Appointments

To request an urgent appointment for today or tomorrow (Monday to Friday):

• use our eConsult tool Monday to Friday from 8am to 6.30pm. We will respond within 2 working days.
• phone us on 01268 439233, Monday to Friday from 8am to 6.30pm
• visit the surgery and speak with a receptionist, Monday to Friday from 8am to 6.30pm

When you get in touch, we’ll ask what you need help with.

We will use the information you give us to choose the most suitable doctor, nurse or health professional to help you.

If you are unable to complete an online consultation, please speak to a member of our care navigation team who will be happy to assist you. 

To request a routine appointment in the next 7 days:

• use our eConsult tool, Monday to Friday 8am to 6.30pm. We will respond within 2 working days
• phone us on 01268 439233, Monday to Friday from 8am to 6.30pm
• visit the surgery and speak with a receptionist, Monday to Friday from 8am to 6.30pm
• use your SystmOnline account
• use your NHS account (through the NHS website or NHS App) to book a screening test or vaccination

When you get in touch, we’ll ask what you need help with.

We will use the information you give us to choose the most suitable doctor, nurse or health professional to help you.

If you are unable to complete an online consultation, please speak to a member of our care navigation team who will be happy to assist you. 

However you choose to contact us, we may offer you a consultation:

• by phone
• face to face at the surgery

In addition to our face to face consultations our GPs also offer telephone consultations. Patients have found these very useful when they are seeking advice and/or reassurance which do not require them to attend in person.

Appointments by phone can be more flexible and often means you get help sooner.

If you are unable to attend your appointment please contact the practice as soon as possible. 

To cancel your appointment:

• use your NHS account (through the NHS website or NHS App)
• using the GP online system – SystmOnline
• phone us on 01268 439233, Monday to Friday from 8am to 6.30pm
• by Email - theisland.surgery@nhs.net

During 2025 we had 1560 appointments cancelled so thank you to all the patients who cancelled their appointments in good time enabling us to offer them to others.

Unfortunately we also had 757 missed appointments which resulted in over 126 hours of wasted appointment time. As each appointment costs the NHS an average of £30, this has caused of loss over over £22,710. 

Missed appointments cause the waiting times for an appointment to be much longer than necessary. 

It is the responsibility of the patient to cancel booked appointments if they are unable to attend.  If a patient continues to fail to attend their appointments it may result in their removal from our practice list. 

If you need medical help now, use NHS 111 online or Call 111.

NHS 111 online is for people aged 5 and over. Call 111 if you need help for a child under 5.

Call 999 in a medical or mental health emergency. This is when someone is seriously ill or injured and their life is at risk.

Please tell us:

• 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 communication needs

We want to provide the right services at a time which is convenient for you. We’ve listened to feedback from people in our local area, and we are making changes to our out-of-hours appointments to deliver better services for you.

The new way of delivering out-of-hours appointments will give you:

• Access to more healthcare professionals. This new service will be delivered by professionals including GPs, nurses , Advance Nurse Practitioners(ANP) Paramedics and Physiotherapists. 
• More choice about the type of appointment you want. These include a mixture of in-person face-to-face appointments, and remote appointments like telephone, video, or online appointments.
• Make it more convenient for you to travel to out-of-hours appointments. These appointments are being planned and delivered locally, so it is likely they will available closer to your home.

Out-of-hours appointments are available from 6.30pm to 8pm on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. From 7am - 8am on Wednesdays and from  9am to 5:30pm on Saturdays.

We are working together with other GP practices in our local area as part of the Canvey Island Primary Care Network. You can find out more about Canvey Island Primary Care Network on our PCN website at Canvey Primary Care Network (canveypcn.nhs.uk)

An out-of-hours appointment might not be at your regular GP surgery. When you book an appointment, you will be told where the appointment will be.

These appointments will not be available as walk-in appointments. You will need to book them in advance

To book an out-of-hours appointment, you should contact your regular GP practice in the usual way. They will advise you on the appointments which are available, and which healthcare professional is the right person to help you.

If you need medical help now but it's not an emergency, you can also go to 111 online or call 111.

If possible please try to telephone reception before 10am if you require a home visit.

A doctor or nurse may phone you back as it may be that your problem can be dealt with by telephone advice, or that it would be more appropriate to send a nurse, or indeed arrange a hospital attendance.

Home visits are only available for patients who are housebound because of illness or disability.

Please remember that several patients can be seen in the practice in the time that it takes to make one home visit. There are also better facilities for examining and treating patients at this Primary Care Centre.