Pool Health Centre

The Surgery operates an automated telephone system. We introduced this because too much time was being taken up transferring calls within the surgery causing lines to be blocked and occasionally making it difficult for patients to get through at busy times. Now patients are connected automatically to the appropriate area of the Surgery, allowing your calls to be handled more efficiently. The telephone system gives callers three simple options.

Patients calling for appointments are asked to press 1.
Patients calling for test results are asked to press 2. (Patients are requested to call for results after 2.00 pm where possible.)
All other callers are asked to press 3 for enquiries.

If you do not press any button (or do not have a touchtone telephone) your call will go through to enquiries after the whole message has played through twice. The likelihood of no-one being available to take your call is considerably less now that staff are no longer spending significant amounts of time transferring calls to colleagues. However, if all available staff are busy with enquiries, the system is set up to ask patients to call back so that they do not incur the cost of being held for an unacceptable length of time.

To speak to a Doctor
If you wish to speak to a doctor please press 3 for ‘enquiries’.All the doctors are prepared to give advice over the telephone, but may not be free when you call. The receptionist on enquiries will take details and can usually arrange for a clinician to return your call.

Outside surgery hours (which are 8.30 – 6.30 Monday to Friday) callers are transferred to Kernowdoc.

Emergencies
Patients are reminded that GP surgeries do not have full casualty facilities and patients requiring emergency services should dial 999.

Repeat Prescriptions
For reasons of accuracy and safety it is the Partners do not consider it good practice to take repeat prescription requests over the telephone. Repeats can, however, be accepted by fax or by e-mail (see details at foot of page) .