Your GP practice is usually the first place you go for medical help after you’ve tried self-care or seen a pharmacist.
Your general practice can help with check-ups, treat common illnesses, give advice on staying healthy and refer you to specialists if needed.
Your GP practice can provide care and advice for a wide range of things including:
- Persistent cough (3 weeks or more)
- Ongoing sore throat (1 week or more)
- Continuing earache (3 days or more)
- Headaches that keep coming back
- Cystitis (water infection) that won’t go away (3 days or more)
- A breast lump
- Blood in your wee or poo
- Worries about the menopause
- Feeling low or anxious
- Ongoing or long-term conditions
Appointments may be online, on the phone or face-to-face and can be made at evenings and weekends.
Some practices will ask you to fill in a form online. This helps them to see people who are very unwell first and ensure you see the best person for your needs.
Everyone in Greater Manchester can and should register with a GP practice, regardless of their housing or immigration status.
Who will see me?
The people who work at your GP practice team have different roles. Some are there to help things run smoothly, whilst others are health professionals with their own specialist skills. You won’t always need to see a GP.
GP out-of-hours service
The GP out-of-hours service is for health problems that can’t wait until the next day. For details on how to contact the service, call your practice and listen to the recorded message.
When you call the service you may be given advice over the phone or a face-to-face appointment.
Enhanced Access
GP practices in Bolton are usually open from 8am and 6.30pm, Monday to Friday.
Appointments are also available out of hours from:
- 6.30pm to 8pm, Monday to Friday
- 9am to 5pm on Saturdays
The enables you to not only be seen by a GP, but also a wide range of other clinical staff. These include a practice nurse, an advanced nurse practitioner who can prescribe medication, and a phlebotomist for taking bloods.
You can access a number of different appointments including:
Routine care:
- Screening such as well man/woman and cervical
- Vaccinations and immunisations such as COVID, flu, shingles and pneumovax (please note, the service does not offer travel vaccinations and baby/childhood immunisations)
- Phlebotomy (taking bloods)
Management of long-term conditions such as diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and heart failure
How do I book an appointment?
To book an appointment out of hours contact your GP practice.
