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HOW
DO I...
MAKE
AN APPOINTMENT?
TELEPHONE
01324 619930 (6 LINES)
All our appointments are done on computer.
When making an appointment you will be asked your name and address and asked
to confirm your date of birth.
If all appointments are taken for the day,
the first available appointment will be offered. If you request a SPECIFIC
doctor there may be a delay.
If, in your opinion, your problem is TOO
URGENT TO WAIT UNTIL THE APPOINTMENT OFFERED, we will arrange to see
you in the emergency session. We allocate times each day for EMERGENCY
CONSULTATIONS. (These appointments should be used for ACUTE PROBLEMS
ONLY.)
This service has been badly abused over the years and
we would ask that you attend routine surgery whenever possible.
HOW
DO I...
OBTAIN
A REPEAT PRESCRIPTION?
Please allow 48 hours for your prescription request to be processed. We do not
take prescription requests by telephone. If you have not already done so, please
inform us if a chemist will be collecting your prescription.
Generic
Prescribing
Medicine can be prescribed by either the trade "brand name" or by its chemical
equivalent "generic" name. For example, "Panadol" (brand name) is the same as
"paracetamol" (generic name): both describe exactly the same drug. Government
guidelines now require us to prescribe most drugs by their generic name. If you
have any problems with this system please speak to the receptionist or your GP.
HOW
DO I...
OBTAIN
A HOME VISIT?
If you feel unable to consult the doctor at the surgery because of illness, please
request a home visit as early in the day as possible.
Please be
sure to give SURNAME, FORENAME, CORRECT ADDRESS and a brief summary of
the illness to allow the doctors to assess the degree of urgency of your call.
PLEASE NOTE:
The receptionist is not being inquisitive in asking these details.
HOW
DO I...
OBTAIN TEST RESULTS?
If you have had a test carried out you will be requested by the doctor to contact
the surgery, after a specific length of time, to find out the result of the
test. Please ring 01324 611345 between 8.30am and 12 noon.
To maintain
confidentiality, results will only be given to the patient themselves or to the
parents of children.
HOW
DO I...
REGISTER
WITH THE PRACTICE?
When you register you will be asked to complete a health questionnaire and be
offered an appointment with a doctor or practice nurse for a health check to
establish a health database for our files.
If you have
a CHRONIC ILLNESS or take regular medication please consult a doctor at
your earliest convenience.
HOW
DO I...
MAKE SUGGESTIONS/COMPLAINTS?
We hope that you will find the service offered efficient, accessible and relevant
to your needs. We operate a practice complaints procedure as part of the NHS system
for dealing with complaints. Our practice complaints leaflet gives details of
the procedure and is available from reception. If you have any comments please
ask to see the practice manager who will always be willing to discuss them with
you. We do not claim to get everything right, but we need to know where things
are going wrong to be able to improve the service we offer to our patients.
Our aim
is to give you the highest possible standard of service and try to deal swiftly
with any problems that may occur.
YOUR
PERSONAL HEALTH INFORMATION
To provide you with the care your need, we hold the details of your consultations,
illnesses, tests, prescriptions and other treatments that have been recorded by
everyone involved in your care and treatment eg GP, health visitor, practice nurse.
This information may be stored on paper or electronically on computer files by
practice staff.
We sometimes disclose some of your personal health information with other organisations
involved in your care. For example, when your GP refers you to a specialist at
the hospital we will send relevant details about you in the referral letter and
receive information about you from them. Our practice also participates in regional
and national programmes such as the cervical cytology screening service and your
name and address, date of birth and health number will be given to them in order
to send an invitation to you.
We need to use some of your personal health information for administrative purposes.
In order to receive payment for services provided to you, we have to disclose
basic details about you to the NHS Board responsible for this area and to the
Common Services Agency for the Scottish Health Service. These organisations have
a role in protecting public funds, and are authorised to check that payments are
being properly made. We are required to co-operate with these checks and the disclosure
of your data is a necessary part of our provision of healthcare services.
Sometimes, we may participate in studies that are designed to improve the way
services are provided to you or to check that our performance meets required standards
and benchmarks. Whenever we take part in activities such as these we will ensure
that as far as possible any details that may identify you are not disclosed.
We are sometimes involved in health research and the teaching of student nurses,
doctors and other health professionals. We will not use or disclose your personal
health information for these purposes unless you have been informed beforehand
and given your consent for us to do so.
Where you need a service jointly provided with a local authority we will seek
your permission before giving them your details.
Sometimes we are required by law to pass on information eg the notification of
births and deaths and certain diseases or crimes to the government is a legal
requirement.
Our use of your personal health information is covered by a duty of confidentiality,
and is regulated by the Data Protection Act. The Data Protection Act gives you
a number of rights in relation to how your personal information is used, including
a right to access the information we hold about you.
Everyone working for the NHS has a legal duty to keep information about you confidential
and adheres to a Code of Practice on Protecting Patient Confidentiality. Further
information on this can be found at www.nhsis.co.uk/confidentialilty.
Anyone who receives information for us is also under a legal duty to keep it confidential.
If you have any queries or concerns on how we use your personal health information,
or would like to access your information, please contact our practice manager.
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