Contact us with Anima
You can contact a doctor, nurse or other healthcare professional online using a website called Anima.
Urgent appointments
To request an urgent appointment for today or tomorrow (Monday to Friday) during opening times:
- use the Anima service
- phone us on Parkside Family Practice 0118 926 0026 or Woodley Park Surgery 0118 926 0026
When you get in touch, we’ll ask what you need help with.
We will use your answers to choose the most suitable doctor, nurse or healthcare professional to help you.
If your problem is urgent we guarantee to see you within 48 hours and if you need to be seen the same day and there are no appointments left we can get a doctor to ring you to assess the situation.
Routine appointments
To request a routine appointment in advance during opening times:
- use the Anima service
- phone us on Parkside Family Practice 0118 926 0026 or Woodley Park Surgery 0118 926 0026
- use your NHS account (through the NHS website or NHS App)
When you get in touch, we’ll ask what you need help with.
We will use your answers to choose the most suitable doctor, nurse or healthcare professional to help you.
You will be asked by reception staff:
1) if your problem can be dealt with on the phone
2) for an idea of the problem so they can direct you to the most appropriate appointment.
Appointments are available everyday, they can be booked at any time of day, you do not have to ring at 8:00am when phones are busy and you do not have to come down at 8:00am.
Telephone appointments
Telephone appointments are a very effective way to deal with many problems. If you have an urgent medical concern, a doctor or nurse can often give advice about what to do in the early stages of an illness which can avoid an unnecessary trip to the surgery. They are also very useful if you want to ask the doctor for advice about a health concern or about your medication. They may be able to provide you with a prescription over the phone or advice about what you should do.
This is ideal if you want:
- Advice regarding medication or a prescription change
- Advice regarding ongoing illnesses with your usual doctor
- To request forms, certificates or referrals
- To request tests or x-rays to diagnose a condition
Book in advance
We provide appointments which can be booked up to six weeks in advance so that you can plan when it is best for you to attend.
These ‘pre-bookable’ appointments may be booked at any time of the day, either by phone or in person at either surgery. Some pre-bookable appointments can also be booked online using Patient Access. We try to provide a range of appointments so that you can book with a doctor of your choice within two working weeks.
This is ideal if:
- You need a routine review e.g yearly check for an ongoing condition
- You need to see your usual doctor about a chronic illness
- You need to see a particular doctor to follow up an ongoing problem
- You know when you need to be seen e.g after a hospital appointment or test
- You can wait
What you can do to make it easier
- Let us know if you think your condition can be dealt with on the phone, a telephone appointment can be arranged with a doctor or nurse.
- Please inform us as soon as possible if you cannot attend an appointment for any reason. This will allow us to give the slot to someone else.
- Try to see the same doctor for ongoing problems, your care will be more effective and you will build up a relationship with that doctor.
- Be prepared to give the receptionists a little bit of information about your problem so they can direct you to the most appropriate appointment or person.
- Please be patient with us, we will do our best to sort out your problem in the way that is most appropriate for the condition you have.
- Rudeness on the phone or in surgeries will not be accepted and our practice supports Zero Tolerance regarding abuse. If this should happen, you could be asked to register elsewhere.
Cancelling or changing an appointment
To cancel your appointment:
- use your NHS account (through the NHS website or NHS App)
- use the Anima service
- phone us on Parkside Family Practice 0118 926 0026 or Woodley Park Surgery 0118 926 0026 during opening times
If you need help when we are closed
If you need medical help now, use NHS 111 online or call 111.
NHS 111 online is for people aged 5 and over. Call 111 if you need help for a child under 5.
Call 999 in a medical or mental health emergency. This is when someone is seriously ill or injured and their life is at risk.
If you need help with your appointment
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
Whilst we encourage our patients to come to the surgery, where we have the proper equipment and facilities available, we do appreciate this is not always possible. In this respect, if you do need a home visit, you can help us by calling reception before 10:30am.
You may only request a home visit if you are housebound or are too ill to visit the practice. Your GP will only visit you at home if they think that your medical condition requires it and will also decide how urgently a visit is needed. Please bear this in mind and be prepared to provide suitable details to enable the doctor to schedule house calls.