Swanage
medical PRACTICE
How Do I...
Make An Appointment?
Tel: (01929) 475104
Most requests for an appointment with your doctor will be, in the first instance, dealt with as a telephone consultation with your GP at a time agreed with you.
Our trained receptionists are here to help you and they will ask you for brief details of your condition when you telephone so they can record them for the attention of your doctor. This is to ensure that we can assist you as speedily and professionally as possible. If you do not wish to give your reason for seeing a doctor, simply ask the receptionist to tell the doctor you have 'personal issues'.
For your peace of mind the practice receptionists are covered by the NHS and
practice codes of confidentiality, just the same as all the health care professionals
at the surgery.
The receptionist will take your name and telephone number and the doctor will
call you to discuss the problem and agree a course of action. This may be an
appointment with your doctor, an appointment with a specialist nurse, direct
referral to a hospital specialist or more likely a diagnostic test ie, blood
test, urine test, x-ray, ultrasound or self-care advice etc.
For some conditions it may be more appropriate for our receptionists to arrange
an appointment with a practice nurse, nurse specialist, health visitor, district
nurse, etc and they will help you choose.
This system has speeded up the process of treating your illness and made face-to-face consultation with your doctor far more productive.
Urgent Appointments
Patients who need to be seen the same day with an urgent medical condition will receive a telephone consultation and, as appropriate, an appointment in our daily duty surgery. However, this will not necessarily be with your own GP.
Late Arrival For Your Appointment
If you are late for your appointment, you may be asked to wait until the end of surgery or be asked to make another appointment.
Cancellations
Please let us know in advance if you are unable to keep any appointment made, so that we may offer it to someone else.
Obtain A Home Visit?
If you need a home visit, please telephone between 8.30 and 10.00am where possible, as this helps the doctors to plan their rounds. Brief details of the problem should be given to the receptionist to help the doctor assess the urgency of your request. Please do not ask the doctor to call unless the patient is genuinely too ill to come to the surgery. Most children can quite safely be brought to the surgery by car, taxi or pushchair.
The home visits are time-consuming for the doctor - it takes, on average, about three times as long to see a patient at home as in the surgery. If it is simply not possible for you to attend the surgery but you need to see a doctor we will endeavour to arrange this. Please accept that this, unless urgent, may not be on the day of your choice nor with the doctor of your choice.
Home visits telephone number is: (01929) 422231.
Obtain Test Results?
There is no need to contact the surgery, unless otherwise directed, as your doctor will contact you if any further action is required arising from your test.
Obtain A Repeat Prescription?
All Swanage chemists will order and collect your repeat prescriptions from
the surgery and you then only need to go to the chemist for your medicine. Your
chemist will provide you with all the details of this scheme. Please request
your medication one week before you need it to ensure you receive it on time.
Alternatively requests for repeat prescriptions can be made in person at the surgery or by post enclosing a stamped, addressed envelope or online using a secure Access ID, obtainable in person from the surgery. Once you have obtained your Access ID from us you can use the online service from the link below. Please note: to avoid error, we do not accept requests for repeat prescriptions over the telephone.
Please allow two working days (Monday to Friday) between the request
for a prescription and its collection from the surgery. Please note: to avoid
error, we do not accept requests for repeat prescriptions over the telephone.
 |
Register With The Practice?
If you wish to register as a new patient, please complete a practice registration form. One of our receptionists will supply this form and help you fill it in, if required. You can also ask for a health check with a practice nurse prior to seeing the doctor which gives us the opportunity to meet you and your family and tell you about the practice.
Change My Contact Details?
Keeping our records accurate is essential, so please notify us of any changes as soon as possible. Tel: (01929) 475104
