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Appointments

We offer Routine Appointments to Book In Advance - If your condition is not Urgent please pre-book!

We are updating our patient services and this will give you the opportunity to book your appointment online. 

Register for services - please download this form, complete and bring to reception.

Online services application

 Appointment Changes

Due increased demand we have adjusted our appointment system from June 2019.  From June, all our routine appointments are available to book online.  You will be able to book well in advance as opposed to booking on the day.  From now our book on the day appointments will be reserved for Urgent issues which cannot wait. For these appointments, you will be asked why you need seen, this is only to enable our team to facilitate your appointment request appropriately. 

We book appointments from 08:30 until 17:00. To make an appointment telephone: 028-28261910

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The Treatment Room will be changing to

Appointments Only

As of 1^st October 2019

We feel that this will improve our services in a number of ways:-

• Our Admin Teams and Doctors will be able to book/allocate you an appointment directly
• The Nursing Team will be able to spend more time on patient care
• We anticipate waiting times will be reduced
• This will ensure patient safety is maintainedThere will obviously be a transitional period and we would appreciate your patience and understanding during this time

We thank you in advance for your co-operation

 These changes are a direct result of the increased workload which is no longer manageable!

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There is an Out of Hours Service during evenings and weekends (see below).

 Appointment Times

Reception is open for appointments from 08:30 - 17:00. A full appointment system is employed.  Please Pre-Book your appointment if it is not Urgent.  Urgent cases will always be seen on the same day.

Appointments are available with each doctor at the times shown below.

 Emergency Surgery

We offer emergency appointments.  If you have suffered any injury or you think you may need an x-ray examination, you WILL have to attend an Accident and Emergency Department as we do not have access to Radiology Equipment.

Triage

All our reception staff are fully trained in traiging your calls.  If we have no appointments available they will ask you questions about why you need to see a GP.  Please answer all questions truthfully and try to give as much information as possible to ensure your are dealt with appropriately.

Telephone Advice

If you wish to speak to a doctor on the telephone, you need to ring between 09.30 and 11.00, you will be asked to leave your name, details, contact number and a brief explanation of your problem. The doctor will then return your call as soon as possible. Please remember that the doctor has a busy schedule.

PLEASE BE AWARE OUR NUMBER IS WITHHELD AND YOU SHOULD KEEP YOUR PHONE TO HAND IN ORDER TO ANSWER THE RETURN CALL.

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.

Failing To Attend for Your Appointment

We operate a Failure To Attend Policy within the practice, details at reception. 

If you are unable to keep an appointment please let us know.

Home Visits

Home visits are routinely available for the terminally ill and truly bedbound patients in whom travel to the surgery by car would cause a deterioration in medical condition or unacceptable discomfort.  Visits to patients not in these categories may be made at the doctor's discretion and based on clinical judgement, but not routinely.

All other patients should make their way to the surgery to see their GP.  This is because for every home visit a GP makes they could see several patients in the surgery, and the doctor is better able to assess and treat patients in a properly equipped surgery than in their own home.

If you believe you need a home visit please call the surgery before 10.30 as rounds have to be planned. You will be asked for a reason for the home visit so we can judge the urgency of the call.  The doctor will phone before visiting to assess whether a home visit is necessary and if so, the urgency of the visit.

In some cases the doctor may judge that a visit is not necessary and may offer telephone advice or may arrange for another healthcare professional such as the District Nurse to visit. 

In some cases the doctor may agree a visit is necessary but not urgent and this may be arranged for another day.

If you would like to better understand the reasons behind our home visiting policy please read these GP Visiting Guidelines produced by South Staffordshire Local Medical Committee.  They provide an excellent background and explanation to past and current home visiting practice in UK General Practice.

To request a home visit please call the practice on 028 2826 1910.

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.

Long Term Sickness

If you are receiving long term sickness, you will have to attend the practice for every-other-sick certificate.

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)

Trainees & Medical Students 

We are approved by Queen’s University as a teaching practice and by the RCGP as a Training practice. This means that we will have a trainee GP attached to our practice throught the year.

These trainees are fully qualified doctors and will be available to see patients.  They are continually supervised by the partners.

We will also sometimes have medical students sitting in with us during our surgeries. They find the experience invaluable. However, If you would prefer to see the doctor alone please say at reception.