Access to Care
Please note: Appointments are allocated according to clinical need, urgency and available capacity.
We cannot guarantee a particular clinician, date, time or practice site, and appointments may not be transferable between sites. Same-day requests are offered from the capacity available that day.
All clinical requests are reviewed and assessed according to clinical need and urgency. Submitting a request does not automatically mean that a GP appointment is required.
Following assessment, you may receive clinical advice, be offered an appointment with an appropriate member of our healthcare team or be directed to another suitable NHS service.
Appointment availability
Appointments are allocated according to clinical need, urgency and the capacity available across the practice.
For this reason:
- The date, day, time, clinician or practice site offered may not be the one you requested.
- Once an appointment has been allocated, we may not be able to change the site, clinician or time due to available capacity.
- Requests assessed as requiring same-day care will normally be offered an appointment from the capacity available that day.
- Pre-bookable appointments are not routinely offered for same-day clinical requests unless the reviewing clinician or triage team considers this clinically appropriate.
- The clinician or triage team will determine the most appropriate timeframe and type of care based on the information provided.
If you are offered an appointment and cannot attend it, please cancel it as soon as possible. This allows us to offer the appointment to another patient.
Please avoid submitting duplicate requests about the same problem while your request is being processed, unless your symptoms have significantly changed.
If your condition becomes life-threatening, please call 999.
Pharmacy First consultation
You can now access same day treatment for the 7 common conditions without the need to see your GP.
Pharmacy First appointments
The following table shows the 7 conditions pharmacists can manage across various age ranges.
| Conditions | Age range |
|---|---|
| Acute otitis media | 1 to 17 years |
| Impetigo | 1 year and over |
| Infected insect bites | 1 year and over |
| Shingles | 18 years and over |
| Sinusitis | 12 years and over |
| Sore throat | 5 years and over |
| Uncomplicated urinary tract infections | Women 16-64 years |
Contact us with Anima
Anima is the online appointment triage platform. If you have a health concern and need to see a clinician, you complete a request on the Anima website from 8am Monday to Friday or call from 8am Monday to Friday.
Anima will close to all urgent requests once we have reached our capacity. However, we will remain open from 08:00 to 18:30, Monday to Friday, to process non-urgent requests. Please note that it may take 3 to 5 working days to respond to non-urgent requests.
You can submit requests for a variety of medical and administrative queries.
You can also phone us on 01234 766551.
Urgent Appointments
We do not offer urgent appointments however, if you have submitted an Anima request, you will be offered an in person or telephone appointment with a clinician, on the day, depending on our capacity.
Once we reach the capacity, you will not be able to submit any urgent requests and if an urgent appointment is needed, please call 111, visit Urgent Treatment centres or A&E Department at Bedford or Milton Keynes Hospital.
Routine Appointments
To request a routine appointment, please visit Anima or call reception from 08:00am Monday to Friday. Appointment will be offered on the day you submit the request until we reach capacity. Following that, Anima will remain open until 18:30 for non-urgent requests which may take 3-5 working days to respond.
Consulting Times
GPs, advanced nurse practitioners, practice nurses, healthcare assistants offer to see patients Monday to Friday between 08:30 – 18:30.
Extended Access
Extended access appointments are offered every Monday from 08:30 – 20:00 and on alternate Saturday from 09:00 – 17:00 at Marston Surgery.
Appointments are booked via Anima requests submitted in the morning.
Your Appointment
However you choose to contact us, we may offer you a consultation:
- by phone
- face to face at the surgery
- on a video call
- by text or email
Appointments by phone, video call or by text or email can be more flexible and often means you get help sooner.
Cancelling or changing an appointment
To cancel your appointment:
- use your NHS account (through the NHS website or NHS App)
- use the GP online system: Systm Online
- phone us on Cranfield Surgery 01234 766551 or Marston Surgery during opening times
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 there’s a specific doctor, nurse or other health professional you would prefer to respond
- if you would prefer to consult with the doctor or nurse by phone, face-to-face, by video call or by text or email
- if you need an interpreter
- if you have any other access or communication needs
Home Visits
Requests for home visits should be requested through Anima.
A doctor or nurse may phone you back as it may be that your problem can be dealt with by phone advice, or indeed arrange a hospital attendance if this is necessary.
Home visits are only available for patients who are housebound because of illness or disability.
Please remember that several patients can be seen in the practice in the time that it takes to make one home visit. There are also better facilities for examining and treating patients at the surgery.