Appointments Information

Non-urgent advice: Improving Access to our Team

During Covid 19 we introduced an online appointment booking system called Online Consult, this helped us provide an alternative to walk ins and a way for patients to get in contact with us online, but it did not allow for anything urgent and for more basic queries.

As a practice that is eager to engage with technology and a team who are passionate about providing the best care we can, we have decided to replace the Online Consult system with something more versatile.

Introducing Anima

Anima is an AI driving digital triage system allowing patients to submit online all the enquires you would on the phone or in the practice.

It is a quick and convenient way of contacting your GP without the hassle of phoning the surgery. You will get a response within two working days.

Anima is available between 7:30am and 4pm Monday to Friday, you can however, still call the practice up until 6:30pm with urgent problems.

Our receptionist team will also be using this new system so all the appointments and requests are handled in the same way.

If you cant use Anima our Receptionist will take full details of your reason for calling and depended on your issue, initially they will:

  1. Try to resolve your  issue themselves  e.g. for administrative enquiries
  2. ‘Signpost’ you to appropriate support – this could be a GP’s Medical Secretary or a  Pharmacy for example (if safe and appropriate)
  3. Pass your case on to one of our doctors to review

After your case has been assessed by the doctor you will either be called by the doctor to discuss your case further or by the reception team who will arrange a face to face or routine appointment with you.

About our Appointments

We have appointment schedules for our GPs, Advanced Nurse/Care Practitioner team and Practice Nurse team.

We operate from two sites, our main location being St James Medical Centre and also at Orchard Medical Centre (our branch surgery site) in Norton Fitzwarren.

We hold clinics at both sites and there is some flexibility about which site you can be seen at.

We have a skilled Advance Nurse/Care Practitioner team who supports the GPs with some of the ‘same day’ urgent appointment work as well as managing patients with long term conditions.

Non-urgent advice: Patient Notice

Please avoid attending the surgery without an appointment, Covid 19 still presents a risk to our staff and other patients.

Please be sure to let us know in good time if you can’t make your appointment, so that we can reallocate it. this can also be done on Anima.

Making an Appointment

Patients can use our online Anima system or alternatively you can telephone us on 01823 285400 (please note that the phones can be very busy first thing in the morning, around lunch time and between 4pm and 6pm).

View the usual schedule of doctor appointment sessions – Click here.

Our Advanced Nurse Practitioner and Advanced Care Practitioner and can help patients with ongoing medical conditions and minor illnesses. Our Patient Services Assistants may offer you an appointment with them as an alternative to your GP.

Anima Triage

Either submitted online or via our reception team, Anima allows us to gather a fairly comprehensive and easy to read overview of your problem which gets passed to a GP to review.

Anima also assists our team with determining urgency, depending on the urgency cases will be allocated to a doctor either for a same day review (within 24 hours) or booked in to a routine appointment (within 72 hours, excluding weekends and bank holidays).

GPs will review these and call you with a potential care plan or to discuss the case further based on the available times you provide in the Anima case submission.

Sometimes a doctor may need to be seen face to face and invite you to come to the practice.

Emergency Appointments

In an emergency call 999.

Urgent But Not Emergency

8:00am to 6:30pm – Telephone the surgery (01823 285400).
Outside of opening hours – Telephone NHS 111 by dialling ‘111’ (calls are free to this number).

Home Visits

This services is only for patients who are truly housebound or those who are severely ill and cannot be mobilised.

It is better for patients to be seen at the surgery whenever possible. If the doctor decides that you are too ill to come into the surgery, a home visit will be arranged.

Please phone before 10.30am to discuss this, this helps the doctors to plan their rounds.

Tell the Patient Services Assistant how you feel, this helps the doctor to assess the urgency of the visit.

Telephone Messages

If you are unable to use Anima and you simply need advice and information, please telephone and leave a message with the surgery (01823 285400), your call will be returned by the most appropriate member of the medical team.

Cancelling Appointments

You can cancel appointments in advance using the NHS App. You can also cancel appointments on Anima however If the appointment is the same day then please call the surgery to let us know (01823 285400).

Missed Appointments

We are a busy Practice with strong demand for appointments, if you are unable to keep an appointment we will understand; please let us know as far in advance as possible so that we can allocate the slot to someone else who needs it. Thank you.