Appointments

Appointments can be made at the surgery or by telephoning reception after 08:00 on the day you want to be seen. Some morning and afternoon appointments are pre-bookable, one week in advance. Please inform us if you are unable to keep your appointment, so that the time can be allocated to another patient. 

One appointment is for one patient only. Sometimes doctors’ appointments run late. This is often because they have to see another patient urgently. Emergency cases will be seen the same day. You may have to wait in the surgery and may not be able to see the doctor of your choice.

Speak to a Doctor or Nurse

If you feel your problem could be dealt with via a telephone consultation, please ring after 08:00 and inform reception. A doctor or nurse will then phone you back. Examples of subjects suitable for telephone consultation include minor ailments, medication requests that are not on your usual repeats, follow up consultations for long-term problems e.g. depression, and to discuss results of tests.

Chaperones

During your appointment with a doctor or nurse, you are welcome to ask for a chaperone. This will usually be one of the nursing team, however if a nurse is unavailable another staff member can chaperone with your agreement.

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 repeatedly do not attend without cancellation will be asked to come into the surgery to discuss any problems, and may ultimately be asked to leave the list, as ‘DNA’s (Did Not Attend’s) affect the service we offer to our patients.

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 help us by calling reception between 08:00 and 10:00.

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)

Training Practice

Gordon Street Medical Centre is a training practice and will have a qualified doctor working at the surgery to gain experience working within general practice.

The doctors have experience working in hospitals and other practices. This means they are safe to see patients on their own and prescribe treatments.

We may at times ask to make video/digital recordings of some of the consultations. The videos are used by doctors training to be a GP to review their consultations with their trainers. The video recording is only of you and the doctor talking together. Examinations will not be recorded and the camera will be switched off on request. You do not have to agree to your consultation being recorded.