Appointments

Appointments can be made on the day or pre-booked in advance. Call 0115 9791281 to make an appointment with a doctor or nurse. We will try and see you as soon as possible.

If you require an on the day appointment you will need to telephone the surgery as early as possible from 08:00 onwards. This is the time that all same day appointments, both morning and afternoon, will be released.

Each appointment is for one patient with one medical problem only. Please make a separate appointment for each member of your family or if you have more than one medical problem. If you feel your condition is medically urgent you will be seen on the same day, although not always with the doctor of your choice and it may be necessary to wait.

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.

Interpreter Service

If your appointment has been pre-booked by the doctor, nurse or midwife, you must advise a receptionist at the time of making your appointment that you require an interpreter present for your consultation. We do not have interpreters on site so if you have a language difficulty you should advise the receptionist that you require a double appointment.

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.

Patients who miss three appointments without letting us know may be removed from the practice list.

Home Visits 

Patients are requested to telephone before 10:00 if a visit is required that day. Emergency visits only will be arranged after that time. Please give the receptionist as much information as possible to enable the doctor to allocate priority to house calls.

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.

Please remember that several patients can be seen in the practice in the time that it takes to make one home visit. There are also better facilities for examining and treating patients at the surgery.

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)