Virtual Receptionist

Mayford House Surgery has implemented a new appointment booking (Nursing and Pharmacist appointments only) and repeat medication requests system, which will allow patients to book appointments or request medication 24 hours a day, 365 (or 366) days a year.

You are also able to check or cancel any appointments via this system.

Please call 01609 710858 in order to access this system.  Further information is available below.


Appointment Slots Available for Booking

The appointments currently available to book through this system are with the Nursing team or Pharmacist, these are:

  • Medication Reviews – if you require monitoring beforehand, such as bloods or a BP, the system will ask you and then book you in to a slot for a member of the practice team to call you back within 2 working days
  • Recalls, such as Asthma, COPD, Diabetes etc. However you will receive correspondence from the surgery with a 4 digit PIN which will allow you to book these appointments.
  • Non-urgent call back – if you can’t book an appointment for a suitable time, or have any other admin’ queries, you can book a call back appointment and one of the team will be back in touch within 3 working days.

Appointment Booking

If you would like to use the Virtual Receptionist Service for booking one of the above types of Nursing or Pharmacist appointments, you can do this by calling the automated service on 01609 710858 and following the below instructions.

1. You first need to confirm your details by:

  • firstly, entering your date of birth when requested by the system in a 6 digit format followed by the * key, e.g. 4th April, 1987, would require you to enter 040487*
  • secondly, entering your contact number followed by the * key.  This can be any number that is on your records, such as home, mobile, work or alternative, i.e. 01609772105*

2. You will then be offered 3 options for:

  • press to make an appointment;
  • press to check, cancel or amend an appointment;
  • press 3 to request your repeat medication;
  • press to change your PIN.

3. When you press number 1 on your keypad, the system will ask you to choose one of the following options:

  • press 1 if you have received a 4 digit PIN;
  • press to book an appointment for ongoing wound management (DO NOT use this option for minor injuries, i.e. burns, cuts, stings, splinters etc.  YOU need to attend the Urgent Treatment Centre);
  • press to book an appointment for a childhood immunisation (you will need to call the surgery to book in an 8 week child immunisation appointment);
  • press to book a medication review;
  • press to hear these options again.

Appointment Checking and Cancelling

If you would like to use the Virtual Receptionist Service for checking, cancelling and/ or amending appointments, you can do this by calling the automated service on 01609 710858 and following the below instructions.

1. You first need to confirm your details by:

  • firstly, entering your date of birth when requested by the system in a 6 digit format followed by the * key, e.g. 4th April, 1987, would require you to enter 040487*
  • secondly, entering your contact number followed by the * key.  This can be any number that is on your records, such as home, mobile, work or alternative, i.e. 01609772105*

2. You will then be offered 3 options for:

  • press to make an appointment;
  • press to check, cancel or amend an appointment;
  • press 3 to request your repeat medication;
  • press to change your PIN.

3. When you press number on your keypad, the system will state how many appointments you have and then progress to inform you of the date and time of your next appointment and then ask you to choose one of the following options:

  • press to go to the next appointment;
  • press to cancel the appointment;
  • press to amend the appointment;
  • press to go back to main menu;
  • press to hear these options again.

Repeat Prescription Requesting

If you would like to use the Virtual Receptionist Service for requesting your repeat medication, you can do this by first obtaining a 6-digit PIN by ringing our Dispensary team on 01609 768948 between 12:45 and 3pm, Monday to Friday (excluding Bank Holidays).  This PIN is not computer generated and you will need to inform the Dispenser what you would like it to be.

Once you have the above PIN, you can call the automated service on 01609 710858 and carry out the following steps to request your medication.

1. You first need to confirm your details by:

  • firstly, entering your date of birth when requested by the system in a 6 digit format followed by the * key, e.g. 4th April, 1987, would require you to enter 040487*
  • secondly, entering your contact number followed by the * key.  This can be any number that is on your records, such as home, mobile, work or alternative, i.e. 01609772105*

2. You will then be offered 3 options for:

  • press to make an appointment;
  • press to check, cancel or amend an appointment;
  • press 3 to request your repeat medication;
  • press to change your PIN.

3. When you press number on your keypad, you will be informed of how many prescriptions you can and can’t request.

  • If you are requesting medication that is available for you to request, as the system reads out the medications, you’ll need to press the number on your keypad to add it to your request, or if you don’t need that particular medication.  Once you have chosen all of your required medication, you will need to press on your keypad to confirm the request and this will automatically send it to our Dispensary team for them to organise issuing of your medication;
  • If you are trying to order medication that isn’t available due to either requiring a medication review, or because it has been ordered recently, you will need to press before the system will read out these medications.

If your medication isn’t available to request due to it either:

  1. requiring a review, which the system will offer you to make an appointment for a medication review
  2. you have ordered it too early since your last request, in which case you can request a call back from the dispensary for them to ring you to discuss you request