We are constantly considering ways in which we can improve our service to you, bearing in mind the resources we have available and the limitations which our present surgery sets on us. After very careful planning and consideration we have decided to introduce from the beginning of March, a new Appointment System which is known as 'Advanced Access.' Over 105 practices in the Eastern Region have introduced this system and it has been extremely successful.

Under this new system it will mean that there will be no need for you to book an appointment days or weeks in advance to guarantee you get the appointment on the day you want. We plan to have the majority of appointments free and available to you on a daily basis and obviously to do this we will keep virtually all appointments free until the same day.

We understand that this change could take some time to 'settle in' but unless your normal doctor is away from the surgery, remember that almost all of his or her appointments will be available to book on the day that you actually need your appointment. It is perfectly acceptable for you to see another doctor if your registered doctor is not available, as your notes are kept updated at every consultation. For those of you who are restricted to fit in with your working hours, we will endeavour to make exceptions and offer appointments early morning or late afternoon, but we do ask you to note that these will be exceptions. Our specialised clinics, such as the Diabetes, Chronic Heart Disease and Minor Surgery will continue to be available and pre-bookable.

There will be no need to ring the surgery first thing in the morning, unless an emergency, and indeed we suggest you will be able to get through to us easier after the early morning rush which has usually finished by 10.00 am. Mondays are our busiest days, so if you feel your call is not urgent for a Monday we would advise ringing on another day. For general enquiries or test results we would continue to advise that you ring in the afternoon rather than the morning.

Obviously we are all committed here to providing you with the best possible service we can and once Advanced Access has started we will welcome your comments in a 'comment book' which will be available at the Reception, and which will be reviewed on a weekly basis by our Practice Manager and Office Manager.