Byhowbeck
How do I update my personal information?
If you have a new address or phone number then please contact our reception team who will be able to update your details on our system.
Byhowbeck
Are you open on Bank Holidays?
No, we are closed on Bank Holidays. However, if you need medical advice or attention during this time you can:
Visit your pharmacy – Your local pharmacy can provide confidential, expert advice and treatment for a range of common illnesses and complaint. Visit NHS Choices to find a pharmacy open near you.
Call NHS 111 – If you need urgent medical advice but your condition is not life threatening. NHS 111 Is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Calls are free from landlines and mobiles.
A&E or 999 – for a genuine medical emergency including; loss of consciousness, acute confused state and fits that are not stopping, persistent and/or severe chest pain, breathing difficulties, severe bleeding that cannot be stopped.
Byhowbeck
What is CQC?
The CQC (Care Quality Commission) is the organisation making sure health and social care services provide people with safe, effective, compassionate, high-quality care and encourage care services to improve.
Before a care provider can carry out any of the activities that regulated by the CQC, they must register and satisfy them that they will be able to meet a number of legal requirements. Activities regulated includes the treatment, care and support provided by hospitals, GP practices, dental practices, ambulance services, care homes and home-care agencies.
For more information about the CQC, you can visit their website.
Byhowbeck
Why does the receptionist need to ask what’s wrong with me?
The reception staff are members of the practice team and it has been agreed they should ask patients ‘why they need to be seen’. Reception staff are trained to ask certain questions in order to ensure that you receive the most appropriate medical care from the most appropriate health professional at the most appropriate time.
The receptionists are asked to collect brief information from patients to help:
– doctors prioritise house visits and phone calls
– ensure patients receive the appropriate level of care
– direct patients to see the nurse or other health professionals rather than a doctor where appropriate.
Reception staff, like all members of the team, are bound by confidentiality rules:
– Any information given by you is treated strictly confidentially.
– The practice would take any breach of confidentiality very seriously and deal with it accordingly.
– You can ask to speak to the receptionist in private, away from the reception desk.
– However, if you feel your issue is very private and do not wish to say what this is, then this will be respected.
Byhowbeck
What are the NHS Prescription Charges?
Prescription costs as of 1st April 2019:
- The current prescription charge is £9.15.
- A three monthly PPC is £29.65. This saves you money if you need four or more items in three months.
- A 12 month certificate is £105.90 and saves money if 14 or more items are needed in 12 months.
PPCs are available by 10 monthly direct debit instalment payments. The prescription prepayment certificates allow anyone to obtain all the prescriptions they need for £2 per week.
There is further information about prescription exemptions and fees on the NHS website.
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How do I obtain a sickness certificate?
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).
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How do I arrange a home visit?
If you require a home visit, please telephone the surgery before 10.30 a.m. on (01283) 563451 and give the receptionist some indication of the problem so that the doctor will know how urgent the visit is. To help you decide if a home visit may be appropriate please follow these guidelines:
GP visit recommended: When patient is terminally ill or truly housebound, i.e. unable to get to the shops.
Call 999: For suspected heart attack, sudden onset of chest pain, loss of consciousness or if having a fit for the first time.
GP visit is not usual: Common childhood complaints, fevers, cold, cough, earache, headache, diarrhoea/vomiting and most cases of abdominal pain. These patients are usually well enough to travel to the surgery. It is not harmful to take a child with fever outside. Adults with common problems, such as cough, sore throat, influenza, general malaise, back pain and abdominal pain are also readily transportable to the doctor’s surgery.
Transport arrangements are the responsibility of the patients or their carers.