Appointments

Surgeries are run by an appointment system for your convenience between 08:00 – 17:30 - Monday to Friday with one late evening per week which is usually on a Wednesday. Appointments may be made by telephone or by calling into the surgery. Our staff are trained to ask questions to enable them to deal with your enquiries effectively, so please give them as much information as they ask for, it is all in confidence.

We offer online bookable appointments. You need to register for online appointments by downloading the below document. Please complete and hand into reception. Online application form

If you feel you have an urgent medical condition, which cannot wait, please explain to the receptionist who will accommodate you.

Appointments are available: Morning, Lunchtime, afternoon and evening.

Appointment Aims

At Burnfield Medical Practice we aim to operate a system which makes it as easy as possible for our patients to access a doctor, nurse, or other health care professional.

Our excellent Reception staff are trained to ask specific questions to help to direct our patients to the most appropriate appointment type (telephone or surgery) with the most appropriate clinician (doctor, physiotherapist, practice nurse, or clinical technicians.) If you are unable to keep an appointment, please let us know as soon as possible so that we can offer the appointment to someone else.  Remember you can book appointments on line, by clicking on the link above.

Types of Consultations

Appointments may be made by telephone or by calling into the surgery. In order to run the appointment book efficiently we try and avoid follow-up appointments on Mondays. Our staff are trained to ask specific questions enabling them to deal with your enquiry effectively.

If you feel you have an urgent medical condition which cannot wait, please explain to the receptionist who will accommodate you.

Practice Physiotherapist

We have a practice physiotherapist available for our patients.  Please telephone reception and ask our reception staff for an appointment. All appointments are 30 minutes.  

For those of you who are not patients of the practice, you too can book a private appointment, please telephone reception 01463 220077, inform them you are wishing to make a private appointment.  Each appointment is 40 mins and the first private appointment is £40 and each follow up appointment is £35.00.

Telephone Consultations

The practice has a system in place for telephone consultations.

These are arranged through reception who will give you a specific time for the telephone call.

Did Not Attend Policy

As a practice, we have decided to enforce a ‘Did Not Attend’ policy, due to a number of patients who have failed to attend their appointments. One missed appointment can have a significant setback on our appointment availability and also wastes clinician time, which generates a great deal of unnecessary frustration for both our staff and our patients.  

By enforcing our policy, we aim to monitor the number of unattended appointments on a regular basis, to ensure we keep them to a minimum. If a patient has missed 2 appointments within a 12 month period, they will receive a written warning from the practice.  If they then miss a 3^rd appointment within the 12 month period, the patient will be brought to the GP for consideration of removal from the practice.

We are enforcing this policy to ensure that all of our patients receive the appropriate care and treatment they deserve, and to help open up our appointment availability to avoid excessive waiting times.

 How can you help?

1. Keep a note of your appointment, add to your calendar or set up a reminder.
2. Encourage friends or family members to attend or cancel their appointment.
3. Please call us no matter how late to cancel your appointment.
4. Make sure you have signed up to receive SMS messages and we will send a reminder which you can reply to if you need to cancel your appointment
   

Exclusions

No patient will be removed from the practice list without due consideration of their individual circumstances and reasons for non-attendance. The purpose of this policy is not to penalise patients with valid medical reasons for non-attendance.

If the practice is aware of special circumstances surrounding a patients non- attendance, for example patients who have been admitted to hospital or have dementia, the medical team reserve the right to exclude the patient from management under this policy.

Patients concerned regarding their management under this policy or who are having problems attending should speak to the surgery. Lack of organisation or forgetting is not an acceptable reason for non-attendance.

We offer online bookable appointments. You need to register for online appointments by downloading this document and printing it off and handing it into reception who will activate an account for you to register online. We will need your most up to date email address and mobile number.

 On line application form

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). To complete a request go to HMRC website.

Medical Students

Fourth Year students from Aberdeen University

As a training practice we also undertake to help with training for five-week periods approximately six times a year for students studying for their (MBChB).

We hope you will help in their learning.

Home Visits

House visits are for people who are too unwell to visit the Surgery.

Unless the problem is urgent please try to telephone before 10.00am if you require a visit. Our Receptionists have been trained to ask questions so that the urgency of each visit can be assessed to help the Doctor plan their rounds. A Doctor may phone you back regarding the visit request.

Clinics & Services

The practice is able to offer a variety of services available to our patients:

• Minor Surgery        
• Child Health Surveillance
• Long Term Conditions such as Asthma, COPD, Diabetes, Ischaemic Heart Disease, Stroke & Hypertension.
• Contraception
• Antenatal and Postnatal checks
• Sports Injury Management/Self Refer to Physiotherapist - patients can make an appointment at the surgery for the physio without seeing a doctor.
• Private Consultations and Prescriptions

Podiatry

NHS patients can self refer to Podiatry. Please find the referral form attached below with details of how to refer yourself.

Podiatry form

Pelvic Health Physiotherapy

Pelvic Health Physiotherapy Self Referral

You can now Self Refer to physiotherapy pelvic health services for the following problems;

Leaking urine, Urinary urgency / frequency

Prolapse

Bowel problem – constipation / leakage/ other

Pelvic pain

Difficulty with pelvic floor muscle exercises

Blue Badge / Disabled badge for car

For patients who require information on getting a Blue/Disabled Badge. Please contact The Highland Council online @ The Highland Council – Disabled Parking, Blue Badge Scheme. 

Alternatively, you can call the Highland Council, Blue / Disabled Badge Scheme on 01349 886 604.

You do not need to speak to a Doctor