How do I... ?

Join the Practice

If you are new in the area and would like to join the practice, you can join by simply asking at the reception. It would help to have your own medical card but it is not necessary. You will be given forms to fill in and sign as well as information on the practice. The medical records from your previous GP will follow in due course.

Make appointments - Routine and Urgent

Please telephone the Appointment Line 01452 840555 (Open 08.30am-12.00 noon and 01.00-05.00 pm) Monday-Friday. Please arrive in good time for your appointment (at least 5 minutes before your appointment time) - if you are late the doctor or nurse may not be able to see you. If you cannot attend please let us know so your appointment can be re-allocated. Your co-operation is appreciated. It is always helpful to advise the receptionist the nature of your consultation.

Contacting the Doctors by Telephone

The doctors take calls between 10:30 and 10:50 in the weekday morning. It is helpful to advise the receptionist re the nature of the call.

Order Repeat Prescriptions

For repeat prescriptions, you should have a form from your last prescription with boxes to tick for those items needing a repeat. If this could be handed in or posted with 3 working days notice your medicines will be available from our pharmacy. You may fax us on 01452 840 688 at anytime. You can also request a repeat prescription electronically using this form. The dispensary is not open at weekends.

Ask for a Home Visit

We receive many hundreds of requests each year for home visits. It helps us to help the practice overall if you can come to the surgery whenever possible. We can treat and investigate more effectively at the surgery. If you are too ill we will visit. Please ring the surgery before 10.00 on 01452 840228. The receptionist will ask for some simple information about your symptoms. This is to help the doctor determine an order of priority for visits.

Sick Notes

For absences up to 3 days no state certificate is required. Between 3 and 6 days a "Self Certificate" should be completed, available from your employer, or at surgery reception. After an absence of seven days or longer your require a certificate, completed and signed by a doctor. Your Self Certificate is a legally binding document and so your employer should not require additional GP evidence. If he/she does, it becomes a private issue with fees payable and quite possibly written request and signed consent.

Obtaining a Test Result

There is a huge annual throughput of tests, well into four figures. We therefore must insist that all patients obtain their results themselves and not just assume results are normal because they have not heard. Usually a phone call after an appropriate length of time, late morning or in the afternoon (by the patient) will suffice. The receptionist will be given an appropriate message by the GP who would have commented on the result.

Out-of-hours Service

The Out-Of-Hours Service is provided by the Gloucestershire Primary Care Trust and covers the period between 18:30 and 08:00 Monday to Friday and 24 hours at weekends, Bank and Public Holidays.

Please use the dedicated telephone number 08454 220220 to contact the service. At all other times to contact the surgery call 01452 840228.

The Out-of-hours Service leaflet can be downloaded here.

NHS Direct - 0845 46 47
www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk

NHS direct provides a wealth of clinical information for the pateint and general information about NHS Services.

Access for the Disabled

There should be no problem for those in wheelchairs but please take care. The toilet in the foyer is large enough to accommodate a wheelchair and there are no steps to negotiate within the surgery. Should you require assistance, do not hesitate to ask a member of staff.

Violence and Abuse

The Practice reserves the right to request the Primary Care Trust to take over patient responsibility in cases of violence and severe abuse towards members of the suregery team.

Gloucestershire Primary Care Trust

The Practice is in contracty with the Gloucestershire Primary Care Trust to provide NHS General Practitioner Services. For details of other Primary Care services, please contact the Gloucestershire Primary Care Trust, 14 Highnam Business Centre, Newent Road, Hignam, Gloucester GL2 8DN Telephone: 01452 389400.

Comments on Practice Services

We welcome any comments you wish to make about the Practice's services. We see it as an essential element of maintaining a patient friendly surgery.

Please contact the manager.

Travel Advice

Advice on immunization and malaria tablets is not always straightforward and often changes. Hence it is advisable to make an appointment for the nurse at least 2 months before such journeys. General advice to travellers is widely available from travel agents, chemists, the surgery or the Internet (eg BBC online Health).

Useful links for travel:

• Department of Health Advice For Travellers www.doh.gov.uk/traveladvice/
• Tropical Medicine Bureau www.tmb.ie
• NHS 'Fit for Travel' www.fitfortravel.scot.nhs.uk

Corse & Staunton Surgery, Gloucester Road, Corse, Gloucester, GL19 3RB