Appointments

Routine appointments

Please do not book an online appointment if:

• You have a new rash
• Suspected chicken pox/shingles
• Have tested positive for COVID
• A condition that may be infective such as vomiting & diarrhoea

ONLINE

The easiest way to book an appointment to see a doctor is using your SystmOnline account or the NHS app.

• Visit the homepage of the Dolphin House website
• Click appointments information
• Click Login to Online Services
• Enter your username and password
• Click log in
• Click your appointments
• Click book appointment
• Select an appointment and click submit

After you have pressed submit, please confirm your appointment has been booked by clicking “future appointments”. There are often multiple people using the online system at the same time and it might be that the appointment was booked by someone else before you could submit.

Note down the time and date of your appointment as you may not receive a text message reminder.

Online appointments are released at:

1. 12am (midnight). For the following day, 2,3 or 7 days ahead.
2. 6am. Same day appointments

Online appointments occasionally become available later in the day if there are cancellations/unfilled urgent appointments so it is worth checking periodically throughout the day.

TELEPHONE

A small number of routine appointments are also available to book via telephone from 8am through our reception team for patients who are unable to use the online system. Please call reception on 01920468777

FAQs

• How do I book an appointment for my child?

Appointments for a child can be booked via their parent/guardian’s log in. Please mention this is for your child in the notes section

• How do I book a nurse/HCA appointment?

Appointments to see a nurse or health care assistant are not currently available to be booked online. Please call reception on 01920 468777

• What if I can no longer make my appointment?

Please cancel via your online account or NHS app. Alternatively you can call our reception team

• What if I have forgotten my log in?

Please click here for more information on how to create an account Reset Password (tpp-uk.com)

• What if my account is not working?

Please call reception on 01920 468777 and our team will be able to help you

• What if I need an appointment for a medical review such as diabetes or asthma?

Please see the long term condition section of our website

• What if 12am and 6am are not suitable times for me to log on and book?

We apologise that this is inconvenient for you. Unfortunately it is impossible to create appointment release times to suit everybody. There are extra appointments released throughout the day so it is worth checking every now and again.

• I keep trying but there are never any appointments available

Unfortunately, on some days the demand for appointments can outweigh the appointments available. We recommend trying on an alternative day initially. If you are still struggling then please call our reception team and we will see how we can help

Urgent appointments

For life threatening emergencies please call 999

For children please call 999 or take your child straight to A&E for:

• Unable to stay awake (cannot keep their eyes open for more than a few seconds)
• Limp and floppy (their head falls to the side, backwards or forwards)
• Blue, grey, pale or blotchy skin, tongue or lips (on black or brown skin; grey or blue palms and soles)
• Severe difficulty breathing (making grunting noises or sucking in their stomach under their ribcage)
• Choking (on liquids or solids right now)
• Heavy bleeding (spraying, pouring or enough blood to make a puddle)
• Severe injuries (after a serious accident or assault)
• Seizure (shaking or jerking because of a fit or unconscious)
• Sudden rapid swelling (if the lips, mouth, throat or tongue)
• Signs if a stroke (face dropping on one side, cannot lift both arms, difficulty speaking)
• Sudden confusion (agitation, odd behaviour or non stop crying)

If you have an urgent problem then please call the reception team on 01920 468777 at 8am.

You may have to wait on the phoneline for your call to be answered as the phonelines can be very busy but please bear with us. If you are unable to wait on the line please select the call back option and a member of our team will call you back

Our trained reception team will need to ask you a few questions regarding your urgent problem. This is so they can book the most appropriate appointment for you. 

You may be offered an appointment with our minor illness nurse or directed to an alternative service such as the pharmacy, physiotherapist, social prescribing or mental health team.

If there are no appointments available or our team do not think an urgent appointment will best meet your needs, you will be added to the triage list for a call back from a doctor. Please keep your mobile/landline on and near you as they could call at any time.

If the triage doctor deems that you need to seen urgently face to face then you MUST be able to attend the surgery ON THE SAME DAY for an appointment. If this is not possible then you may be asked to call back the following day

After 11am the only appointments available are for urgent problems only. If your problem is not urgent then you may be asked to call back another day/book a routine appointment online.

Some minor illness conditions can be managed by your local pharmacist. Please click here for more information on the pharmacy first scheme

How pharmacies can help – NHS

Telephone Appointments

Routine telephone/follow up appointments cannot currently be booked online.

Please call reception on 01920 468777

Alternatively, if a doctor has asked you to contact/follow up with them after a recent appointment then please use our SystmConnect messaging system

Home visits

Our doctors are happy to visit patients at home who are registered as housebound or who are too ill to attend the surgery.

However, to make the best use of our doctor’s time, it is best if you can attend the surgery if at all possible.

If you feel you need a home visit please call the surgery on 01920 468777 before 10am. Visit requests after this time should be for URGENT problems only that cannot wait until the following day.

E-Consultations

E-consultations

Dolphin House currently offer online consultations for:

• Contraception reviews
• HRT reviews

These can be accessed through SystmConnect

Changing/Cancelling an appointment

If you can no longer make your appointment please let us know as soon as possible

This can be done by:

Telephone – call reception on 01920 468 777

NHS app

SystmOnline

Via our website

Extended Access

We offer an extended access service on Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings (18:30-20:00) and Saturdays (08:00-17:00) with a GP, nurse, or other healthcare professional.

This service is provided to patients registered at the following surgeries: Dolphin House Surgery and Puckeridge & Buntingford Medical Centre.

Appointments will be hosted here at Dolphin House Surgery.

To book an extended access appointment please call the surgery on 01920 468777 during normal working hours.