It is important that you inform the reception staff if you are unable to attend your appointment, this will allow that appointment to be offered to another patient. If you fail to notify the Practice that you are unable to attend, you will be sent a letter informing you that you have defaulted from your appointment. Persistent defaulters maybe removed from the list.

All patients requesting any urgent same-day help will be dealt with by the Same Day Team. The team includes, GPs, a First Contact Paramedic, and the Nursing Team. Patients will be prioritised on the basis of need. 

The clinician will contact you to assess the problem, and, in many cases, they can help you there and then over the phone, alternatively if needed you will be invited in for a face-to-face consultation.

The Same Day Team will deal with urgent problems that genuinely require treating that day. 

Member practices:  Bow Medical Centre, Mid Devon Medical Practice, Redlands Primary Care & Wallingbrook Health Group

Mid Devon Healthcare Primary Care Network offer routine evening appointments on rotation amongst its member practices and at weekends from Redlands Primary Care.

The aim of the service is to make it easier for people to get an appointment at a time that suits them.

The scheme is an extension of usual GP practice services, not a walk-in service, with people still needing to make an appointment if they would like to see a member of the healthcare team in the evening or at the weekend.

If you are registered patient of one of the member practices and require more information, please contact your registered practice.

The reception at Chulmleigh are open Monday to Friday from 8:30am to 6:00pm, the dispensary are open from 8.30am to 6.30pm.  They are closed at weekends and on bank holidays.

Doctors times:

Monday to Friday 8:30am – 11:15am, 3:00pm – 5:15pm

Practice Nurse and Health Care Assistants:

Monday to Friday 8:30am – 1:00pm, 2:00pm – 6:00pm

The Winkleigh Surgery is open Monday to Friday from 8:30am to 1.00pm, 2.00pm to 6:00pm and is closed at weekends and on bank holidays.

The medical team covers a very rural area of about 100 square miles from Burrington in the North to Lapford in the South, Dolton in the West to Worlington in the East.

We care for nearly 7000 patients, a third of our patients are over 65.. We think you will find that people who live in this area are friendly and welcoming, there are good neighbourhood support networks and there is a tradition of people helping each other out.

We hope that newcomers will want to continue this pattern and in an area where public transport is limited it is important that disabled and elderly residents can count on support from their neighbours and friends. We have over the years worked to provide a high standard of healthcare to this population and have been helped by the considerate attitude of our patients who appreciate that coming into the surgery when they are ill and avoiding the request for a home visit then we can save a huge amount of time (many visits take an hour door to door and in that time we can see up to 6 patients in the surgery).

The doctors and nursing team will willingly visit the truly housebound and terminally ill at home but we hope that those who can go to the dentist, hairdresser or optician will also come to see us. It is possible for patients to lie down in a side room while they wait to see a doctor or nurse or alternatively we can advise over the telephone without seeing you face to face for many problems.

In some areas there is a voluntary car scheme available to patients – please see our Patient Transport page on the further information menu at the foot of this page for more information.

When the patient is not well enough to travel to the surgery, a request for a visit on the same day should be made before 11:00am, except in an emergency. Most common childhood ailments should be dealt with in the surgery and do not require a home visit.

If you can come to the surgery, but are feeling very unwell, please tell the patient service team who will see you are not kept waiting too long.

If you feel the symptoms are severe enough to need immediate attention you must dial 999. This is the advice of the GPs based on national guidance. The ambulance control will assess the urgency of the call based on the information you give.

Where the situation may be urgent but not severe please contact the surgery. The patient service team will need as much information as possible to pass to the duty doctor who will then contact you as quickly as possible.

If a doctor is required outside surgery hours please contact NHS 111.

The Patient Services staff are members of the practice team and it has been agreed they should ask patients 'why they need to be seen'.  Patient Services staff are trained to ask certain questions in order to ensure that you receive:

The most appropriate medical care, from the most appropriate health professional, at the most appropriate time.

The Patient Services Team are asked to collect brief information from patients:

1. To help doctors prioritise house visits and phone calls

2. To ensure that all patients receive the appropriate level of care

3. To direct patients to see the nurse or other health professional rather than a doctor where appropriate.

Patient Services staff, like all members of the team, are bound by confidentiality rules.

We recognise that patients and their doctors have a unique relationship and in order to promote and protect this every patient has been allocated a usual GP.

All patients now have a GP who will look after their healthcare needs and provide continuity of care. We therefore ask that you speak to your usual GP in the first instance and he/she will advise you of the next steps.  When your usual GP is not in, the doctor covering their absence will be able to help where necessary.

If you are not sure who your usual GP is please ask at the surgery.

For an update on your referral submit an eConsult request to the team: https://wallingbrook.webgp.com 

To find out more information about the referral process, please see the leaflet below:

Patient Initiated Follow Ups for long term conditions at Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust

What is it?

North Devon Healthcare NHS Trust are currently rolling out patient initiated follow ups (PIFU) for some long term conditions at NDHT. PIFU describes when a patient (or their carer) can initiate a follow-up appointment as and when required, e.g. when symptoms or circumstances change.

This helps patients access support when they need it (e.g. during a flare-up of their symptoms) and avoids unnecessary routine ‘check in’ appointments. Patients are empowered to manage their own condition and take responsibility for initiating the appointment. For clinicians, it means more time to spend with the patients who most need their support whilst feeling assured that they are there for all of their patients when they are needed most. It also means a reduction in the time/cost/stress of patients travelling to an appointment which may be unnecessary.

Who is doing it?

We currently have this process in place in 5 specialties – Respiratory, Rheumatology, Podiatry, Pain Management and Neurology – and we are working with others to roll this out across the Trust.

For more information and Patient Information Leaflets for Rheumatology, Neurology, Pian Team, Podiatry and Respiratory visit:

Patient-initiated follow-up appointments - Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust (northdevonhealth.nhs.uk)

There may be occasions when you need to visit the doctor or nurse for an examination. On such occasions, it is your right as a patient; to be able to request a chaperone should you wish to. This could either be a trained member of staff or you can bring a close friend or relative with you.

If you require a chaperone please advise in advance of your appointment.

If you require an interpreter to attend with you when you see your Doctor please notify the Patient Service Team and they will arrange this for you.

We have a texting service which allows you to receive confirmation and reminders about your appointments.

To have this service you will need to register by completing a consent form.

Please remember to update your contact details with us when you change address, telephone numbers and email address.

You do not require a doctor's sickness certificate for any illness lasting seven days or less. Your employer may however require you to complete a self-certification form (SC2) which is available from your employer or on the HMRC website.

The Statutory Sick Pay Regulations state that employers are required to accept self-certification notes (filled in by you) for the first 7 days of illness. All employers must comply with these regulations.

You only need a doctor's certificate during the first 7 days of illness if you wish to claim benefits other than statutory sick pay: for example, benefits under the private insurance scheme, or to take your pre-booked holiday as sick leave instead. In these circumstances we may make a charge. Please see our fees list for current prices for a private sickness certificate. Click on the link and choose Non-NHS Services tab. Our Services

NHS Certificates (Med3) are available for periods of illness greater than 7 days. To continue to claim statutory sick pay after the first week of illness you will need a doctor's certificate, which will be provided free of charge. To claim other benefits, such as those under private insurance scheme, you will need to bring the appropriate form for us to fill in.

Sick Notes or Medical Certificate Information Questions and Answers

Q. Do you need a doctor's certificate  in the first 7days of an illness?

No, illness that lasts less than one week are usually minor and self-limiting and you may not require a visit to a doctor. It can be difficult for your doctor to judge whether or not you are incapable of reporting for work in this situation and all the certificate really indicates is that you attended the surgery on a specific date complaining you had a minor illness. In general, The Department of Health and Social Security, employers, doctors and patients do not recommend that you attend your doctor for certification alone. Your GP is required to issue a certificate only if your absence from work through sickness lasts more than 7 days.

Q. What do you need?

For the first 4 days of any illness you do not require any form for certification. (It is for you to decide if you are fit for work).

For the next 3 days (including Saturdays and Sundays) you must fill in a self-certificate form, (SC2 which is available from your employer).

After the first 7 days you will need a doctor's certificate and will have to attend the doctor to get a Department of Social Security sick note either a 'Med3' or 'Med5'.

Q. What are private sick notes and do you need one?

Some employers or insurance schemes will ask you to provide a private sick note. The doctors may charge you a fee to provide you with a 'sick note'. Sick notes are usually not necessary for the first week of any illness.