How Do I?

How do I register with the practice?

Anyone living within our practice area, can apply to register with the practice.
 
Patients wishing to register will be given a registration pack, including registration form. Also included in the pack will be a health questionnaire and an invitation to attend a New Patient Health Check with one of our Practice Nurses. This enables us to obtain details of your past medical history and your present medical details.
 
Patients are registered with the practice, rather than an individual doctor. Patients can still ask to be seen or treated by a particular doctor. Choice of practitioner cannot be absolute however. There are circumstances where the practice will be unable to meet these wishes, eg, if the service required is provided only by the Practice Nurses, rather than the doctor.
 
When registering as a new patient you will be asked if you prefer a particular doctor and this perference will be noted in your records.

How do I make an appointment to see the doctor?

Appointments are released for booking two working days in advance, ie:-
 
On Mondays we release Wednesday's appointments.
On Tuesdays we release Thursday's appointments.
On Wednesdays we release Friday's appointments.
On Thursdays we release Monday's appointments.
On Fridays we release Tuesday's appointments.
 
We do have a limited number of appointments each day, which are pre-bookable up to four weeks in advance.
 
You may consult any of the doctors in the practice, providing they are available.
 
Appointments can be made by telephoning the receptionist on 01204 531557 during office hours, or by calling in at reception personally.

	CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF 16 MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY AN ADULT.

We try to run to time as far as possible. Inevitably, an appointment can run over time, so please bear with us if you have to wait. To keep surgeries running as smoothly as possible, please help us by remembering the following points:-

• Please arrive on time for your appointment. 
• Patients who cannot attend their appointment, for whatever reason, are expected to cancel their appointment as far in advance as possible. 
• Remember - an appointment is for ONE person only. 
• Please do not save up multiple problems for one appointment slot. If you think you may need a longer appointment, please tell the receptionist. 
• For the comfort of others, please try not to bring children with you, unless they have an appointment. If you do need to bring them along, PLEASE TRY TO KEEP THEM IN ORDER. 

URGENT APPOINTMENTS
 
We offer routine appointments within 48 hours when ALL the doctors are in and when there is no one on holiday. If you feel your problem is MEDICALLY URGENT and requires treatment that same day, your condition will be assessed by either our Traige Nurse, Sister Shirley Stant, or, if she is unavailable, by the doctor on duty for that day. This assessment will determine whether and by whom you need to be seen or, as is sometimes the case, medical advice can be given over the telephone.

How do I make an appointment with the Practice Nurse?

All the Practice Nurses' clinics are by appointment only. Appointments can be made by telephoning the receptionist on 531557 during office hours, or by calling at reception personally.

How do I request a home visit?

We make home visits to those who are too ill to attend surgery. Please remember that visits take up a great deal of time - in the time it takes to visit one patient, five or six could be seen in surgery.
 
Sick children, particularly, will be asked to attend surgery, as they can be seen more promptly.
 
A visit can be arranged by telephoning 382213. Except in an emergency, please telephone after 8.30 am but before 10.00 am.
 
Please be ready to give the receptionist your name, address, date of birth, telephone number and brief details of what is wrong.
 
Visits are distributed equally amoungst the doctors. This may mean that the doctor you see is not your usual one.

	AT NIGHT, PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT THE NUMBER OF YOUR HOUSE IS CLEARLY VISIBLE IN THE DARK, SO THAT THE DOCTOR CAN EASILY LOCATE YOUR HOME.

How can I see a doctor when the surgery is closed?

When the surgery is closed, medical advice can be obtained by contacting NHS Direct on 0845 4647.
 
For out of hours URGENT MECDICAL ATTENTION AND ADVICE, please telephone 01204 382213 and you will be put in touch with the doctor on duty, without having to make a further telephone call.

How can I access a doctor or nurse by telephone?

If you require to speak to the doctors or nurses by telephone, you should expect the following:-

• To be asked by the receptionist for brief details of your requirements, so that the medical urgency of your call can be assessed. 
• If your call is medically urgent, eg chest pains, shortness of breath, severe bleeding etc, your call will be put through to the doctor on call IMMEDIATELY. 
• For non-medically urgent calls you will be asked to give a contact number for the doctor/nurse to contact you, when they are not seeing patients. 
• Your call will then be loged in the doctor's/nurses's appointment day book on the computer system for the doctor/nurse to access. 
• All telephone contacts/consultations will be recorded in your computerised medical records. 

How do I order a repeat prescription?

We have a computerised system for patients on regular medication. Repeat prescriptions are now issued with a tear off slip attached, which can be used for re-ordering your next repeat prescription. This is done simply by placing a tick next to the medication you require on the right hand side.
 
A repeat prescription can be ordered in four ways:-

1. By sending us your tear off slip with the medication required clearly marked with a tick, enclosing a stamped addressed envelope, which will be returned to you. PLEASE ALLOW ONE FULL WEEK WHEN ORDERING MEDICATION BY POST.
     
2. By leaving your tear off slip at reception with the medication required clearly marked with a tick.
     
3. By faxing your request on 01204 546494.
     
4. By sending your order using our online services. 

	48 HOURS NOTICE (NOT INCLUDING WEEKENDS) IS REQUIRED FOR REPEAT PRESCRIPTIONS TO BE PROCESSED. Eg Prescriptions ordered on Monday will be ready on Wednesday.

	WE REGRET WE ARE NOT ABLE TO ACCEPT REPEAT PRESCRIPTIONS BY TELEPHONE. This is in order to keep the telephone lines free for patients needing to make appointments, visit requests and enquiries.

All repeat medication is issued for a certain amount of time, after which, a medication review will be performed by the doctor to decide if this is still required and if the medication is still the best suited to your condition. You may, therefore, be asked to see the doctor before the issue of your next repeat prescription.

How do I obtain my test results?

Results of investigations, which have been checked by your doctor, may be obtained by telephoning 531557 between 2.00 pm and 5.00 pm.

	Except in the case of children, results will ONLY be given to the patient concerned and NOT relatives or friends. Medical information about all our patients is always treated as STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL.

How do I change my personal details?

If you change your name, address or telephone number, please let our receptionist know.
 
If you move outside our practice area, you are advised to register with another practice IMMEDIATELY, as we are not obliged to make home visits outside our practice area.

How do I order hospital ambulance transport?

If you have to go to hospital, either for an appointment or an admission and you are unable to use a car or public transport because of your medical condition please let us know as soon as possible.

	The ambulance control department require at least 2 working days notice to book transport.

How do I make a comment or complaint?

The practice has its own complaints procedure. If you have a complaint, please contact Mrs Vera Bourn, Practice Manager, who will be happy to help you through the process.
 
We welcome any comments that you may have about the services we provide.
 
From time to time you may be asked to complete a questionnaire after you have been to see the doctor or nurse, which will provide us with your views about a number of issues connected with your practice experience.