor of your choice. Patients will be booked with the clinician who is available on the day.
Cancelling your appointment
Each week, an average of fifty appointments are wasted as a result of patients failing to notify the Surgery of their inability to attend a booked appointment. If you are unable to attend your appointment, or no longer require the appointment, please let us know if you need to cancel an appointment.
Patients are sent reminders for appointments which have been booked. If a patient is unable to attend for an appointment, please respond to this same reminder message by texting Cancel. This cancelled text message will be triggered in our system by cancelling your appointment.
If you do not receive text reminders or have not registered a mobile, please call the surgery at 01442 250 117 to cancel your appointment.
If the appointment that you wish to cancel is within the next 48 hours, please phone the surgery to cancel this appointment.
If a patient regularly fails to attend booked appointments or fails to advise the Surgery that they are unable to attend, consideration will be given to removing that patient from the Practice list.
Consult with a Doctor online
Submitted Medical requests are triaged and booked with the appropriate Clinicians, in the order of urgency.
Patients with urgent medical needs are contacted and seen to on the day. Patients with non-urgent requests will be contacted within 48 hours, excluding weekends and bank holidays.
You can also use Patient Access or the NHS App to use Online Consultations and to change or cancel an appointment.
Additional GP Appointments – Improved Access
Dacorum Extended Access offers face to face appointments in addition to those available at the Practice. This GP service operates throughout the weekdays from 08:30 until 22:00, Saturdays from 9:00-13.00 and 14:00-18:00 and Sundays from 09:00-13:00. It is an appointments based primary care service. The slots can be booked via the Practice reception team.
The extended access scheme is staffed by local GPs at Highfield Surgery, West Herts Medical Centre, The Nap in Kings Langley and The New Surgery in Tring. The GPs have full access to your medical notes and will update them appropriately following your consultation.
An early morning phlebotomy clinic also operates at The Nap every Wednesday from 07:00-08:00 on Wednesday mornings for pre-booked blood tests.
If you need to cancel an Extended Access appointment, please call the surgery in hours (08:00 to 18:30, Mon to Fri) or out of hours, the cancellation number for this service is: 07864 652 026.
Home Visits
All home visit will be triaged by a clinician and your requests will be medically assessed to check if a visit is appropriate.
Home visits are reserved for Patients who are unable to leave the house due to ill health. We do not normally visit children at home as they can usually be brought to the Surgery. Lack of transport is not a reason for a home visit.
We would ask all other Patients to attend the Surgery if possible, as home visits are time consuming for Doctors and a Surgery consultation generally offers a higher quality of care. Following these guidelines will enable us to offer the home visiting service to those who really need it.
If you require a home visit, please call us on 01442 250 117.
