From 2nd January 2018, the Family Practice will not be taking repeat prescription requests over the telephone.

Appointments

All routine visits to see a doctor or the practice nurse are by appointment only. Routine appointments can be booked by telephone or in person at our desk.

The appointment system operates both for your convenience and to make the most efficient use of the doctor/nurses time. Our appointment system remains constantly under review.

Urgent Appointments

All requests for urgent appointments (e.g. to be seen during the same morning/afternoon when you call) should be made by telephone whenever possible so the doctor can access your level of need in advance and respond accordingly. If an urgent appointment is given we cannot guarantee you get to see your preferred GP.

Treatment Room

The treatment room exists to provide nursing care in the Health Centre.

Its opening hours are:

08:30am – 1:45pm (Monday – Friday,  walk in service)

2:00pm - 5:00pm (Monday - Friday, appointment only)

Telephone 

Please provide reception staff with brief details of your symptoms or reason for calling - in some cases the doctor/nurse will call the patient back or leave a message with the receptionist.

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. 

Patients who fail to attend for appointments, arrive too late to be seen (more than 10 mins) or don’t cancel in good time will receive a warning text message.

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).