Appointments
Please telephone 01952 586616 to book an appointment. Alternatively you can access appointments using Patient Access or the NHS App.
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There are usually 2 doctors consulting morning and afternoon each day. You are entitled to see the doctor of your choice but as their clinics vary each week, you will need to check clinic times with reception. One doctor is on-call at all times on a rota system.
The receptionist may ask you for a reason for the appointment. This is simply so you can get the most appropriate care as quickly as possible. For example, our nurses are trained to deal with a range of issues. If your issue can be dealt with by a nurse, you may be able to have your concern seen more quickly than you would waiting for a GP appointment. All staff, including doctors, nurses and reception staff are bound by the same confidentiality agreement. Any information you give staff about your condition is in confidence and will not be shared with anyone outside the practice.
Routine Appointments
If you are requesting a routine consultation please, if possible, telephone after 09:30 to keep our lines free for urgent callers. We use a ten minute appointment system to minimise waiting times, however we sometimes cannot avoid running late. If you have multiple problems, or more than one family member to be seen, please make a double appointment. Please let us know if you are unable to keep an appointment so that another patient may be seen.
Home Visits
A home visit takes up a lot more time than a standard appointment.
If you feel you need a home visit we would be grateful if the request could be made before 11.00am as this makes it easier to plan our day. In reality very few home visits are necessary, except of course in cases where patients are housebound and seriously ill. You will be telephoned prior to any visit to assess the urgency and nature of the visit.
We do home visits only 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 when requesting a home visit as these are on the basis of clinical need and our receptionists cannot make this decision.
Urgent Appointments
If you require urgent medical attention on the same day, please telephone the surgery. The receptionist will ask for your telephone number and an indication of the degree of urgency. The duty doctor or specialist triage nurse will then phone you back to give medical advice and if required, an appointment time for the appropriate tests or consultation will be made if you need to be seen.
Extended Access Service
GP practices across Telford and Wrekin are participating in the delivery of a national extended hours service, giving our patients access to additional appointments between 6.30pm to 8pm in the evenings and 8.am -8pm at weekends (now also including Bank Holidays).
Patients are able to pre-book appointments, for the majority of services, by contacting their own GP practice during normal opening hours.
Please call or pop in to your GP practice to get more information or to book an appointment with a GP, nurse or other healthcare professional.
If you are unable to get through to your own practice or the practice is closed, your call will be diverted to the Extended Access Call Centre and you will be offered an appointment either with a local GP, nurse or other healthcare professional.
Telephone Appointments
Telephone consultations can be a good means of communication with a patient to supplement the traditional surgery consultation. They are often a much quicker method of dealing with basic issues and for the GP they represent the means by which a consultation may be quick and concise. Not all conditions or queries are suitable for telephone advice. Please speak to a member of reception who will be able to book a telephone appointment for you if appropriate.
Online Consultation Service
We have now gone live with our new online consultation service-Patient Triage. This is a great way for you to contact our practice for non-urgent medical or admin requests. It is very simple to fill out so please do give it a go if you need to contact us. Although the character count is limited on the form, please try to give as much specific and concise information as possible. We really think it is easier for most people than waiting on hold to speak to a receptionist but would love to hear your feedback. If you do not have access to the internet or find it difficult to use a computer or smartphone you can call reception instead.
We offer online access for patients for booking appointments, ordering repeat medications, messaging direct to surgery staff and also viewing a summary of your medical records. To register for this service please contact reception.
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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. You can do this via the NHS App, Patient Access, texting 'CANCEL' to your appointment confirmation, or calling us on 01952 586616.
Been off work?
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.
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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.
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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).