systmonline.tpp-uk.com

Appointments

You can make an appointment either by ringing us on 01977 703437, or by calling into the surgery in person or online following the link at the top of this page you will need to contact The Surgery  to complete a simple registration before you can use this service .  The surgery is open from 08:00 – 18:30 weekdays, and appointments can be made at any time during these hours. If possible, try and avoid the first hour of the morning unless the matter is urgent, as the phone lines are at their busiest then.

We normally aim to have appointments with our doctors available within the next 48 hours.

Urgent Appointments

We appreciate that there will be times when you need to see one of our clinicians urgently, and some appointments are only made available on the same day. We operate a triage system for these and you will either be called or seen by one of our clinicians to assess the most appropriate course of action. This could include advising you to attend an Accident and Emergency centre, alter your medication or some other service as well as offering an appointment with the doctor / nurse.

Double Appointments

Routine GP appointments are ten minutes long. Double appointments are available if you have more than one issue and need a longer appointment with the doctor. Please let the reception staff know if this is the case so that it can be arranged for you.

Practice nurses

You can make an appointment to see a nurse in exactly the same way. As well as providing our triage service, our nurses also specialise in the care of people with particular conditions. They can also provide general health advice, and deal with minor illnesses, and of course, will seek the opinion of one of our doctors if they have any doubts. The length of appointment you may be offered will depend on the condition you have, and whether it is a first, or follow up visit.

Telephone Advice

Our doctors and nurses will give advice over the telephone where this is medically appropriate. Obviously they cannot be disturbed when they are seeing patients in surgery, so normally your message will be passed on, and you will be called back.

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.

Referrals

Your doctor will consider whether you should be referred to a specialist for further diagnosis, tests or treatment. Under new arrangements, you have the choice of which hospital you should visit.

In making this decision you should take into account how you will travel there, as well as how long the waiting list may be, and the hospital’s record on a number of points. For advice on clinical matters, please ask your doctor at the time of your consultation. For other matters, our reception team may be able to help.

If you wish to be treated privately, please mention this to your doctor at the time of your consultation.

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 10:30.

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)