Appointment’s are available by submitting a Medical Request on our Online Request form
Please contact the surgery by using our online request form, This is a great way for you to contact the practice for non-urgent medical and admin requests. It is very simple to fill out so please do give it a go if you need to contact us. We really think this will be far easier for most people than waiting on hold to speak to a receptionist but would love to hear your feedback.
The majority of our routine appointments are now Face to Face but we do still have some telephone appointments depending on your preference.
Our main priority is to keep our patients safe.
If you are experiencing symptoms of a Covid-19, please follow NHS England guidance.
APPOINTMENTS LINE ONLY: 01462 810034 or APPOINTMENT REQUEST VIA ONLINE REQUEST BUTTON
We run all our surgeries by an appointment only system. Appointments can be booked by completing an online request form to be triages by a clinician. Practice Nurse, Healthcare Assistants and Phlebotomy appointments can be booked by telephoning the surgery on 01462 810034
(Please note that all calls are recorded by the practice, see our Privacy statement for further information)
We try to make sure you are contacted by the doctor of your choice but if they are not available we may ask you to speak to another doctor.
If you require a visit at home, please call the surgery before 10am. Home visits take up much more of a doctor’s time than a consultation in the surgery, so the doctor will triage you over the telephone first.
We do not make appointments by either email or fax.
Patients are advised not turn up at the Surgery unless they have a booked appointment to prevent the spread of infection.
If you have an infectious disease and have a face to face appointment
If you are asked down for a face to face appointment and have potential covid-19 symptoms or another infectious disease the clinician may advise you how to enter the building, arrange a separate waiting room or consultation room. The clinician you see could be in full protective equipment including: apron, gloves and masks; this is to protect themselves and you as patients from the potential spread of any infection.
Please help us, to help you.
We’re here for you, for longer – GP Extended Access Service
Appointments with a GP or Practice Nurse are now available in the evenings and weekends for patients registered at this practice, these are called ‘Extended Access’ appointments. We are working with other practices in Bedfordshire to provide these additional appointments to increase access to healthcare at times that are convenient to patients.
When you call to make an appointment we may offer you an ‘Extended Access’ appointment, this appointment could be held at another practice and with a GP or Practice Nurse from another practice. Our reception team will confirm all of the details at the time of booking and if you are registered to receive text message alerts, you will receive a text message to confirm the date, time and location of your appointment.
At the current time, Extended Access appointments are not available to book online.
There has been no change to normal surgery appointments which are available as usual. If you would prefer to speak to a GP or Practice Nurse from this practice, please book an appointment during normal opening hours.
Online Appointment Booking
Patients are able to complete an Online Request to access appointments, Appointment links can be texted to patients.
Chaperone
On arrival please let Reception know if you require a chaperone to accompany you to your consultation with a clinician.
The Chaperone will be either a Nurse/Health Care Assistant or a trained member of the Practice Staff.
Phlebotomy Appointments
Phlebotomy appointments can be booked at Bedford Hospital. Unfortunately we do not have the capacity to offer this service routinely.
There are three ways that patients are able to book an appointment:
1. Using the Sangix online booking appointment system which is available 24/7. Patients will need to register online at Sangix :: Login
2. The automated telephone appointment booking service which is available 24/7 The booking telephone number is 01234 607075
3. By booking an appointment in person by visiting the reception desk at Gilbert Hitchcock House.
*The surgery will provide blood forms which can be printed out or emailed direct to patient.
The surgery can only offer this service for …
– Patients over 75
– Patients that have limited mobility
– For long term condition reviews
– Urgent tests required by the GP
Missed Appointments
Appointments at this Practice are in great demand and it whilst the failure to attend one appointment may be an oversight on your part it does nothing to help us to meet the ever increasing demand for appointments.
On average we have 120 Failed to Attend appointments per month and this equates to one Doctors time for a whole week: we simply do not have the resources to accommodate so many missed appointments.
It is for this reason we ask that you notify us if you cannot attend so that the appointment can be offered to another Patient.
Because of this we are obliged to operate a policy of removing Patients from our list if they fail to attend for appointments on more than two occasions.
Cancelling appointments
We have noted the feedback with regards to cancelling appointments. As we cannot set up a dedicated phone line for this, we now have an email address: bedccg.cancel.sheffordhealthcentre@nhs.net
Please use the above email address if you need to cancel an appointment at the surgery. Appointments can also be cancelled by contacting the appointment line on 01462 810034 or cancelling via patient online access.
PLEASE NOTE THAT APPOINTMENTS CANNOT BE REBOOKED VIA EMAIL.
Missed Blood Test Appointments
We have an extremely limited amount of phlebotomy time available.
If you DNA a blood test you will be asked to rebook this at one of the hospital clinics rather than rebooking with us.
It is therefore in your best interests and those of other Patients to inform Reception, as soon as possible, if you are unable to attend for your appointment(s).
Pharmacy First
From February 2024, people across Bedfordshire can pop down to their local pharmacy for help with seven minor conditions which would previously have required a GP appointment.
The service enables pharmacists to offer advice to patients and supply NHS medicines (including antibiotics), where clinically appropriate, for:
1. Sinusitis – for children and adults aged 12 years and over;
2. Sore throat – for children and adults aged 5 years and over;
3. Earache (Acute otitis media) – for children aged 1 to 17 years;
4. Infected insect bite – for children and adults aged 1 year and over;
5. Impetigo – for children and adults aged 1 year and over;
6. Shingles – for adults aged 18 years and over; and
7. Uncomplicated urinary tract infections in women aged 16 to 64 years.
It is hoped that the service will be expanded to include more conditions in
