Since opening our Coniston branch surgery on 1 July, we’ve had a busy few weeks settling into the new service. We’d like to thank all our patients for their patience, understanding and support during this period.
We’re delighted to now be providing care from Coniston and wanted to share an update on how the service is operating, along with some changes you may notice.
Opening Hours
The Coniston surgery is currently open:
- Monday: 8:30am – 6:30pm
- Tuesday: 8:30am – 6:30pm
- Friday: 8:30am – 6:00pm
Our clinicians will usually be:
- Monday and Tuesday: Dr Anna Maughan
- Friday: Advanced Clinical Practitioner Helen Tirvengadum
We offer a combination of pre-booked routine appointments and same-day urgent appointments.
Home Visits
If you think you may need a home visit, please contact the surgery as early as possible so we can assess your needs and plan visits appropriately.
Home visits are provided from Coniston on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays. We also have additional visiting capacity on Thursdays through the wider Central Lakes Medical Group team.
Where appropriate, a clinician may telephone you before arranging a visit. Many concerns can be managed over the phone, allowing us to provide advice more quickly and ensuring home visits are available for those who need them most.
Appointments at Other Surgeries
As a patient of Central Lakes Medical Group, you are welcome to access appointments at our Ambleside and Hawkshead surgeries.
This is particularly useful on Wednesdays and Thursdays, when the Coniston surgery is closed. Additional appointments are often available at Ambleside, either face-to-face or by telephone where appropriate.
Blood Tests
To help maximise GP and Advanced Clinical Practitioner appointment availability in Coniston, we are encouraging patients to attend Ambleside or Hawkshead for blood tests, where they are provided by our nursing and phlebotomy team.
We appreciate that this may involve additional travel for some patients and thank you for your understanding. As facilities continue to develop, our aim is to provide more services locally wherever possible.
Repeat Medication Requests
Where possible, we encourage patients to request repeat prescriptions using:
- The NHS App
- Online services
These methods are safer, more efficient and help keep our telephone lines available for patients who need appointments or urgent medical assistance.
We recognise that digital services are not suitable for everyone, and support will always be available for patients who are unable to use these options.
Telephone Calls from Clinicians
If you receive a telephone call from one of our clinicians, you may notice it comes from a Carlisle telephone number rather than a local number.
Please be reassured that the clinician may still be working from Coniston. Our telephone system allows us to manage calls efficiently across our practices while supporting service quality and staff training.
Telephone Calls to the Surgery
When the Coniston surgery is open, your call will usually be answered by our receptionist based in Coniston.
If the reception team is assisting other patients, your call will automatically transfer to our wider Central Lakes Medical Group reception team so that you can still receive help without unnecessary delays.
On Wednesdays and Thursdays, when Coniston is closed, calls are managed by colleagues at our other practice sites.
Medical Records Transfer
As part of the transition to Central Lakes Medical Group, some patient records are still being transferred into our clinical systems.
This may occasionally result in delays when booking appointments across different sites or when processing certain administrative requests.
We expect this work to be completed over the coming weeks and sincerely appreciate your patience while this important process is finalised.
Thank You
We would like to thank all our patients for the kindness, patience and understanding you have shown during these first few weeks.
We’re proud to be providing healthcare from Coniston and look forward to continuing to develop and improve services for the local community.