We operate a varied appointment system whereby you may be allocated to a telephone consultation or face to face appointment. We will always endeavour to see patients with urgent medical problems on the same day by appointment with a Doctor or Advanced Practitioner.

Access to our appointments is through total triage by a doctor. Triage is the process of assessing and sorting patients based on the urgency of their condition to determine the necessary clinical support, how quickly it should be provided and who is best placed to provide it.

We kindly request that all non-urgent apointment requests are forwarded to us by the use of online eConsult where possible. 

eConsult is the quickest way to request clinical help for your non urgent problems. Please choose the most appropriate option for your condition and share as much information as possible. Photos can be attached where needed on your eConsult form.

If the use of eConsult is not possible, you may call the practice. Our reception staff will take the details of your medical concern and pass to the doctor to triage. Please call 01642 470444.

In the rare circumstance that you are unable to complete eConsult or call the practice, our reception staff will ask you to provide details of your medical concern at the front desk.

*For all urgent problems we advise that you call the practice for your own safety.

Once your request is triaged you will be advised of a same day appointment, be offered clinical advice or be advised that you have been added to a patient waiting list for an appointment (this will be the case if your concern is non-urgent). 

Sometimes we may request further information (images of lesions for example), and a link can be sent to your mobile phone. 

You may also be signposted to other services and if requested by our triaging doctor. 

These services may include: 

• The local pharmacy
• Our First Contact Practitioner
• Our Social Prescribing team
• Our Pharmacist
• Acute Mental Health Services
• Urgent Treatment Centre or Accident & Emergency Department.

**Please DO NOT send clinical requests to the generic practice email. This is for your own safety. If such requests are received our staff will contact you to follow the safe agreed pathways for an appointment request.** 

Please share your consent to send text messages with reception if you are happy to do so, and ensure that your contact numbers are up to date on your medical record.

If you are not within these age ranges, a pharmacist can still offer advice and support decisions about self care treatment with over the counter medicines, but you may need to see a GP for treatment.

Find a pharmacy: https://www.nhs.uk/service-search/pharmacy/find-a-pharmacy

Many pharmacies are open until late and at weekends. 

Advanced Practitioner 

Our Advanced Practitioners are available daily for telephone advice and to see patients face to face.

Practice Nursing Team

We have three Practice Nurses and a Nurse Associate who are available by appointment.

A member of this clinical team is available each day Monday - Friday.

Our team specialise in treatment room care, women's health, asthma care, diabetes care and dementia care.

They also offer:

• cervical smears
• travel advice
• vaccinations
• childhood immunisations
• injections
• minor injuries treatment
• dressings
• contraception (depo injection)
• weight management
• healthy heart checks
• hypertension reviews

We have two Health Care Assistants who offer:

• healthy heart checks
• blood tests
• blood pressure checks 
• spirometry and  FENO testing
• ECG
• diabetic foot checks.

Please note: At Bentley Medical Practice we no longer offer ear syringing.

GP and Advanced Practitioner surgeries are run by appointments.

All Advanced Practitioner and routine GP appointments are 15 minutes. GP urgent appointments are 10 minutes and GP review appointments are 10 minutes.

We offer appointments to try and reduce the time you spend in the surgery. Our clinicians do strive to keep to time, though inevitably there are occasions when they will be running late. These times are usually when a patient has a complex problem or when the GP is called out of surgery for an emergency visit.

Please remember to come on time for your appointment, if you arrive late then you may hold up other patients and you may be asked to make another appointment.

We ask that you be kind to our reception staff and be patient if we are running late.

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.

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.

In addition to core practice opening times, appointments can be made available to patients Monday-Friday 6.30pm - 9.30pm and Saturdays 9am - 5pm in the Extended Access Service

These appointments are provided by the STAR service (ELM Alliance) and are based at Ravenscar Surgery, Redcar Primary Care Hospital.

Available to book are GP, Advanced Practitioner appointments and treatment room nurse appointments.

If you are allocated to an Extended Access appointment and cannot make the appointment, please call the practice to cancel.

Home visit requests should only be made for patients who are too ill to attend the practice. Patients / carers are requested to contact the practice before 12.00pm midday if medical assistance is required that day.

A receptionist will record the details of the patient who requires the home visit and will advise that a doctor may telephone the patient / carer before a visit is made.

Visits usually take place after morning surgery has finished.

Chaperones during appointments will be offered by a clinician as appropriate.  This service is also available on request.

If you require an interpreter to attend with you when you see your Doctor please notify the receptionist who will arrange this for you.

This is often through a telephone translator service.