Using your GP practice

Getting in touch with your practice

If you are generally in good health, you can look after many minor illnesses yourself. There are also some services you can refer yourself to without needing an appointment at your GP practice first.

If you need to use your GP practice, there are four ways to get in touch with them:

An online form on your practice’s website
The NHS App
Call the practice*
Visit the practice in person.

*Practices can get very busy on the telephone, particularly when they first open in the morning. So if it isn’t urgent, you are advised to try calling later in the day if you can.

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Opening times

Standard practice opening times at 8am to 6:30pm Monday to Friday, excluding bank holidays.

Appointments may also be available later in the evening Monday to Friday and during weekends and bank holidays.

When your GP practice is closed, contact NHS 111.

For life and limb-threatening emergencies, go to the emergency department or call 999.

Getting back to you

When you get in touch, your practice will ask you what you need help with. They will use the information to choose the most suitable doctor,
nurse or other health professional to help you.

When requesting care, please tell your practice:

If there’s a specific doctor, nurse or other health professional you would prefer to respond
If you would prefer to consult with the doctor or nurse by phone, face-to-face, by video call or by text or email
If you need an interpreter
If you have any other access or communications needs.

They will always do their best to support you.

Depending on your unique circumstances, your GP practice will help you with the next step in your care. This could be:

A face-to-face appointment
Phone consultation
Video consultation
Text or email message
Home visit
Refer you to another service.

If you need to be seen on the same day

If you need to be seen on the same day, your GP practice or NHS 111 will arrange an appointment for you in one of four places:

Your own GP practice
A pharmacy (Pharmacy First)
An urgent treatment centre
An urgent care centre, or another GP practice or health centre (during evenings, weekends and bank holidays).

If you no longer need your appointment

If you find you no longer need your appointment contact your practice as soon as possible to let them know. You can do this using the form on your practice’s website and in the NHS App. You can also telephone the practice, but ideally not first thing in the morning when practices are at their busiest.

Primary care networks

All practices work closely with other practices in a group known as a primary care network. There are over 20 such groups in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. By working together they can make resources go further and provide care in better ways. You may be asked to attend your appointment at another practice in your group, or you may receive your care in your own practice but from a team member from another practice.