Triage

When you contact the surgery you will be offered the next available telephone appointment with a Clinician (Gp or Practitioner) or will be advised to go to our website and complete an econsult.

If you can’t wait til the next telephone appointment or cannot complete an eConsult you may be added to the triage list. Alternatively, following the Doctor’s instructions, the receptionist may advise you to contact a local pharmacy, dentist or optician depending on your problem.

If you complete an eConsult
A clinician will review your econsult and decide on the best action/treatment. The practice will then respond by email or phone with advice, a prescription or an appointment.

If you are added to the triage list
The receptionist will ask you for a contact number and a brief description of the problem so that your call can be prioritised. Our administration staff are not prying - they are following the Doctor’s instructions and are bound by the same code of confidentiality as the clinical staff.

A clinician will then contact you on the number you provided. The call will be from a 0300 number and you must be available to answer so please ensure you remain beside your phone and that mobile phones have a good signal.

We can’t give you a time for when you will be called as calls are prioritised so will not always be dealt with in order they are on list.

Triage stops at 11am so only urgent problems will be dealt with after this time.
If you phone after this time and your problem is urgent you will be added to an emergency triage list so please give as much information as possible to the receptionist who will relate the details to the duty doctor. If your problem is not urgent you will be advised to complete an eConsult or call back on the next working day between 8.30am & 11am.

PLEASE NOTE – The triage service does not replace telephone consultations which can be pre-booked.

Cancellations & Arriving Late
If you need to cancel or reschedule an appointment for any reason please contact the surgery as soon as possible so we can offer the slot to someone else.

If you arrive late for your appointment the clinician may not be able to see you and you may be asked to make another appointment.

Video Consultation

NHS Near Me Video Appointments

This practice offers NHS Near Me video appointments, powered by the Attend Anywhere system.

NHS Near Me Information

NHS Near Me is a video consulting service which allows patients to attend their appointment from the comfort of their own home or wherever is convenient, using their own computer, smartphone or tablet device.

To use this service you must have a booked video appointment with the practice. Your clinician or booking staff will be able to advise you whether a video appointment is suitable for you.

More information about NHS Near Me use in NHS Scotland and in NHS Grampian is available by clicking on the following links:

• NHS Scotland Near Me information
• NHS Grampian Near Me information

Click here to watch a youtube video about NHS Near Me how to use Near Me.

Attend my appointment or make a test call

If you are ready to attend your video appointment, or you want to make a test call before your appointment is due, click the start video call button below (please ensure you are using Google Chrome  on a Windows or Android device, or Safari on Apple devices). If you make a test call this tests your device, connection, speaker and camera, it does not make a call.

Attending an NHS Near Me Appointment

For Technical Requirements to run an NHS Near Me video call click here Technical Requirements

For Troubleshooting tips if you experience difficulties using NHS Near Me click here Troubleshooting tips

Home Visits

If you need a home visit please contact the Surgery on 01346 518088 before 10am. Non-urgent requests received after this time may not be dealt with until the next working day. Your request will be triaged by a clinician who will contact you by phone then decide the best course of action for you. (Please note this will not always result in a home visit).

Patients are encouraged to come to the surgery where we have the proper equipment and facilities available. However we do appreciate that this is not always possible. You should only request a home visit if you are housebound or suffering from a serious illness that prevents you from attending the surgery.

Home visits should not be requested simply because you have transport problems. We advise that you ask a friend or family member or alternatively take public transport or taxi.

Please note clinicians do not routinely do home visits for children.

A clinician will only visit you at home if they think that your medical condition requires it and will also decide how urgently a visit is needed. Please bear this in mind and be prepared to provide suitable details to enable us to schedule home visits.

A clinician can see four or five patients at the surgery in the time it takes to do one home visit.

You can be visited at home by a community nurse if you are referred by your GP. You should also be visited at home by a health visitor if you have recently had a baby or if you are newly registered with a GP and have a child under five years.

Hospital Discharge

Most hospital discharge letters are now sent electronically to the Practice but if you have been given a paper copy for the Gp (not your own copy) please hand it in to reception. This will then be forwarded to the GP. You do not need an appointment with a GP to hand in your discharge letter.

If you require community nursing care following your discharge from hospital the hospital will have contacted the nursing team to arrange the visit. The community nurses will inform the doctor if medical assistance is required. Not all hospital discharges are routinely visited.

Sickness Certificates

You do not require a doctor's sickness certificate for any illness lasting seven days or less. Your employer may however require you to complete a self-certification form (SC2) which is available from your employer or on the HMRC website.

Evidence that you are sick

If you are sick for more than seven days, your employer can ask you to give them some form of medical evidence to support payment of SSP (statutory sick pay).

It is up to your employer to decide whether you are incapable of work. A medical certificate, now called a 'Statement of Fitness for Work’ (see below) from your doctor is strong evidence that you are sick and would normally be accepted, unless there is evidence to prove otherwise.

You could also provide evidence from someone who is not a medical practitioner, e.g. a dentist. Your employer will decide whether or not this evidence is acceptable. If your employer has any doubts, they may still ask for a medical certificate from your GP.

Statement of Fitness for Work - ’Fit Note'

The 'fit note' was introduced on 6 April 2010. With your employer's support, the note will help you return to work sooner by providing more information about the effects of your illness or injury.

For more information see the DirectGov website (where this information was sourced)