PLEASE KEEP THIS BY YOUR TELEPHONE

Transcription

1 Surgery Information Website: Contact: This practice is zero tolerance on verbal and physical abuse DR KV REDDY DR GR CHEALIKANI The Avenue, Deneside Seaham, Co. Durham, SR7 8LF Tel: Fax: Practice Manager: Patricia Jobson Assistant Practice Manager: Wendy Thompson PLEASE KEEP THIS BY YOUR TELEPHONE

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3 Practice Mission Statement We will constantly strive to improve patient care, increase practice team awareness to all patients needs that are listed with the Reddy practice and we aim daily to upgrade our approach, attitude and systems, always working to improve patient care. 1

4 Anything contained in this leaflet that you would like explained, please contact the practice manager who will be pleased to talk to you and explain any questions you may have. Important telephone numbers Alcohol Team (County Durham) Bereavement Counselling Services Bereavement Support Group (Chester-le-Street) Citizens Advice Bureau County Durham & Darlington Health Authority Drug & Alcohol Abuse (CAT) Easington Substance Misuse Initiative Seaham MIND (Chester-le-Street) Miscarriage Association Police Registrar of Births, Deaths Samaritans / Social Security Seaham Social Services Direct Emergency Social Services 24 Hours Contact Chemists Eilbeck The Avenue Eilbeck Seaham Harbour Boots Co-op Lloyds Westgrove Lloyds Blandford Place Hospital Sunderland Royal Local walk-in centres Walk-In Centre (Peterlee), Peterlee Hospital, O Neil Drive, Peterlee, County Durham, SR8 5UQ. Open 24 hours and has X-ray facilities. Tel: Urgent Care Centre (Seaham), New Seaham Medical Centre, East Dene Road, Seaham, County Durham, SR7 8DY. Tel: Mon Fri 08:30am 05:00pm Health Works (Easington) at Intrahealth, Paradise Lane, Easington Colliery, SR8 3EX. Tel: Open 08:00am 08:00pm. X-ray only. 2

5 Partners Dr KV Reddy (Male) MBBS Dr GR Chealikani (Male) MBBS, MRCS(Ed), MRCS (Glas), MRCGP Registered GP When registered with Deneside Medical Centre you are not allocated to a specific GP but rather to the practice. This means that you are free to see any GP within the practice that you express a wish to. Practice manager Reception and secretarial staff receive patients, deal with any enquiry, make your appointments and chaperoning. Mrs P Jobson Member of the Institute of Health Service Managers also holds City & Guilds in Training & Development and is a mentor for Durham Education & Business. Holds certificates in Life Coaching, Counselling & Communication skills, practice and staff development and is a trained MIND counsellor and several other areas not least Psychology. Surgery times Monday Tuesday Friday 08.00am 08.30pm 08.00am 06.00pm Clinic times vary daily, if you require an appointment please call the surgery and the receptionists will do their utmost to arrange an appointment time that suits you. For GP s we book up to 7 days in advance, nurse practitioner 7 days, for nurses 4 weeks in advance. We do allocate emergency slots every day from 08:00am but these are provided on a first come first served basis.. These notes are designed to make you aware of the services our practice provide. Training The practice occasionally undertakes the teaching/training of health care professionals; we will always seek your permission for the trainee to participate/observe during your consultation. 3

6 Emergencies An emergency doctor on duty can be contacted at any time of DAY or NIGHT including weekends and BANK HOLIDAYS by contacting TEL: We provide 24-hour emergency cover. You can also call 111 when you need to seek urgent advice but when it is not life threatening. In the event of an emergency remember to dial 999. To make an appointment Telephone or call into the centre between the hours 8.00am and 5.00pm Monday to Friday. TELEPHONE: Home visits Requests for home visits should be made before 10.30am Monday to Friday. Home visits are for those patients seriously ill who cannot attend the surgery. TELEPHONE: Please provide name, address, telephone number of the patients you wish to be visited, also brief details of their symptoms. Repeat prescriptions Please give 24 hours notice when ordering your repeat prescription. From Monday to Friday you may order your repeat 8.00am 5.00pm. To order your prescription you must hand in your counterfoil slip at reception with the items you wish to order ticked. If you are housebound you can call the chemist and order your prescription over the telephone with them, who will in turn hand your request in at the surgery on your behalf. If you wish to have your prescription delivered to your home please state this at the time of ordering. You can fax your request in on: We also offer online booking. To sign up to this service please ask at reception. Family clinics (How to cope) Groups of families are invited on an evening to discuss asthma, eczema etc; any illness which is present in the family. Advice and information given to families to help them understand and COPE. 4

7 Elderly clinic By appointment with the doctor and practice nurse. If unable to attend the practice nurse will visit you at home. GP information requests When you want some information or advice from the GP but don t feel an appointment is necessary you can telephone the surgery and leave your name, contact number and details with the reception staff who will in turn speak to the GP and call you back with a GP response. In some cases the GP may decide that an appointment is necessary or may need to speak with you directly. Ante natal clinic By appointment with the community midwife. Thursdays from 1.30pm. Children s clinic We run a special children s clinic every Thursday. No appointment is necessary at this clinic, where our health visitor and nurse are available for advice, immunisations and routine check ups. The practice provides full immunisations and routine service for babies and children. Baby clinic is held from 9.30am 11.30am appointment only. Failing to attend for an appointment If you fail to attend 3 or more appointments this may result in you being removed from the GP practice list. If you can t attend for an appointment please inform the surgery at least 30 minutes before the appointment time so that this can be used for someone who needs it. 5

8 Special clinics We hold a range of special clinics to promote health care and these are all by appointment. Doctor and female nurse are in attendance. These clinics are: Well person at this appointment we offer general lifestyle advice, discuss risk factors and check weight, blood pressure and urine and offer a blood test if thought necessary. Diabetic patients with diabetes are reviewed at least annually and offered advice on their lifestyle, diet and treatment. Have a look at The British Diabetes Association website. Asthma our practice nurses offer annual check ups to known asthmatics and can be seen to advise on, review and change treatment as necessary. Find out more about Asthma on The National Asthma Campaign website. Obesity we can offer dietary advice on how to lose weight, prescribe drug therapy if thought appropriate and work out your Body Mass Index (BMI). To find out more have a look on The British Nutrition Foundation website. Heart disease prevention an annual appointment is offered where lifestyle advice is given, drug therapy monitored and blood tests reviewed. Learn about a healthy heart on The British Heart Foundation website. Chiropody Counselling Anti smoking here we offer advice on how to give up smoking, offer follow-up appointments and prescribe Nicotine Replacement Therapy. Hypertension We do contact you by letter or telephone to attend a clinic, BUT if you are anxious about any aspect of your health and would prefer not to wait until we contact you, please have a talk to the practice manager or practice nurse who will fit you in at the earliest possible time. Otherwise an appointment will be sent to you in due course. NHS health check (check 4 life) 6

9 Blood tests The surgery runs a blood test clinic. It operates Monday to Friday. These are busy clinics and therefore they are by appointment only. One nursing assistant runs the clinic. All routine requests by the GP are dealt with in these clinics. Hospital requests are also carried out; however patients need to bring their requests with them. Certain bloods need to be carried out at specific times. Examples of these are: Blood level for certain drugs e.g. Digoxin or Lithium need to be taken at certain times, you will need to check this with the clinic or your doctor. Fasting samples your doctor or nurse may request a fasting blood sample, which is for Glucose or Cholesterol. If a fasting sample is required, patient must not eat from midnight the previous evening and can only drink water, black tea or black coffee (but no sugar!). The blood clinic is now extending its role and will be carrying out electrocardiograms (heart tracings) and routine blood pressure monitoring. Obtaining your test results Most results will be back with a week. You can usually ring for your results after this time. If the doctor has seen the result and reported it, the receptionist will usually be able to read the report to you. Please note that for confidentiality reasons, only the patient or carer may be able to ring for results. To prevent phone congestion, results will only be able to be given after 1.00pm. Travel clinic We offer the necessary vaccinations and advice for safe travel abroad and we ask that before the appointment, you fill in a form at reception so that we can assess your needs. Most vaccines need to be given at least 2 weeks before travel and more complicated regimes can obviously take longer, therefore, we ask for as much notice as possible prior to your holiday (preferably 6 weeks). Obtain up-to-date information from the Fit for Travel site. Another useful website is the medical Advisory Services for Travellers Abroad Limited site. 7

10 Minor surgery By appointment with the doctor and practice nurse in attendance. Family planning By appointment for advice on a variety of methods. We offer, in confidence, full family planning services, as we believe that family planning is an important part of health care. Our services cover a wide range pill, mini pill, implant, coil fitting and morning after pill. The practice nurse is well trained and available for discussion, and any enquiries you may have. Smear tests We recommend our female patients aged up to 50 have a SMEAR test every 3 years, and over 50 every 5 years. This is a simple painless procedure, which takes a couple of minutes. Make an appointment to see the practice nurse. Tetanus Tetanus injections are always available at the centre and you should ensure you are covered. Make an appointment to see the practice nurse. For tetanus cover it is recommended you have 5 in a lifetime for adequate cover. Flu vaccination We strongly advise you to have a flu vaccination every year if you: are over 65 years old need regular asthma inhalers have chronic chest problems suffer from angina or heart problems are a diabetic have any other serious health problems We also offer the pneumococcal vaccination to everyone who needs a flu vaccination. This is a single injection to protect you from pneumococcal pneumonia and this injection will last for some years. Other people who should have the vaccine every year are people with: no spleen celiac disease lung fibrosis long-term steroid treatment kidney problems transplants 8

11 Flu vaccination We commence vaccinations against flu every October. Please give your name into reception to enable us to contact you if you wish to be vaccinated as soon as the vaccine arrives. Names are taken in August ready for OCTOBER. If you do not enter your name, you may be unable to obtain a vaccine, as only a limited number is available. Casualties There is NO casualty department at the centre: you are advised in the case of accident, suspected broken bone etc. to proceed directly to the Accident and Emergency Department at Sunderland Royal Hospital. Practice patient forum The practice forum meets quarterly in the practice on a Wednesday and new members are always welcome. Ring Adele Scott on to obtain date and time of next meeting. Suggestions A COMMENTS BOX IS PLACED IN THE WAITING AREA AT ALL TIMES FOR YOU TO POST YOUR COMMENTS. EVERY ONE IS READ AND DISCUSSED AT THE PRACTICE MEETING. We welcome any comments which help to improve our service, and we have always found them most helpful to improve our practice standards. Contact the practice manager who is always pleased to discuss the patient s point of view and ways to improve our service. ALSO... at certain times while sitting in the waiting area you may be asked to complete a questionnaire. PLEASE DO these are used to help the practice recognise areas that need attention. IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM PLEASE TELL US. IF WE ARE NOT MADE AWARE THAT YOU ARE UNHAPPY WITH SOME ASPECT OF THE PRACTICE OR OUR SERVICE WE ARE UNABLE TO CORRECT IT. LIKEWISE... IF YOU ARE UNHAPPY ABOUT A CERTAIN POINT WE WOULD ALSO LIKE TO KNOW. 9

12 Patient responsibilities As a patient on this practice we also expect some responsible actions from you: Appointments are precious, so if you decide you do not need your appointment, then please let the practice know. Every time you do not turn up and do not let the practice know then it automatically logs a DID NOT ATTEND notice in your computer records. After 3 occurrences the practice may take action. Please be on time for your appointment with the doctor or nurse. While delays can occur we try to keep these to a minimum. If you are late you will have to wait until the end of the clinic. The practice does not tolerate abusive language and we have a zero tolerance level for abuse towards any member of the practice team. If you change your address please notify the practice immediately. Practice Charter a joint commitment This practice aims to always provide the best possible standards of health care for our patients. We provide a complete range of services through primary care and take every opportunity to expand this range of services so that you will always have the maximum care available. The Practice Patient Charter sets out a statement of what you can expect from us and what we ask of you in return, so that we can work in harmony together and maintain the aims we have indicated. Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) Your Clinical Commissioning Group is responsible for organising your local health care, for arranging hospital care and for improving the health of local people. It is important for patients and carers to have a say in the decisions made by CCG s. For further information contact: CCG Locality Base (Easington) Sedgefield Community Hospital, Salters Lane, Sedgefield, TS21 3EE There are a number of ways you can get involved and the CCG are keen to hear from you. 10

13 Easington Patient Reference Group With all the changes currently happening in the NHS, there is a greater need than ever before for patients to participate in the planning and delivery of local services. Such a patient-centred approach has led to the development of Patient Reference Groups across County Durham and Darlington which provide both an opportunity to get involved and a platform for open and honest discussion. Patient Reference Groups are a simple grassroots way of affecting change and involving patients in improving the health and wellbeing of their local community. Patient Reference Groups can play a wide range of roles, including: Communicating with the wider patient population. Influencing service development. Establishing better information systems. Raising funds and purchasing new equipment. Creating local networks. Helping to involve and engage minority and seldom heard communities by undertaking health promotion initiatives. Establishing self-help groups and supporting carers; Producing newsletters. Contact info@healthwatchcountydurham.co.uk if interested in joining. General We will treat you with respect and courtesy and help you to make the best use of our service. Any advice on treatment will be based on clinical needs. We will always be willing to explain our findings and the advice we give, including choices of treatment. We will maintain strict confidentiality over your details and will not divulge information, even to a family member, without your consent. In return we ask you to: Treat all of us with respect and courtesy. Accept that verbal and physical abuse will not be tolerated. Accept that your health is your own responsibility, which we can help you with but cannot take over for you. Learn from us how to deal with common ailments which do not need professional attention and how to lead a healthy lifestyle. Notify us of any change of address. 11

14 Telephone access Calls will be answered and dealt with as quickly as possible during normal working hours. In case of emergencies when the surgery is closed your call is intercepted and a contact number is given to reach the emergency doctor. In return we ask you to: Remain patient and keep calls as brief as possible. Avoid calling at peak times for non-urgent matters. All telephone calls into and out of the practice are recorded for training purposes. Disabled access The practice is fully fitted to allow access of disabled patients. We have a loop system fitted for those patients who are hard of hearing, brail door signs for those sight impaired and the corridors and doorways have all been extended and adapted to comfortably allow wheelchairs onto the premises. The surgery has two practice wheelchairs, if you find mobility difficult please let the reception staff know and they will be more than happy to assist you to the consultation rooms in a wheelchair. Appointments We have an appointment system and have spaces every day for those who need to be seen urgently. You may choose which doctor you prefer to see, which does not have to be the doctor you are registered with. If you have seen one doctor with a problem it is usually better to follow it up with them. In an emergency a doctor will assess your details and you will be seen as soon as is necessary. Urgent cases will be seen within 24 hours (usually the same day if you contact us in the morning). Non-urgent cases will be seen routinely. In return we ask you to: Request appointments from 8.00am if you wish to be seen the same day. Cancel any appointments you cannot keep as early as possible so that the time can be made available to someone else. 12

15 Appointments Request emergency or urgent appointments only when absolutely necessary. Observe the one patient, one appointment rule and not compromise the doctor by asking him to treat other family members at the same time. Late night surgery Monday 6.00pm 8.30pm for GP and practice nurse. Waiting times We would normally expect that patients are seen within 30 minutes of their appointment time, we will always try to keep patients informed if we are running late so that you can re-book your appointment if necessary. In return we ask you to: Appreciate that waiting times may be beyond our control, for example if the doctor is called out in an emergency or at times of peak demand. Attend morning surgeries whenever possible. Attend punctually for appointments. Appreciate exact time for consultation cannot be ensured. Avoid calling for home visits immediately before or during evening surgery times except in an emergency. Cancel if you are unable to attend and re-book your appointment if desired. Ambulance bookings If you require an ambulance/transport for a hospital appointment please call travel response on: The service need at least 48 hours notice to organise travel. BOOKINGS WILL NOT BE TAKEN AFTER 48 HOURS. As soon as you receive your hospital appointment call travel response. They are open to take bookings between Monday to Thursday 8.30am 5.00pm and Friday 8.30am 4.30pm. If you wish to cancel a booking please call the booking line between normal opening hours but if it is outside opening hours call and leave a message. 13

16 Care at the chemist Are you suffering from one of the following? Cold or flu Temperature Head lice Athletes foot Sore throat Thrush Oral thrush Threadworms Headache Allergic contact dermatitis Hayfever You don t need to wait to see a doctor. You can get advice and medicine from a local community pharmacy instead. Instead of requesting an appointment or prescription for any of the above illnesses, the pharmacist will be able to treat you using many of the medicines you would get on prescription from your doctor. If you do not pay for prescriptions you will still get your medicines free of charge, otherwise normal prescription charges and exemptions will apply. You can contact the Health Care Commission for advice regarding complaints. Out of hours services/home visits The medical centre is the best place for us to see everyone. Sometimes we may need to see you at home. A doctor will assess every request for a home visit. We allocate some time for home visits each day by concentrating on providing surgery appointments so that more people can be seen throughout the day. The practice provides full medical care to all of its patients. The doctor who attends visits will usually be in surgery the following day conducting a normal surgery. In return we ask you to: Not request a home visit unless the patient is too ill to be brought to surgery. Ensure that request for home visits are made before 10.00am Confine requests for night visits to complaints that really cannot wait until the next days surgery. 14

17 Prescriptions Patients may order their prescriptions by delivering or posting the counterfoil to the surgery, faxing, via their local pharmacy or via the online prescription ordering service (please ask at reception how to sign up to this service). Prescriptions will be ready to collect within 24 hours of ordering. In return we ask you to: Give reasonable notice when ordering repeat prescriptions. Not ask for routine prescriptions during general consultations with the doctor. Not expect a prescription every time you visit the doctor. Investigation/results Any tests undertaken will be dealt with promptly and you will be advised of the usual length of time before we could expect results. You may have to see the doctor to obtain the results unless the doctors have specifically given instructions to staff to divulge them to you. In return we ask you to: Not ask for routine prescriptions during general consultations with the doctor. Telephone the surgery after 1.00pm whenever possible to enquire about results. Attend the surgery for pregnancy results, as they are not given out over the telephone. Referrals From time-to-time it may be necessary to refer patients to a consultant for further care. In such cases we will do our utmost to ensure referral letters are sent promptly from the practice. In return we ask you to: Ensure that you keep the practice informed of any changes of address and/or name so that the hospital mail will reach you at the correct address. Recognise that there may be some delay before you receive an appointment. 15

18 Comments/complaints The practice follows the NHS Complaints Procedure. Comments are always welcome and may be made to the practice manager or doctor. All comments are considered and where appropriate, responded to on an individual basis. Complaints should be made through the practice manager or doctor. Complaints will be treated seriously and acknowledged, in writing, within ten working days of receipt. In return we ask you to: Recognise that problems can usually be rectified within the practice. To address complaints to either the practice manager or doctor. Understand that the practice staff are busy and not to make frivolous complaints about minor matters beyond control. Access to records In accordance with the Data Protection Act 1984 and the Access to Health Records Act 1990 patients may request to see their medical records. Such requests are by appointment and may be subject to an administration charge. No information will ever be released without your consent unless we are legally obliged to do so. In return we ask you to: Ensure that your written consent accompanies any request you have authorised for medical information. Sick notes Your doctor s responsibility is to provide a sick note after the first week of absence if there is a medical need. In return we ask you to: Not request sick notes after or before the first seven days of absence and to appreciate that the doctor has a responsibility to the DSS to justify sick certificates. Self-certificates are available from the practice. Information about our services for private patients Medical attention for overseas visitors. Insurance and Sports Medical Examinations. 16

19 Changing doctor Patients have the right to register with the doctor of their choice, subject to acceptance by that doctor. How to register at our practice Collect a new patient pack from the reception. Inside you will find forms to complete and also a number of leaflets and information relating to the practice and its services. If you have difficulty completing your forms please ask at the reception and a member of the practice team will be happy to assist. Once you have completed the forms, make an appointment with one of the Health Care Assistants at the practice for a new patient medical. This must be your first appointment at the practice. Please bring a sample of your urine with you and any medications you are taking. All patients at the practice will be registered with an accountable GP. If you require any treatment or medication make an appointment following your new patient medical with one of the GPs. We take patients for both doctors in the area shown on the map at the back of this leaflet. Review/monitoring We undertake to review and monitor the services we provide. This ongoing procedure will ensure that our commitment to high quality patient care remains constant. Your views are important to us, as is your co-operation in achieving these aims and will help us to judge whether we are meeting these standards. Partners in health The care of patients is fundamental to the service we provide and, as a partner, it should be recognised that the patient has responsibility in part for his or her own well being. We may prescribe treatments to aid a particular complaint or condition and may make recommendation to changes and/or modifications in lifestyle to promote the patient s well-being. In return we ask you to: Comply with any treatment recommended or prescribed. Try to live as healthy a lifestyle as possible and ask for help and advice if necessary. 17

20 The NHS feedback and complaints procedure Feedback* Many concerns can be resolved through giving feedback directly to the provider, such as a hospital or GP. You may also wish to provide feedback about what has worked well in your experience with the NHS Issue not resolved Making a complaint* If you would like to make a complaint you can either go directly to the organisation that provided your care (the provider ) or to the relevant organisation that bought the service you received (the commissioner ) Issue resolved Issue resolved Issue not resolved Yes No further action *You may do either, or both Yes No further action You can refer your complaint to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman for further investigation Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman Millbank Tower, Millbank, London, SW1P 4QP Tel: Website: For public health services complaints, contact the Local Government Ombudsman. Website: The NHS Constitution sets out your rights as a patient, and explains the commitments the NHS has made to providing you with a high-quality service. Organisations providing NHS care must take account of the NHS Constitution when treating you, so you may find it helpful to refer to it if you are thinking about making a complaint. Go to for details. Useful contact details To find the contact details for your local Healthwatch, see or call Healthwatch England on Citizens advice Tel Website: Primary care complaints (for example, GPs, dentists) NHS England, PO Box 16738, Redditch, B97 9PT england.contactus@nhs.net Tel: Secondary care complaints (for example, hospitals) To find information about your local clinical commissioning group, visit NHS Choices at 18

21 NHS 111 service 111 is the NHS non-emergency number. It s fast, easy and free. Call 111 and speak to a highly trained advisor, supported by healthcare professionals. They will ask you a series of questions to assess your symptoms and immediately direct you to the best medical care for you. NHS 111 is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Calls are free from landlines and mobile phones. When to use it: You should use the NHS 111 service if you urgently need medical help or advice but it s not a life-threatening situation. Call 111 if: You need medical help fast but it s not a 999 emergency. You think you need to go to A&E or need another NHS urgent care service. You don t know who to call or you don t have a GP to call. You need health information or reassurance about what to do next. Other things you may like to know about We have a Practice Charter and a complaints procedure. We are registered under the Data Protection Act and publish data in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act. Useful websites Colour Your Life: This service provides access to activities for the improvement of mental health and the development of emotional resilience. The courses available are all about unlocking the skills and talents of local people and raising awareness of the assets in your local communities that keep you well. Colour Your Life offers: Art on prescription Learning on prescription Books on prescription Volunteering Opportunities Ecotherapy Time banks Common Childhood Illnesses A guide for parents and carers of children aged birth 5 years Department of Health National health policies, guidance and campaigns 19

22 Useful websites NHS Durham Dales, Easington and Sedgefield Clinical Commissioning Group is a statutory body responsible for purchasing a range of healthcare services on behalf of local people. FAST By diagnosing the possibility of stroke before reaching hospital, it is possible for appropriate referral to a stroke unit to be made as quickly as possible. Health Care Commission The Commission is the independent regulator of the NHS in England and it publishes a range of information on the quality of services provided by the NHS, including annual performance ratings for all NHS trusts. Med Info Provides free and easy-to-understand medical information and advice. The National Association for Patient Participation in primary care. Groups are an effective way for patients and GP surgeries to work together to improve services and to promote health and improved quality of care. PPGs are making a real difference across the UK. Join N.A.P.P. and benefit from support to your practice and PPG. NHS in England Health information for England only, including how to find a local service in your area. Patient UK The aim of this website is to provide non-medical people in the UK with good quality information about health and disease. patient-information/pages/booklets.aspx The Royal Marsden Hospital patient information leaflets, providing information about different types of cancer includes children s cancers. 20

23 Index Page Access to records...16 Ambulance bookings...13 Ante natal clinic...5 Appointments... 4, 5 & 12 Blood tests...7 Care at the chemist...14 Casualties...9 Changing doctor...17 Children s clinic...5 Clinical Commissioning Group...10 Comments/complaints...16 Disabled access...12 Easington Patient Reference Group...11 Elderly clinic...5 Emergencies...4 Family clinics...4 Family planning...8 Flu vaccination...8 General...11 GP info...5 Home visits...4 Important telephone numbers...2 Investigation/results...15 Local walk-in centres...2 Minor surgery...8 NHS 111 service...19 NHS feedback and complaints procedure...18 Out of hours services/ home visits...14 Page Partners...3 Partners in health...17 Practice patient forum...9 Patient responsibilities...10 Practice Charter...10 Practice manager...3 Practice Mission Statement...1 Prescriptions...15 Private patients...16 Records...16 Referrals...15 Registered GP...3 Registering...17 Repeat prescriptions...4 Review/monitoring...17 Salaried GP...3 Sick notes...16 Smear tests...8 Special clinics...6 Suggestions...9 Surgery times...3 Telephone access...12 Telephone consultations...4 Test results...7 Tetanus...8 Training...3 Travel clinic...7 Useful websites...19 Waiting times

24 Make the most of our services Read the notices posted in the surgery. Make sure you know the opening times of the surgery. Find out how to arrange home visits, repeat prescriptions and urgent appointments. You may not always need to see a doctor, ask what services the nurse can provide. Keep your appointment or cancel it. Take a list of questions with you when you see your doctor or nurse. Ask your doctor to write down anything that you do not understand the answers to. Take a friend or relative with you if necessary. Tell the receptionist if you need more time to speak to the doctor/nurse, she can arrange this for you. Think twice before making an appointment. Do you really need to see a doctor? Have you tried simple home treatments? Find out how the practice deals with complaints. Patient Participation Group Contact the secretary if you would like to attend a meeting or join the group. Friends and family testing have a kiosk in the waiting room, postcards etc. at reception. Would you recommend us to your friends and family? 22

25 For urgent conditions such as; Ear, throat and chest infections, vomiting, diarrhoea, skin complaints, emergency contraception and minor cuts and wounds; You can ring the following number to get an appointment with an Emergency Care Practitioner at Seaham Urgent Care Centre. Open Monday to Friday 8.30am 5.00pm. Appointments will be allocated for the same day. Seaham Primary Care Centre St. Johns Square Seaham, SR7 7JE IF YOU HAVE CHEST PAIN RING 999 or go to the nearest A & E department WEEKENDS contact the Urgent Care Centre at Peterlee Phone: or 111 ALL CHILDREN UNDER 5 YEARS OF AGE will be offered an appointment the same day at the practice to see a GP. 23

26 Notes 24

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28 The practice area (0191)