The Surgery, Tyldesley

Appointments advice

We use a system called askmyGP which is an easy and fast way to ask for any kind of help from the practice.

  • Available Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Fridays 07.30am – 11:00am, Wednesday 07.30-09.30am we respond during working hours Monday to Friday
  • We will usually get back to you within an hour (after 5pm it might be the next day)
  • You can request a particular doctor or nurse  (so long as they’re working)
  • You can choose to be contacted by the surgery by telephone, secure message or invited for a face to face appointment
  • If we need to see you we will usually give you a face-to-face or video appointment the same day
  • You can register for askmyGP now, without any paperwork

If you prefer to phone, one of our receptionists will take a few details about your problem or request and then pass these to the GP. However you choose to get in touch, your GP will get contact you quickly and either sort out your problem on the phone, by secure message, or arrange to see you the same day, or another day if that’s more convenient.

Please note you can no longer book a GP appointment using our previous online appointment system.

askmyGP is available to all our patients, and you can use it to ask about your children or other people you care for (if they are registered with us).

That’s it – simple and straightforward!

We are encouraging everyone who has access to a computer, smart phone or tablet to use askmyGP:

  • it saves you time
  • really ill patients don’t have to wait for urgent slots at the end of surgeries
  • GPs can manage their time more effectively, booking any follow-up appointments you might need and,
  • it stops the 8am rush for appointments as you can contact the practice at any time, and up to 5pm get a response, and be seen if needed the same day!

Reception Triage – What to expect

When you telephone the surgery to book an appointment, the receptionist will ask you the following question:

  • “To help you make the correct appointment, I need to know a little more about why you need the appointment.”
  • The receptionist may also ask both/either/none of the following two comments, depending on the response…
  • It is not always necessary to see the Doctor, a Nurse/Healthcare Assistant may be more appropriate

Whatever you say will be treated in the strictest of confidence – This is because the receptionist has a number of alternative types of appointments available to her, and she needs to offer you the most appropriate appointment to deal with your problem. The most appropriate appointment may be with the GP for example, or perhaps with another member of the practice team.

In this way, on the occasion when you really do need to see a GP, there is more likely to be a free appointment for you. The following table may help you understand more clearly the choices available.

We very much hope that this system will make best use of the services available both at the practice and in the wider community, and by doing so indirectly increase the number of available GP appointments, so that you can more easily secure this when it is necessary.

Language

Please contact the surgery if you believe yourself or a family member may need the assistance of an interpreter at a consultation. The Practice will endeavour to obtain an interpreter if one is not already available.

Date published: 8th October, 2014
Date last updated: 17th February, 2023