The Surgery
8:00am to 6:30pm (Monday to Friday)
Billingshurst Surgery offers enhanced access appointments on some evenings and weekends. To increase availability for patients the days rotate each week.
Enhanced Access sessions will be staffed by a mix of GPs, Practice Nurses, Health Care Assistants, and a Receptionist.
Please note access to our Enhanced Access hubs are by appointment only.
It is not a walk-in service, and the venue is not open for general practice enquiries. All requests still need to be made to practices during their normal opening hours (and able to be cancelled by the patient remotely).
The Dispensary
8:00am to 6:30pm (Monday to Friday)
We are closed at the weekend and on Bank Holidays
Outside of Surgery Opening Hours
For general medical enquiries when the practice is closed, patients should call the NHS 111 service by dialling 111 or you can use 111 online.
This service provides out of hours cover for the surgery from 6:30pm to 8:00am Monday to Friday, and 24 hours a day over the weekend and on Bank Holidays.
The out of hours service is a continuation of the service you would get from your own GP surgery if they were open with a variety of options for treatment. If your condition is something that you would normally contact the surgery about, then this is the service for you when we are closed. Please note that if you choose to attend A&E instead for conditions that would normally be dealt with by the surgery, it is highly likely that you will not be prioritised and could face a lengthy wait for treatment.
Contacting The NHS 111 Service
All calls to the NHS 111 service are answered by an experienced call handler who will take your details and those of your medical condition(s). Your call is then prioritised and forwarded to either a GP or nurse for assessment.
Assessment
Once the GP or nurse has received your patient details they will call you back for an initial assessment over the phone and a discussion about your medical needs.
Once this clinical assessment has been completed, you will be given a number of options:
- Advice over the phone about how to look after yourself without having to see a clinician
- An appointment to see a GP at the primary care centre closest to you
- A home visit by the NHS 111 clinicians
- A visit by one of the community nursing teams
- A referral on to A&E or hospital where appropriate
- If you have a life threatening condition, our call handlers and clinicians are able to refer you to the 999 ambulance service
The NHS 111 will ensure that you understand the next steps in the process, and that the service to which you are being referred has all the necessary information about your medical needs.
Treatment
NHS 111 GPs and nurses see patients face-to-face in either a primary care centre or, if absolutely necessary, in your own home. Their primary care centres are usually situated in local hospitals or community health centres.
