Do not use Engage Consult to request home visits or for medical emergencies.

We have introduced a new way to consult with your Practice or Health Professional online. Engage Consult allows patients to connect with their GP Practice. They can access services online from a PC, tablet, or smartphone. Patients can access the Engage Consult application from our website (see above). Engage Consult provides:

• Self-care information

• An online consultation that involves answering simple questions about symptoms. Please complete the symptom questionnaire. It is very useful for the GP or healthcare professional. The system sends a report to the GP or other Healthcare Professional. They can respond with the best action. This could be seeing the patient in person or by video, calling the patient, or issuing a prescription.

This service is available to patients Monday to Friday.  This service is not available during weekends or Bank Holidays.

If a patient sends a consultation after hours, they will get a response. The response will state that they will address their consultation on the next work day.

• Patients should only use the Engage Consult service to discuss routine medical problems.

• You can also use the service for administrative or medication questions. You can use it to request a sick note or tell the Practice about a change of address.

Patient Guide - How to Register for Engage Consult

Patient Guide - How to send a Consult

Patients can see a clinician face to face for all new acute illnesses that have not been previously treated by a clinician.   

‘’We would like to inform our patients that we record, store, monitor and use incoming and outgoing calls, emails and any other communication with the practice for training purposes and to improve the quality of our services. Calls are stored on a standalone recording system and may be accessed for training or monitoring purposes. Calls are automatically deleted after 12 months.

To request a routine appointment in the next 7 days:

• phone us on 01323 725667, Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 5.30pm
• visit the surgery and speak with a receptionist, Monday to Friday frm 8.30am to 5.30pm.
• contact the Practice via 'Engage Consult'.

When you get in touch, we'll ask what you need help with.

We will use the information you give us to choose the most suitable doctor, nurse or health professional to help you. 

You can prebook in advance or book on the day with our clinicians in the 'Extended Access Service'. We track our appointment capacity. We do this to ensure we have an equal number of clinicians in the mornings and afternoons across the week. This is to meet patient demand.

We still use a full appointment system with our Nursing Team. Patients can book an appointment up to 4 weeks in advance, often more. You can't book these appointments online. This is because they have complex timings. We appreciate you understanding the need to book these bookings. 

If you feel you are in need of an urgent appointment ring us from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm on 01323 725667.  The team will triage patients who request an urgent appointment' for a condition and we will use the information you give to us to choose the most suitable doctor, nurse or health professional to help you. We will use the resources available and consider the severity of the condition.

Patients can trust that patient safety is the top concern for the team at Seaside Medical Centre. 

For non-urgent medical assistance outside our normal surgery hours, just dial from any landline or mobile phone 111 or use NHS 111 online

Call 999 in a medical or mental health emergency. This is when somone is seriously ill or injured and their life is at risk. 

Evening and Saturday GP appointments are now available. Seaside Medical Centre now has access to an Extended Access Service. This service is for patients that need more flexibility to see a GP in the evening and weekend.

You can book appointments as usual through Seaside Medical Centre on 01323 725667. But, you will be seen at a different surgery and not by your own GP. When booking, the receptionist will ask if you consent to the GP seeing your full medical records. Unfortunately if you do not consent to this, the service would not be available to you.

We hope our patients will find this service helpful. We know it's not always easy to see a GP during the day when they may be working.

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

• by phone
• face to face at the surgery or with or clinicians at the Extended Access Service
• on a video call
• by text or email

Appointments by phone, video call or by test or email can be more flexible and often means you get help sooner.  The clinician will decide which consultation is best for your condition.

This service is currently unavailable but do have 'Engage Consult' for admin, medical queries, sick notes, prescription requests and other general enquiries. See 'Consult Online'. 

If you arrive late to your appointment, you may not be seen. Please make sure to attend on time. If you are not seen, you cannot move your appointment until the next working day. We need to tell patients that due to the Nurses clinics' structure, we cannot see anyone who arrives late (5 minutes or more). If you arrive after this time, we will ask you to reschedule unless there is a medical emergency that needs immediate attention. We hope you understand the importance of arriving on time for your appointment.

It is important to tell the reception staff if you can't attend your appointment. This will allow them to offer the appointment to another patient. If you fail to tell the Practice you can't attend, they will send you a letter. It will say you missed your appointment. We may remove persistent defaulters from the list.

To cancel your appointment:

• phone us on 01323 725667, press 1 and leave a voice message
• reply CANCEL to your appointment reminder text message
• contact the Practice via 'Engage Consult'.

Before a patient can see a GP/clinician in person, they must now screen the calls. The GP must talk to the patient on the phone first. Sometimes the GP needs to triage and treat the patient. They may need to send the patient a link to submit a photo. The photo will help the GP with the call.

It is important patients are aware of what is not acceptable when sending in a photo. We have put this simple diagram in place for patients to bear in mind What Shouldn't Be Shared.

If you need a translator for your appointment, tell the reception team. They will arrange this for you. Please be aware that it will take at least 24 hours to arrange this. So, you must phone in advance of your appointment. 

Please let us know if you would like a chaperone to attend your examination. Examinations are not available during our evening surgery. A chaperone is not available then.

If you are ill, need to see a doctor, and can't come to the surgery, please call before 10:00am. Give the staff all the details.

We reserve home visits for patients who are housebound, infirm, or unwell. Doctors will always encourage patients to come to the surgery. This is where the best care is. The surgery has specialist equipment. Tests are easier and doctors can issue medication if needed. Minor ailments won't get worse by coming into the surgery. We will attend to and treat you more promptly than if we conduct a home visit.

Please note, in the time it takes to see one person at home, your GP can see between three and four patients at the surgery. For this reason, if you request a home visit, your GP may call you back. They will do this to find out more about your problem before deciding to come out.

You can be visited at home by a community nurse if you are referred by your GP. A health visitor should also visit you at home. This happens if you have recently had a baby or if you are new to a GP and have a child under five.

We have a texting service. It lets you get confirmation and reminders for your appointments.

To have this service you will need to register by completing a consent form.

Please update your contact details with us. Tell us when you change your address, phone numbers, or email.

As a training practice, we may offer you an appointment with a GP registrar. These qualified doctors will have experience in several hospital specialties. They are completing their specialist training as a GP.

We also teach medical students and they may ask you to see the doctor or nurse with them present. We will always ask you beforehand if this is okay. You may ask for the student to withdraw if you prefer a private consultation.