Appointments

circled_day All surgeries are by appointment only. Please make an appointment by telephoning Clive on 01939 220295. If you feel you should be seen urgently we do leave spaces in surgeries for emergencies.

Please remember that an appointment is for one problem and one person only and separate appointments should be made for any other person.

Same Day Appointments

If your medical condition cannot wait until a routine appointment is available please tell us and we will always see you on the same day although it might not be with your doctor of choice. Please do not insist on an urgent appointment simply for a sick note or for reasons of convenience/work that could keep until a routine appointment is available.

Emergencies and Urgent Problems

There will always be a duty doctor to discuss these. Telephone the surgery and you will be seen if necessary the same day. Please try to telephone early in the day if possible.

Practice Nurses

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 conditions and you may be seen more quickly.

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. Our appointment system for routine appointments relies upon the goodwill of the patients to attend on time and to notify us if they need to cancel. Unfortunately a few patients do not turn up and a slot is wasted, to the inconvenience of others waiting to be seen.

Our online appointments are now available. You can book an appointment to see a Doctor. For more information please ask a member of staff.

Appointments to see a Nurse are not available to be booked online - if you wish to see a nurse please contact the Surgery on 01939 220295.

March 2015

As of Wednesday 1st April 2015 Dr Ballantyne will be reducing his hours. He will be available for appointments on:

Monday Am, Tuesday and Wednesday Am and Pm and Friday Am.

Due to this reduction you may notice an increase in the waiting time to see him, for which we apologise. However if you prefer not to wait you always have the option of seeing another doctor.

During the Month of January 2015 - 55 Booked Appointments did not get attended

During the Month of February 2015 - 55 Booked Appointments did not get attended

During the Month of March 2015 - 81 Booked Appointments did not get attended

During the Month of April 2015 - 81 Booked Appointments did not get attended

During the Month of May 2015 - 149 Booked Appointments did not get attended

During the Month of June 2015 - 69 Booked Appointments did not get attended

During the Month of July 2015 - 67 Booked Appointments did not get attended

During the Month of August 2015 - 59 Booked Appointments did not get attended

During the Month of September 2015 - 79 Booked Appointments did not get attended

During the Month of October 2015 - 77 Booked Appointments did not get attended

During the Month of November 2015 - 93 Booked Appointments did not get attended

If you make an appointment and are unable to attend, Please can you cancel your appointment so that it is available for others.

Thank You

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

Sickness Certificates 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)

Home Visits

Doctor's bag 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 early on the day 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.