HOW DO I....
OBTAIN TELEPHONE ADVICE?
If you wish to speak to your doctor
on the telephone for advice, please ring before 11.00am and the receptionist
will pass your details onto your doctor who will ring you back as soon as they
are able. The doctor will usually ring you back that morning to assess how they
can best help you.
It is essential that you give a reliable number and that you are available to
take the call. If the doctor cannot get through the attempt will be abandoned
and the details recorded on your medical record. We will not make repeated attempts,
as time available for phone consultations is limited.
NHS
DIRECT
NHS Direct is a nurse-led advice line available 24 hours a day. If you require
advice telephone NHS Direct on 0845 4647 or, alternatively, visit them online at www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk.
HOW DO I....
MAKE APPOINTMENTS?
ROUTINE APPOINTMENTS
1. All consultations are by appointment
only. Appointments can be made in person or by telephone during opening hours.
You will be offered the next available appointment.
2. Please inform the receptionist if you feel that the problem is urgent (see
below).
3. If there is no appointment available with your usual doctor on the day you
call, you may be offered an appointment with another doctor that day.
4. If you are not able to keep your appointment, please let us know in advance
so that it can be offered to someone else. If more than one family member needs
to be seen please let the receptionist know in advance so that each person can
be allocated their own appointment.
5. Delays often arise due to emergencies or other unforeseen problems, so please
try to be patient.
6. EMERGENCY CARE AFTER 6.30PM AND OVER WEEKENDS AND PUBLIC HOLIDAYS REMAINS UNDER THE CARE OF THE OUT-OF-HOURS SERVICE, A&E AND NHS DIRECT.
INTERNET APPOINTMENT ACCESS BOOKING
Rothwell and Desborough Surgeries are pleased to be able to offer a new service to their patients with internet access for making routine appointments to see their doctor and also for requesting their repeat medication.
This is in the format of a computerized system called EMIS access and is available to use via home computers on www.patient.co.uk. To access this system patients are required to sign up via the practice reception to obtain their password and access authority.
Please bring some identification with you when registering for internet access.
NURSE PRACTITIONERS
Our nurse practitioners have undertaken specialist training
to be able to assess and diagnose acute new presenting problems.
The list below
includes examples of what our nurse practitioners deal with on a day-to-day basis.
If you are suffering from any of the following symptoms, then you could be offered
an appointment with a nurse practitioner:
- Minor illness/minor
injury
- Sore throat
- Possible chest infection
- Abdominal pain
- Diarrhoea and Vomiting
- Urine disorders/infections
- Earache
- Eye infections
- Skin problems
- Acute allergies
- Limb pain – new
- Cuts and burns
- Sinusitis/headache
- Emergency contraception
Our nurse practitioners are also independent prescribers
and can prescribe for acute problems. However, they are not able to print and issue
prescriptions for repeat or
long-term medication.
The nurse practitioners also undertake investigations as
required for a particular consultation including blood test, urine, swabs and x-rays,
and can refer to the other care professionals including the GP on request.
URGENT APPOINTMENTS
If you feel your problem is urgent
and there are no routine appointments left, please let the receptionist know.
You must be prepared to wait and may have to see a different doctor but we
will ensure that you are seen.
HOW DO I....
REQUEST A HOME VISIT?
If you are housebound or too ill to
attend surgery and think you may need a visit, please telephone your doctor's
surgery as soon as possible before 11.00am. Be prepared to give the receptionist
details of your name, age, address, phone number, your usual doctor and the reason
for your request. All this information remains confidential. The doctor will
need these details to plan the most appropriate response to your problem and
may well phone back for more detail before leaving the surgery. Please remember
that doctors often cannot thoroughly assess your problem with the limited equipment
they can carry. Our surgery premises have adequate facilities for examination
and treatment and the time a doctor spends in travelling usually exceeds the
time spent in your home and could often be better used for other medical activities.
HOW DO I....
OBTAIN TEST RESULTS?
It is the patient's
responsibility to check on the result of any test organised by the doctor by
telephoning reception, between 12 noon - 3.00pm, one week after the test. Please
remember that under no circumstances will you be given the result pertaining to a patient
other than yourself. Please remember that your doctor may have requested several
different tests on the same blood sample, in which case the results may take
different times to process. Please try to be patient: if we get a result needing
urgent attention we will contact you promptly, so do ensure we have your current
telephone details.
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