Appointments

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

• phone us on 028 3752 1500, Monday to Friday from 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.

The Friary Surgery now operates a triage system so all patients are asked to telephone the surgery and leave their details and an up to date telephone number that a clinician can contact you on. There will be no appointment requests taken at the reception desk.

An appropriate health care professional will always be available to provide telephone advice, or if a face-to-face appointment is required.

To request a routine appointment in the next 7 days:

• phone us on 028 3752 1500, Monday to Friday from 8.30am
• visit the surgery and speak with a receptionist, Monday to Friday from 9am

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.

More specialised procedures, such as coil fitting and minor surgery will be booked in advance and organised by the practice. Patients will then be contacted by the practice to inform them of the date and time of the appointment.

The GPs do not make or take telephone calls in the afternoons.

If you require telephone advice the receptionist will take your details and a contact number and a member of the clinical team (doctor or practice nurse) will endeavour to return your call within 24 hours.

If you require urgent telephone advice this must be stated and will be directed to the doctor who is on call for emergencies.

Please ensure that you can be contacted at the number you have provided as there are many requests for advice. We cannot repeatedly ring numbers which are engaged, on voicemail/answering machine, or not taking incoming calls.

It is essential that you telephone if you cannot keep your appointment. Even at short notice, we can usually allocate your appointment to someone else.

To cancel your appointment:

• phone us on 028 3752 1500, Monday to Friday from 8:30am to 6.00pm
• reply CANCEL to your appointment reminder text message

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

• by phone
• face to face at the surgery

Appointments by phone can be more flexible and often means you get help sooner.

The reception desk will not be open until 9am, however, if you have a pre-arranged appointment before 9am please use the automated check-in system to alert the Practice Nurse or GP that you are here for your appointment.

As a result of government changes, patients are now registered with the practice rather than with an individual GP.

Appointments are for 10 minutes but some patients’ problems take longer than others. Please be patient if there is some delay. If you feel you will need a longer appointment than usual please let the receptionist know and we will try to make provision for this.

When the surgery is closed and the problem cannot wait until normal surgery hours please phone the Southern Area Urgent Care Service who now have responsibility for out of hours care on 028 38399201 where your problem will be handled by fully qualified doctors. Please do not abuse this service.  

Please do not ask to see a doctor out of hours unless you genuinely cannot wait until the surgery re-opens.

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

Please tell us:

• if there’s a specific doctor, nurse or other health professional you would prefer to respond
• if you would prefer to consult with the doctor or nurse by phone, face-to-face, by video call or by text or email
• if you need an interpreter
• if you have any other access or communication needs

Home visits are carried out for housebound patients and those who cannot come to the surgery for medical reasons

Please do not ask the doctor to make a home visit if you are well enough to come to the surgery. In general most consultations are best carried out in the surgery and, in particular, visits for children should rarely be necessary.

If you request a home visit you should give a full description of the patients’ condition to the receptionist so that the doctor can judge if a home visit is necessary, and can assess its’ urgency.

Only the doctor can assess if a home visit is necessary.

All requests for home visits should be made by telephoning 028 3752 1500 before 10.30am.

Emergency visits only will be arranged after that time.