Appointments
Appointments
Consultations are by appointments and can be booked in person or over the telephone during opening hours
Practice Nurses
In a number of cases it might be worth considering an appointment with a practice nurse rather than a doctor. Practice nurses are qualified to deal with many condition and you may be seen more quickly.
Emergency Appointments
Emergency appointments are available for urgent clinical appointments only. These are for acute symptoms that cannot wait until the next day. Please explain your requirements to the receptionist.
Interpreting Service Non-English Speaking Patients
Patients who require an interpreter for their medical consultation must make this clear when making the appointment with reception, who will then endeavour to organise this for them.
Patient Check-in
An electronic check-in system was installed to improve patient confidentiality and to reduce the numbers of patients waiting in reception to check in for their appointment.
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.
Telephone Access
If you need to speak to a doctor during surgery hours, a message will be taken and the doctor will contact you by telephone at a time you will be advised of.
Pharmacist
We have a practice pharmacist working with us & queries about medication may be directed to our pharmacist if appropriate.
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 feel you need a home visit, you can help us by calling reception at 08:30.
Home visits are generally for the housebound who cannot 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.
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 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)
Minor Ailments Scheme
This is a scheme whereby patients (no cost for medication issued) can go directly to the pharmacy, thus improving access for simple medication for some conditions.
Ask at your local pharmacy for further information.