Urgent appointments
To request an urgent appointment for today or tomorrow (Monday to Friday):
- phone us on 01706 397 600, Monday to Friday from 8am to 6.30pm
- visit the surgery and speak with a receptionist, Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm
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.
Routine appointments
To request a routine appointment in the next 7 days:
- use our appointment request form
- phone us on 01706 397 600, Monday to Friday from 8am to 6.30pm
- visit the surgery and speak with a receptionist, Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm
- use your NHS account (through the NHS website or NHS App) to book a screening test or vaccination
Routine appointments are usually for 10 minutes. If you feel your problem may require longer than this, please inform the receptionist at the time of booking.
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
However you choose to contact us, we may offer you a consultation:
- by phone
- face to face at the surgery
- on a video call
- by text or email
Appointments by phone, video call or by text or email can be more flexible and often means you get help sooner.
Cancelling or changing an appointment
To cancel your appointment:
- use your NHS account (through the NHS website or NHS App)
- phone us on 01706 397600, Monday to Friday from 8am to 6.30pm
- reply CANCEL to your appointment reminder text message
Due to an increase in the number of patients failing to attend appointments without informing the surgery, it has become necessary to implement the following policy:
- If you repeatedly fail to attend appointments you may be removed from this practice list and be required to find an alternative doctor.
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
There is always a doctor available for emergencies. If you need a doctor urgently, please telephone 01706 397600. Do explain to the receptionist the nature of the problem, so that emergencies may be given priority.
Home visits are for patients who are too ill or infirm to attend at the surgery.
Home visits take up more of the doctor’s time, therefore please do not ask the doctor to call unless the patient is genuinely too ill to come to the surgery. Lack of transport, inconvenience or minor ailments are not reasons for a home visit. If possible, home visits should be requested before 11am so that the doctor’s day may be planned effectively.
In an emergency, telephone 01706 397600 any time of day or night. A recorded message will give you the number of the out-of-hours service.
Further Information
Care Navigation
Please remember that it is not always necessary to see a GP. A Practice Nurse or a Healthcare Assistant, or another service such as an Optician or Community Pharmacy, may be more appropriate and for this reason our receptionists have been trained to cover a more diverse role and will now be working in the practice as Care Navigators. This is a role that is being introduced in ALL practices across Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale.
The purpose of this role is to advise patients and carers about the sources of help and advice which are most relevant to their need. This new approach is not about denying our patients an appointment but actually using signposting for precisely the opposite motive – to make it easier for patients who need to see a GP to get an appointment, while shortening the time it takes to connect patients with the most appropriate person.
To help you make the appointment, the receptionist will need to know a little about why you need an appointment and so will ask you some very brief questions. This is because the receptionists have a number of alternative types of appointments available to them, and they need to offer you the most appropriate appointment to deal with your problem. The most appropriate appointment may be with your GP for example, or perhaps with another member of the practice team.
Minor Ailment Service
A number of community pharmacists take part in the Minor Ailments Scheme.
It is intended to be used by patients suffering from minor ailments to free up GP time for more serious cases.
If you are suffering from any of the ailments listed below the pharmacist will have a short consultation with you.
If you do not pay for prescriptions and the pharmacist recommends treatment you will not pay for this treatment either.
- Allergies
- Bites or Stings
- Hay fever
- Colds or Flu
- Conjunctivitis
- Nasal Congestion
- Diarrhoea
- Fever (High Temperature)
- Vaginal Thrush
- Indigestion or Heartburn
- Pain Relief
- Toothache
- Constipation
- Haemorrhoids
- Scabies
- Sore Throat
- Verruca / Wart
- Headache / Earache
- Eczema
- Soft Tissue Injury
- Athletes’ foot
- Cold sores
- Contact dermatitis
- Head lice
- Insect bites & Stings
- Temperature
- Dry Skin
- Nappy rash
- Conjunctivitis
- Ear Wax
- Threadworm
- Oral thrush
- Migraine
Minor Eye Conditions
If you have a recent problem with your eyes, you can be assessed and treated by the local Minor Eye Conditions Service and be treated by an optician.
Conditions that can be seen by this service include:
- Red eye or eyelids
- Dry eye, or gritty and uncomfortable eyes
- Irritation and inflammation of the eye
- Significant recent sticky discharge from the eye or watery eye
- In growing eyelashes
- Recently occurring flashes or floaters
- Recent and sudden loss of vision
- Foreign body in the eye
This service is free of charge and is for adults and children. Children under 16 years must be accompanied at their appointment by an adult.
The service is offered by local opticians at locations across Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale.
Appointments are available during normal working hours and some practices offer appointment at weekends.
Please note: this is not a walk-in service and patients require an appointment
To find your nearest participating optician click here.
Emergency Dental Service
The Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale Dental Access Centre provides emergency dental treatment to people who are unable to access a dentist during normal working hours.
This service operates 8am – 10pm seven days per week.
To make an appointment call Freephone 0333 332 3800.
Patients will be assessed over the telephone, prioritised according to need and offered an appointment if necessary at a specific time and place either the same day or next day, given advice or signposted to other services.
The service is based at:
Dental Access Centre,
90 Whitehall Street,
Rochdale,
OL12 0ND
For emergency treatment between 10pm and 8am patients should call NHS 111 for urgent dental advice.