Making evening and weekend appointments – giving you more choice

So what is changing?

Until now, primary care (services usually provided by GP practices) tended to run until 6.30pm on weekdays, at the latest. After that, you needed to use the area Out Of Hours service, or call NHS 111. But from 1 October, 2017, there is a new local ‘extended access’ service running from 6.30pm-8pm on weekdays, from 8am – 4.30pm on Saturdays, and on Sunday mornings. This new, extra service is in addition to our practice’s normal service – which remains exactly the same – and gives people greater choice when choosing when to book appointments.

Who can use the new service?

Anyone registered at our surgery can use the service. It covers a large part of Hampshire, stretching from Gosport and Fareham, across to Emsworth, and right up to Petersfield, and Whitehill and Bordon.

How do I use the new service?

If you want to book an appointment during traditional surgery opening hours, then nothing changes. However, if you want to use the new service during the extended hours, there are two ways you can do this. Firstly, you can ask to book an evening or weekend appointment in the normal way – by talking to our reception staff, or calling the practice. Secondly, if you think you need an appointment more urgently when our practice is already closed for the day, you can ask for an appointment via the NHS 111 phone service.

Will our surgery be open for longer?

The opening hours of our surgery will stay the same, but our patients will have more choice when they can seek to book an appointment.

Where is the service based?

The new extended hours service will run from five ‘hub’ sites across the area – Petersfield Community Hospital, Waterlooville Health Centre, Havant Health Centre, Fareham Community Hospital and Gosport War Memorial Hospital. For our patients, the most convenient location will be discussed with you when you make the appointment.

Does the new service offer a ‘walk-in’ option?

No – please note that this is not a walk-in service – it is appointment only.

Who will work at the new service?

The new extended hours service will include GPs, nurses and other NHS staff from the local area – including some of the team working at our practice.

Can staff at this service see my medical records?

Yes – but only if you consent to that happening when you book your appointment. The fact that staff can see your medical records is a big advantage of this new service – it means that clinical staff can be more confident about giving you the best possible advice or treatment. This also makes it less likely they will have to send you back to us at our practice for a further appointment.