Appointments

Routine Doctor appointments can be booked over the telephone or in person

You can book routine telephone appointments with Doctors up to 4 weeks in advance and we also have telephone appointments that are not available to book until 2 working days beforehand.  We operate a Clinical Triage system daily and if clinically necessary we offer face to face appointments the same day.  This allows us to manage minor illness and acute problems more effectively; however we will always try and accommodate a genuine emergency.

You should make the reception team aware if you want to book appointments for medicals, minor procedures, joint injections & family planning as they need more than a standard 10 minute slot and are usually done in specific clinics.  If you do not advise the team you will be booked into a standard 10 minute slot and your procedure will not go ahead.

Please do not ask doctors to produce letters or ask them to complete reports/forms during your appointment time, generally these are not considered NHS work and they may be chargeable to the patient directly. They are done in admin time set aside by the Doctor and NOT during your consultation.

At the Dow Surgery we are passionate about good quality patient care, sometimes this means that the Doctors run late during their consultations, your patience is appreciated during these times.

Important notice for patients requesting termination of pregnancy.

Please note that not all of the doctors at The Dow Surgery are willing to refer patients for termination of pregnancy, owing to conscientious objections.

If you wish to discuss a termination request with a doctor, please inform the receptionist when booking your appointment so that an appointment can be made with an appropriate doctor.