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Appointments at The Orchard Medical Centre

We offer a range of appointment types with GPs, nurses, and other healthcare professionals. We also help patients access other services that may be more appropriate for their needs.

When you contact us, our team will help guide you to the right person, at the right time.

Urgent GP appointments

If you feel your problem is urgent and cannot wait, you can request an urgent appointment Monday to Friday during opening times.

If the situation is medically urgent, we will aim to see you the same day. To request an urgent appointment, you can:

Routine appointments

Routine appointments are for problems that are not urgent.

Our Health Navigators will ask what help is needed to ensure patients are directed to the most appropriate clinician or service.

You can request a routine appointment by using our website form below.

Alternatively, during opening times you can:

  • Phone us on 0117 980 5100
  • Attend the surgery and speak to reception.

Our routine appointment waiting list

Due to high demand, we use a routine appointment waiting list. This helps us to:

  • Provide safe and fair access to care
  • Protect Appointments for patients who need urgent medical attention
  • Reduce the need for patients to call back repeatedly

What happens when you are added to the waiting list

  • We will contact you within 5 working days
  • We may offer you an appointment up to 3 – 4 weeks in advance
  • We will attempt to contact you up to 3 times (over 3 different days)
  • The time of the appointment may depend on your clinicians availability

If there is no response after the third attempt, you will be removed from the waiting list. You can always contact the practice again if needed.

If your symptoms worsen or become urgent, please contact the practice as soon as possible. Urgent or same-day appointments may be offered if clinically necessary.

How we decide who you see

When you contact the practice, our Health Navigators will ask you questions about your symptoms. This helps ensure you are seen by the right healthcare professional, within the right timeframe.

Continuity of Care

Continuity of care means seeing the same clinician, or clinical team, wherever possible. It supports safer, more personalised treatment, particularly for ongoing or long‑term conditions.

We will try to book your GP appointments with the same clinician wherever possible, although this may sometimes affect waiting times for routine appointments.

Appointments by Telephone

By default, all of our appointments are face to face. However, some appointments can be safely handled by telephone. We will inform you of this at the time of booking and confirm which telephone number you would like us to use.

When booking, you will be given an estimated timeframe for the telephone call.

Appointment reminders by text message

If we have your mobile number, we will send you a text reminder with:

  • The date and time of your appointment
  • The name of the clinician you are seeing

If you no longer need the appointment, simply reply CANCEL to the message and it will be automatically cancelled.

Evening and Weekend Appointments

Some appointments may be offered in the evening or at weekends. Please speak to reception for more information.

Cancelling or changing an appointment

If you cannot attend, please cancel as soon as possible so the appointment can be offered to another patient

You can cancel by:

If you need help when we are closed

If you need medical help when we are closed, you can:

  •  NHS 111 online or call 111.
  • Call 999 in a medical or mental health emergency. This is when someone is seriously ill or injured and their life is at risk.

Let us know if you need extra support

Please tell us if:

  • You prefer a specific clinician
  • You would like a telephone or face-to-face appointment
  • You need an interpreter
  • You have any access or communication needs

Home Visits

Home visits are for patients who are housebound or too unwell to attend the surgery.

Requests are assessed by our trained Health Navigators, who may call you back to discuss your situation.

The surgery is usually the best place for a consultation, and we encourage patients to attend wherever possible.

Related information

Health A to Z

Sick notes

Test results

Page published: 5 May 2023
Last updated: 21 April 2026