Welcome To Bideford Medical Centre

How to book an appointment

All patients needing to see or speak to a clinician are asked to submit a medical request, either by completing the form via the ‘submit a new request’ button below or by telephoning the practice on 01237 476363 and asking a receptionist to complete this form on their behalf.

The form will help us understand your medical issue or question. Please add as much information as possible.

Every medical request will be looked at and handled by a doctor on the same day you submit it and a team member will contact you within 24 hours to book an appointment or offer advice. You will still be offered same-day appointments if needed.

Appointments will no longer be on a first come, first serve basis. The doctor will clinically triage the appointment request so you are directed to the the right medical care at the right time, the first time you contact us.

Contact Us Online

Submit a new request

What happens next?

Your request will be reviewed by a GP and you will receive a response within 24 hours.

You can still book appointments with nurses, healthcare assistants, First Contact Physios and for blood tests by calling the surgery.

For urgent help, call the surgery. If the surgery is closed then visit NHS 111 online. In an emergency call 999.

Please note that if you are experiencing any of the following, you are strongly advised to call 999 or go to A&E now.

Signs of a heart attack – chest pain, pressure, heaviness, tightness or squeezing across the chest.

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/heart-attack/symptoms/
Signs of a stroke - face drooping on one side, cannot hold both arms up, difficulty speaking

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stroke/symptoms/
Sudden confusion or delirium (unsure of own name or age).
Suicide attempt (by taking something or self-harming).
Severe difficulty breathing (not being able to get words out, choking or gasping).
A serious accident or severe injuries (e.g.road traffic accident, burns or scalds)
Heavy bleeding - spraying, pouring or enough to make a puddle.
Severe injuries (after a serious accident or assault).
A seizure or fit – shaking, jerking, or unconscious & cannot be woken up.
Sudden, rapid swelling of the lips, mouth, throat, or tongue.

Your Practice Charter

This charter sets out what we as a practice want to provide for our patients and the challenges we face in doing so. Please follow the View your Practice Charter link below.

View your Practice Charter

Update on our use of AI technologies at Bideford Medical Centre

As part of our ongoing commitment to keeping your personal information safe, we are temporarily pausing our use of Heidi and other artificial intelligence (AI)-powered tools, in line with the latest national guidance from NHS England.

This is a precautionary step while new governance frameworks and assurance processes are finalised across the NHS. Our goal is to ensure that every system we use protects our patients by meeting the very highest standards for safety, transparency, and data protection.

We’re working closely with NHS bodies and technology providers to help shape these standards and are optimistic that we’ll be able to safely reintroduce these tools very soon.

This technology has a vital role to play in the future of healthcare. Whether it’s reducing clinician admin, improving access, or supporting safer decision-making, these tools will be key to helping the NHS work more efficiently and meet increasing demand — all while supporting us to keep care patient-centred.

We’ll keep you informed as we move forward.

Thank you for your patience and continued support as we embrace technology that helps us deliver the best possible care.