Making an appointment

Appointments may be made by telephone on 531 6475 between 08.00am and 6.00pm, Monday to Friday.  Each day emergency appointments are available for problems which you feel cannot wait until the next routine appointment. If you are seeking an emergency appointment, please make that clear to receptionists as you will be asked to give brief details of the problem. Such cases will be seen by whichever Doctor is available - this may not be the Doctor you normally see.  Also, available each day are some routine appointments which can be booked on the day. 

Please remember that requests for sickness certificates or certificates of absence for college or university, are not an emergency matter.  They can be dealt with at the next routine appointment and dated as appropriate.

Chaperone

If you wish to have a chaperone present while being examined please let us know.

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.

Telephones

When you phone the practice you will be asked to choose from the following options;

• Option 1 - appointments and general enquiries;
• Option 2 - Housecalls & emergencies requiring urgent attention
• Option 3 - repeat prescriptions;

Should you wish to leave a message for one of the doctors please give the receptionist a contact number and brief details. Interruptions during surgery are upsetting for both patients and doctors and consequently the receptionists have been asked not to disturb consultations with non-urgent calls.

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 10:00.

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.

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)

Training Practice

Nursing, medical students and doctors undergoing further training may be on placement at the practice. If you would prefer that they were not present during your consultation, please mention this to the receptionist.