How to access your GP
If you can't get an appointment
- Many GP surgeries in Barnet receive hundreds of phone calls a day
- We know some patients don’t have internet access, or have an urgent health problem – in these cases, it’s crucial to have the option of phoning
- If you've got a non-urgent problem and can contact your surgery online, this might be quicker
- All GP surgeries have online messaging - you can find this on their website, and send a message to request a non-urgent appointment
- This may be switched on 8am - 6.30pm Monday to Friday, but some surgeries may switch this off earlier, when capacity for the day is reached
- GPs use different apps - usually either Accurx, eConsult or PATCHS
- Many surgeries aim to reply by the end of the next working day - see your GP's website for more information
- Often, surgeries also use the NHS App and Patient Access for online messaging
- On these apps, you can order repeat prescriptions and view your health records
- Some surgeries let you book non-urgent appointments for yourself, online, using these apps e.g. smear tests, vaccinations
- However, surgeries often ask patients to send a message requesting an appointment
- If the NHS App says no appointments are available, this might not be right – it often means you need to message asking for a non-urgent appointment
- If you want to learn how to use the NHS App, these short videos may help
- We do not recommend emailing your GP surgery about medical issues
- Because of the number of messages they receive, many surgeries are not able to reply to emails quickly - this might mean a long delay before you hear back
- Messages sent through the NHS App, Patient Access, Accurx, eConsult or PATCHS (depending which apps your surgery uses) will be added to your other records - they are more likely to get a response
If you can't get an appointment
If you need help quickly, but it is not a 999 emergency, you can call NHS 111 for free 24 hours a day, or request an evening or weekend GP appointment. In addition, pharmacies can now prescribe medication for seven common ailments, and you can visit a Barnet NHS walk-in centre 8am to 8pm seven days a week (last appointment booked at 7pm).
If you have a minor illness or injury, as well as going to a walk-in centre, you can visit the Barnet Hospital Urgent Treatment Centre, 8am to midnight seven days a week (at Barnet Hospital, minor injuries are seen from 8am onwards, and minor illnesses are seen by GPs, who start at 10am).
Finally, patients often tell us about difficulties with arranging GP appointments, and we understand that this guide won’t fully solve this issue. GP access is a national problem, and we regularly share data with Healthwatch England to feed into their campaigning on this issue. Where there are things that can be done locally, we are working with GPs and the NHS in North Central London on this.
