Booking an Appointment
Consultations and emergency doctor system
All consultations are by prior appointment only, booked at ten-minute intervals for one person only. If more than one person in your family needs to be seen then it is best to make separate appointments for each person. Please try to attend a morning appointment if possible. Please indicate which health centre you wish to be seen in. If you cannot keep your appointment it is very important that you contact the practice to let us know as soon as possible, so that your appointment will not be wasted and can be given to another patient. If your medical condition is such that you require to be seen urgently, please let the receptionists know. Each day one GP will act as Emergency Doctor to deal with emergencies only. If the receptionist cannot give you a suitable emergency appointment when you call, you will be invited to discuss your problem with the Emergency Doctor over the telephone. (The receptionist will need to take your contact details and have the doctor call you back). The doctor will then decide how to deal with your problem e.g. by giving telephone advice or arranging to see you for a consultation.
If the doctor is running behind time during a surgery, or has been called to deal with an emergency, you will be informed of this by the receptionist and may be offered an alternative appointment if appropriate.
Home Visits
Requests for home visits should be submitted where possible by 10.00am. Please give the receptionist as much information as possible to enable the doctor to allocate priority to house calls. A doctor may call you back to discuss your request further. It is often possible to be seen sooner at the surgery so the receptionist will routinely ask if you are able to come to the surgery.
Telephone Calls
Please give the receptionist assistance to enable her to deal with your enquiry effectively. If calling to obtain results of tests please telephone after 2pm, and leave five working days from the date of your test. By this time it is more likely that results will have been received from the laboratory and checked by the doctors. If you telephone a specific doctor for a non-urgent matter the doctor will return your call whenever he is free. The emergency doctor will deal with emergency telephone contacts.
Weekend and Night Cover
The practice is closed from 6.00pm until 8.00am on weekdays and from 6.00pm Friday until 8.00am on Monday. During these times we cannot deal with routine matters so please do not telephone for appointments, tests results etc.
Outwith normal working hours telephone services are provided by NHS 24 and medical services are provided by GMED.
If you require urgent medical attention at any time please telephone the normal surgery number. If the practice is closed you will hear an answering machine giving you the number to telephone NHS 24. Please have a pen and paper ready and listen to the message carefully. You will be able to speak to a trained nurse about your problem. She may give advice over the telephone to enable you to deal with your problem. Alternatively she will contact GMED about you. If you need to be seen to receive medical attention you will be invited to attend a GMED centre where you will be seen by an on call doctor, paramedic or nurse practitioner. If your medical condition prevents you attending the centre, then you will be visited at home.
You may wish to note that all telephone contacts with NHS 24 and GMED are recorded.
Medical Examinations
Most private medicals can be arranged for pre-employment, insurance, PSV and HGV licences etc. These can take a considerable time so please book them well in advance. The receptionist will let you know the amount of any fee, which should be paid at the time of the examination.