Appointments

Before booking an appointment please see the information about surgery times and who to see.

Appointments last 15 minutes as standard, if you require more time, please read about our longer appointments (below). Patients can choose between a face to face or telephone appointment, please let reception know. 

Booking an Appointment

You can make an appointment in the following ways.

Online

Book online via the NHS app. 

The majority of our appointments including all GP appointments, Physiotherapy, Health and wellbeing coach and social prescribing are available online via the NHS app which is used by over 80% of our registered patients.  Due to the variation in time and expertise required for some of our nurse led services we have limited options for nursing appointments other than specific appointments for contraception and sexual health screening.  For any other appointments please contact reception and our care navigators will be able to support you.

Call Us

Via the telephone - 0115 822 7979.

By visiting the Health Centre and booking in person.

Longer Appointments

Nurse reviews – diabetes, asthma, travel ─ all need longer appointments. Please tell the reception desk when booking and do not book via the web, which does not give this option.

Chaperone Service

We value the relationship between patient and practitioner. However, we recognise that at times patients can feel more at ease with another individual in the room, particularly if the practitioner is of the opposite sex.

This is more often the case for examinations of an intimate nature. If an intimate examination is necessary and you would feel more comfortable with a chaperone, feel free to ask us and  we will endeavour to provide one and continue your care

Cancelling Appointments

If you can't make an appointment please cancel online using the NHS app, by responding with the word 'CANCEL' to your appointment reminder text message or by calling the practice. This allows us to rebook it for someone else, particularly for emergency appointments. 

Urgent Appointments

We have urgent/emergency appointments available with the Duty Team made up of GP's, advanced nurse practitioners and the Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, Monday to Friday. These important slots are only for urgent medical problems and can only be booked by contact the practice care navigators in person or via the main reception number.

Only you as the patient can determine if it is urgent that have an appointment the same day. Our staff may ask you what is wrong to try and give guidance as to who you should see and when but they always leave the decision to you and you have the right to refuse to give details.

With an urgent appointment slot you may be seen by either a doctor or a specialist nurse practitioner. If seeing the latter you will be assessed and in the vast majority of cases you will not need to see the doctor. If the nurse feels it necessary then you will also be seen by a doctor. However, due to the system of care, you will need to take a seat back in the waiting room and the doctor will call you as soon as possible (accepting they may be dealing with someone else who is as sick).

If you do request an emergency slot and the practitioner seeing you deems this not to be urgent, you will be asked to make a routine appointment.

Due to the nature of this service and variable (often excessive) demand, we cannot run to exact appointments and you may experience a longer wait. Patients are prioritised by arrival time and clinical need. This is not the case for routine appointments. We do not start the next slot until all patients in the preceding time slot are seen, so arriving significantly before your slot will only give you a long wait and not an earlier appointment.

Social circumstances that make a routine appointment inconvenient, e.g. a lecture, holiday etc are not reasons to deal with a problem that day as an emergency.

If you are in doubt then ask the receptionist.

Who to See

You can book appointments with either a nurse or a doctor. This is a guide to who you should see.

This is a guide, not an exhaustive list. The reception staff can often direct to the correct person but do not feel compelled to discuss the medical issue with them.

Home Visits

Home visits are for:

• those who are house bound (usually the elderly or severely disabled)
• individuals that are so unwell it is impossible for them to travel to the surgery

The average patient takes 15 minutes in the surgery. The average visit (including time there and back) takes one hour. This means that most visits are delayed until after a surgery.

All patients will be telephoned by the doctor on requesting a visit. The symptoms and situation will be clarified to assess clinical need and urgency – at this point the doctor may:

• give direct medical advice
• make arrangements/suggestions to see you at the health centre
• arrange a visit

GP Care When Away From University

We are very aware that most students lead a double life. Some of your time is spent away from university, at parental address, holidaying or working away. However, you are resident at your university address for the majority of the year and so the NHS asks that you remain registered at a GP Surgery near that location.

Seeing a Doctor

If you are away and need to see a doctor then go to your local surgery and complete a temporary resident (TR) form. They may ask you to re-register as full patient. This is your choice but if you are returning you will have to re-register again in Nottingham, it may mean important information is not available about you when you need it (as notes take many weeks to be transferred back to us).

If you are seeing a doctor away from University and that doctor requires additional information ask the surgery to write or fax us (0115 9480347) and we will endeavour to provide the relevant information.

Medical Query

If you have a query about your medical care or treatment and are well known to the service at Cripps then we may be able to help you with a telephone consultation. If however, the symptoms are new it is likely we will suggest you should be seen face-to-face.

Weekends and Evenings

During the weekend or at night or bank holidays call NHS111 on 111

Sick Notes

For Work

There is no requirement for a GP to provide a sick note for periods of incapacity lasting of less than 7 days or less or the first 7 days of longer spells.

For University

At the moment, due to the extreme pressures we are under in terms of workforce and workload we are not able to support EC notes.  These are not an NHS service and whilst we are cancelling routine clinical services to allow for the pressures we are not able to prioritise EC notes whilst alternative processes are available.  The University protocol for EC notes recognises that Unless hospitalised, students are unlikely to obtain medical evidence.

For periods of illness preventing you attending lectures, less than 7 days you do NOT need a note.

For illness preventing you completing course work/assignments you can only be given a note if unwell for more than 7 days.

If illness prevents you attending and assessed practical or exam you must attend the doctors at that time and be certified as unfit to attend.

If you have any questions regards to extenuating circumstances please see the university guide. https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/studentservices/services/extenuating-circumstances.aspx