Appointments

We want to help patients get the best service possible from the staff and resources we have available at the health centre. We offer a range of appointments with doctors, practice nurses and healthcare assistants.

We open at 08:00 and our surgeries run from 08:00 - 17:50 daily. Currently we are unable to provide our evening surgery on Mondays.

In order to ensure you get the correct appointment you may be asked for some information about the problem by the reception staff when booking. This information will be treated in the strictest confidence.

You could be offered the following:

• A face to face appointment with a GP
• A telephone appointment with a GP
• A face to face appointment with a practice nurse
• A telephone appointment with a practice nurse
• An appointment with a healthcare assistant
• A telephone appointment with the practice pharmacist to discuss a medication query

Routine appointments can usually be booked up to 4 weeks in advance. We try to provide appointments with your usual GP for continuity of care but this is not always possible. There is a large team at the Health Centre and you may be offered an appointment with another healthcare professional who will be able to help you.  Please book separate appointments for each member of the family attending.

The following guidelines may help you decide which appointment is the most appropriate.  

Routine Appointments

These can be booked ahead with a GP of your choice. These are 10 minute appointments.

Standard GP consultations are 10 minutes long and it is possible to deal with 1 and sometimes 2 problems in this time. If your problem is complex or you have a list please consider booking a 20 minute (double) appointment. Double appointments may also be appropriate for gynaecological problems, emotional issues, joint injections and initial acupuncture consultations.

If the GP is unable to deal with your problems in the 10 minutes then you may be asked to make another appointment.

Longer appointments can be arranged at your GP’s discretion.

Telephone Appointments

These can be pre-booked with your GP or practice nurse.

Telephone appointments are suitable for:-

• Results of investigations or blood tests
• Mangement of minor illnesses
• Medication reauthorisation
• Urine infections
• Emergency contraception
• General health queries

Telephone appointments are 5 minutes.

Same Day Appointments

The GPs provide a telephone phone back system every morning, Monday to Friday, between 8.30am and 11am for patients who request to be seen that day.  The purpose of the telephone phone back system is to ensure that your request is dealt with appropriately.  It may be that you just require advice and that an appointment at the surgery is not necessary.  If the GP feels that an appointment is required they will arrange this for you whilst you are on the telephone.

Practice Nurse Appointments

Practice nurses run the chronic disease clinics which include diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, asthma and COPD.

They also deal with complex wound problems and dressings, cervical smears, ear syringing and immunisations.

Healthcare Assistants

Daily clinics are held where you can book for blood samples, simple dressings and wound care, blood pressure monitoring, ECG’s and certain immunisations.

We have a health promotion room and encourage you to visit this. Here you can check your own blood pressure, height and weight and there is relevant and up to date health promotion literature.

Cancellations

If you cannot attend an appointment for any reason please inform us as soon as possible in order for us to give the slot to someone else.

Cancelling Appointments

Over 80% of our patients keep their appointments and this is greatly appreciated.   However, some patients do not attend and this wastes an appointment which could have been given to another patient. 

If you are unable to keep an appointment please inform the receptionists as soon as possible so that your appointment may be given to another patient.

To cancel your appointment:-

• Telephone Reception

Telephone Reception on 01764 662275 or 01764 662614 between 8am and 6pm to cancel your appointment.

• Sign up for our Text Reminder Service

We now offer a text reminder service.  This sends a text to patients 12 hours before their appointment.  This allows you time to telephone the reception to cancel your appointment if it is no longer required.  To sign up for this service advise the receptionist next time you are making an appointment.  If you DNA (do not attend) an appointment and are not signed up for our text reminder service we will automatically opt you in to try and prevent you missing an appointment in the future. 

Home Visits

Whilst we encourage our patients to come to the surgery, where we have the proper equipment and facilities available, we do appreciate this is not always possible. In this respect, if you do need a home visit, you can help us by calling reception before 09:30.

You may only request a home visit if you are housebound or are too ill to visit the practice. Your GP will only visit you at home if they think that your medical condition requires it and will also decide how urgently a visit is needed. Please bear this in mind and be prepared to provide suitable details to enable the doctor to schedule house calls

You can also be visited at home by a community nurse if you are referred by your GP. You should also be visited at home by a health visitor if you have recently had a baby or if you are newly registered with a GP and have a child under five years.

Sickness Certificates

You do not require a doctor's sickness certificate for any illness lasting seven days or less. Your employer may however require you to complete a self-certification form (SC2) which is available from your employer or on the HMRC website.

Evidence that you are sick

If you are sick for more than seven days, your employer can ask you to give them some form of medical evidence to support payment of SSP (statutory sick pay).

It is up to your employer to decide whether you are incapable of work. A medical certificate, now called a 'Statement of Fitness for Work’ (see below) from your doctor is strong evidence that you are sick and would normally be accepted, unless there is evidence to prove otherwise.

You could also provide evidence from someone who is not a medical practitioner, e.g. a dentist. Your employer will decide whether or not this evidence is acceptable. If your employer has any doubts, they may still ask for a medical certificate from your GP.

Statement of Fitness for Work - ’Fit Note'

The 'fit note' was introduced on 6 April 2010. With your employer's support, the note will help you return to work sooner by providing more information about the effects of your illness or injury.

For more information see the DirectGov website (where this information was sourced)