Appointments

**Please note we do not accept appointment requests via email.  If you wish an appointment you MUST telephone the surgery**

Please note that following the covid pandemic, lots has changed within General Practice.  The majority of appointments will be an initial telephone consultation and this will be followed by a face to face appointment for those who need seen.

Please note that when you ring for an appointment, the receptionist will ask you for a brief description of the problem you are ringing about.  This is simply so they can book you with the most appropriate person and also so that the clinicians can prioritise any calls they feel are of a more urgent nature.

 **Please note - you should not book an appointment with a GP if you are requesting a report or to have paperwork completed.  The majority of this work is not covered by NHS funding and is classed as private work, attracting a fee.  Paperwork should be put through the letterbox along with your contact details and the surgery will get in touch once they have assessed what is required, confirm they are able to complete the form and the level of fee payable**

If the doctor has spoken to you and agrees a video consultation and arranges a time with you, then you should click on the following link 5 minutes prior to the agreed appointment time.  NB ONLY patients with pre arranged appointments can use this service.

https://nhsattend.vc/downfieldsurgery

If you need help, the following videos may assist.  However, bear in mind when the video states "your GP will send you a link", this relates to the nhsattend link above so please use that.

https://youtu.be/gr3a9TxEwjE

Easy Guide to NHS Near Me and Your GP for laptops & PCs How to get ready for an online appointment with your GP using NHS Near Me (Attend Anywhere). Short and simple. youtu.be

https://youtu.be/eqAuCEFksdk

An easy guide to Near Me for the patients of GP surgeries using tablets and smartphones Short and practical, this video shows you how to check that your smartphone or tablet will work with Near Me. More detailed information at www.nearme.scot youtu.be

Cancellations

If you find that you are unable to keep your appointment you must contact us to cancel, giving as much notice as possible so that the appointment can be offered to someone else. If you fail to attend for a booked appointment we will record the missed appointment and write to you. Patients who consistently fail to attend appointments may be removed from our list.

If you are late for your appointment, the GP or practice nurse may not see you.

Home Visits

Home visits are for those who are housebound due to illness or disability. If at all possible, please come to the surgery rather than requesting a home visit. Please remember that there are better facilities for examining and treating patients at the surgery, and that several patients can be seen in the practice in the time that it takes to make one home visit.

If you feel that a home visit is necessary, please try to telephone before 10:00 so that we can plan the visits as efficiently as possible. The reception staff will ask you for a contact telephone number and a GP will ring back to discuss further and assess.

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.  Alternatively you can download the form here Self certificate

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.

Please note that you must contact a GP to be issued with a FIT note, although continuations may be provided without the need to be seen.

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

Students

We are a university teaching practice and occasionally medical, nursing or health visitor students are attached to us for training. Your permission will always be requested before a student is present during a consultation.

We are very grateful to patients for their co-operation with this important element of student teaching.

 GPs are asked to complete lots of forms / paperwork on behalf of patients.  Please do NOT book an appointment for this.  This, along with specific types of medicals, is not funded by the NHS and as such is classed as private work.  You should hand any relevant paperwork into the reception along with your contact details.  The surgery will get in touch with you once they have reviewed the paperwork, ascertained what is required and worked out the relevant fee.

The GP cannot do this type of work during a normal consultation as surgeries are for clinical issues only.