Appointments

If you wish to see or speak with a Doctor, the Receptionist will ask you for your details and a short summary of your problem.  This helps them to direct you to the right Health Care Professional.  It  also helps the Doctor to check which calls are most urgent. If you have an EMERGENCY please state this immediately you get through to a Receptionist.   All  requests for GP appointments  are triaged first by the Doctor,  the Doctor will make the decision whether or not you should have a face to face consultation. 

Appointments for procedures or medicals may be scheduled. Patients requesting these types of appointments should make the receptionist aware so that the appropriate time is booked for the appointment.

• We expect patients to be seen within twenty minutes of their appointment time, and in the event of a delay we will offer an explanation.
• When a doctor is called away on an emergency we will inform the patients and give them an opportunity to book an alternative appointment, or if preferred, to be seen by another doctor.

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. We monitor the number of patients each month who Do Not Attend  appointments in the health centre. We adhere to a strict 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 am.

You may only request a home visit if you are housebound or are too ill to visit the practice. The doctors are extremely busy and therefore we cannot guarantee that your regular doctor will carry out the home visit please take this into consideration.  A 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)