Telephone appointments
Many problems can be sorted with a phone call, without coming to the surgery. A doctor, nurse or other member of our team will call you back at an agreed time.
Call us on 01274 612 279 Request a call online (PATCHS)A phone appointment is not for emergencies
Call 999 now if you or someone else has chest pain, severe breathing problems, signs of a stroke, heavy bleeding, a seizure, or is unconscious. Do not wait for a call back.
If you need medical help today but it is not life-threatening, use NHS 111 online or call 111, free, 24 hours a day. In a mental health crisis, call First Response on 0800 952 1181, open all day, every day, for all ages.
What is a telephone appointment?
Instead of coming to the surgery, a doctor, nurse or pharmacist calls you at home, at work, or wherever suits you. You get the same care and the same clinical judgement, just down the phone. It saves you travel and waiting-room time, and it lets us help more patients each day.
Works well by phone
- Talking through test results
- Medication questions and reviews
- Checking how an ongoing problem is going
- Discussing a sick note (fit note)
- Advice about a new problem that does not need examining
Better face to face
Some things need to be seen or examined, like lumps, rashes, ear pain or a chest that needs listening to.
Do not worry about choosing wrongly. If the clinician on the phone feels they need to see you, they will arrange it there and then. You will not have to start again.
How to book a telephone appointment
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Contact us
Call 01274 612 279 after 10am for routine matters, or use PATCHS, our online request service, any time. If your problem is urgent and cannot wait, call between 8.30am and 10am.
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Tell us a little about the problem
Our reception team will ask for your name, your phone number and a brief idea of what you would like to talk about. You do not have to give details, but it helps us book you with the right person, whether that is a doctor, nurse or pharmacist.
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We book your call
We will tell you roughly when to expect the call, for example during the morning or the afternoon. If you need an interpreter, tell us when you book and we will arrange one to join the call, free of charge.
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The clinician calls you
They will usually try twice. If they cannot get through after two attempts, they will stop trying and you will need to contact us again. So please keep your phone close.
Please be near your phone from the start of the session, not just at your expected time. The doctor may ring earlier or later than planned. If another patient cancels, doctors often bring calls forward. They also manage their list flexibly so they can give more time to you, and to others who need it. Think of it like a delivery window rather than a fixed minute.
If you are kept waiting on the phone
We are sorry if you are left on hold. We know how frustrating it is, especially when you are worried, unwell, or calling in a short break at work.
When the wait is long, please remember what is happening at the other end. Many other patients are calling at exactly the same time, each of them just like you, hoping to be helped. Our reception team answers every call in turn, as quickly as they can, while giving each caller the care and attention they deserve.
We wish we could make the wait shorter. Honestly, we do. But the funding GP practices receive from the government is limited, and it does not stretch to all the extra phone lines and staff we would love to have. We put every penny where it helps patients most.
It takes a lot of patience, and we are genuinely grateful for yours. Our staff do this job because they love helping people, and a kind voice at the start of a call makes their day. We promise the kindness works both ways.
Ways to skip the queue
- Call after 10am for routine matters. Lines are busiest between 8.30am and 10am, which is reserved for urgent problems.
- Use the call-back option in our phone queue to keep your place without holding on.
- Use PATCHS online, any time, with no queue at all.
- For coughs, colds and minor illness, a local pharmacy can often help with no appointment.
How to have a good telephone consultation
A few minutes of preparation helps you get the most out of your call. These tips come from what works well for our patients and clinicians.
Get your phone ready
Make sure your phone is charged, has signal, and is not on silent. Check we have your current number when you book. If your phone blocks unknown numbers, switch that off for the day, as our calls may show as withheld or an unfamiliar number.
Find a safe, private spot
Be somewhere quiet where you can speak freely and it is safe and secure for you to talk. Health matters are personal. A busy bus or an open office makes it harder to be honest, and harder to hear.
Write things down first
Before the call, jot down what you want to talk about and what you are hoping for, for example advice, a prescription or a referral. It helps structure the conversation and stops that "I forgot to ask" feeling.
Have useful things to hand
Keep a pen and paper nearby to note down advice. Have your medicines list or the boxes in front of you, and know the name of your usual pharmacy. If you have a thermometer or blood pressure monitor, a recent reading can really help.
Say if you do not understand
On the phone there are no facial expressions to help. If anything is unclear, ask the clinician to repeat it or explain it another way. They would much rather explain twice than have you left guessing.
Bring in help if you need it
If a family member or carer usually helps you, have them with you for the call. Tell the clinician who is with you. For confidentiality, we can only discuss your care with someone else if you agree to it.
One appointment is usually for one problem. If you have several things to discuss, tell reception when you book so we can allow more time, rather than rushing through everything in one short call.
What can happen at the end of a phone appointment?
Depending on what you discuss, the clinician may:
- give you advice and self-care guidance
- send a prescription electronically straight to your chosen pharmacy
- arrange a sick note (fit note) where appropriate
- refer you to another service, such as physiotherapy or a hospital clinic
- book you a face-to-face appointment if you need to be examined
Please note that telephone calls may be recorded for training and quality purposes.
No longer need your appointment? Please cancel it
Sometimes a problem gets better on its own, or you find help elsewhere. That is good news. But please tell us, so we can offer your slot to another patient who needs it.
Around 400 appointments are missed at Ashcroft Surgery every month. That is a staggering amount of doctor and nurse time lost, at the same time as other patients are struggling to get through. Every cancelled appointment goes back to someone who needs it.
How to cancel
Call us on 01274 612 279. Even a few minutes' notice helps, because a doctor can use a freed telephone slot straight away. If you booked through PATCHS, you can also reply to your PATCHS request to let us know.
If appointments are repeatedly missed without being cancelled, we may contact you to understand what is getting in the way and how we can help.
If a phone call is hard for you
British Sign Language (BSL)
If you use BSL, you can contact us through a free live video interpreter instead of the phone. Connect to a BSL interpreter now (InterpretersLive!). This link takes you to an external service provided by Sign Solutions.
Spoken language interpreters
We can arrange a free interpreter to join your telephone appointment. Tell reception which language you need when you book. Calls with an interpreter take a little longer, and that is fine.
Other ways to reach us
If hearing or speaking on the phone is difficult, you can contact us in writing through PATCHS, or ask for a face-to-face appointment instead. Tell us what works for you and we will note it on your record.
Telephone appointment FAQs
What if I miss the call?
The clinician will usually try twice. After two attempts they will stop, so they can call other waiting patients. If you miss both calls, ring us on 01274 612 279 and we will advise you on the next step. To avoid missing the call, keep your phone with you, off silent, from the start of the session.
What number will the call come from?
Calls from the surgery may show as a withheld or unfamiliar number. Please answer calls around your appointment time even if you do not recognise the number. If your phone automatically blocks withheld numbers, turn that setting off on the day of your appointment.
Can a relative or carer speak for me?
Yes, if you agree to it. It is often helpful to have someone with you. The clinician will want to check with you first that you are happy for them to be involved, because your health information is confidential. For children, a parent or guardian can speak on their behalf, though older children may be asked to join the conversation.
Can I choose which doctor calls me?
You can ask, and we will do our best. It works well for ongoing problems where the same doctor knows your story. But a specific doctor may be booked up or not working that day, so there may be a wait. For urgent matters, please accept a call from any of our clinicians.
Is a phone appointment as good as being seen?
For many things, yes. You speak to the same qualified clinicians, and it often means you get help sooner. But the phone has limits: a clinician cannot examine you down the line. If they have any doubt, they will ask you to come in. If your problem changes or gets worse after the call, contact us again, use NHS 111, or in an emergency call 999.
Why do reception ask what the call is about?
So they can book you with the right person first time. Some things are best handled by a nurse, a pharmacist or another service, and some do not need an appointment at all. You do not have to share details if you would rather not, but a brief idea really does help. Our reception team follow the same confidentiality rules as everyone else at the practice.
Last reviewed: July 2026
Next review due: July 2027
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