The GP isn't always the most appropriate person to see.  We aim to help you by getting the Right care, first time but we need your help We are often asked why our Patient Care Advisor ask why you pateitns need an appointment.  This is to help us help you by getting the right care, first time.  This short video link helps explain.  

Please read the Patient Care Advisor section at the foot of this page to see how we may help you choose who to see.

Appointment Booking Process

1. Please remember that to preserve capacity for everyone and to minimise delays, each appointment is for one person for one problem. Do not expect the doctor or nurse to be able to resolve multiple problems in a single appointment. If you do have more than one problem, then please let Reception Team know when you book your appointment, and they will do their best to accommodate you. However, you might need to make a second appointment if there is not the capacity on the day.
2. While capacity can, at times, be frustrating, it is not the reception team’s fault when we are full and we ask that Patients remain polite. Please be patient with us as we endeavour to process enquiries and appointment requests as efficiently as possible.
3. It is the role of Reception Team to ensure that the most appropriate clinician is assigned to you and we ask that you provide them with the necessary information to do this. Without being dismissive of patient preference which we are very mindful of, once you have provided this information, they are well placed to advise who the most appropriate person is for you.
4. The GPs work together as a team and every consultation is documented onto patients’ digital records. These are accessible to other GPs in the Practice. Not every GP is in every day and they all have time on leave from the practice. Therefore, an appointment with a specific GP is unable to be guaranteed. If you wish to wait for a specific GP, then you may have a longer wait.
5. Appointments made online a long way in advance often result in the patient forgetting to attend resulting in wasted appointments.
6. Please DO NOT EMAIL the Practice to ask for an appointment or an urgent call back. Our emails are not monitored on a real time basis and there is a risk that such requests may not be actioned in the timescale needed.

Future Processes

It is hoped to transition to a  digital format of appointment booking, whereby patients will input their information and requests electronically (online). These requests can then be sorted more rapidly by the Reception Team without patients having to call and wait in telephone queues. For those that are unable to use the online system, the same questions that are asked online, will be asked by the Reception Team and entered into the system by them. This will ensure that there is equity in access for all.

* Triage means that patients are sorted into different levels of urgency or severity of needs

** Pre-bookable Appointments are those made available online.

If possible please try to telephone reception before 10:30 am if you require a home visit.

House visits are only available for patients who are genuinely housebound because of illness or disability.  As a rule, if you are able to leave your house with or without assistance, for such as shopping, hair appointments or to visits friends or family, then you will most probably not need a home visit.

If you request a home visit, we do expect the patient to be in the home and access available when the doctor or nurse attends. We cannot offer specific appointment times for home visits.

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.

House visits are only available for patients who are genuinely housebound because of illness or disability.  Minor ailments such as coughs and colds are not normally sufficient reason to request a home visit

We cannot attend home visits because of a lack of transport or just for patient convenience.  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 the Health Centre.

The practice offers a telephone consultation service. If you would prefer to speak to a GP rather than attending the surgery please ask the receptionist for a telephone consultation. You will be given an approximate time and the GP will call you back. Telephone consultations are held daily following morning surgery. 

If all the telephone consultations have been offered the receptionist will take your details and ask a GP to telephone you at the end of their planned work. 

Telephone consultations are not appropriate for nurse appointments. If you wish to speak to a nurse please inform reception who will ensure all the relevant details are passed to the nurse who will phone you back.

The Practice is located on Boultham Park Road behind the Library in Boultham Park Road, Lincoln, near to the roundabout with Rookery Lane, Moorland Avenue and Skellingthorpe Road.  The Practice has ample parking facilities in a shared car park with the Boultham Park Library. For buses, you require either the 66,  44 or 44A, all passing the surgery on a regular basis.

During your appointment with a doctor or nurse you are welcome to ask for a chaperone; this will usually be one of the nursing team. If due to the nature of the consultation you are attending for, either you or the doctor/nurse seeing you wishes for a chaperone to be present and there is no additional nurse or doctor available, you will be asked to book a further appointment where a chaperone can be provided.  You are welcome to have a friend or family member in attendance at your appointment.

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.

Your GPs currently provide a limited number of appointments outside of normal opening hours.  

As part of the Apex Primary Care Network (PCN) Boultham Park Medical Practice offers appointments outside of our normal working hours.  As a Practice we provide a full range of appointment during our extended access clinics on a Tuesday evening and some limited appointments on Friday evening (remote) and Saturdays on a rota system with our colleagues across the PCN. 

Our reception team have all taken part in ‘signposting’ training as a move towards becoming Patient Care Advisors.  This way they can better help patients to the best service or clinician for their needs – thus cutting down waiting times for you the patient.

With the wider range of Clinicians available at the surgery than ever before, your GP is not necessarily the best person to see – it depends what you are coming in for.

For example:

• A blood pressure check is performed by going directly to a healthcare assistant or even local pharmacies
• A cytology screening test is done by a nurse
• Continuation Fit-notes (sick note) and prescription requests can often be dealt with by the reception team without the need for an appointment
• Medication reviews / queries will usually be carried out by our own clinical pharmacists
• Acute illnesses can be dealt with by our nurse practitioners (they can prescribe)
• Back /Leg / Arm/ Neck pains are better dealt with by our First Contact Practitioners

A quick trip to the local pharmacist (no appointment needed) is the most efficient way to get treatment for the following minor ailments and self-limiting conditions:

 All of these highly qualified and experienced clinicians free up our amazing GPs for your more complex health needs.

So - when you book an appointment the reception team may now, under the instructions of the GPs, ask you for some basic information about the appointment so that they are able to direct you to the most appropriate service/clinician. 

In doing this, Patient Care Advisors, are not prying and are bound by exactly the same rules and regulations regarding your confidentiality as the doctors and nurses.  This applies to all our staff.

We appreciate this might be a change that some patients are not wholly comfortable with, and we ask that you cooperate so that we can make the best use of the resources and appointments we have available. This will enable us to maximize access to the right clinician for the right condition for all our patients.