Welcome. We're a small surgery conveniently situated in the heart of Paignton and close to Marldon. The smallest practice in Torbay in fact!

Phone us on 01803 556403. All requests to be seen by a clinician receive a triage phone call back to decide the best course of action for you. 

We have increased our staff numbers to answer your telephone calls, and installed a new telephone system, so we hope to be able to respond to your calls quicker. Demand on our service is higher than ever so if you can't get through, keep trying. Once you have got through you may be in a queue, so hang on, we will get to you as soon as possible. You can also use the "Callback" system for your convenience - we will phone you when a receptionist is available and you won't lose your place in the queue. 

All prescription questions/problems are dealt with on a dedicated phone line. Call 01803 556403 and press option 3 between the hours of 10.30am and 12pm each day to deal with your question speedily.

Before you contact us, consider dropping in to your local pharmacy. They are often able to deal with immediate medical problems. Plus consider checking your symptoms with NHS 111 Online. 

Phone call tips

You will be asked what the appointment is for as different conditions/procedures need different amounts of time or certain clinicians. We need this information in order to allow you sufficient time - you won't be asked for details of your medical condition. If you prefer to keep this completely confidential then that’s absolutely fine. 

Please ensure your telephone has a good signal and that you are available to take the call. Let us know if certain times are inconvenient. We will only be able to call you once. If you do not reply then we won't call you back.

You may be given an appointment with a member of our experienced Nursing team. We are also able to direct you straight to other services such as blood tests, XRAY, physiotherapy, website resources, social prescribers, the minor injury unit etc..

For security purpose your calls will be recorded but we can assure you that they remain completely confidential.

Only 10 minutes?

Let's get organised then...! If you think you have more than one problem and may need longer than 10 minutes then please ask for a "double" appointment. To maximise the benefit from seeing a clinician, think about what you would like to discuss and write some bullet point down on a piece of paper, and do include any particular worries you may have. 

To Request a Home Visit.

If you are too ill to come to the surgery, please phone the surgery before 10 am and a Clinician will contact you to arrange an appropriate assessment, and arrange a visit if necessary. Urgent visit requests will be accepted at any time and we do appreciate as much information as possible so that the degree of urgency can be assessed.

What if I cannot see the doctor/nurse of my choice?

We try to offer you an appointment with the clinician of your choice but if all the free appointments are taken you may have to see someone else. Your medical records are updated with enough detail that it's usually not a problem for another doctor or nurse to get up to speed with your situation. Also, our doctors and nurses attend training courses, have holidays and unfortunately also get ill... so sometimes they will not be available. Please remember the more restrictive your request for an appointment the less likely it is that your request can be met.

Do the doctors keep to time.....?

Ah, that's a tricky one. We structure our appointments so that we should not run late. However, we would ask you to be patient if surgeries overrun as this is usually due to patients with multiple or complex problems taking longer than expected, or external calls from  professionals about our patients, or emergencies. To help reduce this problem, if you think you will require more than 10 minutes then please ask for a "double" appointment. We don't like running behind so we'll do everything we can to see you as close to your appointment time as possible.

How can I help?

When booking a doctor or nurse appointment, you will be asked what the appointment is for as different conditions/procedures need different amounts of time or certain clinicians. Please remember that receptionists need this information in order to allow you sufficient time - you won't be asked for details of your medical condition. Thank you.

Text Reminders. 

We send text messages to remind patients of their appointments. If you would prefer not to be contacted by text message please let us know.

Online consultations.

If your problem is not urgent, you have the option of an online consultation - we will acknowledge your request within 2 working days and will reply within a further 5 working days. 

The perfect system?

We are constantly trying to make our appointment system more accessible to provide our patients with the most efficient service possible. We hope that waiting is kept to a minimum. If you do have to wait it is usually because we are dealing with something urgent, or a previous Patient has required more time than anticipated, and we hope you will understand.

Unfortunately, no NHS appointment system is perfect and we understand at times there may be difficulties experienced. Please be patient with our receptionists at these times - they are here to help you.

If you are unable to attend your appointment, please let us know so we can use it for someone else.

Thank you for your understanding.