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Healthcare services and clinics The following clinics and healthcare services are available at this practice, by appointment.
THINKING OF MAKING AN APPOINTMENT TO SEE A DOCTOR? WOULD ONE OF OUR PRACTICE NURSES BE ABLE TO HELP? Nurses are now able to deal with some of the things that you previously would have seen your doctor for. The list below shows many of the areas they can help with. If you are not sure who you should see, our receptionists will be happy to point you in the right direction. Living with and managing chronic diseases, such as: - heart problems - high blood pressure - diabetes - asthma Lifestyle Issues, such as: - weight management - smoking and alcohol - well person checks - cholesterol advice Women’s Health - cervical screening (smears) - contraception - pill checks/coil checks - HRT checks - Depo Provera injections Travel Health (please book 6-8 weeks before travel) - advice - vaccinations Vaccinations - childhood immunisations These can be given outside of our usual Baby Clinic time (Monday 12.00pm – 1.30pm) - other injections It can be easier to get an appointment with a nurse on the day/time which is more convenient to you. So not only are they helpful, they are also handy. Making an appointment All consultations are by appointment. They generally can only be booked 2 weeks in advance. Most appointments are for 10 minutes. If you require a longer or shorter appointment please let our receptionists know when you make the booking. We aim to offer an appointment with a GP within 48 hours (unless it is more urgent) or a nurse within 24 hours. For an urgent appointment on the same day, please ring as early as possible. The practice operates a GP appointments system with a daily mixture of same day and pre-bookable appointments. This allows patients who prefer to book ahead to make an appointment in advance, whilst also catering for those who need/want to be seen on the day. Some patients prefer to try to see their regular doctor. Whilst we will try our best to accommodate this, unfortunately it is not always possible to make an appointment with a particular doctor at the time/day requested. This may be because the doctor is already booked or absent from the practice. On these occasions we will try to offer you a convenient appointment with another of our doctors. You can make an appointment with a nurse without seeing the doctor first. A visual call system (LED panel) is used to call patients to see the doctor/nurse. If you do not want the panel to be used please inform our reception staff. Home visits Home visits are available for patients who genuinely cannot attend the surgery due to a medical reason. Please try to telephone before 10.00am. Our reception staff will ask for details of your problem, as this helps the doctors to plan their rounds. Please try to come to the surgery if at all possible. (A doctor can see 3-5 patients at the surgery in the time it takes him/her to visit one patient at home). Telephone Advice The practice operates a daily telephone message screen for patients requiring general advice/support. Patients are asked to leave their details and a GP will contact them at sometime during the day. Patients who request a named GP returns their call are advised that the GP may not be able to speak to them that day, but they will contact them within 2-3 working days. As none of our GPs work Monday - Friday it is not possible to give a specific day when the call will be returned. The cost to NHS of wasted appointments Missed appointments cost the NHS thousands of pounds every year. Please phone the surgery as soon as possible if you cannot attend. This will help us to make appointments available to as many patients as possible. Out of hours If you require general healthcare advice at any time, 24 hours a day, contact NHS Direct on 0845 46 47 (local rate) to speak to a trained nurse adviser, or visit www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk. If you need to see a doctor urgently outside normal surgery opening hours, please ring 0845 60 80320. Out of hours GP services are arranged by North Tyneside Primary Care Trust and are provided by qualified doctors and nurses. You may receive telephone advice from a doctor or be asked to attend a local primary care centre for an examination. If, for medical reasons, travel is impossible, a home visit from a doctor can be arranged. You should only dial 999 for an ambulance if you believe the problem is life threatening or very urgent, e.g. collapse, chest pain, breathing difficulties. Interpreting service If you would like an interpreter to attend your consultation, please tell reception when you book your appointment. Test results (e.g. blood tests, X-Ray reports) If you have tests taken you will be asked to contact the practice between 2.00pm and 6.00pm for the results. Please note results cannot be given outside these times. Patients are responsible for contacting the surgery for results. Your doctor may prefer to discuss the results with you in person or they may be given out by our reception staff.
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