Appointments

Book on the Day and Routine appointments

To request a book on the day or routine appointment (Monday to Friday)

  • visit the surgery and speak with a receptionist
  • phone us on 01760 721786

All requests will be triaged and you will be notified via text or telephone call of the outcome.

When you phone us, the receptionist will complete the identical online form that you would typically complete independently. However, please note that the process may incur longer waiting times.

Ensuring you are seen promptly, by the right healthcare practitioner, at the right time is of upmost importance to us.

To allow us to do this effectively, our reception team will need to ask you some questions about your health concerns.

We ask that you kindly have patience and respect for our staff whilst we attempt to do this.

We operate a zero-tolerance policy in relation to abusive behaviour towards all members of staff at manor farm.

As we have a multitude of healthcare practitioners and services available, it may not be a GP that deals with your health need. The appointment may be at Oak Farm, Necton

Non-urgent advice: Please notice


For life threatening MEDICAL EMERGENCIES such as chest pain, difficulty breathing, loss of consciousness, severe bleeding, or signs of a stroke, please CALL 999 IMMEDIATELY.
 
For NON-URGENT medical requests, including routine appointments, medication reviews, fit note requests, test results and new patient registrations please use the ONLINE FORM.

For URGENT medical requests, such as same day appointments and urgent blood test appointments, please contact the surgery by TELEPHONE or VISIT in person. 

Urgent Medical Appointments

For URGENT medical requests, such as “same day” appointments or urgent blood tests, you MUST contact the surgery by telephone on 01760 721786 or visit us in person.

All URGENT medical requests made by telephone or in person will be triaged by our clinical team, and you will be contacted as soon as possible by the practice about the next steps.

By telephone, your call will initially be handled by Emma, our virtual assistant. If you wish to speak to a receptionist, please say “speak to reception” and Emma will put you through to the call queue.

Emma, is designed to be faster for patients, handling multiple calls simultaneously. Asking to speak to a member of staff is likely to take much longer, particularly at peak times. 

Both Emma and Reception will use the same online triage process, passing your request onto the clinical team for triage.

(click here to see how your medical request will be handled by our triage team)

Routine Medical Appointments

For routine medical requests, please contact the surgery Monday to Friday from 8am-6.30pm, in one of the following ways:

  • Complete the online form here
  • Telephone the practice on 01760 721786
  • Visit the practice in person

(Routine appointments can be booked at any time of day, though we recommend phoning between 10:00 and 16:30 when reception staff are typically quieter.)

Your Appointment

However you choose to contact us, we may offer you a consultation:

  • by phone
  • face to face at the surgery
  • by text or email

Appointments by phone, can be more flexible and often means you get help sooner

Cancelling or Changing an Appointment

If you are cancelling an appointment for the same day, please let us know as soon as possible

To cancel your appointment:

Enhanced Access Appointments

Enhanced Access (EA) serves the group of practices known as Swaffham and Downham Primary Care Network (SDPCN). https://swaffhamdownhampcn.co.uk

Together we offer routine pre-booked appointments with a range of healthcare professionals including GPs, first contact physiotherapists, mental health practitioners, pharmacists, first contact paramedics, healthcare assistants, nurse associates, and nurses.

EA clinics run 3 evenings in the week 18:30-20:00 and Saturdays 09:00 – 17:00. Clinics run alternate weeks at Manor Farm Medical Centre in Swaffham and Bridge Street Surgery in Downham Market. They are a mix of face-to-face and telephone appointments.

Patients registered with any of the SDPCN practices can attend EA appointments.

Staff working in enhanced access clinics are regular employees of SDPCN practices or employed directly by SDPCN. Doctors are usually partner GPs or salaried GPs who work at SDPCN practices.

Please ask reception or mention on your online form if an EA appointment would be suitable for you.

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 you would prefer to consult with the doctor or nurse by phone, face-to-face or by text or email
  • if you need an interpreter
  • if you have any other access or communication needs

Home Visits

Whilst we encourage our patients to come to the surgery where we have the proper equipment and facilities available, we do appreciate that this is not always possible. 

Urgent Home Visit Requests

If you have an urgent medical request and may need a home visit, please contact the surgery by telephone on 01760 721786 before 10:00. A representative can also contact the surgery in person to submit a request. Please tell the call handler or receptionist if you feel that you are housebound.

All URGENT medical requests made by telephone or in person will be triaged by our clinical team, and you will be contacted as soon as possible by the practice about the next steps.

By telephone, your call will initially be handled by Emma, our virtual assistant. If you wish to speak to a receptionist please say “speak to reception” and Emma will put you through to the call queue. Emma is designed to be faster for patients, handling multiple calls simultaneously. Asking to speak to a member of staff is likely to take much longer, particularly at peak times. 

Both Emma and Reception will use the same online triage process, passing your request onto the clinical team for triage.

(click here to see how your medical request will be handled by our triage team)

Community Nurse Home Visit Requests

You can also be visited at home by a community nurse if you are referred by a clinician at the surgery.

For community nurse home visit requests, please contact the surgery in one of the following ways Monday to Friday from 8am-6.30pm.

  • Telephone the practice on 01760 721786
  • A representative can visit the practice in person

(Routine appointments can be booked at any time of day, though we recommend phoning between 10:00 and 16:30 when reception staff are typically quieter.)

(click here to see how your medical request will be handled by our triage team)