Appointments

Nurses may be seen by appointment only from 09:10 to 11:00.

When booking an appointment with the nurse please inform the receptionist of the reason for your appointment to ensure that you are allocated the correct time slot as failure to do so may result in some or all of your treatment not being carried out.

Afternoon surgery with the GPs is from 16:00 to 17:30 Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday by appointment only.

Urgent Appointments

If an emergency arises and you need to see a doctor urgently please inform the receptionist who will arrange for you to see the doctor as soon as possible.

Telephone Triage service

We operate a telephone triage service each day to facilitate the increased demand to see a GP: 

There are a limited number of slots available for each session.

Once these slots have been allocated for the day patients may be asked to phone back the following day

Each Morning between  12 - 12.30am

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.

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 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)

Information for patients in relation to private referrals and aftercare

What happens if I would like a private referral?

• A routine GP appointment is required to gather information and discuss the indication for a referral.

What happens if I need a test or procedure?

• Arranging any tests including blood tests or imaging is the responsibility of the private doctor.  We do not undertake such tests on behalf of private doctors.
• It is the responsibility of the private doctor to communicate the results of any tests to you and explain what they mean.  Your GP will not have access to these tests and may not be able to interpret them.
• The private doctor is responsible for arranging any follow up and post operative care, including removal of stitches/staples and sufficient pain relief and preventative medicines if you have had an operation or other procedure.

What happens if I need new medication?

• The private doctor is responsible for giving you the first prescription of any new medication on an NHS prescription.  This would be for medication that NHS GPs would usually initiate and monitor themselves.
• We do not provide blood monitoring for any privately prescribed medication or other monitoring including physical health checks and ECGs.  These need to be arranged on a private basis by the private doctor.