Appointments

To request an urgent appointment for today or tomorrow (Monday to Friday)

• Phone us Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 6.30pm on 020 8863 8923 and select the Appointments option.
  Busiest time is 8.30-10.30am on Mondays – please call after 10am – (we do NOT release all the appointments at 8.30am).

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.

To request a routine appointment in the next 7 days

• Use an online form to request an appointment. We will respond within our opening hours. We are open Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 6.30pm.
• Phone us Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 6.30pm on 020 8863 8923 and select the Appointments option.
  Busiest time is 8.30-10.30am on Mondays – please call after 10am – (we do NOT release all the appointments at 8.30am).

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.

Your appointment

You will initially be offered a telephone consultation with a Clinician except for things like blood tests/smear tests which are offered by our HCAs and Nurses.

Telephone appointments usually mean that the doctor, nurse or clinician can help you sooner.

Cancelling or changing an appointment

Telephone the Surgery as soon as possible on 0208 863 8923, and at least 30 minutes before your appointment time

Cancellations notified less than 30 minutes before the appointment time will be recorded as failure to attend (DNA).

Repeated failure to attend booked appointments is a significant waste of NHS resources. It may result in you being de-registered from the Practice.

England Bank Holidays

Below are the dates when the Surgery is closed for bank holidays.

If you need help when we are closed

If the situation is an emergency or life threatening, dial 999 and ask for an ambulance.

For urgent medical advice between 6.30pm and 8.30am weekdays, or during weekends and Bank Holidays, use NHS 111.

For children under 5 phone 111.

For people aged 5 and over go to the 111.nhs.uk website.

Your nearest urgent care centre

The following urgent care centre is located nearby to Harrow:

Northwick Park Hospital Urgent Care Centre
Watford Road
Harrow
HA1 3UJ

Opening Times: 24 hours a day, seven days a week
Telephone: 020 8864 3232

GP Access Centres

These GP Access Centres provide additional clinical times, during a period when there are considerable pressures on your GP Practice. This service enables patients to receive timely access to primary care services in in their locality, but not necessarily at their usual GP Practice.

These Access Centres enable GP Practices to direct patients to a local Practice that is open during evenings and weekends, in order to achieve 08:00hrs – 20:00hrs access to primary care.

Access appointments can be booked via the Practice or by calling NHS 111.

The GP Access Centre is located at:

The Belmont Health Centre  516 Kenton Lane, Harrow.  HA3 7LT

The Pinn Medical Centre  Love Lane, Pinner.  HA5 3EE

Opening Hours: 08:00 -20:00 Monday – Sunday

If you need help with your appointment

Please tell us:

• If you need an interpreter.
• If you have any other access or communication needs.
• If you would like a chaperone.

DNA = DID NOT ATTEND

The impact of missing a booked appointment either face to face or on the telephone with a clinician

At Headstone Road Surgery, during any month, an average of 3% patients are recorded as being a DNA, meaning that the patient neither attended their appointment nor advised the Practice within 24 hours prior to the scheduled appointment, to enable a cancellation or change to their appointment to be made.

The effects

• An increase in waiting times for patients resulting in the risk of worsening patients’ health
• A waste of the organisation’s time – not simply the clinicians’ time but also that of the administration team as the appointment invariably needs to be rebooked
• Cost to the wider NHS in the requirement of additional clinicians
• Potential of risk to a child who is reliant upon an adult to ensure that they attend their appointment

By reducing the number of DNAs Headstone Road Surgery will

• Enhance the efficiency of clinical sessions
• Reduce costs
• Increase productivity
• Offer a more effective service to patients
• Enable more effective booking of slots

This Practice’s DNA Policy is as follows

It should be noted that, whilst unacceptable in most cases, there may be extenuating circumstances as to why the patient failed to attend their appointment.
Should there not be any mitigating reasons, then an initial letter explaining the DNA will be sent to the patient via accurx.

If the patient fails to attend a second appointment within a 12-month period, and should there be no reasonable mitigating circumstances, a further letter will be sent to the patient via accurx.

Should the patient then fail to attend a third appointment within the same 12-month period, a decision will be made by the GP Partners at Headstone Road Surgery as to whether the patient is to be removed from the Practice List.