Appointments

Please telephone our main number – 01828 632317 - to speak to a receptionist who will book an appointment for you.

Routine appointments normally last 10 minutes and we aim to allow you to be seen on the day of your choice. 

Urgent cases are seen on the same day. Doctors cover emergencies on a rota basis and you may be asked to wait until a doctor is available.  The receptionist will not be able to specify which doctor you will see on these occasions.

Urgent appointments are typically shorter in duration and are intended for dealing with one specific problem.  The doctor may telephone you to discuss your problem. 

If your condition is non-urgent you can expect to see a GP within two working days, although you may have to wait longer if you want to see a particular GP.  If you don’t need an appointment within two working days you also have the option to book up to 12 weeks in advance if this is more convenient for you. 

Please let us know if more than one person in the family needs to be seen as a separate appointment for each person attending should be arranged.

Occasionally the GPs and nurses may run behind schedule. The receptionists will keep you informed if this is the case. If your appointment is for an insurance or employment medical, ante-natal visit or cervical smear please inform the receptionist as these appointments take longer than 10 minutes.

Practice Nurses

Our practice nurses treat patients for a wide range of common conditions and their appointments operate in the same way as that of the GPs.

Telephone Advice

You can leave a message with the receptionist for any GP or Practice Nurse and he/she will call you back when available

Please let the receptionist know if your message requires a more urgent reply.

Arrival at the Surgery

Please let reception know when you have arrived at the surgery or you may miss your appointment.

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 should request a home visit only if you are housebound or are too ill to visit the practice. Your GP will visit you at home only if he/she thinks 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)

Student Training

During the academic year we assist in training medical students and it may be that you will be asked if you mind having a student sit in during a consultation or assess your condition before you see the GP.

If this is the case, you will be asked when you make the appointment, and if you agree at that point, you can still change your mind.  If you prefer not to involve the student please tell the reception staff before your consultation.