SURGERY OPENING HOURS - APPOINTMENTS ONLY
The surgery phones are manned from 8.00am until 6pm and the surgery opening hours are 8.30am until 6pm.
The surgery is open between the hours of 6.30 pm and 9.30 pm on Wednesday evenings for GP consultations.
Pre -booked appointments which are primarily intended for patients who have difficulty see a doctor during normal surgery opening hours can be made by contacting reception.
Home visits and telephone consultations will NOT be undertaken on Wednesday evenings. For urgent visits phone Devon Docs on 0845 6710270
One of the Doctors is Duty Doctor available on a rota system each day.
Sister Anne runs a Minor Illness Clinic Mon-Thurs until 12.30. These appointments can be booked in advance or on the day and deals with minor illnesses such as Coughs, colds, urine infections rashes and any other minor illness. If you are unsure whether your problem is suitable for this clinic please ask at reception. If she feels you need to see a doctor she will either call the duty doctor in or give you an appointment.
NEW PATIENTS
We welcome new patients who live within our practice area. We ask you to see one of the nurses for a “New Patient Medical Check” as this helps us to learn about any ongoing medical problems you may have. It also allows us to carry out some simple checks (e.g. blood pressure, urine test). Medical records may take up to two months to arrive from your old practice. Until they reach us, we will not have full information about your past medical problems. When the notes do arrive we look through them and make a summary of any past medical problems.
HOW TO SEE YOUR DOCTOR OR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL
Please telephone to make an appointment. We run a Duty Doctor system with the aim of being able to offer you an appointment with a healthcare professional within 1 working day or with a doctor within 2 working days. If you want to see a specific doctor or nurse, you may have to wait a little longer for their next available appointment.
HOME VISITS
We will visit you at home if you unable to travel to the surgery because of illness. It helps us to plan doctor’s visits if you telephone the surgery before 10 am. The receptionist will usually ask you for details of the problem, to enable most urgent cases to be visited first.
Please try to come to the surgery if you possibly can as we have better facilities to examine and treat you in the surgery than in your home, and you will normally be seen by a doctor sooner if you come to the surgery than if we visit you
Contrary to popular belief children can be brought to the surgery even if they have a high temperature or rash. You will find that taking them out into the cooler air often makes them feel better.
TELEPHONE ADVICE
The doctors and nurses are happy to give telephone advice, but we try not to interrupt booked appointments with other patients to do this. The best time to telephone is between 8.30 and 8.50 am, when there is always a doctor available to talk to you. Another good time is between 12.00 noon and 1.00pm, when there is often a doctor in the building. If the doctor is not available to speak to you when you telephone, the receptionist will try to suggest a good time to telephone again, or may make an alternative arrangement.
WHEN THE SURGERY IS CLOSED
If you need a doctor for an urgent medical problem, phone the normal surgery number 01752 776772. An answer phone message will advise you how to contact the out of hour’s service. We ask you to try to use the service sensibly.
NHS Direct is a telephone helpline staffed by qualified nurses. If you are not sure whether to call a doctor, or want some simple advice, you may like to telephone NHS Direct on 0845 4647. NHS Direct is also available on line at www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk
TEST RESULTS
When the doctors or nurses send off your blood or other samples for testing, they will usually tell you when they expect the result to be available. We ask you to take the responsibility to contact us for the results of your tests. Please telephone after 2pm as results arrive at lunchtime.
HOW YOU CAN HELP US TO HELP YOU
Please treat all staff with the same courtesy you would expect to be treated with yourself.
Please ask if you do not understand your treatment or what is advised.
Please arrive on time for appointments and give us as much notice as possible in advance if you need to cancel.
Please understand that we have to meet the needs of several thousand patients. We ask that you be tolerant of delays when another patient has pressing needs; and help us to minimise delays by not abusing our availability for URGENT problems.
VIOLENCE STATEMENT [ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY]
The practice considers aggressive behaviour to be any personal, abusive and/or aggressive comments, cursing and/or swearing, physical contact and/or aggressive gestures
The practice will request the removal of any patient from the practice list who is aggressive or abusive towards a doctor, member of staff, other patient, or who damages property.
All instances of actual physical abuse on any doctor or member of staff, by a patient or their relatives will be reported to the police as an assault
DISABLED ACCESS
Our surgery has suitable access for disabled patients and all patient areas including waiting room, consulting rooms and toilets have wheelchair access. Designated disabled parking spaces are located nearest to the main entrance
IN-HOUSE TRAINING – CLINICAL GOVERNANCE
On the second Tuesday of each month we meet as a team to audit and develop our practice. This is in line with government requirements. This means that on those days we will offer a limited service, with a locum doctor seeing emergencies and urgent cases only.
CHANGES OF ADDRESS
If you are moving house or if you change your telephone number, please let us know. We frequently try to contact patients, only to find that the information we have is out of date!
If you are moving outside the practice area, we will normally ask you to re-register with a doctor nearer to your new home.
Our practice boundaries are Plymbridge Road, River Plym, A38 and Tavistock Road
THE PROTECTION AND USE OF PATIENT INFORMATION
We ask you for information about yourself so that you can receive proper care and treatment.
We keep this information, together with details about your care, because it may be needed if we see you again.
We may use some of this information for other reasons; for example to help us to protect the health of the public generally and to see that the NHS runs efficiently, plans for the future, trains it’s staff, pays it’s bills and can account for it’s actions. Information may also be needed to help educate tomorrow’s clinical staff and to carry out medical and other health research for the benefit of everyone.
Sometimes the law requires us to pass on information: for example to notify a birth.
The NHS Central Register for England and Wales contains basic personal details of all patients registered with a general practitioner. The Register does not contain clinical information.
You have a right of access to your health records
EVERYONE WORKING FOR THE NHS HAS A LEGAL DUTY TO KEEP INFORMATION ABOUT YOU CONFIDENTIAL.
We only ever use or pass on information about you if people have a genuine need for it in your and everyone’s interests. Whenever we can, we shall remove details which identify you. The sharing of some types of very sensitive personal information is strictly controlled by law.
Anyone who receives information from us is also under a legal duty to keep it confidential.
THE MAIN REASONS FOR WHICH YOUR INFORMATION MAY BENEEDED ARE:
- Giving you health care and treatment
- Looking after the health of the general public
- Managing and planning the NHS for example
- Making sure that our services can meet patient needs in the future
CONFIDENTIALITY AND YOUNG PEOPLE
You can be sure that anything you discuss with any member of this practice e.g.doctor, nurse or receptionist will stay confidential.
Even if you are under 16 nothing will said to anyone including parents, other family members, care workers or tutors without your permission. The only reason why we might have to consider passing on confidential information without your permission, would be to protect you or someone from serious harm. We would always try to dicuss this with you first.
If you are being treated elsewhere for example at hospital or Brook centre, it is best if you allow the doctor or nurse to inform the practice of any treatment you are receiving.
If you have any worries about confidentiality please feel free to ask a member of staff.
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