There many services which you can access without a referral from your GP. For example, you can access mental health support or physiotherapy for ongoing joint pain without seeing a GP. You can also contact health visitors and school nurses about children's health and wellbeing.

You can also manage many conditions at home with self-care, or with a visit to your local pharmacy, such as hay fever, coughs and colds. For more information, visit our "Self-Help and Self-Referral" page.

Appointments with our doctors and nurses are available Monday to Friday at varying times throughout the day to offer flexibility of access to patients. We release new appointments each day at 8:30am.

Please be aware that our phone lines will be closed between 12:45pm - 1:45pm.

Making an Appointment

You can make an appointment:

• online
• using the NHS App
• by calling the practice
• by visiting the reception desk

Appointments will normally be booked with the earliest available doctor. If you want to see a specific doctor, please ask the receptionist.

How does the service work?

• Complete a simple form about your problem or request
• Your GPs decide on the best treatment for you
• The practice responds with advice, a prescription or an appointment

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.  They may contact you prior to visiting to assess your medical condition.

It is important that you inform the reception staff if you are unable to attend your appointment. This means we can offer that appointment to another patient.

You can cancel your appointment

• online or on the NHS App
• by responding to your text reminder
• by calling reception on 01293 510900 from 8:30am
• by email to ifieldmedicalpractice@nhs.net, but only if your appointment is more than 24 hours away, excluding weekends and public holidays.

If you miss your appointment without cancelling, you will be sent a SMS text informing you that you have missed your appointment. If you miss many appointments, you may be removed from our list and asked to find another GP surgery.

Our practice nurses see patients by appointment. They have surgeries throughout the day seeing patients with:

• diabetes
• respiratory problems such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
• ischaemic heart disease
• high blood pressure.

They also see patients for:

• cervical smears
• travel advice and vaccinations
• new patient registration checks
• general health promotion

Ifield Medical Practice has been approved for GP and medical student training. Each year one or more fully qualified doctors with hospital experience may spend time with the practice. This is part of their training to become GPs.

Occasionally, medical students may also spend time with the Practice. All of our trainees and students work closely with our GP partners. Sometimes other doctors who oversee training standards visit the surgery. They inspect patient medical records during these visits to check training standards. Please tell reception if you do not want your medical records included.