Appointments

Please telephone, or call at the surgery to arrange an appointment - Tel: 01647 440591. Reception is open between 8.30am - 6.00pm weekdays.

Surgeries are held twice daily Monday to Friday between 8.30am - 6.00pm, with one early morning surgery starting at 7.40am on a Wednesday.  (These surgeries are by appointment only. Please note the office opens at 8.30am and closes at 6.00pm).

By booking in advance you may see the Doctor of your choice. Standard appointments are 15 minutes, if you need longer please let us know at the time of booking your appointment.

Urgent cases are seen every day and on those occasions it may not be possible to see the Doctor of your choice.

The facility to book GP appointments on-line is also now available. In order to use this service you need to register for ‘Patient Access’. To do this you will need to bring photographic proof of identity to the Health Centre reception staff (i.e. driving licence, passport, bus pass etc.). Click here for more information.

All personal information is kept strictly confidential.

Telephone Consultations

If you don't need to see a Doctor you can arrange a telephone consultation. There is normally a Doctor available between 10.40am and 11.00am each weekday for patients to discuss health problems and test results.

Missed Appointments

Missed appointments mean that other patients are unable to see the Doctor or Nurse of their choice. Please ring as soon as possible if you want to cancel your appointment.

Chaperone Policy

All patients are entitled to have a chaperone present for any consultation, examination or procedure where they feel one is required. This chaperone may be a family member or friend. On occasions you may prefer a formal chaperone to be present, i.e. a trained member of staff.

Wherever possible we would ask that you make this request at the time of booking your appointment, so that arrangements can be made and your appointment is not delayed in any way. Where this is not possible we will endeavour to provide a formal chaperone at the time of request. However, it may occasionally be necessary to reschedule your appointment.

Your healthcare professional may also require a chaperone to be present for certain consultations in accordance with our chaperone policy.

If you would like to see a copy of our chaperone policy or have any questions or comments regarding this please contact the Practice Manager.

Branch Surgeries 

If you wish to see a doctor at one of the branch surgeries, please telephone the health centre before 10.00am on the morning of the surgery to make an appointment.

Lustleigh Parish Hall: 

2:30pm Tuesday every other week

Manaton Parish Hall:

11.30am Wednesday every other week

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 10:30.

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).