To help keep you and our team safe from the spread of Coronavirus you should not come to the surgery unless we ask you to.  If you have any of the symptoms of Coronavirus you must not come to the Surgery but instead use the NHS 111 online service.

Whilst we have had to cancel some routine clinics we do continue to offer a full range of clinical support for any ongoing or new illness or condition that needs clinical support.  You should follow the guidence below to make an appointment.  We now offer a wider range of online services and ask that you make use of these if you can.  We ask that for any 'on the day' appointments you try to book these online using the Ask NHS app - if this is not possible then please call us in the normal way.  In almost all cases we will initially conduct an telephone consultation with you and in most cases will be able to diagnose the problem and offer the clinical support required without the need to see you face to face.  We may use video consultation and have found this a very effective way of diagnosing problems. 

We run a telephone-first consultation system for clinician appointments including Minor Illness. When you want an appointment with a clinician for a new or ongoing problem, make an appointment online at anytime using Ask NHS or call us on the day you want to be seen.  You can make an appointment using Ask NHS by downloading the app onto your phone here or using the application embedded into this website.  For more information on Ask NHS go to our online services page.    

You will be booked for a telephone assessment and the GP will phone you back but we will not be able to confirm a time. If you need to be seen face-to-face after that consultation, the GP will organise a convenient time for you.

We have had to cancel a number of routine reviews and health checks during this time.  We are however still seeing some patients for appointments in surgery as listed below.  Bookings for these clinics can be made by phoning the Practice.  

We are currently conducting long-term condition reviews over the phone and will be picking up our face to face reviews as soon as it is safe to do so.  In the meantime it is important that you self manage your condition and we offer further advice on our long-term condition pages here.   If your condition deteriorates and you need to be seen by a clinician before your review then please book an on the day appointment using Ask NHS or by calling the practice. 

Contraception advice and reviews are being conducted over the phone.  We have had to postpone our coil and implant clinic, but can still discuss your needs and add you to the waiting list.  We are able to provide emergency contraception and abortion advice should you require it.  Please see our contraception pages for further information.

Antenatal Clinics will continue to be run by our midwife Tracey Martin and you can book these by phoning the surgery.  She will then make contact with you to arrange to see you.  More details on our ongoing Antenatal and post Natal service can be found here.  

Current appointments we are running through the COVID 19 Pandemic:

• All immunisations (except travel)
• Regular injections eg. B12, testosterone.
• Urgent blood tests requested by your doctor or for certain medication reviews eg methotrexate.
• In house investigations eg Urgent ECGs
• Smear tests (follow up from colposcopy or 1 year re call.  Routine smear tests are currently postponed)
• Minor illness appointments with one of our emergency practitioners (nurse or paramedic) - phone triage.
• Antenatal appointments with your midwife
• Postnatal appointments, such as the 6 week check’ with your GP (done alongside 8 week vaccination)
• Contraception - Phone review
• long-term conditions - Phone review

To learn more about our appointment system, including Frequently Asked Questions, click on the following link:

If the clinician recommends a follow up appointment then this will usually be arranged at the time of the consultation.  Most follow up appointments will be a telephone consultation.  If this is not arranged then please call the Practice and request an appointment with the Reception Team explainig what the clinician had recommended.  They will be able to view your notes and confirm the requirement and make the necessary appointment. 

Berryfields Medical Centre is a training practice.

Your GP appointment may be with a fully qualified doctor who is undertaking additional training to become a GP.

Registrars are fully qualified doctors who have been gaining experience in hospital medicine and we value the opportunity of helping to develop the family doctors of the future. Our trainers are Dr Emma Montague and Dr Richard Wood.

We also teach medical students and they may occasionally sit in during consultations – we always ask your permission before allowing them to see you, so if you would rather see your doctor alone, please feel free to decline.

Our doctors occasionally video their consultations for learning purposes. If you object to your consultation being recorded, please let us know.

If you are too ill to come to the surgery, please phone 01296 310940 as early in the day as you can.

A doctor or nurse may phone you back as it may be that your problem can be dealt with by telephone advice, or that it would be more appropriate to send a nurse, or indeed arrange a hospital attendance.

House 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 Health Centre.

It is important that you inform the reception staff if you are unable to attend your appointment, this will allow that appointment to be offered to another patient. If you fail to notify the Practice that you are unable to attend, you will be sent a letter informing you that you have defaulted from your appointment. Persistent defaulters maybe removed from the list.

You can also complete our appointment cancellation notification request form. This can only be used if your appointment has been arranged for more than 24 hours in advance. (excluding weekends and public holidays). You can also text to cancel your appointment.

To ensure that the surgery runs efficiently please attend your appointment on time, if you are later than 10 minutes  for the planned appointment time you may not be seen. If you are not seen you will not be able to rearrange your appointment until the next working day-except in the event of an medical emergency that requires immediate attention.  Please do try to call us if you are running late.

If you require an interpreter to attend with you when you see your Doctor please notify the receptionist and she will arrange this for you.

We have a texting service which allows you to receive confirmation and reminders about your appointments.

To have this service you will need to register by completing a consent form.

Please remember to update your contact details with us when you change address, telephone numbers and email address.

Extended hours appointments at Berryfields are offered on Thursdays between 18:00 and 20:00 for pre-bookable appointments only.  At present we are using this time to focus on making contact with the most vulnerable patients.

To find out about other local extended hours services please click on the image opposite.