Appointment Information

How to Book an Appointment

Please let the receptionist know if you wish to speak confidentially away from the public area as this can easily be arranged.  If you have a rash or temperature you can be seen at the surgery. Please inform the receptionist when you arrive. If you aren't sure what type of appointment you need, please click here.

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Routine Appointments

As of Wednesday 1st October 2025, we will be using Rapid Health to book all our GP, Paramedic and Physio appointments. You can:

  • Book a GP appointment online by clicking here
  • Phone 01903 777000 and speak to a receptionist who will help you through the form
  • Come in and speak to a receptionist who will help you through the form

We have a mixture of face to face and telephone appointments every day.

Most of our appointments are routine and are available up to 4 weeks in advance. The more notice you give, the more likely you are to get the time and date of your choice.  A routine appointment is for one person and lasts for 15 minutes. Please ask for a longer appointment if the problem is complex if there is more than one.

Nurse Team Appointments

These can be booked directly with the reception team either by telephone on 01903 777000 or attending the surgery.

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Urgent Appointments

There are appointments available daily for urgent medical problems.  These can be accessed in the same way as our routine appointments by completing the Rapid Health Triage questionnaire.

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Cancelling your appointment

To cancel an appointment, please either call the surgery on 01903 777000 or access your Rapid Health booking email to cancel.

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Book an appointment online

You can book a GP, Paramedic or Physio appointment online by using our online form.

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Home visits

Housebound patients can request a visit by telephoning the surgery on 01903 777000.

Home visits, when appropriate, are an important component of general practice. Home visits are for when your medical condition prevents you from coming in to the practice.

Most patients and their medical conditions get treated at the practice. You may need to take public transport or a taxi to get here. Children can usually attend the practice, and it is safe to bring a sick child if the doctor asks.

The lighting and equipment are better in the practice compared with patient’s homes.

If you feel that you need a home visit, telephone the practice on 01903 777000 and let the receptionist know. The receptionist will take your details and symptoms; then a doctor may call you to discuss. Please note that it is the doctor’s decision whether a home visit is necessary, or not. Our home-visiting Paramedic team do most of our home visits.

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If you need help when we’re closed

The surgery is closed from 6:30pm to 8:00am on weekdays and at weekends and Bank Holidays. If you need urgent medical help in that time, contact the NHS 111 service. You can do this by calling 111 – calls are free from landlines and mobiles, or use 111 online.

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Rapid Health FAQs

What are the benefits?

  • Equal access to appointments – whether you contact us online, by telephone, or in-person, all requests will be processed in the same way.
  • Easier to contact us – by encouraging those who can complete the form online to do so, our Reception Team will have more time to spend helping those who need it.
  • Improved continuity of care – digital triage will free up GP time, meaning they have more appointments available to see their patients.
  • Enhanced Patient Experience – The triage process reduces wait times and unnecessary visits, providing a smoother, more efficient experience for our patients.
  • Avoid the 8am rush – Patients being able to book themselves into a greater number of appointments will help us to tackle the ‘8am rush’, and ensure a more even flow of appointments throughout the week.
  • Safety – Rapid Health Triage is approved as a Class 1 medical device by MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency) and meets all the NHS security and clinical safety standards. You will no longer need to rely on a receptionist to book you into an appropriate appointment.

How does it work?

Patients can access Rapid Health through the home page of our website:

  1. Enter your name, date of birth and post code making sure these match the details we hold for you. You will also be asked for an email address and telephone number.
  2. Complete a simple questionnaire answering questions about your condition and symptoms.
  3. If an appointment is recommended you will be able to choose from appropriate appointments that are available.

Recording email addresses 

If we don’t have an email address recorded for you, you may be asked for this over the next few weeks as this will be required to enable you to automatically request an appointment when you have completed the online questionnaire.

Triage

Westcourt Medical Centre uses Rapid Health Triage, to manage appointments booked via the telephone, online, or face to face.

This new system uses smart technology and clinical algorithms to triage requests for medical appointments for GP’s Paramedics and Physio’s. It can determine the most appropriate clinician and a suitable timeframe for you to be seen.

If you are aged 16 or over you are then able to request an appointment with a GP, Paramedic or Physio by completing the online questionnaire.

For children aged under 16 there is an additional safety check by one of our Clinical Team, and you will then be contacted to book an appointment if appropriate.

Appointment Information

1 problem per appointment

More than 1 problem inevitably makes your appointment over-run and this will likely cause the appointments following yours to run late.

Cancelling & Rescheduling Appointments

If you cannot attend your given appointment please call 01903 777000 to cancel or reschedule. You can also cancel via the online service. On average 120-170 appointments per month are wasted due to patients failing to turn up.

These slots could be offered to other patients who need to be seen, allowing the doctors and nurses to reduce any backlogs and waiting times. Please think of others; cancel your appointments if you no longer need them.

Text Messaging

The practice is able to offer a text service to your mobile phone, to confirm and remind you of your appointment. Please ensure that your details are kept up to date with reception.

Enhanced Access Appointments

Phlebotomy appointments are available from 7.10am to 8.00am Monday to Friday.  These can be pre-booked.  Please enquire at reception.

Appointments Running Late

Our doctors and nurses aim to keep their surgeries running on time but there are a number of factors that may cause them to over-run.

Most general appointments are booked at 15 minute intervals, but this does not necessarily mean that you have 15 minutes face to face with the clinician. During that 15 minutes the clinician will listen to your problem, ask you questions which will help in forming a diagnosis, examine you (if required), provide a prescription (if required) and perhaps arrange a follow up appointment or a referral to a specialist. When you leave the room, the clinician needs to type a record of the consultation into the clinical system. So in any 15 minute appointment, there are only approximately 11-12 minutes with the clinician.

Probably the two most common reasons for the clinician running late are when patients present with either a particularly complicated problem, or when they bring more than one problem to a standard 15 minute appointment:

(a) Complex Problem:

Sometimes the ailment the patient presents with requires more than 15 minutes. If you think you have a difficult problem, or perhaps a new psychological symptom, e.g. depression, please ask a receptionist for a double appointment.

(b) One Problem – One Appointment:

Bringing more than one problem to the clinician will invariably cause them to run late. Some patients bring in a list of problems. If the clinician deals with every problem on the list, that patient will be content but it means that subsequent patients in the surgery will be seen late. It only needs 2-3 patients with either a complex problem, or with more than one problem, for the last few patients in the surgery to be seen up to an hour late. Also if patients have turned up late, this can add to the wait.

We hope you will see that for the greater good of all patients, the doctor may ask patients who bring multiple problems to a 15 minute appointment to rebook on another day. This ensures the clinician can try to stay on time, but also that you get the right amount of attention for your concerns.

What can you do to help?

  • Book one 15 minute appointment for one problem; if the problem is complicated, ask for a double appointment.
  • Turn up on time; if you are late every patient seen after you will probably be seen late.
  • If you want to check in and there is a queue at reception, why not try the computerised check in system to the right of the main reception desk.
  • Cancel your appointments if you don’t need them or can’t attend. We are now sending text reminders the day before your booked appointments so please do cancel if you can’t make it.
  • One patient only per appointment – please don’t bring your family members' ailments to your appointment.
  • Before you see the clinician, think about your symptoms and what you will tell him/her, e.g. how long have you had them, how severe is it, does it come and go, what makes it worse or better.
  • Sign up for online services where you can book and cancel appointments, request medication and much more.
  • Download the excellent NHS app - this app mirrors the services you can receive when signing up for online services.
  • If the doctor or nurse is running late, please be patient and understanding. They may have been called out to a seriously ill patient.

Our Receptionists

Our receptionists have a very difficult task to perform, and they must follow the doctors’ instructions. They have received extensive training to ask pertinent questions when dealing with requests, particularly when assessing urgency, so that they can signpost to the most appropriate clinician for your needs. They will ask you details about your condition and your assistance when answering is appreciated.

All training given to receptionists is approved by the practice and the GP Partners.

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