There are many different ways you can contact the surgery
If you are registered to the NHS App or Patient Access, you can book an appointment online using these services.
Alternatively, you can call the Practice to book an appointment.
Using the online systems for appointments allows the phone lines to be freed up for more urgent appointment enquiries, so if you’re booking a routine appointment please consider using one of our online systems before telephoning the Practice.
Due to contractual changes our online triage will now open at 8am instead of 7am from 31st March 2025. Thanks for your understanding.
How to book an appointment.
To book an appointment with a GP, we encourage all our patients to use the online Triage system, alternatively please contact us on 01684 584050 to speak to one of the reception team who will be happy to assist in filling out a triage with you.
There are slots for urgent appointments every day, so if you’re in need of one of these appointments then please call us as soon as the line opens.
We can send out text reminders the day before your appointment so that you don’t miss it. If you’d like to take advantage of this service, please provide the Receptionist with your phone number when you call to book an appointment.
Booking via Phone
Most of our appointments are booked via phone call. If you’d like to book an appointment, please click the button above or call us on 01684 584050. Usually, the Reception team will ask some questions on behalf of the GP before booking you an appointment, as it may be more appropriate for them to refer you to a different service, such as urgent care or A&E. This is all based off the GPs advice, so please be patient with our Reception team!
We also offer telephone consultations if you require a same-day consultation from a GP or Practice Nurse. This is usually for general medical advice where your problem may be resolved by getting guidance from a trusted source. These calls would happen on the same day on the number that you provide.
Booking Online
You can also book appointments online by visiting Patient Access on the button above. This helps relieve pressure from our phone lines, allowing for urgent calls to be answered in a timely manner. If you’d like to book appointments online, please collect a registration form from the Surgery and you will be given a unique password to enable you to book online appointments.
Not able to get online
We understand not everyone is able to use a computer / mobile phone or has access to the internet. We are here to help ALL our patients - Please call the surgery on 01684 584 050 if you:
Experience difficulty completing the form, not technically able to, don't have access to the internet - or any reason - Just call.
We will submit a triage on your behalf. This will be reviewed and assessed by a GP. Admin staff will NEVER clincally assess your triage. Please bear with our admin staff who will ask you a series of pre-determinsed questions approved by our GP's to help assess, priorties and speed up the time it takes to get you seen by the best medical resource. (This could be a GP, Pharmacy, Physio, Hospital, Nurse etc)
Want to book / cancel / discuss an upcoming non-GP related appointment.
Anything else
Patient triage may be paused when safe capacity of triages has been received in order to maintain our quality care provision.
Urgent Appointments
We reserve a number of appointments each day for urgent cases. If you need to see a doctor urgently, please call us as soon as we open at 8:00am and advise the Receptionist at the time of booking. Please ensure that you only request an urgent appointment for treatment of conditions requiring immediate consultation.
ADHD - Right to Choose
As a patient of Malvern Health Centre, you have the right to choose your preferred provider of your ADHD care. To view our ADHD policy and get all the information you need, click the button below.
Patient Triage FAQ
What is a “triage”?
An assessment of patient requests / submissions in order to determine the urgency, nature of treatment and best resource to allocate patient.
The result of your submission (triage) could be a GP appointment (Face to Face OR telephone), a nursing appointment, referral to a local physio, referral to the hospital, pharmacy or in some urgent cases 999 or another service provided by the NHS.
Why does everything need to go via a triage?
Not everything goes through a triage. Generally, only requests to see GP or matters that need a GP input / advice / guidance go through a triage process.
The main purpose off the triage system is for a GP to clinically assess, prioritise and allocate the clinical demand off the practice to the most efficient and effective resource in a timely manner.
What can I put through a triage?
This list is not exhaustive but to act a guide;
“I need to book an appointment to see my GP because …”
“The medication my GP prescribed have not worked and giving my side effects”
“I am concerned about my blood test results”
“I am phoning on behalf of my child who is not well”
“I need a sick note”
I don’t have access to the internet, smart phone, able to complete the form, struggle with or scared of technology and need to see my GP, what can I do?
Phone the surgery OR pop into the practice. Our admin staff will create a triage on your behalf.
Why do I have to explain my medical problems to the admin staff?
Our admin staff are specially trained and instructed to ask questions about your medical condition by using pre-defined questions created by a doctor. Be rest assured, our admin staff DO NOT clinically diagnose your problem or offer clinical advice. ALL feedback you receive from our admin staff is based on pre-defined questions or instructions by a Doctor.
I want to cancel / check / amend my appointment.
Phone the surgery or if you receive a text message reminder you can cancel via the link. Alternatively, you can do this on the NHS App.
Why does the triage close at different times of the day?
Patient triage may be paused when a safe capacity of triages have been received to maintain our quality care provision, or due to un-foreseen circumstances, ie major sickness, IT outages.
Our GP’s limit the number of patients they can safely see / triage on a given day. As hard as our GPs work, they cannot physically triage and see an un-limited number of patients. Whilst we appreciate this can be frustrating at times, we need to ensure the safety of all our patients and staff.
What can I do when triage is closed, AND;
I have an urgent problem / medical query and need to see a GP?
Phone the surgery, explain you have an urgent issue. Our admin staff will then seek advice from the duty GPI don’t need to see a GP or need GP advice (eg admin question, update on referrals, have you received my paperwork, what time are you open, have you received my blood results, etc etc)
Phone the surgery or email malvern.healthcentre@nhs.net
I have a general / routine nursing query, what should I do?
Phone the surgery, or email. On occasions, a doctor’s guidance may be needed towards your nursing appointment, in which case a triage form may be needed. You will be advised if this is the case.
I have a general admin query that is not medical, (e.g. What time are you open, who is your Practice Manager, have you received my paperwork, have you received my rest results) what should I do?
You can use the Admin triage to enquire about an admin query.
Can I request a Doctor’s appointment in advance?
Yes. If the Doctor feels the appointment delay will not put you at risk, this can be arranged. When submitting your triage, please state your availability and you want an appointment later on.
I work 9 till 5 and have difficulty answering the phone at work / bad reception where I work, what can I do?
When submitting your triage please state a possible window (e.g. your lunch break). Our doctors will try their best to call within the times specified but this is not always possible. Or you can call and speak with admin staff.
Each time I access the triage it is closed or my work pattern prevents me from logging on in the morning but I need to see my GP, what can I do?
Call the surgery explaining the difficulty. Our admin staff will either submit the triage on your behalf and/or speak to the duty GP.
Can I attend the surgery to book a nurse appointment?
Yes. You can also use the Admin triage to submit a request for booking a nurse appointment.
I have not seen my GP for a while and with the recent changes I don’t know what to do.
If you have a medical concern, phone or pop into the surgery. Our staff are fully aware not all patients are familiar with technology. Please pop in, or call the surgery if you have any medical concerns – we are here to help!
Can reception make me an appointment with the GP?
Admin staff will no longer be able to book a doctor’s appointment without a triage being submitted or a prior request from the GP.
If I contact the surgery and say I want an urgent appointment what happens next as you state that reception will no longer be making appointments?
We have a duty doctor working every day to deal with emergencies. The reception team will ask for more information as to the nature of your urgent request. Our GPs have a clinically urgent criteria, once safe capacity is reached, and if your request falls into this criteria and appointment will be offered on the day. However, if not medically urgent and the request does not fit the criteria, you will be otherwise directed by the Reception team.
How long will it take to hear from the practice?
For all medical issues the practice will review your triage the same day and offer you an appointment within an appropriate time scale. If you have not heard back on the 2nd working day please call the surgery. If your query becomes urgent please call the surgery.
Can I request an appointment on behalf of someone else?
Yes, you can submit the form on behalf of the patient (although please write on the form that you are doing so) and can put the contact number that we should either contact the patient or their representative on. Please note that due to patient confidentiality we cannot always discuss everything unless they have explicitly given permission for us to do so. This is patient specific and at the discretion of the Doctor.
Can I request to see a particular Doctor?
Yes you can. When submitting your triage, please state which GP you would like to see. We will try to meet your expectations, but please note, this is not always guaranteed (Subject to availability)
Home Visits and Telephone Advice.
Home Visits
Home visits are available for patients who are either housebound or unable to visit the Surgery due to illness. All home visits will be organised by a clinician, with more serious or urgent visits taking priority. If possible, please call the Surgery on 01684 584050 before 10:00am if you require a home visit, to give the clinician time to plan the visits.
Telephone Advice
Telephone advice is accessible by contacting our Reception and asking for telephone advice from a GP or Practice Nurse, after which someone will be in touch to give you advice over the phone.
Duty Surgery
The aim of this service is to provide patients with rapid access to a doctor for an acute condition which requires immediate consultation and/or treatment on the day. When using this service please remember the following:-
You will be called by the emergency doctor of the day in the first instance
Appointments are for one acute condition only
We will try to keep your wait to a minimum
You also need to know that:
The emergency doctor may be called out of surgery if an emergency occurs. We will try to keep you informed of any delays.
The telephone triage time you are given is approximate and may alter depending on demands made on the emergency doctor (for example, the emergency doctor may run late).
Please do not use the Duty Service to gain rapid access to your doctor of choice for an ongoing medical problem - this results in Duty Surgeries running very late and causes patients with acute problems further delays.
Cancellations.
Please always let us know if you don’t wish to take up your appointment. Even if it is at the last minute, we can always fill it. We understand that you may now feel better or something else has cropped up and we are happy to rearrange, but please let us know.
You can cancel by calling 01684 584050 or by logging in to your preferred online service (such as the NHS App). Please click the relevant button below to cancel your appointment.
Please note that we do record all incidences of not turning up, and we will be in touch if you miss an appointment. We do reserve the right to ask you to leave the practice list if you won’t help us to help you by keeping to your appointments - as missed appointments cost the NHS money, and make it harder for the rest of our local community to access appointments with us.
Need help urgently?
Patients with urgent requirements will always be seen on the same day—but if you have an emergency you don’t think is appropriate for us, or we are closed, you should call the following numbers:
999
Patients with very serious or life-threatening health conditions, such as chest pain, severe bleeding or loss of consciousness, should phone 999 without delay.
NHS 111
Patients who are unsure whether to visit A&E for their condition, or have an urgent medical need outside of our opening hours, should call NHS 111.