Appointments

Contact us with PATCHS

You can contact a doctor, nurse or other healthcare professional online using a website called PATCHS.

Urgent appointments

If you feel your appointment is urgent, and are happy to see any clinician, then we will see you that day. However, if you wish to see a specific GP for a routine appointment, then you may have to wait longer for an appointment.

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

If you wish to make an appointment in advance we offer appointments up to 28 days in the future.

To request a routine appointment in advance 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.

Get medical advice from a nurse

To ask a non-urgent medical question:

We will respond within 2 working days during opening times.

Other ways to get help

NHS 111

Check your symptoms, visit NHS 111 online.

Call 111 at any time, 24 hours a day. You will speak to NHS professional staff who will help guide you on any medical issue.

Visit a pharmacist
  • No appointment necessary
  • Many pharmacists have a confidential area
  • Open till late and at weekends
Visit an optician
Visit a dentist

Enhanced access

This practice is part of St Helens South Primary Care Network (PCN), who are providing early morning, evening and weekend appointments for our patients. These appointments are in addition to those provided by the practice and are generally used for routine, non-urgent care.

This enhanced access service provides a range of pre-bookable appointment types covering normal GP & ANP appointments and routine nursing care such as annual reviews and smears, as well as more specialised appointments for physio, podiatry, mental health, pharmacists and social prescribers:

  • Monday: 6:30pm to 9pm, GP and ANP appointments
  • Tuesday: 7am to 11am, GP appointments
  • Tuesday: 6:30pm to 9pm, GP, ANP and social prescribing appointments
  • Wednesday: 6:30pm to 9pm, GP, ANP, social prescribing and pharmacy appointments
  • Thursday: 6:30pm to 9pm, GP, podiatry, practice nurse appointments
  • Friday: 6:30pm to 9pm, GP appointments
  • Saturday: 9am to 5pm, various appointments which can change each week and may include specialist clinics, such as Coil fitting and removal

Please note the Monday to Friday sessions are held remotely, via telephone, apart from the practice nurse and podiatry clinic which will be held at Rainhill Village Surgery. The face to face appointments on Saturdays will be held at the following venues:

  • Rainhill Village Surgery 529 Warrington Road, Rainhill L35 4LP
  • The Spinney Medical Centre Whittle Street St Helens Merseyside WA10 3EB

To make an appointment, please contact the surgery, and you will be offered an enhanced access service where appropriate.

Your appointment

Each person to be seen will require a separate appointment. If you have more than one problem to discuss, you may need to make another appointment.

Appointments can be made in advance by special arrangement for those with a disability who rely on a carer to get to the surgery. Please make this clear if it is the case.

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

If you cannot keep your appointment please let us know as soon as possible so that we can offer the appointment to another patient. We have a significant problem with “non-attenders” blocking patient access.

To cancel your appointment:

Please be aware that if you arrive late for your appointment you may be asked to rebook. This is to ensure we are doing our best to ensure that the surgeries run on time. If you contact us to let us know you are going to be late we will always endeavour to accommodate the change but sadly there are no guarantees.

If you need help when we are closed

Call 999 in a medical or mental health emergency. This is when someone is seriously ill or injured and their life is at risk.

For urgent medical attention after 6:30pm, on ringing the practice, you will be re-directed to the out of hours service.

At present we have arrangements with St Helens Rota to provide out of hours cover.

NHS 111

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.

Walk in centre

The St Helens NHS walk-in centre is located at the Millennium Centre, Bickerstaffe St. Near the Bus Station.

Opening times:

  • 7am to 10pm, Monday to Saturday
  • 9am to 10pm, Sunday

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. In this respect, if you do need a home visit, you can help us by calling reception before 10:30am.

You may only request a home visit if you are housebound or are too ill to visit the practice. 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. Please bear this in mind and be prepared to provide suitable details to enable the doctor to schedule house calls

You can also be visited at home by a community nurse if you are referred by your GP. You should also be visited at home by a health visitor if you have recently had a baby or if you are newly registered with a GP and have a child under five years.

Related information

Health A to Z

Sick notes

Test results