Appointments

Book an Appointment

When you ring the surgery on 016973 31309 during our surgery opening times, you will be given 2 options:

  • Option 1: If you wish to order a repeat prescription, press 1 on your telephone.
  • Option 2: If you wish to make a telephone consultation or have a general enquiry please stay on the line.

Please try and avoid staying on the line if you require a repeat prescription. If you have difficulty pronouncing your medication, you can choose to spell it out to us.

Consultations

We now offer both telephone consultations and face to face appointments. Please wear a face covering before entering the building and use the hand sanitiser provided.

Same Day Appointments

Each morning, we have a select number of consultations available for patients that require same day treatment and you may choose if you would like a face to face or a telephone consultation. We would ask that you contact the surgery as early as possible in the morning if you are requesting an appointment on the same day. For patients that are requesting face to face appointments, you will be allocated a time to attend the surgery. If your choice of consultation is a phone call, due to the high number of telephone requests we are receiving, it may not be possible to call you back at a specific time. The doctor will call you as soon as they are available that morning, though if a clinic is particularly busy, calls may run into the afternoon and unfortunately you may not select a doctor of your choice.

Due to limited availability, we ask that patients do not use “on the day” appointments to discuss longstanding issues that could be booked into a routine afternoon appointment so that “on the day” consultations are left for those who really need to be contacted/seen that same day.

Routine Appointments

As well as the morning appointments, we also offer routine consultations in the afternoon, and you may choose which doctor you would like to book in with. You may choose whether you would like a face to face or telephone consultation, and you will be allocated a time to either attend the surgery or an approximate time for when your telephone consultation will take place. Please do bear in mind that due to unforeseen circumstances, we cannot guarantee a specific time for telephone calls, though a GP will try their best to speak to you at your allocated time.

Disabled Access

Ramps for easy access of wheelchair patients are in place at the main and side entrances of the surgery.  We have installed a bell on the outside of the front door if anyone requires assistance entering the surgery.  There is a toilet to the left of the main door with wheelchair access.  This toilet is installed with an alarm.

Please inform the receptionist if you have difficulty with hearing and wear a hearing aid as we have an Induction Loop installed at the surgery.

Reception

The receptionists’ job is to book appointments for various surgeries and clinics and to deal with requests such as home visits, prescriptions etc.  They also take messages for other professionals who work with us for example District Nurses, Health Visitor etc.  They have a difficult job to do and are here to help you.  They will always try to meet your requests but may not be able to do so immediately.  Please be flexible and patient.

Home Visits

If possible please try to telephone reception before 10:30 if you require a home visit. You will be asked to provide your telephone number as a GP will call you prior to arranging a visit.

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.

You can 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.

Been off Work?

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 from your doctor, now called a ‘Statement of Fitness for Work’ (see below), is strong evidence that you are sick and will normally be accepted unless there is evidence to prove otherwise.

You could also provide evidence from someone who is not a medical practitioner, for example 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. Return to work certificates is no longer necessary.

For more information see the DirectGov website (where this information was sourced).

Hospital Referrals

We are now operating a choose and book appointment scheme where you choose at which hospital you wish to have your treatment carried out.

If a referral to a Consultant is to be made we are now able to make a hospital appointment for you before you leave the surgery.  If this is not possible you will be supplied with a UBRN ( Unique booking reference number ) and password before you leave the surgery, or over the phone if required. It will then be necessary for you to contact the Choose and Booking Centre contact number which is next to the hospital of your choice.

Please note: All treatment / follow up appointments etc will be carried out at the hospital of your choice.

Hospital Transport

The surgery is no longer responsible for booking hospital transport.  You will need to contact the Patient Transport  Service on 08000 323 240 who will go through the criteria with you and assess your suitability for this service