Welcome to our website. Please use the drop-down menus to navigate your way around.
If you have any comments or suggestions about this site, or how it can be improved, please contact us at gp.g82013@nhs.net.
Please read our Team Mission Statement
27/04/20 Advice for parents/guardians of unwell/injured children during this COVID-19 pandemic
Please see current NHS advice.
**The practice has made a decision to suspend the bookings of ALL GP & NURSE/PARAMEDIC TRIAGE appointments. ALL appointments will be triaged by telephone and video by a clinician first before a decision is made to bring you in. Please ensure we have your correct telephone numbers**
The NHS in England and Public Health England (PHE) are well prepared for outbreaks of new infectious diseases.
The NHS has put in place measures to protect patients, our community and NHS staff while ensuring as many services as possible are available to the public.
If you have symptoms associated with coronavirus including a new continuous cough and/or a high temperature or a loss of smell or taste you are advised to stay at home for 7 days.
Please do not book a GP appointment or attend your GP practice.
If you live with other people, they should stay at home for at least 14 days, to avoid spreading the infection outside the home. After 14 days, anyone you live with who does not have symptoms can return to their normal routine.
But, if anyone in your home gets symptoms, they should stay at home for 7 days from the day their symptoms start. Even if it means they're at home for longer than 14 days.
The most up-to-date public guidance is always online at Current NHS Guidance
If your symptoms are serious, or get worse, NHS 111 has an online coronavirus service that can tell you if you need further medical help and advise you what to do.
Only call 111 direct if you are advised to do so by the online service or you cannot go online.
Like the common cold, coronavirus infection usually occurs through close contact with a person with novel coronavirus via cough and sneezes or hand contact.
A person can also catch the virus by touching contaminated surfaces if they do not wash their hands.
Testing of suspected coronavirus cases is carried out in line with strict guidelines.
Patients can be reassured that their safety is a top priority, and are encouraged to stay up to date with NHS guidance.
Everyone is being reminded to follow Public Health England advice to:
Mondays & Fridays: 8:00am - 12pm; Tuesdays - Thursdays: 1:30pm - 4pm
The appointments are pre-bookable (booked by the practice) in an effort to further create social distancing and minimise COVID-19 transmission. Each appointment is 10 minutes.
Patients once an appointment has been booked by the practice, are to report to the Sevenoaks Outpatient Department for their appointment. At present, OPD is closed to all other services with the exception of phlebotomy. The automatic doors have been locked so patients will be required to press the doorbell and a receptionist will permit access to the waiting area (a max of two patients will only ever be in the waiting area and they will be segregated to support social distancing). Patients have been asked to attend their appointments wearing a mask or face covering and that patients do not attend too early.
An NHS initiative will affect Amherst patients aged 18 and older with musculoskeletal (MSK) problems – for example, back and neck pain, sciatica, joint pain in hips, knees, feet, shoulders, elbows and fingers, and trigger finger (fingers stuck in a bent position).
See further information about Physiotherapy First
Service currently provided by Boots UK Ltd (High Street Sevenoaks), Paydens, Bat & Ball Pharmacy. See the Pharmacy First West Kent Common Ailments Scheme leaflet for further details.
Patients may be asked to explain briefly what the problem is when they ring Amherst to book a GP appointment. Under NHS care navigation – or signposting – we aim to provide the most appropriate service
What and Why are we promoting Care Navigation
From July 2019 we will be providing at Sevenoaks, pre-booked appointments on selected days between 7.00am and 8pm with GPs, our Paramedic and our HCAs. See our Improved Access Timetable for further details.
The Practice closes between 12.30 to 18.30 for Learning Afternoons.
The next Learning Afternoons are on: Thursday 5th of March 2020.
For emergency medical help during this time please call 111.
Have you provided AMP with your email address? More than 8,000 patients have, but we would love to include every eligible patient on our email database.
Email is such a convenient and quick way to communicate with patients, and it’s far cheaper than sending letters in the post.
Via email we can let you know about important new campaigns, e.g., winter 'flu jabs. We can also send you all our practice news via regular e-newsletters.
If you have not told us your email address, and know other patients who haven’t, and you and they would be happy to receive practice emails to help them keep up to date with everything from Amherst, please join our mailing list.
Note: Email addresses are used solely for matters directly related to the patient and treated as confidential.
ONEYOU Kent and Medway provides NHS Free tips apps and services to help YOU improve more. Stop smoking. Drink less, Eat well and enjoy a healthier lifestyle
BECAUSE THERE IS ONLY ONEYOU.
Amherst Medical Practice would like to invite you to join DoctorLink.
We have been looking at how we can improve access to Practice services; DoctorLink is our new online service where you can:
Sign-up is simple and you can create an account at this website.
For all urgent appointments, we ask that you undertake a symptom assessment through DoctorLink.
The symptom assessment will ask you a number of questions to help to identify your problem.
The outcome of your assessment will direct you to the right treatment, whether emergency care, your GP, nurse or self-care.
If your outcome indicates that an appointment is required at your GP practice, you simply click on the “request an appointment” button.
Once the request has been submitted, you will then be contacted by the Practice Team, to arrange an appointment within the identified timeframe (as outlined in the outcome of your symptom checker).
The information you provide will be shared with our clinical team (where appropriate) and will assist in providing robust information of your problem to the required clinical team member prior to your appointment.
If you have concerns about your mental health and you are NOT currently under the care and treatment of one of our Community Mental Health Teams or any other of our mental health services within the trust please make an appointment to see your GP, where you can discuss your concerns and they will advise and signpost you to the most appropriate service.
If however you need urgent or emergency mental health help and support and you are not currently receiving care and treatment from one of our Community Mental Health Teams, please call our 24/7 Single Point of Access on 0300 222 0123 or text 07860 022819.
Our Mental Health Single Point of Access (SPoA) provides a single route to obtain Urgent advice to all new patients to our Kent and Medway mental health services in urgent situations. When calling our SPoA you will be speaking to someone who can ensure you are put through to the right person or service.
...you can’t always get an appointment with your chosen doctor as quickly as either you or we would like… we’d like to explain why. Read further details about appointments...
Since April 1, 2016 patients have been able to access their online medical records – which may include documents, blood test results and consultations. Read further details about access to Medical Records,..
The Health Help Now leaflet provides urgent help and advice including: Late Night and Sunday Pharmacies, Minor Injuries, Dental Emergency, Confidential and Emotional Support 24/7, and Social Services.
See this this guide to common childhood illnesses and wellbeing.
The practice is from May 2019 participating in a Research Study run by the University of Bristol which is looking at the treatment of Coughs in children under the Age of 10. More information is available at the practice. See this Antibiotic Aware Guide.
Our current news stories include:
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.
Patient Group Page
'Choose' Well by choosing the right service. The short video below is all about Choosing the Right Service:
You can now view Allergies, Medications and Blood Test results within your medical record, or order your repeat prescription online using either the NHS App or Patient Access.
Available 24 hours a day, whether you're at home or work, it's especially useful when the practice is closed or telephone lines are busy.
If you currently leave your paper prescription at a local chemist for them to bring to Amherst using this new service is faster and more efficient. Your prescription will still go back to the chemist of your choice.
Register Online
..and what it means for patients. There is a lot going on in the NHS, especially in England. You may have heard or read about some of the changes and pressures the service is facing.
We want to make sure you have the full story and know how to have your say.
This guide pulls together key information, provides links to other useful sites, and explains what the British Medical Association, representing UK doctors and medical students, think about it all.
Read More about what is happening in the NHS
Do you have any comments or concerns that you would like to put to us?
Would you like to let us know that what we are doing meets with your approval?
Now you can, by clicking below, for our Compliments, Concerns, or Comments form.
Comments Form
Cancel an appointment, enquire about prescriptions, change your address, send in a travel form, make a general enquiry, or advise of your next of kin.
Use Patient Access to order repeat prescriptions and view your medical record.
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.
