Information

Appointments

Appointments can be booked upto 1 week in advance for any of the doctors, nurses, etc. through reception by telephoning 01642 270033.

The doctors surgeries generally run from 09:00 – 11.30 and 14:30 – 17:00 Monday to Friday.

Appointments with the doctor will be for 10 minutes. If you need longer please ask when making the appointment. You need to make a separate appointment for each member of the family that wishes to see the doctor.

Please make sure that you arrive on time for your appointment and if you are unable to make the appointment, please cancel it. If you do not attend for 2 routine appointments and do not contact the surgery, you will be sent a letter explaining that a further non-attendance will result in removal from the practice list.

When the Surgery is Closed and Emergencies

IN A LIFE THREATENING EMERGENCY DIAL 999

If the surgery is open and you feel that your problem is urgent, one of our reception staff will take your details and contact the duty doctor as appropriate.

NHS 111

If you require medical advice when the surgery is closed please contact NHS 111 on 111. You should use the NHS 111 service if you urgently need medical help or advice but it’s not a life-threatening situation and it is outside of surgery hours.

Home Visits

Requests for home visits should only be made if the patient is unfit to travel to the surgery.

All requests for home visits should be made as soon as possible after the surgery opens at 8.15am and as far as possible before 10.30. Only emergencies will be accepted after this time.

You may find that the receptionist asks you details about your condition to enable the doctor to assess your requirements more effectively. Likewise, the doctor may phone you back as it may be that your problem can be dealt with by telephone advice, by sending a nurse or indeed arranging a hospital admission.

Home visits are very demanding in terms of the doctor’s time. Several patients can be seen in the surgery in the time taken to see 1 patient at home. There are also better facilities for examining and treating patients at the surgery.

Telephone Consultations

Telephone consultations for advice on minor illnesses, medication or anything else which can be dealt with over the phone are available with our doctors.

These can be booked by telephoning reception in the same way as making a ‘face to face’ appointment. They are normally done at the end of surgery.

Sickness Certificates

You do not require a doctor’s certificate for any time off work for illness lasting 7 days or less. Your employer may ask you to complete a self-certification form which they should provide. After 7 days your employer can ask for evidence of your illness. Currently this is a ‘statement of fitness for work’ (fit note). You will need to be seen by a doctor for this. In some circumstances, a telephone consultation will do.