Appointments

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Contact us online

Urgent appointments

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

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

Who should I see?

General practitioner

The doctors at Four Acre can deal with all your illness complaints, but there is a triage system in place set out by the doctors for the receptionists to guide your queries to the most appropriate doctor or clinician, the doctors will prefer to see a range of conditions especially serious and chronic problems, cancers, IHD and stroke.

Nurse clinicians

Are highly skilled, trained to master degree level and are able to diagnose many conditions which, in the past could only be dealt with by doctors. They can deal with conditions/illnesses such as eye problems, emergency contraception (morning after pill), ears/nose/throat problems, rashes, chest/respiratory problems, problems relating to possible viral infections, joint pains, general minor ailments, stomach problems, hypertension (high blood pressure), urinary problems.

In addition to minor ailments the nurse clinicians and the practice nurse help to monitor patients with life long illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease, asthma, mental health, etc. Nurse clinicians, like doctors, can refer patients to hospital, order xrays and ultrasound, as well as blood test.

Healthcare assistants

Healthcare assistants are trained to carry out duties such as;

  • Blood pressure checks
  • Carry out blood tests such as cholesterol tests and other blood tests when instructed by a clinician
  • Carry out new patient medical checks
  • Weight checks
  • Vitamin B12 injections (currently under strict supervision)
  • Flu vaccinations (seasonal)
  • Spirometry (breathing test)
  • Assist doctors and nurses in clinics such as COPD and mental health

Enhanced access service

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.

Cancelling or changing an appointment

To cancel your appointment:

If you need help when we are closed

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.

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

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

The criteria for a home visit is:

  • terminally ill
  • housebound

If you do not meet this criteria then we would ask that you come to the practice to be seen. If you do meet this criteria and require a home visit please give the patient care advisor full details about the patient including name, date of birth, contact telephone number, visiting address including post code, and basic symptoms / reason for request. In some instances the request may be checked by a clinician at the surgery in order to assess the best course of action for the patient/level of urgency etc.

Please request home visits before 10:30am on the day the visit is required.

Related information

Health A to Z

Sick notes

Test results