Appointments

We offer a variety of appointments with doctors and nurses which can be booked  up to four weeks in advance. Please call the surgery after the peak period (after 10am) for the latter appointments and also for other non-urgent enquiries

Pre-booked appointments are advisable for all routine, non-urgent problems.

Any request for a Gp appointment on the day will be dealt with by the on-call Doctor who will triage your call and will assess the problem, they may arrange an emergency or routine appointment with a Doctor or Nurse and may also offer advice over the telephone.

Please contact the surgery as soon as possible if you feel the need to be seen the same day - phone from 8am.

You can see any doctor in the practice but we encourage you to try and see the same doctor for a particular episode of treatment.

Appointments are for 10 minutes but if you think you will need longer you can request a longer one. If all available appointments have been taken and you have an emergency, arrangements will be made for you but we cannot guarantee which doctor you will see.

Please also remember that an appointment is for one person only. If two people need to be seen please book two appointments.

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 ailments 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.

Nurse Appointments

These appointments can be made for:

• Blood pressure clinic/checks
• Weight management
• NHS Health Checks
• Cervical smears
• Travel advice and vaccinations
• Minor injuries, ailments and general health advice
• Dressings and wound care
• Removal of stitches
• Sexual health advice
• contraceptive service
• Blood or urine tests
• Routine vaccinations
• Influenza vaccinations
• Ear syringing

Telephone Appointments

If you wish to speak to a doctor, nurse practitioner or a nurse, there are pre-bookable phone call slots. We will then call you back so please ensure we have your correct contact number,

Home Visits

If possible please try to telephone reception before 10:30 if you require a home visit. You will also need to provide some details of your illness to enable the doctors to prioritise the calls. Please try to attend the surgery where possible rather than ask for a home visit. At the surgery we can examine you more easily, have direct access to all your records and time is saved for both parties,

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 if you are housebound by a District Nurse but you need to be referred by your GP or hospital after an admission.

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)