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HOW
DO I...
OBTAIN
TELEPHONE ADVICE?
We will try to answer the telephone
within four rings.
If you need to speak to a Doctor/Nurse in an emergency we will put you through
within five minutes. Otherwise, the Doctor/Nurse will return your call as soon
as reasonably possible after receiving your message.
HOW
DO I...
MAKE
AN APPOINTMENT?
All our regular weekday Surgeries are by appointment only. Please see the Receptionist
or telephone her between 8.30am and 6.30pm on 0844 477 3309 to arrange an appointment to see the Doctor
or Nurse. The Doctors will try their best to give enough time to each patient
but if, for example, two members of one family try to squeeze into one appointment,
other patients will be kept waiting. So please make an appointment for each person
wishing to be seen. If you think that your problem may take an unusually long
time, please inform the Receptionist so that she can make allowances for this.
If your condition is non urgent, you can expect to see a GP within two working
days, though you may have to wait longer if you want to see a particular Doctor.
You can expect to see a Nurse within one working day.
We offer additional appointments on Tuesday evenings and Saturday mornings. These appointments MUST be booked in advance as the surgery building will not be open ot the public and telephone access will not be available during these times.
HOW
DO I...
MAKE
AN URGENT APPOINTMENT?
We operate a telephone triage service to deal with urgent requests to see the
Doctor. Please telephone the Surgery. The Receptionist will take your name and
telephone number and either the Duty Doctor or Nurse Practitioner will telephone
you back as soon as possible (usually within the hour). If the Doctor thinks
you need to be seen, you will usually be offered an appointment that day.
Please note that this service is not available during additional appointment times mentioned above.
Cancellation
If
you are unable to keep your appointment, please let us know as soon as possible
so that we can allocate it to someone else. Every year, around 2000 appointments are not used because patients fail to attend! This wastes
over £40,000 of NHS money. You can also cancel your appointment outside
of normal working hours by calling 0844 477 3309 and choosing option 2 from the
menu.
HOW
DO I...
OBTAIN
A HOME VISIT?
For routine and non-urgent visits, please contact the surgery between 9.00 and
10.00am wherever possible. Please only request a home visit if you or the patient
is too ill or frail to attend the Surgery.
Urgent calls will be dealt with as soon as possible by the Duty Doctor or Nurse
Practitioner at all times.
Please remember the Doctor can see four patients in the time it takes to make
one house call.
Please give clear directions so the Doctor can locate your house. If you have
an outside light, please ensure that it is switched on during the hours of darkness.
Also, if you have a dog who is not familiar with visitors, please ensure that
it is securely locked away.
For life-threatening emergencies such as:
severe bleeding
collapse or unconsciousness
severe chest pains
telephone 999 for an ambulance first and then immediately inform your Doctor.
If you are unable to contact the Duty Doctor and you feel it is an emergency,
please telephone 999.
HOW
DO I...
OBTAIN
TEST RESULTS?
Please allow three working days for results to come back. Smear tests usually
take about six weeks.
Please telephone after 2.00pm. We will, of course, make every effort to contact
you should your result need urgent action. However, it is your responsibility
in all cases to find out the result of your test.
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