Polden Medical Practice | NHS GP Appointments & Hours

Emergency first: MedicalPracticeUK.org is an independent information website, not Polden Medical Practice or the NHS. Call 999 for a life-threatening emergency. For urgent medical help that is not life-threatening when the practice is closed, use NHS 111 online or call 111.

Edington & Woolavington NHS GP guide

Polden Medical Practice: Rapid Health appointments, opening hours and patient help

Polden Medical Practice provides NHS GP care from Edington Surgery and Woolavington Surgery in Somerset. The practice now uses Rapid Health Smart Triage for online appointment and administrative requests, with the same main telephone number for both surgeries.

Choose the right route Use Rapid Health Check your surgery

1. Submit request

2. Smart Triage Your answers help identify urgency and the most appropriate clinician or service.

3. Next step Appointment, clinical review, admin response, self-care guidance or urgent-care direction.

Appointments & enquiries

01278 722077

This is the published contact number for both Edington and Woolavington. Phone lines are available Monday to Friday from 8:00am to 6:30pm.

Call Polden Medical Practice Official practice website

Two surgery locations

Edington Surgery
Quarry Ground
Edington
Somerset
TA7 9HA

Woolavington Surgery
Woolavington Road
Woolavington
Somerset
TA7 8ED

Check which site is named on your booking before travelling. Saturday services are particularly important to check because current weekend arrangements are centred on Woolavington.

Telephone

01278 722077

Sites

Edington + Woolavington

Online requests

Rapid Health

CQC

Good — historical inspection

Fast answer: Polden Medical Practice is open 8:00am–6:30pm Monday to Friday. Its appointment-request form is available 7:30am–6:30pm Monday to Friday, and the practice says it will respond within 1–3 working days. Saturday appointments are pre-booked only, with the current weekend service associated with Woolavington.

Current patient notices to know before travelling

Temporary dispensary lunchtime closure: because of current staff sickness, the dispensaries at both Edington and Woolavington are closed from 1:00pm to 2:00pm on weekdays until further notice. The GP surgeries remain open and other practice services continue during that hour.

Current temporary weekday dispensary access is therefore 8:30am–1:00pm and 2:00pm–6:30pm.

Upcoming staff-training closures: both surgeries and both dispensaries are scheduled to close 1:30pm–5:00pm on Tuesday 13 October 2026 and again 1:30pm–5:00pm on Tuesday 10 November 2026. These are the remaining 2026 training dates currently published by the practice.

Start here: choose the Polden route that matches the task

A medical appointment, repeat medicine, test result and general message use different routes. This table puts the important action first.

You need	Best first route	What happens next
Life-threatening emergency	Call 999	Do not wait for Rapid Health or a GP callback.
GP or other clinical help	Use the Rapid Health appointment request form.	Smart Triage uses your answers to help choose the appropriate clinician, timeframe or service.
Cannot use online services	Call 01278 722077 or visit reception.	A care navigator can complete the Rapid Health request with you.
Screening or vaccination booking	Check your NHS App / NHS account.	The practice lists NHS App booking for some screening and vaccination appointments.
Home visit	Call before 10:00am.	A clinician assesses whether a home visit is medically appropriate.
Repeat prescription	Use NHS App, online services or the practice prescription form.	Allow four working days for preparation.
Test result	Wait seven days, then call between 2:00pm and 5:00pm.	Reception can give information after the result has been reviewed by the clinical team.
New-patient registration	Check the catchment and use NHS online registration.	ID, proof of address, immigration status and an NHS number are not required for the online registration process.
Urgent help when closed	NHS 111	Use 999 if the situation is life-threatening.

For general NHS GP information that is not specific to Polden, see the MedicalPracticeUK NHS GP patient guide. Polden’s current local rules above should take priority for live requests.

Edington and Woolavington surgeries

Edington Surgery

Quarry Ground
Edington
Somerset
TA7 9HA

Telephone: 01278 722077

Edington is the main Polden Medical Practice location used on the current practice and NHS records. The CQC regulatory record uses the older/alternative address wording Broadway, Edington, which refers to the same regulated Edington surgery rather than a third Polden site.

Official location page Directions to Edington

Woolavington Surgery

Woolavington Road
Woolavington
Somerset
TA7 8ED

Telephone: 01278 722077

Woolavington is Polden’s branch surgery and currently carries the practice’s Saturday pre-booked appointment/dispensary service. Always check the current Saturday details before travelling.

Official Woolavington details Directions to Woolavington

Polden Medical Practice opening hours

Day	Surgery opening	Patient note
Monday	8:00am–6:30pm	Rapid Health requests available from 7:30am.
Tuesday	8:00am–6:30pm	Both surgeries may close on published training afternoons.
Wednesday	8:00am–6:30pm	Use the correct clinical/admin route rather than the general message form.
Thursday	8:00am–6:30pm	Current dispensary lunchtime restriction remains separate from surgery opening.
Friday	8:00am–6:30pm	Order routine medicine early before weekends.
Saturday	8:30am–12:30pm, pre-booked appointments only	Current practice information associates the Saturday service with Woolavington.
Sunday	Closed	Use NHS 111 for urgent non-life-threatening care.

Training afternoons: the practice publishes closure dates in advance. The remaining listed 2026 closures after 21 September are 13 October and 10 November, from 1:30pm to 5:00pm. Both surgeries and dispensaries are affected.

Official opening hours 2026 staff-training closure dates

Rapid Health Smart Triage: how Polden appointments work

Polden replaced AskMyGP with Rapid Health Smart Triage in December 2025. The current appointment page says the request form is available Monday to Friday from 7:30am to 6:30pm and that the practice will respond within 1–3 working days.

Open the appointment request from Polden’s official website or NHS App.
Rapid Health is now available to Polden patients through the NHS App using NHS login details.

Answer the symptom or request questions.
Smart Triage uses tailored questions to identify what type of help is needed. It can also handle administrative requests such as fit-note, letter and prescription queries.

Add supporting information where relevant.
The practice’s 2026 update says Rapid Health can now accept secure photographs and supporting documents when the form offers that option.

Follow the outcome or wait for the practice response.
The system can identify warning signs, provide self-care information, book an appropriate appointment where available, or route the request to the practice team for review.

What can happen after Smart Triage?

Appropriate clinician

The information can be used to match you with a doctor, nurse or another healthcare professional.

Urgent direction

If the answers suggest warning signs, the system can direct you toward urgent care or A&E where appropriate.

Administrative response

Fit notes, letters and some prescription queries can be routed without using a standard GP consultation.

Self-care guidance

For suitable conditions, the system can provide NHS-backed self-care information rather than unnecessarily using an appointment.

Cannot use Rapid Health? Phone 01278 722077 or visit reception. The practice says a care navigator can complete the Smart Triage request on your behalf, so online access is not required to obtain the same route into the system.

Do not rely on a 1–3 working-day response for an emergency. Rapid Health can identify warning signs, but call 999 directly for a life-threatening emergency. If Polden is closed and you need urgent non-emergency help, use NHS 111.

Official appointment instructions Rapid Health Smart Triage explanation Rapid Health attachment update

Home visits: call before 10:00am

Polden’s home-visit policy asks patients who believe they need an urgent same-day home visit to contact the practice before 10:00am. A home visit is based on clinical need rather than convenience or age alone.

When a visit may be appropriate

A patient who is genuinely bedbound.
A terminally ill patient whose clinical needs require home care.
Someone so unwell that moving them could cause serious harm.

What happens after the request

A triage nurse or doctor considers the request and decides which professional and location are most appropriate. In some situations an ambulance or hospital admission may be safer than waiting for a GP visit.

Being older, lacking transport or finding travel inconvenient does not automatically qualify someone for a home visit. The clinical team makes the decision based on medical need.

Official Polden home-visit policy

Repeat prescriptions: allow four working days

Polden asks patients to allow four working days for preparation of repeat prescriptions. Registered patients can use online services or the practice’s dedicated repeat-prescription form.

Check that the medicine is on your repeat list.
Items can be delayed if a medication review is pending or the medicine is not currently authorised for repeat issue.

Order through NHS App / online access or the Polden form.
Copy the medicine details accurately from your prescription slip.

Select where the prescription or medicine should go.
The Polden form asks for the relevant collection/pharmacy information for both dispensing and non-dispensing patients.

Allow four working days.
Do not count weekends or Bank Holidays as ordinary processing days.

No email confirmation from the practice’s web prescription form: the form says it does not send an email acknowledgement. Look for the successful-submission message shown on screen after sending the request.

Official repeat-prescription form and instructions NHS App

For general help with medicine reviews, missing items and nominated pharmacies, see the MedicalPracticeUK repeat-prescription guide.

Polden dispensary: Edington and Woolavington

Polden operates dispensary services at both surgeries, but the current staffing notice temporarily changes weekday collection access.

Dispensary issue	Current position
Monday–Friday	Temporarily open 8:30am–1:00pm and 2:00pm–6:30pm because both dispensaries are closed 1:00pm–2:00pm until further notice.
Saturday collection	Available at Woolavington only.
Usual collection is Edington but you need Saturday	Contact the surgery in advance so medication can be transferred to Woolavington where appropriate.
After hospital discharge	The practice says hospitals normally supply around seven days of discharge medication; provide the discharge medicine information to Polden before that supply runs out.

Saturday timing discrepancy: Polden’s current opening-hours page lists the Woolavington Saturday dispensary as 8:30am–12:30pm, while the repeat-prescription collection page still states 9:00am–12:00pm. Because two official pages currently differ, confirm Saturday collection time on 01278 722077 before making a special journey.

Test results: wait seven days, then call 2pm–5pm

Polden asks patients to leave seven days after the test before contacting the surgery. This gives time for the laboratory result to return and for the clinical team to review it.

Wait seven days unless you have been given different instructions.
Some investigations naturally take longer or shorter, but seven days is Polden’s published general rule.

Call between 2:00pm and 5:00pm.
The practice specifically asks patients to use this afternoon window for test-result enquiries.

Be ready for identity checks.
Reception will ask for personal information before releasing confidential result information.

Arrange follow-up if advised.
Polden states that patients are responsible for checking results and arranging a GP appointment when the clinical team advises further action.

Hospital-requested test? If a hospital consultant or outside clinic ordered the investigation, contact that hospital or clinic for the result. Polden says it cannot action tests ordered by clinicians outside the practice.

Official test-results guidance

Register with Polden Medical Practice

Polden accepts permanent registration only for people living within its catchment. The official page includes a postcode search, but the practice warns that the map is for initial guidance only.

Check your postcode.
Use the official Polden catchment checker. If you live near the boundary, phone reception so the team can check your postcode and house number against the official list.

Open the NHS Register with a GP surgery service.
The registration page links to the official NHS online registration process.

Complete the form.
The practice explicitly states that you do not need proof of address, immigration status, ID or an NHS number to use the NHS online registration service.

Contact reception if online registration is difficult.
Do not abandon registration because the boundary map or online form is inaccessible to you; the practice can provide alternative support.

Official Polden registration and boundary page

Clinics and services at Polden

Polden’s published clinic list shows that several common long-term-condition and preventive-care needs are handled by its nursing team rather than requiring a standard GP appointment.

Asthma & COPD

Nurse-led clinics are available for respiratory long-term-condition reviews including asthma and COPD.

Diabetes

Polden lists a nurse-led diabetes clinic for ongoing monitoring and review.

Warfarin / INR

Anticoagulation monitoring is included in the practice’s published nurse-led clinic list.

Cervical screening

Cervical screening appointments can be booked with the nursing team when due.

Childhood immunisation

The practice currently lists childhood immunisation clinics at Edington on the first Thursday afternoon of each month and Woolavington on the third Tuesday afternoon. Eligible families are invited by the health service.

Physiotherapy self-referral

For muscular and joint problems, the practice says external physiotherapy accepts self-referral. A self-referral form can be collected from reception at either surgery.

Other published services include minor surgery, coil fitting after assessment, child health, maternity care, contraceptive services, advocacy, fit notes, patient transport information and vaccination support. Availability and eligibility depend on the individual service.

Official Polden clinic list Practice services directory

Accessibility and reasonable adjustments

The practice’s website accessibility information says patients can ask for information in formats such as large print, Easy Read, audio recording, braille or accessible PDF. The practice says it will consider such requests and aims to respond within five working days.

Current digital-access support

Website designed for keyboard navigation and speech-recognition use.
Content intended to work with common screen readers.
Patients can request alternative information formats.
If an online clinical platform is difficult to use, contact the surgery for another route.

Physical access: verify if critical

CQC’s 2016 inspection description recorded level access at Edington and described Woolavington as accessible with wide corridors, a disabled toilet, baby-changing facilities and access to its upper level.

Those CQC facility details are historical rather than a fresh 2026 facilities audit. If a lift, disabled toilet, parking space or another physical feature is essential for your visit, confirm the current arrangement with reception first.

Current Polden accessibility statement

Complaints, feedback and patient involvement

Formal complaint

The practice asks patients to complain within 12 months of the event or within 12 months of first becoming aware of the issue, unless special circumstances justify a later complaint.

Polden says it will contact a complainant within three working days to discuss how the complaint will be investigated. Its published procedure says it normally aims to deal with the matter within 20 working days, depending on complexity.

Patient Participation Group

Polden has a Patient Participation Group involved in local service feedback and planning. In 2026 the PPG has, for example, been gathering patient interest in the possibility of local blood-donation sessions in the surrounding villages.

If English is not your first language, the complaints policy says the practice can arrange a meeting with the Practice Manager and an interpreter.

Official complaints procedure Feedback and PPG options

CQC rating: Good, but the inspections are historical

The Care Quality Commission currently displays Edington Surgery, run by Polden Medical Practice, as Good overall. All five CQC domains are shown as Good.

CQC record	Published detail	Context
Overall rating	Good	Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led are displayed as Good.
Comprehensive inspection	12 November 2014	CQC visited both Edington and the Woolavington branch during the comprehensive inspection.
Initial report	30 April 2015	The original inspection found most areas Good but identified a prescription-security issue in the Safe domain.
Focused follow-up inspection	21 November 2016	CQC checked the previously identified prescription-control issue.
Follow-up report	20 December 2016	CQC found the required action had been taken and the Safe domain was rated Good.
Current regulatory location wording	Broadway, Edington, TA7 9HA	Polden’s current patient-facing site and NHS listing use Quarry Ground for the Edington surgery address.

Do not describe this as a new 2026 inspection. The CQC profile continues to display Good, but the latest inspection shown is the focused follow-up from 21 November 2016.

Live Edington Surgery CQC profile CQC inspection timeline

Maps for both Polden surgeries

Edington Surgery: Quarry Ground, Edington, Somerset, TA7 9HA.

Woolavington Surgery: Woolavington Road, Woolavington, Somerset, TA7 8ED.

Before travelling: check which site is named on your appointment, whether the booking is face-to-face, and whether a temporary training or dispensary closure affects the service you need.

When Polden Medical Practice is closed

Situation	Use this route
Life-threatening emergency	Call 999.
Urgent but not life-threatening	Use NHS 111 online or call 111.
Practice staff-training closure	Use NHS 111 if the problem cannot safely wait until the surgery reopens.
Minor illness or medicine advice	A community pharmacy may be able to help without a GP appointment.
Routine prescription, result or admin query	Use the relevant Polden route during its next normal service period.

Official sources used

Last verified: 21 September 2026.

Polden Medical Practice FAQs

Where is Polden Medical Practice?

Polden Medical Practice has two Somerset surgeries: Edington Surgery at Quarry Ground, Edington, TA7 9HA, and Woolavington Surgery at Woolavington Road, Woolavington, TA7 8ED. Both use the main telephone number 01278 722077.

What are Polden Medical Practice opening hours?

The practice lists 8:00am–6:30pm Monday to Friday. Saturday opening is 8:30am–12:30pm for pre-booked appointments only, with the current weekend service associated with Woolavington. Sunday is closed. Published staff-training dates can temporarily change these hours.

How do I request an appointment through Rapid Health?

Open Polden’s appointment request through its official website or the NHS App, answer the Smart Triage questions and submit the request. The form is available Monday to Friday from 7:30am to 6:30pm, and the practice says it responds within 1–3 working days. If you cannot use online services, call or visit reception and a care navigator can complete the request with you.

Can I attach a photograph to a Polden Rapid Health request?

Yes, where relevant. Polden announced in 2026 that Rapid Health can accept secure photographs and supporting documents. The attachment option appears when it is relevant to the request.

Why are the Polden dispensaries closed between 1pm and 2pm?

The practice currently says staff sickness means the dispensaries at both Edington and Woolavington are temporarily closed from 1:00pm to 2:00pm on weekdays until further notice. The GP practice itself remains open and other services continue. Current temporary weekday dispensary access is therefore 8:30am–1:00pm and 2:00pm–6:30pm.

How long do Polden repeat prescriptions take?

Polden asks patients to allow four working days for preparation. Repeat requests can be submitted through online services or the practice’s prescription form. Medication may be delayed if the requested item is not authorised for repeat issue or a medication review is pending.

When should I call Polden for test results?

The practice asks patients to wait seven days after the test and then call 01278 722077 between 2:00pm and 5:00pm. This allows time for the result to return from the laboratory and be reviewed by the clinical team. Tests arranged by a hospital or outside clinic should normally be followed up with that service.

How do I request a home visit from Polden Medical Practice?

If you believe an urgent same-day home visit is medically necessary, call the surgery before 10:00am. A clinician assesses whether a visit is appropriate. Home visits are intended for people such as genuinely bedbound or terminally ill patients, or patients who could be seriously harmed by being moved.

How do I register with Polden Medical Practice?

First check that your address is within Polden’s catchment, then use the NHS online registration route linked from the practice website. Polden states that proof of address, immigration status, ID and an NHS number are not required for the NHS online registration service. If you live near the catchment boundary, call reception for an address check.

Is Polden Medical Practice’s CQC Good rating a recent inspection?

No. CQC currently displays Edington Surgery, run by Polden Medical Practice, as Good overall. The comprehensive inspection took place on 12 November 2014. A focused follow-up inspection on 21 November 2016 checked the earlier prescription-security issue, and the follow-up report published on 20 December 2016 confirmed that the required action had been taken and the Safe domain was Good.

Independent information notice: MedicalPracticeUK.org is not Polden Medical Practice, the NHS, NHS Somerset or the Care Quality Commission. Rapid Health availability, appointment capacity, dispensary staffing, Saturday services, training closures and clinic availability can change. Use the official Polden, NHS and CQC links above for information affecting an immediate appointment, medicine collection or journey.

Polden Medical Practice Call 01278 722077