Appointments

ALL doctor and nurse appointments are pre-bookable. Appointments can be made in person at the reception desk, by telephone on 01723 582297 or on line (you will need to ask at reception to generate a password for this service). Each appointment with the doctor is for 10 minutes and is for 1 person only. Please advise the receptionist if you are booking for more than 1 person.

Extended Hours         

Monday & Friday 07.30 – 08.00 pre-bookable appointments are available with clinicians to accommodate working patterns and individual circumstances of patients who find it difficult attending appointments within normal surgery times. This service is NOT an emergency surgery.

We offer additional language translation in Afrikaans, Hindi, Urdu and Filipino and can arrange other interpretation for patients who do not speak English. Please advise staff if you require this or any other additional service when you book an appointment.

Attending Appointments

When you attend the surgery for your appointment please register at reception so that we know you have arrived. Please do not hesitate to ask our staff if you need assistance in any way. For example: let the receptionist know if you have difficulty hearing or if you think you have an infectious illness or if you feel too poorly or distressed to wait in the waiting room. A separate room can be provided in which you can speak to a member of staff or we can provide a room in which you can wait in private if you think you have an infectious illness or if you feel too poorly or distressed to wait in the waiting room.

Some people feel very nervous when they see a doctor or nurse and forget some of the things they intended to say. It could help to write down your symptoms before you come to the surgery. If during your consultation there is anything that you don’t understand please tell the Doctor or Nurse and they will explain it again to you. If you wish to be accompanied during your consultation you may bring a friend or relative with you. You may request a chaperone during your consultation. Please ask at reception and we will be happy to ask one of our clinical staff members to do this.

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 01723 582297.

Home Visits

Home visits are only for those patients who are truly housebound or too ill to attend. The best place for patients to be seen is at the surgery where we have the equipment and staff to deal with problems.

Home visits will be performed by the duty doctor for that day who may not be your usual doctor. When asking for a home visit please be prepared to give some details of the problem to the reception staff so that the doctor can judge the urgency.

The doctor may telephone you back to discuss the visit. Requests for home visits should be made before 10:00 except for emergencies and on 01723 582297.

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).

Training Practice

We are a training practice, which means from time to time we will have doctors working with us to learn about General Practice.

Videotaping of consultations has been used for many years to help train and assess General Practitioner’s skills. The tape is used to improve their skills and allow others to assess them. The video concentrates on the doctor’s side of the consultation, not the patient.

You will always be asked before being recorded. If you choose not to take part in video this will not affect your care or treatment in any way.