Can another Healthcare Professional help?
Do you need to the GP?
Sometimes the GP is not the most appropriate Healthcare Professional to deal with your ailment. Please see the information on see a Doctor or Healthcare Professional, which might help you decide whether a GP appointment is truly necessary or whether it might be better for you to see a Pharmacist, Optician, Dentist or other Healthcare Professional. You can even self-refer for some services without seeing your GP.
For real life-threatening emergencies such as those below – RING 999
- Chest pain (suspected heart attack)
- Suspected stroke
- Suspected meningitis
- Anaphylactic shock (severe allergy)
- Heavy bleeding or deep lacerations
- Fluctuating levels of consciousness or completely unconscious
- Difficulty breathing or stopped breathing with a change in colour
- New seizure, fit or uncontrollable shaking
For immediately serious conditions such as the following, GO TO Emergency Department (A&E) IMMEDIATELY
- A fever and lethargic (drowsy) child
- A feverish and floppy (unresponsive) infant
- Difficulty breathing
- Sudden, severe abdominal pain
- Accidental or intentional overdose of medication
- Trauma (including falls) and possible broken bones or road traffic accident
Your appointment at the Practice
- GP Appointments can only be made following clinical triage at the form above – if you are unable to complete the form yourself, reception can help either on the phone or in person at the surgery.
- Routine Appointments are available each week day mornings from 8am to 12.30pm and afternoons from 2pm to 6.30pm
- We try to keep to time but please be patient if someone before you takes longer than planned
- Appointments are normally fifteen minute slots, so if you have a complicated problem, or more than one problem, you maybe asked to arrange a return appointment
- It is Practice Policy to allow patients to choose whichever Doctor they wish to attend in the Practice.but we cannot always accomodate your request
Please help us
Repeated failure to attend booked appointments is a significant waste of NHS resources
If you are not able to attend your appointment please let us know in time so that the time can be used for someone else. If you are cancelling please telephone us on 020 8138 2970 as soon as possible, and at least 30 minutes before your appointment time. This will enable us to offer your appointment to someone else.
Please remember that there may be a shortage of appointments and when you fail to attend you have prevented someone else from being seen in your place. On average about 230 appointments are missed each month.
If you are more than 15 minutes late for an appointment you may be asked to re-book.
Cancellations notified less than 30 minutes before the appointment time will be recorded as failure to attend (DNA).
Urgent Medical Medical Problems
If you need to be seen urgently and there are no appointments available, please speak to a receptionist who will arrange for you to be seen or spoken to as appropriate. However, without an appointment this may mean you have to wait longer to see a doctor.
There is no “drop in” surgery and walking into the Practice will not guarantee you an appointment.
Practice Nurse Appointments
When you make an Appointment with the practice nurse please advise the receptionist of the reason (eg, blood pressure check, diabetic review, etc) so that she can allocate the appropriate time for your Appointment. For example, a blood pressure check may takes 10 minutes but a diabetic review can take up to 30 minutes.
If you prefer not to disclose your medical problem with the receptionist, your privacy will be respected and a routine Appointment booked.
Telephone Appointments
We offer telephone Appointments to deal with problems that may not need a face-to-face consultation. These will be booked for a specific time and you will be asked for the telephone number at which you can be reached.
If you have a suspected infectious disease
Please inform reception if you suspect an infectious disease, as this will enable us to deal with it appropriately during your visit to protect you, other patients and staff.
Giving Consent for Treatment
You have the right to accept or refuse treatment that is offered to you, and not to be given any physical examination or treatment unless you have given valid consent. If you do not have the capacity to do so, consent must be obtained from a person legally able to act on your behalf, or the treatment must be in your best interests.
Your valid consent (agreement to the course of action) is needed for the treatment that’s offered to you before any physical examinations or treatment can be given. If you haven’t given your consent, you can accept or refuse treatment that’s offered to you.
It’s important to be involved in decisions about your treatment and to be given information to help you choose the right treatment. When making treatment choices, you’ll often discuss the options with your doctor or another healthcare professional.