HOW
DO I...
OBTAIN
TELEPHONE ADVICE?
The doctors are triage nurse can offer advice where appropriate and the reception staff will take your contact details and brief information so that it can be passed to the most appropriate person who will call you back later in the day.
HOW
DO I...
MAKE
AN APPOINTMENT?
The doctors' surgeries are run on an appointment system. Appointment lines are open from 8.00am - 6.30pm. Please telephone 0844 499 4468 after 8.00am or call in at the surgery for an appointment. Where possible we like to see people in morning surgeries, as more doctors are available. A government initiative is for patients to be seen by a GP within 48 hours and a health care professional within 24 hours. For the GP of your choice the patient must be prepared to book in advance or wait until an appointment is available.
During busy periods, particularly holiday times, the doctors do get booked up very quickly, and you may prefer to try again another day. For patients who need to book ahead because of work commitments, transport difficulties etc, we do offer a number of pre-bookable appointments. Please inform the receptionist if this is the case.
Sister Knighton is our triage and minor illness nurse. If you need a GP home visit or an emergency appointment you will be put through to Sister Knighton to discuss this further. She also has minor illness clinics every morning for minor problems, for example cough, sore throat, earache, simple skin rashes, sunburn, insect bites, cystitis, emergency contraception. Sister Knighton can also give you medical advice over the telephone.
Cancellations
If
you are unable to keep an appointment for any reason please let us know.
Appointments can be reallocated even at late notice.
Chaperone
If
you should require an examination during your consultation with the
doctor, you can request a chaperone, such as the practice nurse.
HOW
DO I...
OBTAIN
A HOME VISIT?
Please make every effort to attend the surgery, as home visits are
very time consuming. However, for infirm and housebound patients and
those with a genuine need, home visits may be requested. Please be aware,
however, that due to the doctor's practice commitments, you may not
be visited until much later in the day. Requests for home visits, except
in emergencies, should be received by 10.00am. The duty doctor will
deal with late calls. Please telephone 0844 499 4468.
You will
also be asked for your telephone number so that the triage nurse can call you back to discuss your problem and give immediate advice.
HOW
DO I...
OBTAIN
TEST RESULTS?
Laboratory specimens are
collected by hospital transport daily and should be handed into reception
by 1.30pm. Results may be obtained from reception in person or by telephone
between 12 noon and 4.00pm, and on Wednesday between 12 noon and 1.00pm. Please note that, for reasons of confidentiallity, we do not give out results to relatives unless patients expressly ask us to.
HOW
DO I...
CHANGE
MY DETAILS?
Please notify our reception
staff in writing of any change of name, address or telephone number in order to
ensure that your medical records are correct. This is particularly important in the case of mobile telephone numbers.
HOW
DO I...
OBTAIN
A REPEAT PRESCRIPTION?
Patients on long-term medication
can request repeat prescriptions. Please use the repeat prescription
request form attached to your prescription and either post it to us
or deliver it in person. In order to avoid mistakes we are NOT
able to accept requests by telephone.
Please allow at least two
working days for your request to be processed. If you need a prescription
for something that is not on your form (even if you have had it before),
or you need a medication altering, you will need to make an appointment
to see the doctor.
For convenience the local chemists offer
an order and collection service. If you telephone them directly they
will take your order from you and bring it to the surgery themselves.
They will then collect it from us and have it ready for you to pick
up from them. Please allow at least three working days for this service.
Please
also check the date of your medication review. If this
is out of date, you will be asked to see the doctor for a review of
your medication before the prescription can be issued.
Medication
Reviews
Patients are usually given a two month
supply of their repeat prescription and are allowed a number of issues
of the medication, after which time they will be asked to attend for
a medication review with the doctor either after 6 months or 12 months,
depending on the types of medication. Once the repeat prescription form
indicates that the medication review is due, patients should make an
appointment with the doctor for the next prescription. It is important
that all patients' medication is reviewed periodically. If the patient
is housebound, we will endeavour to visit to complete the medication
reviews at home. Please let reception know if this is required.
HOW
DO I...
OBTAIN
A SICKNESS CERTIFICATE?
The patient is responsible
for self-certification for the first six days of an illness using form
SC2, which can be obtained from your employer. Thereafter, if appropriate,
NHS certificates will be issued by the doctor as part of the consultation.
HOW
DO I...
REGISTER
WITH PRACTICE?
Anyone who wishes to register
with the practice will be asked to complete a health questionaire and will need to see the the practice nurse for a new patient check.
Preference
Of Practitioner
Whilst registered with us we
encourage patients to see any of the doctors and clinical staff. However,
you may express a preference for a particular doctor. Once a preference
has been indicated we will endeavour to comply with the request. However,
there may be times when this is not possible, for example, if the doctor
is unavailable, or the services requested are not provided by your preferred
doctor. Please note that should a patient wish to see their preferred
doctor then it may result in a longer waiting time for their appointment.
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