Appointments

Accident and emergency departments are for serious or life-threatening illnesses and injuries, please keep them free for those who really need them.

Here is a basic guide to local healthcare options that might help you cope with common household medical problems and accidents:

Self care

Keep the basics in your medicine cabinet: painkillers for most minor aches and pains, antihistamines for dealing with allergies/insect bites, anti-diarrhoea tablets, indigestion remedies for heartburn or trapped wind, sunscreen of at least Factor 15 and a first aid kit (bandages, plasters, thermometer, antiseptic, eyewash solution, sterile dressings, tweezers and medical tape. Ask your pharmacist for more details and always follow the directions

Pharmacist

Your pharmacist can give you advice and suggest the best treatments for your symptoms.

Find more information on the Stop Think Choose website.

NHS 111

Get help for your symptoms via the NHS 111 online website

GP surgery

For jabs, prescriptions, medical advice and care please contact us online.

Urgent treatment centres

Urgent treatment centres are open every day and treat minor illnesses and injuries such as sprains, minor burns and broken bones.

Check if an urgent treatment centre is right for you and see waiting times for some via the Kent and Medway Integrated Care System website

Dental treatment

Anyone needing emergency dental treatment should phone DentaLine on 01634 890300 between 8.30am and 1.30pm or 6pm and 11pm

A&E or 999

Call 999 or visit A&E for emergencies such as loss of consciousness, severe chest pain or serious accidents

Use anima

Please use our Anima service for all your queries and GP appointment requests.

All requests will now be triaged by a GP, by changing to a triage system, we aim to improve the service for all patients. This means that all GP appointment requests will be triaged based on their urgency and to ensure that patients see the right person at the right time.

They may also organise tests before seeing your own GP so that they have the information needed to deal with your problem at one appointment.

You will still be able to book Nursing Team and Pharmacist appointments with reception, either by phone or in person.

Use Anima

Doctors appointments

Regular appointments can be booked up to 4 weeks in advance by completing a triage form.

Acute care team

At East Cliff, we believe that you should be able to access high quality medical care in a timely manner, appropriate to the urgency of your problem. As a practice, we are always looking for innovative ways to improve the service you receive whether this is care of an ongoing problem or help with an acute illness. Nationally, patient  demand for appointments is at an all-time high, whilst at the same time there is a recruitment crisis in general practice. We have for some time been developing a number of alternative solutions that benefit both patients and GPs.

As an initiative to optimise appointment use, we have introduced The Acute Care Team. It is staffed by four acute care practitioners, each of whom is an experienced nurse with additional training (and experience) in the management of new problems.

Each day, this team will see the majority of patients with problems that need to be seen that day. The Acute Care Practitioner will be supported by one of the practice GPs on a rotational basis who  will be available for queries. The Acute Care Team will deal with your immediate medical need and will direct you towards your usual GP if any further care is needed.

More information about the Acute Care Team

Nurse appointments

All nurse appointments can be booked up to four weeks in advance subject to availability. When booking a nurse appointment reception will ask you a number of questions to ensure you are booked with the correct nurse for the correct amount of time for the appointment you require.

Please see list below for nurse led appointments

• Asthma checks
• B12 injections
• Baby immunisations
• Cervical Smears
• Coil - Pre coil swab
• Coil insertion
• Coil removal
• COPD - Spirometry
• Dressings
• Diabetic Checks
• Ear syringe/check
• HRT check
• Minor operations
• Pill check
• Post natal check
• Swabs
• Sutures - removal
• Travel immunisations
• Well person check

Healthcare assistant (HCA) appointments

All HCA appointments can be booked up to four weeks in advance subject to availability. When booking a HCA appointment reception will ask you a number of questions to ensure you are booked with the correct HCA for the correct amount of time for the appointment you require.

Please see list below for HCA led appointments

• Blood testing
• Blood pressure
• 24hr blood pressure
• ECG
• 24hr ECG
• Suture removal
• Ear checks (Not syringing)
• Glucose Tolerance Testing
• Diabetic HCA checks
• New Patient checks

More information on other clinics

For all appointment bookings and queries please call the surgery on 01843 855 800

At East Cliff, we believe that you should be able to access high quality medical care in a timely manner, appropriate to the urgency of your problem. As a practice, we are always looking for innovative ways to improve the service you receive, whether this is care of an ongoing problem or help with an acute illness. Nationally, patient demand for appointments is at an all time high, whilst at the same time there is a recruitment crisis in general practice. We have for some time been developing a number of alternative solutions that benefit both patients and GPs.

As an initiative to optimise appointment use, we have introduced The Acute Care Team. It is staffed by four acute care practitioners, each of whom is an experienced nurse with additional training (and experience) in the management of new problems.

Each day, this team will see the majority of patients withproblems that need to be seen that day. The Acute Care Practitioners work alongside one of the practice GPs on a rotational basis. The GP will be available for queries and to see the more complex patients and young children. The Acute Care Team will deal with your immediate medical need and will direct you towards your usual GP if any further care is needed.

Receptionists are busy and often have to deal with anxious and possibly unhappy patients. Being polite to them will encourage them to help you. 

• Our telephones are very congested when we open at 8.00am, so you may find it easier to telephone later in the day
• Monday mornings are always very busy, avoid them if you can
• Please wait until later to call unless you need to see a doctor that morning
• Only a small number of appointments are available to book with a specific Dr on the same day
• Requests for test results should be made after 2pm
• We do not take requests for repeat prescriptions over the telephone
• Please allow 3 clear working days for us to process your prescription request

Routine appointments

In response to our patient survey results, we now offer a greater number of pre-bookable appointments and these can be booked up to four weeks ahead. This does however mean that there will be fewer appointments reserved for booking on the day for a specific doctor so it is advisable to pre-book your appointment to help you get an appointment that suits you. Please bear in mind that some doctors work part time and maynot be available on the days you have requested.

Why should you book in advance?

If you have long-term health problems we strongly recommend you see the same doctor wherever possible. If you do this you will not need to keep explaining your problems and the doctor is more likely to get to the bottom of your problems quickly. We would recommend that you book ahead:

• If your condition is on-going
• For Medication reviews
• For continuation sick notes
• For follow-up appointments NB: if the doctor asks you to come back for review try to book your next appointment at reception before you leave or as soon as you get home if you have to consult your diary

If you wish to speak to a doctor by telephone

We offer Telephone consultations and we have a small number of telephone consultations available for each doctor which can be booked in advance or on the day subject to availability.

Preparing for your routine appointment

To make the best use of your 10 minute appointment, it is a good idea to spend a little time before the appointment preparing:

• If you have a number of problems it is worth letting the doctor know at the beginning of your appointment
• Try to prioritise the problems and start with the most troublesome one first
• Please do not “save up” multiple problems for one appointment. A ten minute appointment really isn’t time to deal with more than one or possibly two problems effectively
• Whenever possible we will try to deal with your problem within one appointment
• Sometimes it is safer to ask you to book another appointment rather than attempt to hurry.

In order to keep the surgery running as smoothly as possible, please remember the following:

• Please let us know if you cannot keep your appointment (so that another patient may benefit)
• Please do not expect the doctor to “squeeze in” other members of your family at the same time as this means less attention being given to each person
• Please be punctual for your appointment

If you are late the receptionist will ask if the nurse or doctor can fit you in between appointments later in the surgery but you may have to re-book to avoid keeping others waiting even
longer. 

Occasionally, due to the unpredictable nature of the problems we deal with, you may be kept waiting. We try to keep to appointment times, but inevitably some patients require more time than others. There will be occasions when an emergency may also cause us to run late. If you are kept waiting, please be patient. On the next occasion it may be you who requires more of the doctor's time.

Text message reminders

If you would like us to remind you about your appointment by text message please complete the request form available at Reception.

Dental problems

Visit our dental health page

You must give your employer a doctor's 'fit note' (sometimes called a 'sick note') if you've been ill for more than 7 days in a row and have taken sick leave. This includes non-working days, such as weekends and bank holidays.

Visit our Sickness Certificates page

Information and advice for travelling abroad.

Visit our Travel Information page

Most home visits are usually reserved for terminally ill, housebound or very sick patients.

Please remember that a home visit is not your right. Under a GP terms of service, it is actually up to the doctor to decide, in their reasonable opinion, where a consultation should take place.

If you are too ill or physically unable to get to the surgery and need a home visit please phone before 10.30am. If you are not sure whether you need a visit please discuss this with the receptionist or doctor. Our receptionists are trained to ask for information regarding the visit in order to determine its urgency.

We are not an emergency service and it is not always possible to interrupt the doctor for non-urgent matters.

Visits are shared out between the doctors and our nurse practitioners it is not usually possible to specify a particular individual for a home visit.

Should home visits be required out of hours, these can be arranged by contacting the NHS 111 service.

The practice also provides additional appointments as part of the extended access scheme. Appointments are available on a Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon and evening between 4pm and 8pm

For more information and to book please speak to a member of our Reception Team.

Urgent treatment centres are open every day and treat minor illnesses and injuries such as sprains, minor burns and broken bones.

Check if an urgent treatment centre is right for you and see waiting times for some via the Kent and Medway Integrated Care System website