Urgent appointments
You can request an urgent appointment for today or tomorrow (Monday to Friday) during opening times.
We will respond to requests within 2 working hours.
Depending on the time you submit your request, you may not get a response on the same day.
You can also:
- phone us on 0121 726 9960
When you get in touch, we’ll ask what you need help with.
We will use your answers to choose the most suitable doctor, nurse or healthcare professional to help you.
Routine appointments
These are available every morning between 9am and 11:30am and every afternoon (except Wednesday) between 3:30pm and 5:30pm and on a Thursday until 7:30pm. Please note that a routine appointment with the doctor is for 10 minutes.
To request a routine appointment in advance during opening times:
- phone us on 0121 726 9960
- use your NHS account (through the NHS website or NHS App) or SystmOnline to book an appointment, screening test or vaccination
- use our nurse or healthcare assistant appointment request form and we will respond within 4 working hours
When you get in touch, we’ll ask what you need help with.
We will use your answers to choose the most suitable doctor, nurse or healthcare professional to help you.
Extended hours
These appointments with GP, nurse and healthcare assistant are available 7 days a week including bank holidays at our extended hours hub at Poplars Surgery, 17-Holly Lane, Erdington, Birmingham B24 9JN.
Please note these appointments are only pre-bookable by calling Shah Zaman Surgery.
Shah Zaman Surgery is open on Wednesday afternoons until 6:30pm and also extended surgery until 7:30pm on Thursdays.
Communication by phone
If you think that your problem can be dealt by a telephone call with a doctor or a nurse rather than a face to face appointment, please let us know. Doctors and practice nurses are happy to advise patients by phone but not while they are seeing patients in the surgery.
Cancelling or changing an appointment
If you are unable to attend or no longer require an appointment, please cancel your appointment as soon as possible, so we can offer the appointment to someone else.
To cancel your appointment:
- use your NHS account (through the NHS website or NHS App)
- use the GP online system: SystmOnline
- phone us on 0121 726 9960 during opening times
Delays in obtaining an appointment are caused by patients failing to cancel their appointments.
If you need help when we are closed
If you need medical help now, use NHS 111 online or call 111.
NHS 111 online is for people aged 5 and over. Call 111 if you need help for a child under 5.
Call 999 in a medical or mental health emergency. This is when someone is seriously ill or injured and their life is at risk.
If you need help with your appointment
Please tell us:
- if there’s a specific doctor, nurse or other health professional you would prefer to respond
- if you would prefer to consult with the doctor or nurse by phone, face-to-face, by video call or by text or email
- if you need an interpreter
- if you have any other access or communication needs
Home visits
Requests for home visits should be made before 10am if possible. The practice provides a home visit service for patients registered within its practice boundaries and are only indicated on clinical grounds. In most cases this will be for elderly housebound patients or patients who are too ill to be brought to surgery. Sole lack of funds to come to surgery on public transport or taxi is generally not considered a valid reason to ask for a home visit.
The reception staff will ask you the reason for requesting a home visit and pass on your request to the on call doctor who will ring you in due course to assess the need of home visit. If clinically indicated they will arrange a doctor to come out to see you. It might not be possible for the doctor of your choice to visit you, hence you should be prepared to expect a visit from any doctor of your surgery.
We are unable to offer home visits to patients living outside practice boundaries and registered as ‘out of area’ patients.
Normally home visits are done after the morning surgery. If your condition is such which can not wait for the doctor to call back or visit late, please let the reception staff know. If you experience severe chest pains, severe shortness of breath or weakness of limb(s) or face or sudden onset slurred speech (stroke) please dial 999 and ask for an immediate ambulance.
On Thursday afternoons after 1pm, all visit requests are dealt by Badger out of hours service.