HOW
DO I...
OBTAIN
MEDICAL ADVICE BY TELEPHONE?
The practice offers the facility
of obtaining advice from the doctor over the telephone by appointment.
HOW
DO I...
SEE
MY DOCTOR?
The doctors will see you in the surgery
by appointment. Please make separate appointments for each person to be seen.
Appointments are of 10 or 15 minutes' duration. If you feel that your problem is likely
to require more time than this please advise the receptionist when making the
appointment. Patients may consult any of the doctors in the practice; however,
it is recommended that you follow through an illness with the same doctor. Appointments
can be made by phoning the receptionist or in person at the reception desk. Patients
are encouraged to be on time for their appointment. If you find that you no longer
require your appointment or you are unable to attend please let us know in good
time, as this will allow us to offer that appointment time to someone else.
ADVANCED
ACCESS
We operate a system of appointments known as “advanced
access”. This means we try to ensure that we have an adequate number of
appointments available on any day to cope with that day's demand. This is constantly
and closely monitored.
HOW
DO I...
ASK FOR A HOME VISIT?
If possible please try to telephone
before 10.00am. A doctor or nurse may phone you back as it may be that your problem
can be dealt with by telephone advice, or that it would be more appropriate to
receive treatment from a nurse, or indeed arrange hospital attendance. House visits
are only available for patients who are housebound because of illness or disability.
Please remember that several patients can be seen in the practice in
the time that it takes to make one home visit. There are also better facilities
for examining and treating patients at the health centre.
HOW
DO I...
JOIN
THE PRACTICE?
When registering, please bring your
NHS medical card and birth certificate to the practice and those of any other
persons registering with you. If you do not have a medical card, you will be asked
to complete a registration form for each person registering with the practice.
In addition, all patients will be asked to complete a new patient questionnaire,
allowing us to provide medical care in the interim period, while your medical
records are transferred from your old practice to this one. When you apply to
join the practice you will be offered an appointment to see the doctor and the
nurse. You will be asked about past health problems and offered an appointment
for a routine health check. This is also an ideal opportunity for you to find
out how the practice works and what it has to offer.
If you move out of
the practice area, you will be required to register with a new practice as soon
as you move. We can provide information about how to find a new practice.
You
and Your Doctor
Patients are registered with the practice,
not an individual GP. For administrative reasons your medical card will be issued
in the name of one of the doctors; however, you can at any time express a preference
for a particular doctor, for either all of your medical needs or on a case-by-case
basis. This preference will be recorded in your medical notes and we will do our
best to respect your choice. It is however always best to try and see the same
doctor for any one episode of illness, be that acute or chronic. Nevertheless,
do bear in mind that not all the doctors in the practice provide all services
and specific doctors may not be immediately available.
HOW
DO I...
CHANGE
MY DETAILS?
If you move house, change your telephone
number or change your name please let us know in order that we can maintain our
records. When changing address please check
with the receptionist that you still live within our catchment area.
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