If there are no appointments left on the day you phone and you think you need urgent medical attention you may be offered an emergency appointment.  These are for conditions which if not treated today could develop into something far more serious and may even require hospital treatment. The clinician will make the decision after triaging your request as to whether your symptoms require an emergency appointment.

Branston Surgery is part of the South Lincoln Healthcare Federation which is pleased to be able to offer our patients access to routine GP appointments at evenings and weekends across its Practices.

The new service is part of an extended access service which has been commissioned by NHS Lincolnshire West Clinical Commissioning Group.

The appointments will also be available on bank holidays and across the Easter, Christmas and New Year periods

Extended hours appointments are for pre-bookable non-urgent appointments only.

For urgent matters at evenings and weekends, patients will continue to access the GP Out of Hours Services at Lincoln County Hospital via NHS 111 or the Minor Injuries Unit at John Coupland Hospital.

The service is being delivered by a collaboration of GP practices in the area. If a patient wishes to attend an extended hours appointment, they may need to travel to another local GP practice or a central GP practice hub and may not necessarily see their own GP.

In our Federation which includes Washingborough Surgery, Bassingham Surgery, Navenby Surgery, Brant Road Surgery, Church Walk Surgery - Metheringham & The Heath Surgery the appointments will be available between 6.30 pm to 8pm – Monday to Friday and 9am to 10am on Saturday and Sunday mornings.

To arrange an appointment or for more information on when and where appointments are available, speak to the practice receptionist.

When you contact the surgery either by phone or face to face the receptionist will request that we put a reason for your visit to the surgery. If it is personal the reception will ask if it is and if you reply yes then personal will be added to the appointment slot and no further questions will be asked for this appointment.

Why Do We Do This? 

The reason behind this was that the GP's felt it was useful to have an idea as to why you were coming to see them so that they were aware before you walk into their consultation room which could save time. If a patient gives a specific reason to see a GP which could be dealt by another clinician it could save two visits.

We try to see you within 30mins of your appointment time and will give you an explanation if a delay does occur - for example if the doctor is called away on an emergency. 

As time is very limited during a consultation we request that you only present one problem per consultation. If you need to present more than one problem please request a double appointment.

Patients should only request a visit if they are housebound, have a serious illness and are too poorly or infirm to attend the surgery.  

Before requesting a home visit the practice would be grateful if patients could investigate all means of getting to the surgery. Home visits are really for those who are bed or house bound and cannot physically move to get to the surgery.

The GP’S have all the clinical information and equipment to hand at the surgery in order to treat and diagnose which will be unvailable to them at your house.  

A home visit can take upto an hour of a GP’s time and is therefore crucial that we use this resource wisely.  

If however you still feel a home visit is required please contact the surgery before 10.30am if possible in order that the gp’s can plan for the visits at lunchtime.  

Please remember that several patients can be seen in the practice in the time that it takes to make one home visit. There are also better facilities for examining and treating patients at the surgery.

If you have been referred to a consultant or specialist service then please be advised that the average wait time for being seen at present is up to 18 weeks and for urgent referrals this can be up to 8 weeks. These times are beyond the control of the Practice.

If you have any queries regarding your hospital appointment or for a follow up please ring the new appointments line for Lincoln County on 573200 in the first instance, who will be able to assist you as the Practice does not have details of the dates or times of your appointments at hospitals.

It is important that you inform the reception staff 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 will be sent a letter informing you that you have defaulted from your appointment. Persistent defaulters maybe removed from the list.

You can also complete our appointment cancellation notification request form. This can only be used if your appointment has been arranged for more than 24 hours in advance. (excluding weekends and public holidays). You can also text to cancel your appointment.

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 attend your appointment on time, if you are late you may not be seen. If you are not seen you will not be able to rearrange your appointment until the next working day-except in the event of an medical emergency that requires immediate attention.

If you require an interpreter to attend with you when you see your Doctor please notify the receptionist and they will arrange this for you.