Buckshaw Appointments

How to Book an Appointment 

A New Way of Accessing Care from 1st October 2025

From 1st October 2025, the NHS is changing how patients access care at GP practices. This new way of working is called Front Door Triage. This is part of a national NHS improvement to help ensure everyone gets the right care, at the right time, with the right person.

What is Front Door Triage?

It simply means that every request for help—whether you call us, walk in, or go online—will be reviewed by a GP first. This helps us make sure you're directed to the most appropriate healthcare professional or service for your needs.

You may not always need to see a GP first. You might be booked in with:

• A nurse or healthcare assistant
• A clinical pharmacist
• A Physician Associate
• Or directed to community services like local pharmacy

This ensures that GP appointments are available for those who need them most, while others can be seen more quickly by the right person.

Online Requests Will Stay Open All Day

From 1st October, our online consultation service will be available during all core practice hours (8:00am–6:30pm).

You can use this to:

• Request an appointment
• Ask about medications
• Sort out admin queries (like fit notes, etc.)

You won’t need to rush to contact us at 8:00am—we’ll be reviewing and responding throughout the day.

What You Need to Do

• Use our online form whenever possible – it's quick, safe, and helps us triage faster.

All appointment requests are triaged within one working day to ensure you receive the right care from the right clinician.

If you have an urgent medical need, do not complete an online triage form — this may delay your care.

 

Instead:

• Attend your nearest Urgent Care Centre or Accident & Emergency (A&E) department, or

• Call 999 if it is a medical emergency (for example, chest pain, severe breathing difficulty, or collapse).

For urgent queries during practice hours, you can:

• Call us

• Visit the practice in person — our reception team will make sure your concern is assessed promptly.

We are here to help you. Please use online triage only for non-urgent or routine requests.

 

• Be honest and clear when you tell us about your symptoms or request – it helps us help you.
• Trust the process – if you're offered an appointment with someone other than a GP, it’s because that’s the best person to help.

 

Our Promise

We are here to help you get the care you need, in a way that is fair, safe, and efficient for everyone. By making these changes, we hope to:

• Reduce waiting times
• Make better use of all our team’s skills
• Give patients more choice and control

Thank you for your support and understanding as we make this important improvement.

NEW WAYS OF WORKING 1st OCTOBER 2025

This new system only comes into effect on 1st October. 

 

 

 

 

Our reception staff are still available from 8am to 6:30pm from Monday to Friday via the telephone. However, please note the NEW NHS Modern General Practice process will still apply and you will be asked to complete an online triage form or the team member will help you assist you to complete this.  Please be aware our reception team will not be able to book an appointment during the call.

 

 

Some patients choose to visit the practice to book their appointments. All of our practices are open from 8.00 to 6.30 pm each day. However, please not the NEW NHS Modern General Practice prosess will still apply and you will be asked to complete an online triage form or the team memeber will help you assist you to complete this.  Please be aware our reception team will not be able to book an appointment at the desk.

 

 

 

 

Click on the link below to access the online TRIAGE - We will get back to you within 1 working days.

  Buckshaw Village     Adlington   Lostock Hall    Eaves   Croston 

 

If you would prefer a chaperone for your appointment please ask at reception on arrival. 

click to read Chaperone Policy

 

We do offer blood test appointments For Blood Tests at each practice. There are times when the demand for blood test appointments are greater than the number of appointments. The community blood clinics are available for our patients to book into.

For information please click Blood Clinics.

 

 

We appreciate that patients have busy lives and at times do forget to cancel an appointment. If you are unable to attend your appointment please let us know via the app, phone or in person. We have a lot of patients needing appointments and it helps when we can offer a cancellation. 

 

Please contact NHS 111 for advice.

Should you feel you have a medical emergency that requires immediate treatment, please dial 999.