Our Appointment System

Booking Appointments

All of our doctors will help you deal with acute and long-term health problems and illnesses. This may involve advice for self help, signposting to other services, a telephone appointment or a face to face appointment with a suitable clinician.

If you have a GP or clinician preference, please let reception know when calling for an appointment. This way, we hope to provide you with continuity of care at a time convenient for yourself.

All consultations are by appointment only. If you are aged 16 or older, you can use RapidHealth to book an appointment. RapidHealth is available 24 hours a day 7 days a week and all requests will be reviewed on the next working day.

If the patient is under the age of 16, please call the surgery on 024 7667 2277, Monday to Friday 8:30am to 6pm.

The RapidHealth will guide you through a range of triage questions about your symptoms and determine the urgency of your request, you will be able to book urgent and routine appointments.

FAQ

Why is Forrest Medical Centre moving to a new online triage system?

We at Forrest Medical Centre are constantly striving to provide the best service and medical care for our patients. In the 2023 patient survey, you told us:

You wanted an easier way to contact the surgery
You wanted to avoid long wait times on the phone
You wanted continuity of care with preferred GP

RapidHealth will allow us to deliver on all three objectives; RapidHealth is available 24/7 which means that you can submit a medical or administrative query throughout the day, even on a Sunday evening!

You can book an appointment directly, and most importantly you can choose to book an appointment with your preferred GP subject to availability.

RapidHealth is a way to avoid morning rush, you do not have to call us at 8.30am and wait in a telephone queue to book an appointment, we are giving you back the control!

We will continually strive to improve our systems and processes, this means we may tweak the system along the way to improve it.

What is the best way of contacting the surgery?

The best way to contact the surgery is via the RapidHealth - Contact us online

Who can use RapidHealth?

Anyone over the age of 16 can book an appointment or submit an administrative request online.

I need an urgent appointment?

You can book an urgent appointment using RapidHealth, you will be taken through some triage questions, and you will be offered an appointment based on your medical need with the most appropriate clinician.

I need to book a routine appointment?

You can book a routine appointment using RapidHealth link, you will be taken through some triage questions, and you will be offered an appointment based on your medical need with the most appropriate clinician.

I have an administrative query? (i.e. Sick Note, Repeat Prescriptions etc)

You will be able to submit request administrative requests, please select ‘I need admin help’. You will then be able to select from the following options:

Ask a non-medical question
Doctors letter or reports
Referrals
Sick/fit note requests
Test results
Update Personal Records

I need to request a Repeat Prescription?

You can request repeat prescription by downloading the NHS App or via patient access by selecting ‘Order Repeat Prescriptions’ on the practices website.

I have a sick child?

Anyone aged 16 or under will need to call the surgery on 02476 672 277, Monday to Friday 8:30am to 6pm to request an appointment. Our patient advisors will ask some questions to help the doctor decide how best to advise/see/treat your child.

I need a home visit?

Please call the practice and our team of patient advisors will be able to assist you to complete the online triage to help the doctor decide who is most appropriate and the urgency.

I have an eye problem?

Patients was all eye problems will be redirected to eye casualty or NHS eye care services. If you have a serious eye problem like sudden loss of vision, severe pain, flashing lights or increased floaters in your vision contact Eye Casualty on 02476 964 800/802/806 Monday to Friday 9am to 1pm and 1:30pm to 7pm or Saturday 9am to 12pm.

Can I manage my family members medical needs and appointments using RapidHealth?

Yes, you can complete the online triage for anyone over the age of 16. We will ask you to indicate if the request is for yourself or a someone else on the form.

I do not have access to the internet?

You can access the system on your smart phone or come into the surgery we will have stations set up to complete the online triage in surgery.

English is not my first language?

The online form is in very easy to use, you can ask a family member to help. If you are unable to complete it, please call reception and we can support with an interpreter.

Information for palliative care patients.

Palliative care patients will be able to call the practice as usual.

What if I am hard of hearing?

The online form is visual which you will be able to complete online, your medical care will not be affected.

What if I have a visual impairment?

Where possible please as a family member or relative support with completing the form. Alternatively, please call the practice and our team of patient advisors will be able to assist you to complete the online triage.

I need an out of hours appointment?

All requests including Out of Hours appointments can be requested via Rapid Health.

Book an Appointment with a GP

You can book a GP contact up to a week in advance as either a telephone call, a face to face or video appointment.

These can be booked online, on the telephone or in the surgery.

On the day appointments are restricted to urgent medical issues only and will be triaged before hand.

You will be able to book medication reviews, nurse appointments, blood tests and hospital letter reviews (as requested by the GP) up to a month in advance also.

We have other health professionals working with us such as an advanced nurse practitioner, clinical pharmacists, paramedics and First Contact Physiotherapists, as well as a diverse nursing team. It may that your appointment is booked with one of these members of the team.

The reception staff will ask for a brief description of your problem to ensure we get you seen by the right person.

If you feel that it necessary for a home visit, please make that clear to the reception team when you call and please call us as early as possible.

Text Appointments (for hard of hearing patients)

We have a mobile phone number available for hard of hearing patients. This number can be used to request an appointment or repeat prescription. Please ask at reception for details.

We make every effort to keep appointment times but there may be occasions when they overrun.

Helping the appointment system run smoothly

If you are unable to keep your appointment please notify the surgery as soon as possible by telephoning reception.
One appointment is for one person. If you want another member of your family to see the doctor or nurse, please book a further appointment.
Sometimes people can forget to tell the doctor all the important information about their problem. It may help to write their symptoms down.
If you don’t understand what the clinician says, please don’t be afraid to ask for a further explanation.
It can sometimes help to have a partner or friend with you.
If you are seeing the doctor to discuss the result of an investigation or a recent hospital treatment, check with reception first that any important results or letters have been received.
Appointments may not be required to have insurance forms completed or renewal of sickness certificates.
If you would like a chaperone please ask

Extended Hours Service

This surgery offers appointments to see a GP or Nurse in the evenings or at weekends.

Patients can request a routine appointment at reception and choose to be seen in one of the eight Extended Hours Hubs across Coventry and Rugby.

Appointments are available Monday to Friday between 6.30pm and 9.30pm and on Saturday and Sunday mornings.