Appointments

Illness or injury? Not sure where to turn? Advice ASAP Gloucestershire can help you decide.

Urgent appointments

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

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

We will use your answers to choose the most suitable doctor, nurse or healthcare professional to help you.

Routine appointments

You can request a routine appointment in advance during opening times.

We will respond to requests within 2 working days.

You can also:

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

We will use your answers to choose the most suitable doctor, nurse or healthcare professional to help you.

Get medical advice from a doctor or nurse

To ask a non-urgent medical question:

We will respond within 2 working days during opening times.

Minor injuries and emergency departments

During the period 8am to 6:30pm every weekday, excluding bank holidays, there is a duty doctor available at the surgery. Patients who require urgent attention can contact the surgery during these hours.

During the periods listed below the surgery building is not open and only telephone calls relating to problems that need the immediate attention of a doctor are handled. Please do not phone during these periods with routine matters.

  • 8am to 8:30am
  • 1pm to 1:30pm
  • 6pm to 6:30pm

There may be times when you feel that one of the minor injuries or emergency departments is more appropriate for your needs. Find urgent and emergency care services.

Enhanced access

Drybrook Surgery and the other 9 GP surgeries in the Forest of Dean all take part in an extended access scheme. Extended access clinics provide extra appointments for patients in the Forest of Dean.

These include telephone appointments on weekday evenings between 6:30pm and 8pm and face to face appointments on Saturday mornings. A limited number of additional appointments are also available on a same day basis Monday to Friday.

There are a range of professionals offering appointments including GPs, nurses, healthcare assistants, clinical pharmacists and a dietician.

The clinics are held across all the surgeries in the Forest on a rota basis and appointments are bookable by ringing our reception on 01594 542239.

For further details, including where the clinics are being held this week, please visit www.forestofdeanpcn.co.uk/enhanced-access.

Your appointment

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

  • by phone
  • face to face at the surgery
  • on a video call
  • by text or email

Appointments by phone, video call or by text or email can be more flexible and often means you get help sooner.

Cancelling or changing an appointment

To cancel your appointment:

If you need help when we are closed

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.

If you need help with your appointment

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

Home visits

Whilst we encourage our patients to come to the surgery, where we have the proper equipment and facilities available, we do appreciate this is not always possible.

We will of course visit patients at home when it is medically necessary, but it is in everyone’s best interest that this service is reserved only for those who are too ill or infirm to be brought to the surgery.

In this respect, if you do need a home visit, you can help us by calling reception before 10am.

Your GP will only visit you at home if they think that your medical condition requires it and will also decide how urgently a visit is needed. Our highly trained receptionists will need to take a few details in confidence about what is wrong. This helps us to decide which visits are most urgent and also which person in the practice team would be most appropriate to make the visit.

Related information

Health A to Z

Sick notes

Test results