Appointments

Telephone your doctor’s secretary on the days she is on duty. (The doctor’s secretary will work the same days as their doctor.)

Telephone calls are only taken by the secretaries between 08:30 – 12:30 and 14:30 – 17:00.

Each secretary has a direct dial number.

An appointment lasts for 10 minutes and is for one person only. If someone else needs to be seen or discussed, more time will be required and a separate appointment should be made.

If you require an urgent appointment, you may be asked to provide brief details of your problem so that you can be offered an appointment in the most appropriate way. Some illnesses may be dealt with by telephone advice or we may recommend you to go straight to an Accident and Emergency department.

We always try to run to time but unfortunately delays are sometimes unavoidable. We would ask that you always arrive on time. If you are more than 10 minutes late you may be asked to re-book the appointment to be fair to other patients who are waiting to be seen. Please remember the following points:

• Arrive on time for your appointment and allow time to park your car
• Let us know if you cannot keep your appointment
• Let us know if you need more than the allocated 10 minutes so we can give you a longer appointment if appropriate.

Telephone Advice

If you wish to discuss a problem with your doctor, he or she is available for telephone consultations where appropriate. Please contact your doctor’s secretary if you would like to arrange this.

Our staff have been asked not to disturb consultations with non-urgent calls, as this can be disturbing for both patients and doctors.

Chaperones

We appreciate that some patients may feel more comfortable having a chaperone present during an examination by a doctor or nurse. If you would like to have someone else with you during an examination, please tell the secretary when you arrange the appointment.

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 organise one by calling your doctor’s secretary before 10:30.

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).