Waterfoot Medical Practice

05/01/2026

‼️New Appointment System‼️
Just to remind everyone that from Wednesday 7th January we are making a significant change to our appointment system. We aim to improve the way our surgery delivers care to all our patients.
From this date, we are moving to a total triage model. This means that every patient requesting a GP appointment is first triaged by a clinician. You will be asked to complete an online form through the NHS App or via our website. All patient requests will be triaged by one of our experienced GPs, who will decide on the best course of action. You could be given a face to face or telephone appointment, receive a reply from the GP with self-care advice, or be signposted to a more appropriate service.
Please visit our website for further information on this important change: Total Triage - https://waterfootmedicalpractice.nhs.uk/total-triage
Please also take the time to watch this video, which explains how we will soon be working and helping you -
https://youtu.be/CvsxpA3Ul1o?si=vJ4N941jrmmfiPhL
We have seen this working in local practices and discussed with others who have made this change successfully.
Please rest assured, if you don’t have a smartphone or can’t use the internet, you can still telephone the surgery or visit in person. Our receptionists will ask you some questions about your request and fill out the online form with you. The surgery team will then assess your request and will be back in touch with the next steps.

03/01/2026

MMRV is now part of the NHS routine childhood vaccination programme, replacing the MMR vaccine.

It protects against measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox.

Chickenpox is very common and can sometimes lead to serious complications, so vaccination helps reduce the risk of serious illness as children grow.

You don’t need to do anything — your GP will be in touch when your child is due.

More advice ➡️ https://www.nhs.uk/vaccinations/mmrv-vaccine/

30/12/2025

19/12/2025

Congratulations to our Assistant Practice Manager Kelly, on receiving her Diploma in Primary Care and Health Management. So very well deserved!

10/12/2025

‼️New Appointment System‼️
We are pleased to announce that, from 7th January, we will implement a significant change to our appointment system. We aim to improve the way our surgery delivers care to all our patients.

From this date, we are moving to a total triage model. This means that every patient requesting a GP appointment is first triaged by a clinician. You will be asked to complete an online form through the NHS App or via our website. All patient requests will be triaged by one of our experienced GPs, who will decide on the best course of action. You could be given a face to face or telephone appointment, receive a reply from the GP with self-care advice, or be signposted to a more appropriate service.

Please visit our website for further information on this important change: Total Triage - https://waterfootmedicalpractice.nhs.uk/total-triage

Please also take the time to watch this video, which explains how we will soon be working and helping you -
https://youtu.be/CvsxpA3Ul1o?si=vJ4N941jrmmfiPhL

We have seen this working in local practices and discussed with others who have made this change successfully.

Please rest assured, if you don’t have a smartphone or can’t use the internet, you can still telephone the surgery or visit in person. Our receptionists will ask you some questions about your request and fill out the online form with you. The surgery team will then assess your request and will be back in touch with the next steps.

20/11/2025

Huge congratulation to Anna Whiteoak, Rossendale Primary Care Network’s Associate Psychological Practitioner. Anna recently won an award at the Psychological Professions Network annual conference for her work co-facilitating a community-based mental health group with Souta Van Wick, Lead Therapeutic/ Operations Manager at Stubbylee community greenhouses. The ‘Improving Mental Health’ group is run over 8 weeks, and each session incorporates a mixture of psychoeducation, skills practice and peer support. A social prescriber attends one session to provide advice on housing, financial and recreational needs and an IPS officer helps with access to employment. There have now been 12 groups with over 90 participants who have self-reported real improvements in their mental health by the end of the programme.

15/10/2025

Halloween is right around the corner, but so is flu season. 🦠👻
A quick and painless nasal spray vaccine protects your little monster from the nastiness that is flu. Find out more about getting them protected in our blog post. 🎃
🔗 https://ukhsa.blog.gov.uk/2023/10/09/5-reasons-to-vaccinate-your-under-5s-against-flu/

14/10/2025

All GP Practices in East Lancashire are closed today from 1pm-6.30pm for Protected Learning Time. This enables practices to provide dedicated training to their staff and to discuss and plan ways that will allow them to improve services, meet demand, and support the wellbeing of staff.
For all life-threatening medical emergencies please call 999.
If you feel your request is urgent and cannot wait until the following day provisions have been made for urgent triage so
please call 111 after 1pm.
For all routine requests and general queries please call us back on Wednesday

24/09/2025

Please be aware, if you have an upcoming appointment, parking spaces are limited due to an unexpected obstruction in the carpark. We are trying to resolve this matter as soon as we can.The police have been notified.
Apologies for any inconvenience and we thank you for your patience.

15/09/2025

Our annual dementia information event takes place on Friday. Please come and join us, no need to book.
Come and see what we do, meet others, be informed, supported, and entertained.
We are also running a fundraising raffle, which will be drawn on the day.
We're looking forward to meeting you.