Appointments

On the vast majority of occasions you will be seen on the day of your choice. If you wish to see a doctor or nurse, please make an appointment either by telephone or in person at the reception desk.

Unfortunately we cannot offer a walk-in service as the days run to a very tight schedule and the doctor on duty may well be out of the surgery on house calls.

Doctor Appointments

There are a number of different appointments on offer with the doctors:

• Prebookable – these are appointments can be booked in advance with any doctor
• On the day – these appointments are released ‘on the day’ to cope with the demand for doctor appointments
• Telephone consultation – you can request a telephone consultation with a doctor if you feel it is something that can be easily discussed over the phone (i.e. you don’t need to ‘show’ the doctor what is wrong).

Each of the appointments above are of 10 minutes duration. We will always deal with any medical problems you have to the best of our ability, however, if you have more than one issue to discuss it may not be possible to deal with this in one single appointment.

PLEASE NOTE: during the COVID Pandemic - all appointments with a GP will  be via a telephone consultation in the first instance - unfortunately, we are unable to prebook appointments in advance.  Our Extended Hours appointments have also been suspended until further notice.

Practice Nurse

In a number of cases it might be worth considering an appointment with a practice nurse rather than a doctor. Practice nurses are qualified to deal with many ailments and you may be seen more quickly.

Arrival Procedure

Please let us know when you have arrived at the medical centre or you may miss your appointment. You can do this by using our touch-screen system opposite reception or you can queue to speak to a receptionist.

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 as close to 8am as possible.  

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)