Appointments 
GP and nurse surgeries are by appointment and can be made in person, by telephone or online. Surgery is held every morning between 09:00 and 12:00 and each evening between 14:00 and 18:00 (times vary daily according to GP or Nurse).
We always see patients the same day if necessary.
Types of Appointment
There are many conditions that can be easily dealt with without making you come up to the surgery. Examples include medication reviews, discussions of blood tests and simple conditions such as urinary infections, sore throats and gastroenteritis.
For more complicated problems it often makes sense to arrange X-rays or blood tests in advance of a face–to–face appointment in the surgery.
We request all patients submit an online request which will be triaged by our doctors. You will receive a response usually the same day which could include arranging a telephone or face to face appointment, recommendation regarding self care, a prescription, referral to an appropriate service, consulting a pharmacist or an answer to a specific question or query.
Telephone appointment times are approximate – you will be phoned as near to the time as possible.
Requests for home visits will also be booked from an initial telephone appointment with a doctor, therefore please ensure requests are made before 10:30 to allow time for the doctor to ring back before going out on visits.
It is important that enough time is allowed for your appointment. Some appointments need longer, for example 20 minutes should be allowed for a smear test. The amount of time routinely booked for appointments is 10 minutes.
If you feel you will need more time with the doctor or nurse, please mention this to the receptionist when booking your appointment.
Our practice nurses offer morning and evening appointments daily in the treatment room for dressings, ear syringing, injections, blood tests, removal of stitches, blood pressure checks etc. When booking an appointment with the nurse, if possible, please give the reason for your visit – nurses specialise in different areas and the length of the appointment may differ to make sure adequate time is allowed.
Our healthcare assistants are qualified to take bloods, they cannot give advice and have limited time for each blood appointment. If you have further health questions please do not hesitate to discuss them with a Practice nurse or GP – they will be more than happy to help.
Medical consultations, examinations and investigations can be distressing. During a consultation it will become apparent if a chaperone will be necessary. The Doctor or Nurse will offer you the choice of having a chaperone present during your examination.
Cancellations
If you cannot attend an appointment for any reason please inform us as soon as possible in order for us to give the slot to someone else.
Continuity of Care
Our practice is working to improve continuity of care, but what does that mean for you?
At Mendip Country Practice, we believe you will get the most effective care if you have a strong relationship with your Doctor or Nurse. Sometimes this may be your named doctor, or another clinician you see more regularly. Seeing the same person when you attend is one way of strengthening that relationship and we are working hard to make sure that is possible. Please read below document for more information.
Continuity of Care