Appointments

Pharmacies now off a 'Common Ailment Service' for patients with minor illness and medication is provided free of charge.  Please view the enclosed documents to see the ailments covered.

English Version

Welsh Version

Eye Problems - Please see your local optician and request a free emergency eye health assessment.  Most local opticians provide this free service. Please follow the link to find a local optician, including RN Roberts in Merthyr Road, Whitchurch and any Specsavers branch.

Health Questions - If you have a general health question then please discuss them with NHS Direct  111 or your local pharmacy.

Medication Questions - If you have a general medication question then please speak to your local pharmacy.

Emergency Contraception (Morning After Pill) - If you require the 'morning after pill' then please visit your local pharmacy or Family Planning Centre for free advice and treatment. 

Same Day Prescription for Contraception - If you have run out of your contraception and require a same day prescription, then please visit your local Family Planning Centre.  The Practice requires 48 hours for all prescription requests.

Hospital Requested Medications/Bloods/Monitoring - Not all requests from the hospital for the GP to prescribe certain medication, carry out blood tests or provide regular monitoring can be fulfilled in General Practice.  You will be advised if this is the case and the hospital will also be informed so they can make alternative arrangements.

GP or Advanced Nurse Practitioner - These appointments are released daily, Monday to Friday.

When booking an appointment please provide the receptionist with as much information as possible regrding the reason for the appointment and the urgency.  This helps them book your appointment with the correct clinician. 

Knowing the reason for the appointment allows the clinicians to prioritise their patients. All information provided will be treated in the strictest confidence. 

• phone us on 029 2052 2355/2455 Monday to Friday from 8am

Our phone lines are extremely busy, please be patient. 

If you have signs of a stroke, chest pains, severe bleeding or difficulty breathing then you should telephone 999 immediately.  

Appointments can be booked in person or by telephone.

• phone us on 029 2052 2355/2455 Monday to Friday from 8am to 6:30pm
• visit the surgery and speak with a receptionist, Monday to Friday from 8:30am to 6:00pm

Routine appointments with GP or Advanced Nurse Practitioner - These can be booked up to 2 weeks in advance. 

Routine Appointments with the Nurse/HCA - These can be booked up to 4 weeks in advance.  The average wait for a routine Nurse appointment varies from 1 to 2 weeks.  For certain clinics, e.g. annual diabetic reviews, the wait might be slightly longer but you will be advised when booking your appointment.

Self booking via text message link - On occasion, the practice may send you a text message asking you to book an appointment via a weblink contained within the text message. This is often for things such as flu vaccinations or to book a telephone consultation with the GP to discuss recent test results. 

NON URGENT appointments can be requested by completing the Request Appointment form. We will respond within 24 working hours. 

However you choose to contact us, we may offer you a consultation:

• face to face at the surgery
• by phone

The reason for an appointment determines the type of consultation you will be offered. 

Please tell us:

• if there’s a specific doctor, nurse or other health professional you would prefer to consult
• if you need an interpreter
• if you have any other access or communication needs

To cancel your appointment:

• use your NHS Wales App
• reply CANCEL to your appointment reminder text message
• complete Appointment Cancellation form at least 24 working hours prior to your appointment
• phone us on 029 2052 2355 Monday to Friday from 8am to 6:30pm

If you require a home visit please, where possible, telephone before 10.30am. You will be required to give the receptionist some indication of the problem. Our home visit guidelines are:-

1. GP visit recommended

Home visiting makes clinical sense and is the best way of giving a medical opinion in cases involving the terminally ill. The truly housebound patient for whom travel to premises by car would cause deterioration in their medical condition.

2. GP visit may be useful

Following a conversation with a health professional, it may be agreed that a seriously ill patient may be helped by a GP’s visit.

3. GP visit is not usual

In most of these cases a visit would not be an appropriate use of your GP’s time or best for you:

• Heart Attack – severe crushing chest pain. The best approach is to call 999.
• Common symptoms of childhood: fevers, cold, cough, earache, headache, diarrhoea/vomiting and most cases of abdominal pain. These patients are usually well enough to travel to the surgery.  
  It is not harmful to take a child with fever outside.
• Adults with common problems, such as cough, sore throat, influenza, general malaise, back pain and abdominal pain are also readily transportable to the doctor’s surgery. Transport arrangements are the responsibility of the patients or their carers.

The doctors in this Practice are responsible for the care of its patients during the hours of 8am to 6:30pm Monday to Friday.  The cover outside of these hours is the responsibility of Cardiff Local Health Board.  If you need a doctor in an emergency when the Practice is closed, please telephone the out of hours service on 111; you will not be charged for this call.  If you have difficulty in accessing the 111 service please dial 0345 46 47

Medical Advice Including Dental Care

Advice on non-urgent matters can be obtained from NHS direct on 111 or www.nhsdirect.wales.nhs.uk 

Out-of-hours services are generally busy so please think carefully before asking to see a doctor and only do so if you genuinely cannot wait until the Practice re-opens.

In a genuine emergency you should call 999. Chest pains and / or shortness of breath constitute an emergency.