Appointments

The appointment system operates both for your convenience and to aid the doctors.

Requests for emergency appointments must be made by telephoning the practice as soon as possible, giving details as follows:

Name, address and description of condition.

Please do not blame the receptionist if the doctor is running late for your appointment, or they are unable to offer you just what you want, remember they are trying to do a difficult and demanding job and is often working under extreme pressure. We would therefore ask you to be a PATIENT PATIENT.

Our Appointment System remains constantly under review.

Practice Nurses

In a number of cases it might be worth considering an appointment with a practice nurse rather than a doctor. Practice nurses are qualified to deal with many conditions and you may be seen more quickly.

Treatment Room

On occasion the GP or nurse may refer you to the treatment room to have blood tests or another procedure / injection carried out. Please note – the treatment room is a very busy place and we would ask that you be patient when waiting to be seen and always report to our reception before you go to collect the labels you will need for your specimen / blood bottles.

Telephone Advice

Sometimes you may want advice on a health problem or medication and simply wish to talk to the doctor / nurse. If you feel this is necessary, the best time to phone is in the morning between 09:00 and 10:30 and we will get back to you as soon as possible

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. Click here for our Did Not Attend (DNA) Policy.

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 10:00.

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.

Remember the doctor can see approximately five patients in surgery in the time it takes to do one home visit. 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)