Carmel Medical Practice

20/08/2026

July was not a good month for the number of wasted appointments across Darlington GP practices.
These were all booked by patients who did not turn up for their appointments (DNAs). The figures are town wide from all 11 GP practices within the Darlington Primary Care Network.
170 hours of GP time costing estimated £13636
54 hours of Nurse Practitioner time costing estimated £1616
212 hours of Practice Nurse time costing estimated £4665
105 hours of health care assistant time costing estimated £1369
Please remember to cancel any appointment you no longer require or are unable to make. We can always offer these to other patients if we are given sufficient notice.
Appointments are in great demand as I am sure you are aware, if we can reduce the number of those not used, we can help you.
Thank you.

20/08/2026

We are experiencing some staff shortages within our reception team today, which may mean that you experience slightly longer waiting times when contacting the practice.

We appreciate your patience and understanding while our team works hard to support everyone as quickly as possible.

Thank you for your continued patience and support. 💙

10/08/2026

07/08/2026

06/08/2026

June was not a good month for the number of wasted appointments across Darlington GP practices.
These were all booked by patients who did not turn up for their appointments (DNAs). The figures are town wide from all 11 GP practices within the Darlington Primary Care Network.
163 hours of GP time costing estimated £13097
60 hours of Nurse Practitioner time costing estimated £1810
235 hours of Practice Nurse time costing estimated £5171
109 hours of health care assistant time costing estimated £1424
Please remember to cancel any appointment you no longer require or are unable to make. We can always offer these to other patients if we are given sufficient notice.
Appointments are in great demand as I am sure you are aware, if we can reduce the number of those not used, we can help you.
Thank you.

06/08/2026

Unattended appointments in July
July was not a good month for the number of wasted appointments at the surgery.
These were all booked by patients who did not turn up for their appointments (DNAs).
39 GP appointments (7 hours)
6 Nurse Practitioner appointments (1 Hour 30 minutes)
59 Practice Nurse appointments (16 Hours)
38 Health Care Assistant appointments (Over 10 hours)
Total appointments 142 (Over 32 Hours)
Please remember to cancel any appointment you no longer require or are unable to make. We can always offer these to other patients if we are given sufficient notice.
Appointments are in great demand as I am sure you are aware, if we can reduce the number of those not used, we can help you.
Thank you.

31/07/2026

We are holding a Being Well Family Fun Day on Tuesday 11th August from 1.30 pm to 4.30 pm at the Well Church, Darlington. Join us for an afternoon of fun, laughter and community connection! Alongside all the exciting activities, local services and professionals will be on hand to chat with parents and carers about any support their family may need. Everyone is welcome – we look forward to seeing you there!

28/07/2026

Starting tomorrow, amber and yellow heat-health alerts have been issued across most of the country. They are in place for the 29 and 30 July.

Some people – particularly the elderly, very young, or those with existing health conditions – face a real risk to their health and need to take steps to keep cool.

As temperatures rise, learn how to look after yourself and others ➡️ https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/seasonal-health/heatwave-how-to-cope-in-hot-weather/