HOW
DO I...
MAKE
AN APPOINTMENT ?
Consultations
are by appointment only.
Appointments can be made by telephone on 223
1113 or at the surgery.
One appointment is for one patient.
Remember,
if you attend the surgery with a long list of problems in one appointment, the
doctor may be forced to rush you and you will delay other patients.
Appointment
slots should be pre-booked and a range of five and ten minute consultations are
offered to meet patients’ needs. Patients can also book-on-the day appointments
for urgent cases and we offer appointments within 48 hours. Additionally, telephone
consultations are available to patients for advice and general enquiries.
The
practice endeavours to comply with a patient’s choice of GP but on occasion
this may not always be possible and an explanation will be offered.
Did
Not Attend Policy
Approximately 200 appointments per month
are ‘Did Not Attends’. The effects of these are:
• An
increase in the waiting time for appointments
• Frustration for both
staff and patients
• A waste of resources
It has been noticed
that some patients persistently DNA appointments. These include urgent appointments,
which patients can only book on the day.
Policy
If
a patient does not attend (DNA) an appointment on two occasions within a 12 month
period, then a letter and a copy of the notice explaining the policy will be sent
to the patient.
If they DNA a third appointment, then a review of the case
will be done by either the healthcare assistant/practice manager and one of the
partners to establish whether there are any specific reasons (social or clinical)
why the patient should not be removed, with an outcome of:
* The patient
will be invited in to meet with the practice manager to explain any difficulties
they may have with keeping appointments.
* They will be sent a letter informing
them that in accordance with the practice policy, it has now been requested for
them to be removed as a patient from the practice and they should find an alternative
doctor.
HOW
DO I...
OBTAIN
A HOME VISIT ?
Home visits are for patients who are too ill or infirm to attend surgery.
To request a home visit, please ring the surgery before 10.30am if possible and
explain the nature of the problem. The receptionists will then pass the call on
to the doctor who will assess its priority.
HOW
DO I...
OBTAIN
A TELEPHONE CONSULTATION ?
The practice offers telephone consultations daily with either the GP of your
choice, where possible, or the practice nurse.
Patients must have access
to a telephone and request the consultation for any weekday before 10.00am.
Telephone
slots will be allocated to patients by the receptionist and the GP or practice
nurse will call later that day.
Types of consultations to discuss over
the phone are:
• General advice • Medication advice
•
Medication reviews • Test results
HOW
DO I...
Order
An Ambulance?
If you require an
emergency ambulance you should dial 999.
For any other ambulance please telephone
the surgery where a member of staff will be able to assist you.
HOW
DO I...
Get
My Test Results?
The majority of results
for tests that are performed in the surgery are available in the practice a week
after the test, although some specialised tests do take longer.
If the
doctor wishes to see you to offer you further treatment, you will be contacted
and asked to make an appointment or you will be sent a prescription.
If
you wish to know the result of a pregnancy test, the reception team have been
trained to provide you with it. Please contact the surgery and we will gladly
give you the result of this test over the phone.
