Appointments

About SystmOnline

If you need urgent advice, please call reception to speak with one of our trained receptionists. They will direct your call to the most appropriate professional, which may not always be your GP. If necessary, they will consult your GP for guidance.

Other Professionals Who Can Assist with Urgent Queries:

• Phlebotomists & Healthcare Assistants: Handle blood tests, NHS well-person checks, Long-Term Condition reviews, and tests such as ECGs.
• N.B Blood tests can only be done if requested by a GP or an NHS specialist.
• Practice Nurses: Manage minor injuries, dressings, vaccinations, long-term condition reviews, and more.
• Physician Associate: Offers advice on medical and mental health matters that need same-day attention.
• First Contact Physio: Treats muscle and joint problems.
• Prescriptions Clerk: Handles queries related to prescriptions.
• Pharmacist: Manages medication changes, reviews, and other medication-related queries.
• Social Prescriber: Assists with non-medical concerns impacting health and wellbeing, such as housing, financial advice, and more.
• Care Coordinators: Coordinate health and medical services for patients.

If you are unsure of who you need to see please contact reception, and we will guide you to the right person.

Where possible use SystmOnline to book, ammend, and cancel GP appoinments, view test results, and order repeat prescriptions. 

ONLY email  CPICB.HuntingdonRoadSurgery@nhs.net for Non Medical and Non Urgent requests. 

Please DO NOT email and phone reception whilst you are waiting for a response as this creates two separate patient requests on our system and blocks valuable patient time. 

Please call reception after 11 am  to book a nurse or blood test appointment. 

Pharmacists are able to provide care and advice on a range of illnessess including coughs, colds, earache, sorethroats, aches and pains. 

They can also give advice about medicines. This includes how to use your medicine, worries about side effects or any other questions you have.

If they cannot help you themselves, they can refer you to a GP or other health professional.

How pharmacies can help - NHS (www.nhs.uk)

Please refer to:

Pharmacy First

NHS Health A-Z

NHS Medicines A-Z

NHS 111 Online

NHS Advice Website

If it is an emergency please call 111 or if it is a life threatening emergency call 999.

It is important that you notify us if you cannot attend your appointment. This allows us to offer the appointment to another patient.

• Canceling via SystmOnline: Use SystmOnline to cancel appointments you cannot attend.

• Cancelling on the Day: If you need to cancel on the day of the appointment, please call reception.

Failure to Notify:
If you fail to cancel your appointment, you will be contacted and informed that you have missed your appointment. Persistent no-shows may result in removal from the surgery list.

Cost to the NHS:
A missed appointment costs the NHS approximately £120 per patient.

We have a texting service which sends confirmations and reminders about appointments.  We may also use text to reply when you contact us. If you prefer not to use this service, please let us know.

Please remember to update your contact details with us when you change home address, telephone numbers, or email address.

Are We the Right Place to Go?

If you contact us about an issue that would be better handled elsewhere, we will redirect you to the appropriate service.

Reception Team Assistance:
Our trained reception team will ask questions to help determine the best course of action for your query.

Have You Checked Online for Advice?

Here are some helpful resources:

• NHS Advice Website: General health information.

• NHS 111: Available 24/7 for medical advice. Call 111 or visit the NHS 111 Website.

• NHS App: Available on all app stores for easy access to services.

• Pharmacy First: You can call your pharmacy for advice. The number is on your prescription or the pharmacy's website.

  • Pharmacists can offer advice on minor illnesses like rashes, sore throats, sinusitis, and earaches. They may prescribe medicines or recommend over-the-counter remedies.

  • They will advise if you need to see a doctor or visit another healthcare service, such as a hospital, which may be quicker than seeing a GP.

Other NHS services, including hearing centres, can provide advice via their websites or by phone.

NHS 111: Available anytime by calling 111 or online, helping you determine where to go for advice.

Hospital 

Hospital Queries

The hospital is responsible for all issues related to:

• Hospital appointments.

• Cancelled or postponed hospital appointments and procedures.

• Tests and results recommended by the hospital.

• Advice and information about hospital-recommended treatments.

• Preoperative tests and assessments.

• COVID-related impacts on your care under hospital services.

• Sick notes for time off work as recommended by the hospital or for your hospital stay.

What You Can Do:
We recommend you check your hospital’s website first for information.

Important Note on Hospital Services:
The COVID-19 pandemic has increased pressure on NHS services, leading to longer waiting times for outpatient and specialist appointments. GPs do not have access to hospital appointment or waiting lists, so we are unable to answer these queries.

PALS (Patient Advice and Liaison Service):
If you can't find the information you need, contact PALS through the hospital website.

MyChart:
Addenbrooke's offers an online patient portal called MyChart, which can help with most of the above services. You can sign up for MyChart by speaking to your Addenbrooke's team during your next visit or by visiting their website. MyChart also allows you to send inquiries directly to your specialist team.

Home Visit Service

GPs can provide home visits for patients who are housebound due to severe illness or disability and need to be seen in person.

Important Information:

• Home visits are only provided when absolutely necessary. Our team will use clinical judgment and consider the needs of all patients when deciding whether a visit is required.

• If you feel you may need a home visit, please try to call 01223 364127 before 10:30 AM. One of our team members will contact you to discuss your condition first.

If you have an appointment at the hospital or an NHS treatment centre (not the GP surgery) and are unable to travel by private or public transport due to medical reasons, you may be eligible for non-emergency patient transport.

Provided by:
East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EEAST).

To Book:
Call 0345 603 8117.

• Opening Hours: Monday to Sunday, 08:00 to 18:30.

• You will be asked a few short questions to check your eligibility for the service.

Important:
This service is not booked through the GP surgery.

During your consultation, the doctor or nurse may ask for permission to examine you.

• If you would like someone else (a chaperone) to be present during your examination, please inform the doctor or nurse. They will arrange for another member of the medical or nursing team to be present, and that person will be familiar with the type of examination.

• You are also welcome to bring someone with you to the appointment, as long as you're comfortable discussing things with them.

• In some cases, the doctor or nurse may ask for your permission to arrange a chaperone.

We use a confidential telephone interpreter service.  This does not need to be arranged in advance.  However if you are aware that you will need this service and can let us know, it will help us be prepared for your visit.

You are welcome to bring a friend or family member to act as interpreter, provided that you are happy to discuss things with them.

The NHS website is available to anyone worldwide, provided they have access to the internet.

The NHS 111 advice line is not available to patients outside of the UK.

If you are away from home but still in the UK, we can still offer you advice and treatment, as most of our consultations are remote (telephone, text, email, etc.). This means it doesn’t matter whether you’re at home or elsewhere in the UK.

In-Person Visits:
If we feel an in-person consultation is necessary, you will be asked to either return to Cambridge or contact a local GP in your current area to be seen as a temporary patient. Important: If you register fully with another GP practice, your registration with us will be automatically cancelled.

Prescriptions:

• We can send prescriptions to any pharmacy in England. Please provide the pharmacy’s postcode.

• For Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland: We cannot send prescriptions there.

• No Paper Prescriptions: We no longer issue paper prescriptions, so we cannot post them to you.

• You can arrange for someone to collect your medication from a pharmacy in England and send it to you. Otherwise, you will need to speak to a local GP as described above.

Not Currently in the UK

We do not offer medical advice to patients who are outside the UK.

Important Information:

• The NHS provides treatment only to patients who are within the UK.

• Our medical licences and insurance cover us to practice medicine only in the UK, meaning you must be in the UK to receive our services.

If You Are Outside the UK:

• If you need medical advice beyond what is available on the NHS website, you will need to contact local medical services in your area.

• We strongly recommend having appropriate medical travel insurance before starting your journey.