Appointments (01822 852202)

Routine Appointments

You can always make an appointment up to six weeks in advance with any of the doctors.  Most appointments are available from 8.30 to 10.30am and between 4.00 and 5.30pm Monday to Friday, although these times may vary.

You do have the right to see a doctor within 48 hours but this may not be your usual doctor.  When you need to be seen before the first available routine appointment, please use the call-back service. 

Princetown Village Centre Surgery

For all patients living in Princetown and further outlying areas, this surgery is held on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings as an open surgery from 9.00am until 9.40am on a rota basis for doctors.

There are however three bookable appointments from 8.40am.

If you wish to arrange an appointment please contact Yelverton Surgery, tel 01822 852202, and this can be booked for you.

Extended Hours

All of these appointments will have to be pre-booked. This is not an extension to our opening hours.

To avoid potentially dangerous confusion, pre-booked appointments will be the only surgery activity.

Please see below for more information…

1. The Government and Primary Care Trust have requested that we offer pre booked appointments on a Saturday morning. We have not been given a contract for providing an emergency service. The service we provide is aimed at patients who are unable to access our week day appointments, for example, because they are in full time work.
2. Urgent problems and home visits 'out of hours' continue to be provided by Devon Doctors on call - this will operate as previously from Friday evening until Monday morning or Tuesday after a Bank Holiday.
3. If you have come to the surgery with a problem which cannot wait until Monday morning, please make use of this 'out of hours' service by ringing 01822 852202 - please hold and you will be transferred to Devon Doctors, alternatively you can ring Devon Doctors direct on 0845 6710 270.
4. If you feel your problem can wait until the next working day, please leave a contact number for Monday morning (or Tuesday morning - after a Bank Holiday). You can reasonably assume that you will then be offered an appointment for the next working day. The call back doctor will ring you soon after 8am. Let the Receptionist know if you need to be phoned later.

Home Visits

Home visits may be required by those who are housebound or seriously ill.

A home visit can be arranged by telephoning 01822 852202 before 10.30am. It enables us to assess the urgency of your call if you can describe the relevant symptoms to the receptionist.

All calls are strictly confidential.

Princetown

Practice Nurse Home visits may be required by those who are housebound or seriously ill. Except in an emergency, please request visits before 9.30am on 01822 852202.

Samples and Results

Samples for Investigations

Samples (blood, urine, etc) are collected by the hospital courier daily. In order for tests to be successfully processed and avoid unnecessary delays at the hospital laboratories, please bring your sample to the surgery in the morning, preferably before 12.30pm. Please ensure all labels are completed correctly ensuring your name and date of birth are on the form and sample container.

Results of Investigations/Blood Tests

Most results take a few days to arrive at the surgery, although X-Rays will take longer (up to two weeks). Please phone the receptionist to see if your result has been received. In some cases, the receptionist may be authorised to give you the results, if not, you may be asked to make an appointment to see the doctor again.

Please telephone 01822 852222 between 2pm and 4pm Monday to Friday. Unfortunately, we are unable to give results over the telephone at any other times.

Princetown

The practice nurse visits the surgery once a month to do blood tests, immunisations and cervical smears.

Please phone 01822 852202 to book an appointment.

Doctor Call Back Service - Telephone Consultation

It is our aim to deal with problems efficiently and safely. This service allows easy access to medical advice and appointments.

You can continue to make routine and follow up appointments as before by telephoning 01822 852202.

However, the Doctor Call Back Service is for all patients and is available each morning. It helps to ensure that everyone has access to an appointment within 48 hours - usually we offer an appointment on the same day. Many problems can be solved without the need for you to come to the surgery.

Telephone calls may be monitored or recorded for quality and training purposes. Please be assured that, as with all consultations, confidentiality will be maintained at all times.

Below are answers to some common questions about the Doctor Call Back Service:

When is it available?

Each morning between 8.00am and 10.15am on 01822 852222 . After this time urgent problems are dealt with by the duty doctor.

What do I have to do?

Simply provide our receptionist with a contact telephone number and a doctor will ring you back within 30 minutes. Please tell the receptionist if you are not available within this time scale and they will record this for the doctor.

IF YOUR CALL IS VERY URGENT OR REQUIRES IMMEDIATE ACTION, PLEASE TELL THE RECEPTIONIST!

When will I be seen?

If the problem you describe to the doctor is medically very urgent, you will be seen almost immediately - usually by the Call Back doctor. Otherwise we reserve appointments from 10.40am onwards every day for each doctor who is working. These appointments can only be filled by the Call Back doctor.

Who will I be seeing?

All doctors working that day will have available appointments. It is often possible for you to see the doctor you normally see. If you would prefer to see a male or female doctor this is almost always possible. Please note this flexibility is only available in the mornings.

Does my problem have to be urgent to use the Call Back Service?

NO! This service is available for ALL problems when used in the mornings. It is especially important to use it where we cannot offer you a "routine appointment" within the timescale you wish.

What happens if I want to speak to my usual doctor?

The Call Back doctor you speak to will have access to your medical records. We all work in similar ways and can usually deal with your problems. However, the Call Back doctor will be able to arrange a phone consultation or an appointment with your usual doctor if this is the most appropriate solution.

What do I do if I am unable to speak confidentially? (for example, telephoning from work in an open plan office)

Please tell the receptionist and the Call Back doctor will simply ring and offer you an appointment within 24 hours.

We find that we are able to deal effectively with more than 50% of requests on the telephone to the patient's satisfaction. This saves you time as well as us, but the system does not prevent you from seeing a doctor - you will always be seen by a doctor if you wish this.

Please talk to our reception staff if you have any problems using this service