HOW DO I...
Contact The Surgery?
On dialling the surgery you will hear a pre-recorded message offering you a number of options. Please press the option that you need:
Press 1 - For a home visit from a doctor.
Press 2 - For an urgent appointment at the surgery with a doctor.
Press 3 - For a routine appointment with the doctor or nurse.
Press 4 - For your test results or any other enquiries.
HOW
DO I...
Make An Appointment?
Appointments can be made by telephone or at the reception desk. Please make a separate appointment for each person. If you find you are unable to attend please cancel as soon as possible so that the appointment can be offered to someone else. Patients who repeatedly miss booked appointments cause great inconvenience to staff and other patients. Appointment times are intended to be a guide only. That is because emergencies may lead to the doctor or nurse running late. Please note that we are a group practice and that the first appointment available may not be with the doctor or nurse of your choice.
Triage Emergencies
In addition to routine appointments there will be an extra session each day to deal with urgent problems. Please note this is for urgent conditions that cannot wait a few days. In these circumstances, please telephone the surgery and the receptionist on duty will take your name and contact number. A triage nurse will ring you back. The role of the triage nurse is to assess your symptoms, to see whether you would be better being seen by a doctor or by a nurse. Sometimes you may not need to be seen by any of the healthcare professionals at the surgery, but would be better treated by a visit to the pharmacy. If it is necessary for you to be seen by the doctor covering emergencies, the triage nurse will issue you with an urgent appointment.
As these sessions are very busy and the doctor is responsible for dealing with emergencies, we cannot guarantee you will be seen at the agreed time. Nor is it likely that you will be able to see the doctor of your choice. If you wish to see your GP of choice, please book a routine appointment. If your problem is not urgent you may be asked to re-attend at another time to be seen routinely. We make this stipulation out of consideration to other patients. We do offer priority for frail and elderly people and young children. Please mention to the receptionist at the time of booking that the appointment is for a patient in one of these categories. If the surgery is closed a recorded message will give you the number of the out-of-hours service.
Alternatively, you may wish to attend the local A & E department at Burnley General Hospital (see below).
Accidents
The nearest casualty department is at Burnley General Hospital, Casterton Avenue, Burnley.
Suspected fractures and cuts that require stitching should attend A & E directly.
HOW
DO I...
Obtain A Home Visit?
Home visits are available only for those patients who are too ill or frail to get to the surgery. You may be asked by the nurse/reception staff for a few details to ascertain whether a visit is necessary, or called back later to confirm details. It is usually better to be seen in the surgery where examinations and investigations are more effectively performed. Visits should be requested only in exceptional circumstances as they take time away from other pressing surgery appointments and tasks. Please ring the surgery before 11.00am as calls taken after this time may not be offered a visit the same day.
HOW DO I...
Obtain Test Results?
Please contact the surgery to obtain the results of tests or x-rays. For reasons of confidentiality test results can only be given to the patient themselves or to the parent or legal guardian of children under 16 years. For similar reasons the results of pregnancy tests are only given in person and not over the phone. Normal results can be given out over the phone by practice staff. Our receptionists are, however, not trained to recognise whether an abnormal result is significant or not and if in doubt will ask you to discuss this with a doctor.
It is important to note that it is your responsibility to contact the practice for test results. It is not routine for the practice to contact patients even when test results are not normal.
|
