Appointments

All consultations are by appointment.  Appointments can be made by telephoning, calling at the surgery or booking on-line. 

Urgent cases are seen on the day.

If your condition is not urgent, you can expect to see a doctor within a week, though you may have to wait longer if you want to see a particular doctor.  If you don't need an appointment within two working days, you also have the option to book up to 3 months in advance if this is more convenient for you. 

Telephone Consultations

We also offer telephone consultationswith the doctors and nurses. He or she will ring you at the end of morning surgery on the telephone number you have given.

Young People 

Patients under the age of 16 are expected to attend with a parent or responsible adult. Our policy is to encourage children to discuss their problem and treatment with a parent or guardian but we appreciate this might not always be possible, for example in sensitive areas such as contraception. We respect the confidentiality of minors in the same way as adults – we are here to listen not to tell.

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.

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.

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. 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)

Hospital & Other Referrals

If you need to see a specialist for further treatment, you can now choose where to have your treatment from a list of hospitals or clinics.  This is the Choose and Book service.

As well as hospitals, we may also be able to refer you to community-based clinics nearer to home.