Following government guidance and for your safety during the pandemic we have changed our appointment system.  Do not come to the surgery unless you are invited to do so by a doctor or nurse.  Our receptionists will ask you for your symptoms in order to direct you to the most appropriate health care professional to help you.

This is on advice from the GP’s and most GP surgeries are using these guidelines.  Please do not argue, be rude or abusive to our staff.  We record all calls and have the ability to listen back to calls.  Any abuse will not be tolerated and we will take appropriate action.

If you have an urgent medical problem but all the appointments for a particular day are filled, please tell the receptionist. You will be given an urgent telephone appointment however this will be an estimated time only. As such there is no flexibility over telephone appointment time or choice of GP for urgent appointments due to NHS pressures. These appointments are specifically to address the urgent medical problem. All patients who need to be seen URGENTLY will be offered an estimated telephone appointment time and will be asked to attend the surgery by the clinician if felt necessary.

Appointments can be made via internet appointment booking system, telephone or by calling in at the reception desk.  To use the internet appointment booking facility you will need to register. If you have any queries regarding this please contact our reception staff.

If your child has become unwell in the last few days and you would like urgent advice then please contact the surgery and we will arrange for a clinician to speak to you, and if necessary to see your child, today – this could save you an unnecessary trip to A+E or a Walk-in Centre.

Can we also make you aware of the Little Orange Book, which provides expert help for parents and carers on how to manage common problems in babies and small children – ask your GP for a copy, or view it online here

Patients are requested, where possible, to telephone before 11am if a home visit is required that day.

We would request that, apart from the genuinely housebound, all other patients attend the surgery rather than request a home visit because of the extra time home visiting takes. On average four to five patients can be seen in surgery in the time it takes to do a single house call. In addition, the care that can be offered due to the lack of adequate lighting, examination facilities and equipment means that you may not receive as good a service as the doctor may be able to offer if you came to the surgery.

Please note that the doctor may telephone you rather than visit you if this is medically appropriate. Ultimately it is the doctors right to decide whether or not a visit is appropriate for a particular set of circumstances.

All patients are entitled to have a chaperone present for any consultation, examination or procedure where they feel one is required.  This chaperone may be a family member or friend.  On occasions you may prefer a formal chaperone to be present, i.e. a trained member of staff.

Your healthcare professional may also require a chaperone to be present for certain consultations in accordance with our chaperone policy.

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.

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.

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.

Gateshead Extra Care Services

CBC Health provides extended access to General Practice as a Wave 2 pilot site of the national GP Access Fund Scheme. Services are provided from two clinic locations between 08:00 – 20:00 weekdays and 09:00 – 14:00 weekends.

Patients are able to book appointments through the practice at a time convenient to you. Not all conditions are appropriate for the hub therefore please speak to a receptionist.

Blaydon PCC Central Gateshead Medical Group

Blaydon Leisure and Primary Care Prince Consort Road
Centre Bensham
Shibdon Road Gateshead
Blaydon on Tyne NE8 1NB
NE21 5NW

The Whickham Practice is a GP training practice.  GP Registrars are fully qualified doctors who intend to pursue their careers in General Practice.  They all have experience of working in other branches of medical practice.  They come to work in this Practice to gain their initial experience of general practice working alongside and under the supervision of more experienced doctors.  We value the contribution they make to the work of the practice and we do hope that you will readily accept appointments when they are offered for these doctors.