Combe Coastal Practice

16/12/2025

15/12/2025

A reminder to all our patients, to ensure your prescriptions are in early if they are needed over the Christmas bank holidays.

14/12/2025

⏰ Reminder: Help Us Reduce Call Wait Times Tomorrow!
Thank you to everyone who has already been helping us keep our phone lines flowing smoothly. We wanted to share a quick reminder about the best times to call the practice, especially for routine queries.

Why it matters:
Our latest data shows that 68% of calls during peak times are for routine, non-urgent appointments. Moving these to quieter times can halve wait times and help urgent callers get through more quickly.

Here’s a refresher of our Combe Coastal Practice Call Guide:
08:30-12:00
Urgent appointments only please (appointments needed this week).

12:00-14:00
Wait times may be longer due to staff breaks. If your call isn’t urgent, please call later.

14:00-18:00
Our quieter period - perfect for routine GP and nursing appointments.

You can also submit routine requests online here:

Contact us about your request

11/12/2025

Combe Martin Surgery

Due to ongoing staff sickness, we have had to make the difficult decision to temporarily close Combe Martin Surgery on Friday afternoons with immediate effect. This is anticipated to continue until the 9th January 2026.

Please note that our Ilfracombe Surgery will remain open for any queries.

We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause and hope to be back up and running as usual as soon as possible.

11/12/2025

Help Us Reduce Call Wait Times!

Phoning for routine issues during our quieter periods helps keep our lines free for patients who need urgent medical care.

Did you know?
Recent data shows that 68% of calls at our busiest times are for routine, non-urgent appointments.

By shifting routine calls to quieter times, we could halve wait times and help you get through more easily

We have created this handy guide to help you choose when is best to contact us.

Combe Coastal Practice Call Guide

08:30—12:00 - Urgent appointments only please (appointment needed this week).

12:00—14:00 - Wait times may be longer due to staff breaks, if your call can wait please call later, thank you.

14:00—18:00 - This is a quieter period for us, so it’s a great opportunity to book any routine GP appointments or book to see our nursing team at a time that may be more convenient for you.

You can also contact us for anything routine on our website via the following link:

Contact us about your request

28/11/2025

Combe Martin Surgery - Early Closure Today:
Due to ongoing staff sickness, Combe Martin Surgery will unfortunately have to close today (28th November) at 12:30pm.
We’re sorry for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding 💙
📞 If you need to reach us, please call 01271 863119
💻 For non-urgent enquiries, you can contact us online here:

Contact us about your request

20/11/2025

BRANCH SURGERY UPDATE:
The Combe Martin surgery will be closed this afternoon from 1PM due to staff illness, we are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause. The Ilfracombe surgery will be open as usual, for anything urgent please call us.

16/11/2025

📞 Phoneline Update

Hi everyone!
We’ve been busy behind the scenes fine-tuning our new care navigation system. One thing it’s helped us understand more clearly is the huge spike in calls on Monday mornings, many of which seemingly aren’t urgent. This overload means patients who really need us are waiting much longer than they should.

How you can help:

👉 Only call on a Monday morning if you need an urgent same-day appointment.
👉 For anything routine (including nurse appointments), please call after 2pm or on any afternoon during the week.
👉 For non-urgent enquiries, you can also reach us online here: https://accurx.nhs.uk/patient-initiated/l83096

By saving Monday mornings for urgent issues, you help us support those experiencing more serious medical problems. And please be kind to our team if they ask you to call back at a quieter time 💙

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be sharing simple guides to help you navigate our new booking system and reduce waiting times for everyone. Stay tuned!

Contact us about your request

11/11/2025

As a mark of respect and remembrance, we will be observing a two-minute silence today at 11am.

10/11/2025

BRANCH SURGERY UPDATE:
The Woolacombe surgery will be closed for the afternoon this Wednesday 12th November from 1PM due to staff illness, we are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause. The Ilfracombe surgery will be open as usual, for anything urgent please call us.

07/11/2025

Thank you so much to Nostalgia Bakes and everyone that voted for us to win these fabulous cakes. Thoroughly enjoyed by all ❤️

06/11/2025

New: Our online GP request form has been updated

When you submit an online GP request through our website or the NHS App, you may be offered suggestions about other NHS services that can offer direct advice or treatment.

We have made this change to show you more options to help you manage your health, but you can always still choose to contact us.