Appointments

25th March 2020 - Coronavirus update affecting appointments

The following services are not available or have been suspended during the current Coronavirus outbreak. 

• Ear Syringing
• Travel Vaccinations
• Insurance Medicals
• Non-urgent paperwork
• Coil changes (we are able to provide routine pill checks and alternative contraception via telephone appointments with the nurse)
• Minor Surgery
• Ring Pessary changes
• Levothyroxine blood tests
• Spirometry

There will be no change to the following services:

• Childhood immunisations
• mum and baby checks (these will now be 8 week checks, not 6 week checks.)
• Suspected cancer and serious medical problems
• Smears for those on annual recall or ordered by the hospital.
• INR Star (Warfarin testing)
• Suspected cancer blood tests
• Dressings
• Removal of stitches/staples/clips
• Urgent ECG
• Prostap/Zolodex injections
• Drug monitoring bloods

Availability

The waiting time for a routine GP appointment is usually around two weeks which is inline with the national average, though there are busier times of the year when this may not be the case. If you wish to see a particular doctor, the waiting time is likely to be longer. You can check when the next available appointment is online, if you have patient access. Contact reception if you want to set up online access.

The average waiting time for a nurse treatment room appointment is 3 days but may be longer for a nurse specialist appointment.

How far ahead can I book an appointment?

You can contact the surgery for a routine appointment with a GP of your choice, bookable 4 -6 weeks in advance by phone, in person or online.

Nursing appointments are available for booking by phone, in person or online 8 - 10 weeks ahead. INR appointments for patients on Warfarin are available to be booked on line.

Are appointments available all day?

Appointments are available each day from 8.00am to 8.00pm Monday to Friday with both doctors and nurses. In order to leave the phone lines available for those patients who do not have internet access or for people requiring urgent assistance we would encourage you to book your appointment on line.

What if my problem is more urgent and I need to be seen sooner?

If you think that your medical problem requires attention sooner than than the next available routine appointment please advise the receptionist who will arrange for one of the Triage Team to contact you. If you are uncertain as to the urgency of your problem the Triage Team will advise you when they speak to you.This may be a doctor, nurse, paramedic or clinical pharmacist.

Alternatively, some Telephone Triage appointments will be available for booking on line. The arrangements for call back from the Triage Team will be dealt with in the same way as above.

In order to help us deal with priority problems on the same day, we would ask patients to call before 11.00am if at all possible. We cannot guarantee a same day appointment for calls taken after this time unless it is deemed by the clinical team to be a medical emergency.

Will the receptionist need to know what is wrong with me?

In order to ensure the most appropriate practitioner deals with your care you will be asked for a brief description of your problem. We apologize if this seems intrusive but it ensures that you get the best possible care by seeing the most appropriate team member. Due to call volume at busy times, please be courteous to people waiting to talk to the receptionist by keeping your call brief.

Please ensure that your contact details are kept up to date and that you keep your phone lines open and available.

How long are the different appointments?

We have recently changed our GP appointment timings to 10 minutes in line with national practice,  consequently please be courteous to both the doctor and other patients waiting by not expecting to deal with multiple complex problems in one appointment. The GP will deal with the most important problem and ask you to re-book another appointment if necessary. From the recent patient survey, patient feedback indicated that they found waiting times were sometimes unacceptably long. Sometimes this cannot be avoided due to medical emergencies, however the doctors will endeavour to keep to time with your help.

TEXT Reminders

If you wish to receive an SMS TEXT reminder of your appointment please speak to the receptionists to check that we have your correct Mobile number. An automated Text will be sent to your phone when the appointment is booked and a reminder is sent 24hrs before the appointment date.

Extended Opening Hours

We realise that for those patients working away from the area booking a convenient time to see the doctor during the week may be difficult.  We, therefore, provide an evening clinic each weekday until 8.00pm Monday to Friday for GP and some nurse appointments. We are also open all day from 8am and provide GP and Nurse appointments over the lunchtime period to facilitate patients who work locally and may find this time more convenient.

Saturday Mornings

We are open for Saturday clinics once every 7 weeks, but can offer weekend appointments at the other clinics that are hosting the sessions when we are not. Please contact the surgery for more information.

Urgent problems should be seen by the out-of-hours service via NHS 111 based at Frimley Park Hospital.

Telephone Advice

Should you wish to speak to a doctor by telephone, please let the receptionist know and they will arrange for the doctor dealing with your treatment to phone you. Please note that it is often difficult for a doctor who has not been involved in your care to advise you for example regarding test results. In these circumstances it is preferable that you wait to speak to the GP you have been seeing with this problem.

We provide a number of timed telephone appointments per doctor each day for patients who may find it easier to speak to their doctor over the phone, particularly if you work away from the locality. Again please can you ensure we have your up to date contact details and keep your phone lines open and available.

Practice Nurses

For many problems it is more appropriate to book an appointment with a practice nurse rather than a doctor for example contraception or chronic illnesses such as Diabetes or Asthma.

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.

If you receive appointment reminders via SMS Text messages you can cancel your appointment by clicking reply and texting Cancel.

https://www.patientaccess.com/

From 1st April 2016, you will be able to access some information from your medical records. In order to access this information, you will need to regsiter with Patient Access. By regsitering with Patient Access you will also be able to request to sign up for booking appointments, repeat prescriptions and access to your patient records on line.

The medical records information that you will be able access from your records will include recorded allergies, medication or immunisation/vaccination records, document titles, coded consultation entries and test results. You will NOT be able to access full consultation notes or documents at present.

In order to be able to regsiter you will need to click on the link below, print the form off and complete it and bring it to the surgery along with the necessary identification to collect your password and user ID codes.

Patient Access Application Form

Please note the conditions of access for children between the ages of 11- 16 years.

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 before 12:00.

You may only request a home visit if you are housebound or are too ill to visit the practice. You will only be visited at home if it is considered that your medical condition requires it. It will also be assessed how urgently a visit is needed. Please bear this in mind and be prepared to provide suitable details to enable the clinician to schedule house calls.

Patients should be aware that you may not be visited by a doctor. If it is considered appropriate you may be visited by one of the nurse practitioners or by the paramedic practitioner. The doctors will normally only visit those patients who may require more extensive medical knowledge or those undergoing palliative or end of life care.

PLEASE NOTE: Home Visits are scheduled to be carried out at the end of the morning surgery, usually between 1.00pm and 3.00pm. If you feel you need to be visited more urgently then please make sure that you inform the receptionists so that they can make the visiting clinician aware. The clinician which may a doctor, a Triage Nurse or our Paramedic Practitioner will then be able to contact you by phone in advance to assess your needs.

You can also be visited at home by a community nurse if you are referred by your GP.

You may 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.

Chaperone Policy

What is a Chaperone?

A chaperone is someone who will accompany you during a consultation should you wish to have one or if the doctor feels it that it would be more appropriate.

Who can be a Chaperone?

A chaperone can be a family member or a friend. A formal chaperone is someone such as another clinician or a member of staff who has received appropriate training. A number of our non clinical staff have been trained as chaperones.

Why do I need one?

You can ask for Chaperone to be present for support and reassurance or if you feel uncomfortable about undergoing an intimate examination. The doctor or nurse may request a chaperone during a consultation if they feel it is appropriate.

Guidelines

All patients are entitled to have a chaperone present at any time where they feel one is required.

This chaperone may be a family member or friend, or alternatively, a formal chaperone (i.e. a trained member of staff).

Wherever possible we would ask you to make this request at the time of booking your appointment.

If required, we will endeavour to provide a formal chaperone at the time of request. However, occasionally it may be necessary to reschedule your appointment.

If you would like to see a copy of our chaperone guidelines or have any questions or comments regarding this then please contact the practice manager.

Transport

Do you require patient transport to get to a healthcare appointment?

If you have a medical condition that means that you are unable to use a bus, dial a ride or private car/taxi to access healthcare appointments you could be eligible for patient transport.

Please call 01483 571122

Or click on this link to access the information page for more information: https://www.surreyinformationpoint.org.uk/Services/670/Patient-Transport-Bo

As a patient you should expect the following from the service:

• A short phone eligibility questionnaire to judge what scheme of transport is most appropriate
• To be asked details about the journey you would like to book
• To be given advice alternative services if PTS is not appropriate

 Patients are advised that transport must be booked the day before it is needed

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)

Fit For Work                                                                                                      

Fit for Work is a voluntary service that offers the wider working population access to occupational health advice and support. If you have been off work for some time and you would like some advice or support, then please click on the link below to take you to the website or speak to your GP who can refer you.

Fit For Work Website

Training Pactice

The surgery has a long standing history as an accredited training practice for doctors intending to become GP's. This means that the practice and doctors have had to achieve a number of standards which have been assessed by the GP Deanery for Kent, Surrey & Sussex acting on behalf of the National Postgraduate Medical  Education Board.

These are some of the points for your information:

• Doctors in training are called registrars and are employed by the practice, with one the doctors here allocated as their trainer
• The registrars are fully qualified doctors who are likely to have a lot of experience of hospital medicine.
• Sometimes other doctors or medical students are trained and supported in the practice.
• If you are seeing one of the registrars you can expect to receive the quality of service you would from your usual GP. If you have any concerns please mention this to a member of staff.

Video Recording

In order to successfully complete their training they need to be assessed on their consulting skills. This is done by the appointed trainer viewing videos of the registrars consultations or sitting in with them in clinic.

You may therefore be asked for your permission to have your consultation recorded. If you agree you will be asked to give your written permission and a consent form will be available for you at the front desk. The recordings are used solely for educational purposes only.