Your GP surgery should usually be your first point of content if you have particular concern about your health.

A range of healthcare professionals work at your practice and in the wider community to help you get the right care when you need it. This means you might be seen by a GP, but you could also be seen by another trained professional such as a practice nurse, community pharmacist, physiotherapist, or social prescriber.

Appointment information

St Andrew’s Health Centre is open Monday to Friday from 8am to 8pm. To make appointments you must call our reception on 020 8980 1888 or you can do it online by clicking here if you have requested online access previously.

We offer both routine and urgent appointments; these appointments can be face to face or over the telephone. For routine appointments we recommend that you book ahead with your usual Doctor.

Urgent appointments, which are also known as same day appointments, can only be booked on the day and will be booked with whichever Doctor or Advanced Nurse Practitioner is available on that day. Our Advanced Nurse Practitioners are highly trained and can also prescribe medication and offer referrals where appropriate.

There is an ‘on-call doctor’ daily to deal with any urgent health issues. Please contact the surgery if your concern is urgent and cannot wait. The doctor will call you back to assess and offer appropriate advice which might include seeing you on the day.

Our patient assistant team will always ask your reason for requesting an appointment. This is so they can book you in with the appropriate health professional be that a Doctor, Advanced Nurse Practitioner, Practice Nurse or HCA or, if your query can be dealt with over the telephone they will book you in for a telephone consultation with the appropriate clinician.

Practice Nurses and Health Care Assistants (HCA)
Our Nurses and HCA’s offer a range of services:

• Blood tests, blood pressure checks, ECG’s, spirometry
• Long term condition management – Asthma, Diabetes, COPD, hypertension
• Childhood and travel vaccinations
• Health Checks, advice on weight reduction, stopping smoking, reducing alcohol intake
• Smears, sexual health screening, family planning, contraception
• Wound care

Different nurses and HCA’s do different things so please let the Patient Assistant team know what you want your appointment for, so they can book you in with the right clinician.

You may also wish to contact NHS 111 either by phone on 111 or online at www.nhs.uk/111.

Blood Tests and other investigations

These can be requested by the doctor, nurse or health care assistant at St Andrews Health Centre. Blood tests will be taken usually by a phlebotomist (a technician who takes blood by appointment only – please book an appointment with the Patient Assistant Team. Blood tests can also be done at the the local hospital as a walk in service, Patient Assistants can give you details of timings and print out your Test Request forms that you will need to take with you.

Please note that you can book directly for blood tests if you require a sexual health test (e.g. blood tests for HIV, hepatitis, Syphilis and swabs/urine for Chlamydia and Gonorrhoea), however, Other blood tests will be booked following discussion with a Doctor, Nurse or HCA.

Click here for information on test results

Opening times

We are open from 8am to 8pm, every day of the year.   In addition to appointments for our registered patients we offer “Hub”appointments which are pre-booked appointments for patients who are registered with any GP in Tower Hamlets. These appointments can only be booked through the GP practice you are registered with or by calling 111. You will be seen by a GP or an Advanced Nurse Practitioner who will have access to your medical records. Your consultation records from the Hub will always be shared with your own practice clinical team to ensure continuity of care.

If you need help or advice outside of our opening hours, please call 111.

Mental Health Crisis

If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, you can call the Tower Hamlets 24 hour Crisis Line number on 0207 771 5807.
Callers will be able to speak to a mental health professional.

Home visits

If you think you will require a home visit please call the practice as early in the day as possible. The ‘on-call’ Doctor will talk to you over the telephone to ascertain whether a home visit is necessary and when it can take place. Doctors do home visits after they have finished their booked appointments. Home visits are for house-bound patients only and whilst a doctor can see you on the same day, it is not an emergency service.

Cancellations

If you need to cancel an appointment please call the surgery. You can also cancel an appointment online within your access and by text.

Appointments out of hours

If you need an urgent appointment contact the practice during opening hours or fill out a form on our website.

When the practice is closed, please ring NHS 111 or use NHS 111 online and they can help you with booking an urgent GP appointment.

Routine and urgent appointments are provided in the evening and weekends.

You should only attend A&E if you need immediate care for something that is very serious or life-threatening. If your condition isn’t life-threatening, in many cases you could be seen faster by using other local services in your community.

If you feel unwell or have a minor injury, your local pharmacy can also offer advice and some medicines. Many pharmacies are open late and at the weekends, and you do not need an appointment to be seen. Find your nearest pharmacy.

If you are feeling overwhelmed and need urgent help because you are worried that you might harm yourself or someone else, contact your local mental health crisis line. Trained professionals are there to help you 24 hours a day, 365 days a year by calling (0207 771 5807).

For more information on finding the right NHS help visit www.northeastlondon.icb.nhs.uk/urgentcare