Get the latest advice about coronavirus from nhs.uk
Please also see General COVID-19 information and Vaccination news
We hope you find this website both useful and informative. If you have any comments or suggestions about this website, or how it can be improved, please Contact Us.
How to access your GP practice - A short video
The surgery will be closed on the afternoon of Wednesday 6th February for staff training. From 12.30pm until 6.30pm emergency cover will be provided by the out of hours service NHS 111. Repeat prescription requests will not be dealt with during these times so plese ensure sufficient notice is given to enable your practice to provide these for you prior to practice closure dates. You can contact Care UK by telephoning 111. In a life threatening situation dial 999.
Covid Vaccinations for 12-15 year olds (CLINICALLY EXTREMELY VULNERABLE ONLY)
The Swan Surgery at Bury St Edmunds (01284 770460) and the Woolpit Surgery (01359 840298) are able to provide vaccinations for this age group. Parents should contact either of the surgeries to arrange an appointment or leave a voicemail message if unanswered, to enable a callback.
The SNEE Vaccination website shows all of the available sites that are offering Pfizer and is updated on a daily basis.
The Swan Surgery in Bury St Edmunds are also happy to help with the vaccinations. Please call 01284 770460 and leave a voicemail message if unanswered - someone will then call back to assist.
COVID vaccination status
If you have downloaded the NHS App with the intention of accessing your COVID vaccination status within your medical records please be aware that access to your online record through your GP surgery will first be necessary. This can take up to 21 days to process so please do allow plenty of time when making travel arrangements.
Wickhambrook Surgery Opening Hours page
Door Intercom Service
To keep our staff and patients safe we have introduced a door intercom service. The main door to the practice will be admittance/queries via intercom only. Please read the signage provided to guide you through this process.
Only one person to be in the lobby at a time (unless from same household). Please maintain social distancing outside whilst waiting to access the lobby. A face covering must be in place before entering the lobby.
The intercom is situated on the wall in the lobby. Once you have pressed the intercom button a member of staff will speak to you via the intercom (please be patient; they may be dealing with another task). You may use the intercom to announce your arrival for an appointment and either wait outside or return to your car, so please come prepared for adverse weather, ie with an umbrella/warm coat etc.
If you are collecting medication, please continue to queue for the dispensary window.
After your appointment the Doctor may escort you out via our staff door to maintain social distancing from people entering via the front door. There is a small step, so if you feel you will have difficulties negotiating the step please do tell the clinician.
We will continue to carry out child immunisations, smears, contraceptive services and injections for cancer patients. It is important to us to ensure that we continue to look after our staff and patients during this pandemic. If you have any medical concerns or feel unwell during this time it is essential that you contact the surgery. The doctors and nurses are continuing to triage and if necessary see patients during this time. They will be wearing full Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) when seeing patients.
If you need to contact a GP, you do not need to come to the surgery in person;
You can:
You will only be asked to visit the surgery if deemed absolutely necessary.
The surgery telephone lines are very busy at the moment and you may have to wait longer than usual to speak to someone.
If you have a child that has a medical condition or is unwell it is important that they get the correct treatment when they need it. We continue to provide the same safe care that we have always done. If you or your child needs urgent help, and it is out of hours or an emergency either call 111 or go to your nearest A&E department or call 999.
We thank you in advance for your continued understanding and cooperation with these new procedures. We are working in unprecedented times and are very grateful to our fabulous patients for your support and uplifting messages. Thank you.
We ask for your further help as detailed below:
A significant increase in email queries and photos being sent by patients has put significant pressure on our administrative team. PLEASE HELP SUPPORT US BY NOT EMAILING PHOTOGRAPHS OR CLINICAL PROBLEMS IN without being asked to do so by a doctor.
Please also remember the email address for any dispensary queries is wsccg.wickdisp@nhs.net
Appointments are being delivered face-to-face, online and over the telephone. If you are asked to come into the surgery for a face-to-face appointment, please remember to wear a face covering. Measures are in place to keep you safe from infection during your visit to the surgery.
We are doing everything possible to keep our visitors and staff safe. Please help us by adhering to the following guidelines:
Appointments: When you arrive for an appointment, please use the intercom (see details above) to confirm your arrival.
Under no circumstances should you enter the building unless you are granted access by a staff member who will first check your temperature.
Medication Collection: Please continue to queue at the Dispensary window between 9am and 6pm except for lunchtime when the dispensary is closed for lunch between 1.30pm and 2.30pm
In line with Government guidance we request that all patients and visitors to the surgery wear a face covering during the COVID-19 pandemic. Please bring one with you. Thank you very much for your cooperation.
In September 2021, general practices offered 19% more appointments to their patients than they did in September 2018.
If you’re offered a telephone appointment, you’ll be called by the team member with whom you’re booked. If they feel you need to be seen face to face to assess your condition, they’ll arrange this.
We’re still offering many face-to-face appointments, but telephone appointments do have a number of benefits: there will be fewer people in the surgery, so there’s less pressure on parking and a reduced risk for vulnerable patients. For patients with queries that are easily resolved, this also means they don’t need to interrupt their day or take time off work for an appointment.
One of the benefits of telephone appointments is that we can make calls in a suitable order. This means we can call patients with urgent problems quickly, rather than asking them to wait until the end of the surgery when we have a gap. It also means we can allow more time for difficult conversations. Some patients will hear difficult news during their appointment, and flexibility over the timing of appointments means that we can allow time to support patients who need it.
There have been increases in the number of appointments needed over the last few years. This is partly because there’s an increase in the number of registered patients. The average number of patients per practice has increased from 6,610 in 2010 to just over 9,000 in 2021.
The changing makeup of general practice teams, and working with other practices in local networks, helps to widen the team of healthcare professionals with specialist skills who can be accessed quickly by our patients.
As our practice teams change, so does the role of the GP. As multi-skilled healthcare professionals become increasingly available within our teams, you may be offered an appointment with a specialist practitioner rather than a GP.
Just as drug treatments for some conditions have changed, so too has the way we’re involved with patient care for those conditions. Where previously painkillers would have been the only available option for some, newer treatments have resulted in positive outcomes for patients. We can offer proactive care ensuring that we’re monitoring wellbeing with a reduced need for painkiller prescribing.
What is LifeLink?
Lifelink supports people by connecting them to the social activities, clubs and groups that are on offer in the community.
As part of the LifeLink initiative we are pleased to say we now have access to a LifeLink Co-ordinator, (also known as a social prescriber). Our LifeLink Co-ordinator is Jan Wilderspin. Jan will be very pleased to offer her help. You can get in contact with the local LifeLink scheme yourself, or ask a friend or relative to help, or talk to a member of staff here at the surgery. Wickhambrook surgery is covered by Sudbury Rural Lifelink. Find out more about LifeLink
Suffolk GP+ is for people who urgently need a doctor’s appointment or are unable to see their GP during normal GP hours. Appointments can be made via Reception during our usual opening hours. Please note: patients cannot refer themselves to this service. The service is staffed by local Suffolk GPs and Nurse Practitioners in Bury St Edmunds, Sudbury, Haverhill and Newmarket is an NHS service delivered by the Suffolk GP Federation. You will be given a booked appointment and will be seen by a suitable local GP or nurse who will have access to your medical records (once consent is given).
We dispense medication to nearly all of our patients. As a result, our dispensary can be very busy and we appreciate that at times there can be quite a queue when collecting medication.
We undertook a survey over a one-month period and the graphs below show the busiest days of the week and also the busiest times of the day. This may be of some use when deciding on when to collect your medication. Clearly, Friday mornings are the busiest.
Medication collection by days of the week
Please note; During the period 1.30pm to 2.30pm our dispensary will be closed in consideration of our staff welfare to enable them to have a full lunch break. We thank you for your understanding.
Other News and Information
Did you know we have a Patient Participation Group?
The purpose of the Patient Participation Group is to help us access and use your ideas for new projects, and gaining your views as to how the practice can improve and develop. The group would very much like to welcome some new members. If you would like to know more about the group please click the link below or ask a member of the surgery staff.
Each patient in the Practice has a named allocated GP. If you are unsure of your named GP please contact Reception and they will let you know who it is. If you have a preference for a particular named GP please let Reception know. Please note that you do not have to see your named GP for each appointment and you can request to be seen by a specific GP for individual appointments.
'Choose' Well by choosing the right service. The short video below is all about Choosing the Right Service.
You can now view Results, Problems, Allergies and Medications within your medical record, book your next appointment, or order your repeat prescription online using Patient Access. Available 24 hours a day, whether you are at home or work, it is especially useful when the practice is closed or telephone lines are busy. Register online or use the service (Click the Register - Create an Account option.). Or ask at Reception for the appropriate application form and information leaflet. We will require photographic ID and proof of address to process your application so even if you register online, you will still have to come to the surgery to show your ID. Please note; whilst the facility to order medication online and access medical records online remains available, online access to appointments is currently suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Further information regarding online access - link to Government information page
111 is the NHS non-emergency number. It's fast, easy and free. Call 111 and speak to a highly trained adviser, supported by healthcare professionals.
How likely are you to recommend this Surgery to friends and family if they needed similar care or treatment? Please spend 2 minutes to take the Friends and Family Test.
The NHS website. Take control of your health and wellbeing. Get medical advice, information about healthcare services and support for a healthy life.
Patient is one of the most trusted medical resources online, supplying evidence based information on a wide range of medical and health topics to patients and health professionals.
