Why we have changed the way you contact the surgery?

The aim of the new process will be to help us to easier manage the current demand coming into the surgery to ensure that we can continue to provide the most appropriate care to all our patients, with the appropriate member of the health care team and in as timely manner as possible.

The Klinik system will allow each patient to provide a more detailed summary of the clinical problem and the system will assist in the identification of the level of risk associated with each request, highlighting priority cases to the clinical team. You will also no longer need to hang around trying to get through on the phone and verbally discussing all your details with our reception team. You will be able to complete the Klinik form on your home computer or mobile phone between 8am and 2.00pm Monday to Friday. If you do not have access to a mobile phone or computer, you will still be able to contact the surgery by telephone, our receptionists will take your request through the same Klinik system to ensure your request is triaged by the system.

As part of this process, we also plan to change the way in which we book your doctor appointments at the surgery. We currently have thousands of appointments wasted each year where patients do not attend a pre booked appointment and do not cancel it. To prevent this, we aim to manage all patient requests during the working week that we receive the request (if demand allows!)  Therefore, if you are looking for a routine appointment with a particular GP, you will be asked to put your Klinik request through to the surgery the week that you would like to see or speak to the doctor and we will then aim to offer you an appointment either face to face or by telephone.   We will aim to be able to provide you with a response to your request within 48 working hours of receiving the request.

We really look forward to hopefully providing you with an easier way to access the surgery and ask that you will be supportive with the team during the transition period of this change.  Thank you in anticipation.

To make an appointment please complete the online request form here https://access.klinik.co.uk/contact/caritas-surgery/

Access Standards

A new set of standards were announced by the Minister for Health and Social Services in March 2019 that are aimed to raise and improve the level of service for patients in Wales receive from their GP practices.

Things to consider when making an appointment:

If you are not certain who is best to help you with your clinical query today you can contact NHS 111 for advice.  You can also access their email for further information, click the link NHS 111 website

• If you have a minor condition you may be able to consult with a local pharmacist through the Common Ailments Service, you can access more information about this service by contacting your pharmacy or through this link Common Ailments Service
• To make an appointment with the surgery please click on our Klinik online form on the home page.
• When you are offered an appointment with a member of the clinical team you will be automatically offered a face to face appointment if you need a physical examination alternatively you will be offered a telephone appointment.
• If you believe that you need an urgent appointment, on the same day please still put your request through the online Klinik form on the home page.  If for some reason you are not able to use this you can phone our reception team on: 01978 720450 from 8.30am to 6.00pm.  If it is deemed that you need a consultation that day, you will be offered one. For visible symptoms you may be asked to send a photo via email.
• Between 8.00am to 8.30am and 6.00pm to 6.30pm we deal with emergencies only 
• We aim to have routine GP appointments available for you to book up to 6 weeks in advance with all of our Doctors (please note that on occasion where there is sickness and holiday absence we may not have appointments available for all doctors) However, we generally encourage patients to contact the week you want the appointment with a GP via our Klinik system, as we aim to offer appointments within 7 working days of your request.  This helps avoid unnecessary DNAs
• Patients have access to an appropriate member of the healthcare team within 24 hours, or sooner in an emergency
• once a year, during your birth month, we will send you an invitation to schedule your annual Chronic condition appointment. 
• Patients can book routine appointments 6 weeks in advance for nurses
• Please remember to make a separate appointment for each person to be seen
• Standard appointment times for the doctor are 15 minutes.  If you feel you need more time than this you need to put the information as to why on your Klinik online for request
• If you are unable to keep an appointment please inform reception as soon as possible

You can help if you:

• Only ask for a home visit if you are too ill to travel to the surgery
• Only ask for an appointment if you need one
• Only contact the out of hours if it is urgent
• Be on time for appointments and ring to cancel if you can't attend
• Please put your Klinik on line request in before 10.30am if you need a home visit
• Tell the doctor if you are unhappy about your treatment
• Treat all staff with respect as they try to respond to your requests

 Find out more about surgery opening times here.

 Home Visiting Policy:

Caritas Surgery Home Visiting Policy

Introduction

The surgery and other linked services will conduct home visits for patients when it is necessary.  A GP can see 4 to 6 patients per hour at the surgery.  Depending on location they may only be able to see 1 to 2 patients during this time when visiting a home setting, therefore, to ensure that we are not losing critical patient appointments we will only offer home visits to patients who fit the following criteria:-

• The terminally ill
•  The truly bedbound patient (confined to one room of the house often with carers attending several times a day)

As a general rule if you are fit enough to attend hospital appointments, your opticians or dentist or go to the supermarket etc then you should see the Doctor/nurse in the surgery.

If you need a home visit you or your carer/parent etc needs to complete a Klinik form on-line, you can find this on our surgery website caritassurgery.co.uk.  If you think you need a visit on the same day please ensure you contact the surgery by 11am at the latest.  Any requests received after this time may be delayed until the following  day, unless it is deemed as urgent by the Doctor.

Your home visit request will not automatically be accepted it will be triaged by a member of the team and a decision will be made with regards to the best outcome, this may be a telephone consultation or a Home Visit if you meet the criteria or you may be offered a face to face appointment at the surgery if we believe you are not housebound.  The visit may be conducted by an APP from our home visiting service a surgery doctor or practice nurse or a District nurse, depending on what is appropriate for your care. 

Getting to the surgery
A patient may not be well enough to travel by bus or walk, but travel by car can be arranged via relatives, 
friends or taxi firms. It is not the doctors’ responsibility to arrange such transport.

Also if getting to your local surgery is tricky, have you considered if there is another surgery nearer to your home that is easier to access.

Useful transport numbers with wheelchair access
Chariotts community transport scheme 
01978312888
Apollo taxis 01978262626
Wrexham and Prestige taxis 01978 357777