Appointments 

The surgery is open 08:00 – 18:00 Monday to Friday. Consultations are by appointment.

We offer a range of appointments. Appointments are for 10 minutes. If you feel your problem(s) will take longer than this please let the receptionist know when you are making the appointment.

We also offer telephone consultations. These are useful if you do not need to be examined and would like to speak to a doctor without having to attend the surgery.

Extended Hours

GP Appointments are available from 07.00-08.00 on a Wednesday morning Additional appointments are normally for patients who, due to work commitments, find it difficult to attend during normal working hours.

Drop In Surgery

Our drop in surgeries are held on Wednesday and Friday mornings between 8.30am and 10.00am.

If you would like to be seen in the drop in surgery please report to reception before 10.00am on these days and have your name added to the list.  You cannot phone in advance for this surgery.  We will tell you if the surgery is already filled to capacity, and if it is please speak to the receptionists about the alternative appointments we offer. As it will be a first-come first-served system, we ask you to be prepared to wait your turn. Your appointment will be for 5 minutes and for one problem only so please do not ask the GPs to deal with multiple problems in this surgery.

Emergencies

Patients will be seen in an emergency either at home or in the surgery by the duty doctor, who will usually be one of the Partners or Registrar.

Please telephone 334 3602

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 10:30. After this time only emergencies will be accepted.

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. 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)

Registrars

Registrars are attached to the practice for one year. Having had several years’ experience in hospital, he or she is working for an additional year in general practice prior to becoming a fully-fledged GP.

With your consent, the registrar may video your consultation for teaching, training or assessment purposes, and it is likely that this is an area that will develop further in the next few years.

Medical Students

The practice is committed to teaching medical students. First year medical students come to the practice to start to learn about factors which influence health. Second year medical students are introduced to history taking and examination.

Final year students are attached to the practice on a regular basis and may be present with the doctor when he/she is consulting or visiting.

You may be offered an appointment with a senior medical student with a doctor in attendance or you may be asked to see a student before seeing the doctor with whom you booked the appointment.

Your consent will be sought beforehand, and it is perfectly acceptable if you prefer that a medical student not be present, and your consultation or visit to be only with the doctor. We are very grateful for patient support in this important venture.