Appointments

How To Book An Appointment

Pharmacy & Self-Care

Before requesting an appointment at the practice, please read how a local community pharmacy can help you with certain health conditions and illnesses.

Your local community pharmacy

A local community pharmacy can advise you on a range of common health conditions, including sore throats, coughs, colds, fevers, aches and pains, and can also prescribe medication for some health conditions.

Before completing our online appointment request form, please check if the health condition you are experiencing is something a local community pharmacy can help you with.

HOW YOUR PHARMACY CAN HELP

Self-Care

Help and support available from many National and Local Organisations

VISIT OUR SELF HELP ZONE

Urgent Treatment Centres In Somerset, including Frome

If you have a non-life threatening injury or illness and need local care with short waiting times, you can get help at your nearest urgent treatment centre (UTC).

There are UTCs in community hospitals across Somerset, including at Frome, Glastonbury, Shepton Mallet, Chard, Bridgwater and Minehead. Burnham On Sea has a Minor Injury Unit. They are all run by emergency nurse practitioners, who are nurses with specialised training and skills in emergency and urgent care. They are supported by staff nurses and healthcare assistants.

UTCs provide urgent care to patients closer to where they live. They keep our emergency departments free to manage critically ill patients and those with life-threatening major injuries.

Emergency nurse practitioners diagnose and treat a wide range of non-life threatening minor illnesses and injuries. Common examples include:

Sprains and strains
Broken bones
Cuts and wounds
Bites
Minor head injuries
Chest infections
Throat infections
Eye infections
Urinary infections
Emergency contraception

If you’re not sure which service you need please use the 24/7 free NHS 111 telephone health advice line. For life-threatening emergencies such as heart attacks, strokes, unconsciousness and breathing problems call 999, please do not attend a UTC.

No appointment is needed at a UTC. Just turn up during opening hours and you will be seen.

FIND AN URGENT TREATMENT CENTRE IN SOMERSET

Requesting an Appointment at Frome Medical Practice

IMPORTANT: please ensure you have first checked if a local community pharmacy can help you with your health condition (see above).

If you do need help from us, there are several ways to make or request an appointment with a healthcare professional at Frome Medical Practice.

Use the NHS App

You can use the NHS App to book the following types of appointments:

B12 injections
Blood tests
BP plus
Cervical screening (smear tests)
INR

If you aren't already registered to use the NHS App you can find out more here.

Make a request online

To request an appointment with a GP or Nurse Practitioner please complete our online request form. The online request form will be available between 7.00am and 4.30pm every weekday.

Once we receive your online request, it will be reviewed by a GP and you will be contacted by one of our team with an appropriate appointment or advice.

REQUEST YOUR APPOINTMENT

Find out more about requesting appointments online here

By telephone

Please call the practice on 01373 301301 to make an appointment if:

You do not have access to the internet or need help with completing our online appointment request form. One of our Care Navigators will complete the form over the telephone with you. (Please note, calling the practice to complete your form doesn’t mean your appointment request will be assessed ahead of those received online.)
You need a Practice Nurse or Health Care Assistant appointment
You do not have the NHS App and need one of the appointments listed under ‘NHS App’ above
You need to request a home visit. Read more about our home visits here

Our telephone lines are open from 8am until 6.30pm Monday to Friday.

You may find yourself in a queue when you call. If there are more than 10 people ahead of you in the queue you will be offered the opportunity for us to call you back. If you choose this option please be reassured you will keep your place in the queue.

If you are calling for a more routine appointment, and can’t make that appointment via the NHS App, you may prefer to call us after 2pm when our phone lines are less busy.

In Person

If any of the following apply, you may prefer to visit us in person:

You do not have access to the internet and need to complete our online appointment request form. We have ipads available at the practice which you are welcome to use to complete the form. (Please note, visiting the practice to complete your form doesn’t mean your appointment request will be assessed ahead of those received online.)
You need a Practice Nurse or Health Care Assistant appointment. Please talk to one of our Care Navigators at our information desk.
You do not have the NHS App and need one of the appointments listed under ‘NHS App’ above. Please talk to one of our Care Navigators at our information desk.

Life Threatening - Go to A&E

If you or someone you know has a life-threatening condition, such as loss of consciousness, a sudden confused state, chest pain, breathing difficulties etc, you should call 999

In an EMERGENCY call 999.
Emergencies are situations that cannot be managed at home and may be life threatening

Making the Most of Your Appointment

Questions to Ask

Before you leave your appointment make sure you know the following:

What might be wrong? You could ask the following questions:

Can I check that I’ve understood what you said? What you’re saying is…
Can you explain it again? I still don’t understand.
Can I have a copy of any letters written about me?

What about any further tests, such as blood tests, scans and so on?

What are the tests for?
How and when will I get the results?
Who do I contact if I don’t get the results?

About what treatment, if any, is best for you

Are there other ways to treat my condition?
What do you recommend?
Are there any side effects or risks?
How long will I need treatment for?
How will I know if the treatment is working?
How effective is this treatment?
What will happen if I don’t have any treatment?
Is there anything I should stop or avoid doing?
Is there anything else I can do to help myself?

What happens next and who to contact

What happens next? Do I come back and see you?
Who do I contact if things get worse?
Do you have any written information?
Where can I go for more information, a support group or more help?

Top Tips

Top tips for making the most of your appointment

Before your appointment

Write down your two or three most important questions.
List or bring all your medicines and pills – including vitamins and supplements.
Write down details of your symptoms, including when they started and what makes them better or worse.
Ask your hospital or surgery for an interpreter or communication support if needed.
Ask a friend or family member to come with you, if you like.

During your appointment

Don’t be afraid to ask if you don’t understand. For example, 'Can you say that again? I still don’t understand.'
If you don’t understand any words, ask for them to be written down and explained.
Write things down, or ask a family member or friend to take notes.

Before you leave your appointment

Check that:

you’ve covered everything on your list
you understand, for example ‘Can I just check I understood what you said?’
you know what should happen next – and when. Write it down.

Ask:

who to contact if you have any more problems or questions
about support groups and where to go for reliable information, and
for copies of letters written about you – you are entitled to see these.

After your appointment, don’t forget the following

Write down what you discussed and what happens next. Keep your notes.
Book any tests that you can and put the dates in your diary.