Appointments

Appointments can be booked at the reception desk, over the telephone or by using the online Patient Access system via the above link.

If we have your mobile telephone number you will receive a text confirming the appointment date and time. You will receive a text reminder 48 hours prior to the appointment.

The surgery can now offer access to bookable appointments up to 8pm Monday to Friday and on Saturday and Sunday AM.  Please be advised that availability is limited and will be by pre-booked appointment only.  Access may not always be provided from this surgery and you may need to travel to an alternative practice.

These appointments will not be available to book on line therefore please speak to a member of our reception staff for further advice.

Emergency Appointments

The emergency surgery is a service provided by the Practice for patients who feel their condition is urgent and must be seen that day. As such we are unable to allocate specific appointment times. Upon arrival patients will be seen in order of clinical priority and not in order of attendance.

Telephone Advice

Telephone appointments can be made with your GP as an alternative to attending the surgery. These appointments are ideal for dealing with queries or requests that do not require an examination. If you are acutley unwell, these appointments are not appropriate and you should either book in to see a GP or use the emergency surgery.

Telephone appointments need to be booked before 10:30, and calls will usually be made after surgey between 10.30 and midday.

Triage

We have experienced practice nurses available to conduct telephone triage. If you have a query and are not sure how to deal with it, our receptionists will offer you a triage appointment. Our nurses liase closely with our doctors and many problems can be managed in this way.

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

We operate a home visit service which is reserved only for patients who are too ill or frail to come to the surgery.

We ask that where possible, all home visit requests are made before 10.30 am. This allows staff to prioratising work and make sure that patients get seen as quickly as possible.

On recieving a request for a home visit, the receptionist will arrange for the triage nurse to call you back to assist with prioritising on the basis of need. the nurse will either arrange for the GP to visit, or request that you attend the surgery for an appointment, depending upon the identified problem.

We cannot guarentee that the patient's usual doctor will attend.

Please remember that home visits are very time consuming for doctors.  Four patients can be treated at the surgery in the time it take to carry out a home visit. Examinations are always better conducted in the modern and well-equipped surroundings of the surgery. We therefore request that patients make every effort to attend the surgery. 

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).

Training Practice

We are an accredited training practice and currently provide education and training to the following:

• Registrars undertaking their final 12 months of training in general practice prior to becoming a GP.
• Junior Doctors undertaking training to gain experience of general practice.
• Medical students from Manchester University at varying stages of their studies.
• Nurses at different stages of their training.

The training of doctors and nurses relies heavily on the co-operation of patients. You may be asked if you consent to a student doctor or nurse being present in your consultation