Appointments

To make an appointment call into reception or telephone 623931 Monday to Friday between 08:30 -18:00. Each appointment is 10-30 minutes long and is intended for one person and one or two problems at the most. If you have various problems to discuss please let the receptionist know who will book a ‘double’ appointment for you. If you have already registered for online access please click here to book https://patient.emisaccess.co.uk (telephone consultations only at present)

Please note that appointments booked following direct contact with the practice will be held at Palatine Group Practice.

Urgent Appointments

The earlier in the morning you can call the better (from 08:30 onwards), as we ‘hold’ a number of appointments each day specifically for urgent cases. Please be patient if your call is not answered immediately as we can be exceptionally busy at this time. For urgent appointments we cannot guarantee you will see the clinician of your choice but you will be offered an appointment. Please state that you require an urgent appointment.

If you are late for your appointment please do not be offended if you are asked to re-book.

Casualties

There is no casualty department at the surgery and we do not operate a ‘drop in’ service.  All patients with injuries needing stitches, or where a broken bone is suspected, should attend the Minor Injuries Unit at Ramsey & District Cottage Hospital or the Accident and Emergency Department at Noble's Hospital.

Telephoning your doctor

If you wish to speak personally to a doctor, please tell the receptionist, including a brief reason for your call so a telephone consultation can be arranged.  It is helpful to give the receptionist an idea of how urgent your call is. The doctors are happy to call you back on a mobile number to allow you to get on with your day in the interim.

Chaperones

If you would like a chaperone to attend during your consultation with the doctor this is always available.  You can ask at reception when you book in, or else ask the doctor.  There is no need to feel embarrassed about this, it is an everyday part of a doctor’s work, and he or she will not feel offended.

Cancellations

A substantial number of appointments are wasted due to non-attendance. Monthly audit checks tell us that on average 120 patients fail to attend their appointments every month.  PLEASE contact us as early as you can if you cannot attend your appointment. You can do so in the following ways:

• By calling the practice on 623931.
• In person at the practice reception.
• Online using Patient Access https://patient.emisaccess.co.uk.
• By e-mail to palatine@gov.im.
• By responding to the link given in your appointment reminder text (see below).

We would ask that you call us if your appointment is within 24 hours as we can only check online intermittently. Practice policy is that patients who persistently fail to attend without extenuating circumstances will ultimately be removed from our list. 

We are frequently asked if we hold a cancellation list of patients we can contact should a cancellation slot arise.  No cancellation lists are held by the practice.  Cancellation slots are often reallocated within minutes of the cancellation occurring and we would advise if you require an urgent appointment to utilise the 08:30 on the day appointment system as detailed above.

Text reminders

Appointment reminder texts now include a link to follow to cancel your appointment.  When you click on the link it asks you for your date of birth and then asks you to confirm you wish to cancel.  This automatically cancels the appointment for you and will send you a text confirmation.

We would be most grateful if you could share this information with friends and relatives who do not have internet access.

Hospital appointments/waiting times

For hospital outpatient appointments, please contact Manx Care by telephoning 01624 650103.  If you cannot attend a hospital appointment select Option 1 to cancel an appointment.  This line is manned Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, with the facility to leave a message outside those times, or at busy times. 

For appointments with other departments such as radiology, endocrinology, diabetes, audiology etc please contact the number detailed on your appointment letter.

Further information regarding Manx Care's Patient Access Policy and Waiting Times can be found here.