At present, the entire NHS is being increasingly overwhelmed by the ever-rising demands put on their services. Castle Donington Surgery is no exception.

We share your frustrations with regard to your difficulties booking appointments. Unfortunately, the demand is higher than our capacity. We also recognise that getting through on the phone is often very difficult, especially in the morning. If you require a non-urgent appointment, please try calling at different times.

Following recent feedback, we have increased the number of patients able to queue in our phone system. We hope that this may reduce the number of attempts it takes to get through to us. 

Hospital Appointments - We are not able to give information on hospital appointments. If you are waiting for a hospital appointment, please call the telephone number on your referral letter and speak to the relevant department.  

1. If you think your problem or condition is life-threatening call 999.
   
   
2. Not sure what to do? Call NHS 111.
   In Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland there are many places you can go if you urgently need healthcare, but it is not a serious or life-threatening emergency.
   
   If you are unsure of the service you need, or you need immediate medical advice, call 111. You can now also access NHS111 Online.
   
   Depending on the situation, the NHS 111 team can connect you to a nurse, emergency dentist or even a GP, and can arrange face-to-face appointments if they think you need one. NHS 111 advisers can also assess if you need an ambulance and send one immediately.
   
   
3. Call the practice. If you still feel that we are the most suitable source of help please call and speak to a member of the team.

Face to face

Although not mandatory, face masks are still encouraged when in the practice. Especially for those patients with respiratory or flu-like symptoms.

When booking, please let the member of staff know if you would prefer a telephone or face to face consultation.

Telephone consultations are appointments

Lots of patients still prefer to consult over the telephone, please let the team know your preference when booking.

Each call is allocated an appointment and there is no such thing as "a quick chat with the doctor" or "it's only a telephone call".

Please arrive as close to your appointment time as possible and use the electronic check-in screen, especially when reception is busy. 

If you arrive late, you may be asked to rebook your appointment.  This may not be the same day due to capacity and room planning.

We have recently made changes to our appointment system and are again allowing pre-bookable appointments.

**As noted at the top of the page, appointments are in very high demand and demand is currently higher than our capacity. While we do have these appointments in our system, they may not always be available.

• Routine pre-bookable.
  Ideal for patients who wish to book appointments in advance with their preferred doctor. These appointments are often booked 6 - 8 weeks in advance and are also used by doctors and staff when booking in patients for their follow up / reviews. 
  
  
• 4 day pre-bookable.
  Every day we release a small number of appointments 4 days ahead. These appointments are helpful for patients whose issue is not urgent for today and for those who wish to book with their preferred doctor. 
  
  
• Urgent on the day.
  Every day we have a duty doctor who will aim to deal with clinically urgent medical problems. These appointments will be reserved for patients whose issues cannot wait. 
  
  The duty doctor will be unable to deal with non-urgent or routine follow-up appointments.
  
  
• Extended Access (early mornings, late evenings and even weekends)
  Extended access appointments are now available for a variety of services including GP consultations, dressings, smear tests and phlebotomy. These appointments are being offered by our PCN (North West Leicestershire PCN) on a daily basis.
  The available appointments and services change on a weekly basis.
  Appointments at two of the PCN hubs which are Ashby and Coalville are now being offered to patients by our Patient Services Team.
  
  Castle Donington Surgery is also providing extended access appointments from the practice. For now we are concentrating on the Flu vaccine program. 

 Blood tests at Castle Donington Surgery

We have a limited number of blood test appointments available at the practice. 

If you are unable to travel and require a test at the surgery, please call reception to book.

There have been some changes to the way home visits have been made since the start of the pandemic. Within Leicestershire, a dedicated home visiting service (Acute Home Visiting Service) was set up to provide care at home to those who need it. They provide vital clinical support to GP practices at this time.

We are happy to provide care at home where appropriate. We understand patients and their carers prefer care to take place in the home rather than in the hospital. 

• We ask for home visit requests to be made before 10:30 am where possible
  
  
• Home visit requests will be reviewed by the duty GP and triaged over the telephone first.
  
  
• Requests may be passed on to our acute home visiting service.

It is important that you inform us if you are unable to attend your appointment, this will allow that appointment to be offered to another patient.

If you fail to notify the practice that you are unable to attend, you may be sent a letter or text message informing you that you have defaulted from your appointment.

Persistent defaulters may be removed from the practice's patient list.

We have a texting service which allows you to receive confirmation and reminders about your appointments.

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

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

Please note. The receipt of a reminder is not guaranteed. Not attending an appointment due to not having a text reminder will not be accepted as a valid excuse.