See the doctor or practice nurse

The practice uses an appointment system. To make an appointment, please telephone 275200, call into the surgery, or book on-line. You will need to complete a form and supply proof of identity to register to book an appointment online. Please ask the Receptionist about this. You may consult any of the doctors, but please try to keep to the same doctor during the course of an illness if you can. Only one patient per appointment please.

If you cannot keep an appointment, please let us know as soon as possible so that it can be given to someone else.

Make an appointment

Each doctor books a morning surgery running from about 8.30 until 11 am; afternoon appointments are between 3pm and 5.30pm. There are appointments until 7.20 on Monday evenings, and at the moment we are offering appointments from 7am on Wednesdays and Thursdays. You can book up to 2 weeks in advance, but we also have appointments that are available within 2 days if you need to be seen quickly. If you need to be seen on the same day, the receptionist will ask for a very brief idea of the reason for your request so that we can find the most appropriate service for you. Although we aim to provide continuity of care, we cannot guarantee that you will always be able to see the doctor of your choice.

You can make your appointment by telephone, in person, or on-line.

Appointments with the Practice Nurses can usually be made up to 6 weeks in advance.

The practice keeps its appointments system under review and any major changes will be notified to patients

Arriving for your appointment

When you arrive for your appointment, please book in at reception, either by telling the receptionist that you have arrived, or by using the automated check in screen. If you do use the screen, remember to touch the “Book me in” button after you have checked that the details shown are correct.

Please sit in the waiting room and watch the electronic board. When it is your turn to be seen, there will be a “beep” and the display will tell you to which room you should go.

Arrange a home visit

These are made when the patient is housebound or, exceptionally, too ill to attend the surgery. Please ring the surgery between 9.00 and 10.00am to request a visit. If you ring later, you are less likely to see the doctor of your choice. Requests made after 11am are accepted for that day only if the problem is very urgent. People requesting a visit may be asked to speak to the triage nurse to asses priority and decide the best course of action. This could include advice only, attending the practice or a home visit

Obtain test results

These may take a week or more. Please telephone 275200 after 11am, when the receptionists will be able to pass on the results which have been checked by the doctor.

Order a repeat prescription

It is not usually possible to obtain a prescription without seeing the doctor unless you have been given a computerised repeat prescription sheet. There are several ways to re-order your repeat medication:-

• Post the tear-off slip to the surgery or drop it in at reception or in our outside letter-box.. Enclose a stamped, addressed envelope if you want us to post the prescription back to you.
• Via the internet—please ask for a form at reception to register for this service
• Telephone our repeat prescription answer phone on 01270 275198 and leave a request. Please only leave messages about medication on your repeat slip.

You may wish to ask at your pharmacy if you want them to collect your prescription.

We do not accept ordinary telephone requests to re-order items.

Repeat prescriptions will be available two working days after they have been requested. This is the case even if they are being sent electronically. For example, if you make your request on Monday, the prescription can be collected on Wednesday. Please take note of our half-day closures for training – see News for dates

Tell you about change of address or telephone number

Please ensure that the practice is kept informed of any change in address or telephone number as soon as possible. If you are expecting an appointment at the hospital, please make sure that you let the hospital know of your new contact details too.

Please be aware that, if you move to an address outside our practice area, you will be asked to register with a practice closer to your home. If you are in doubt, ask about this before you move.

Make a Complaint

You can contact either the Office Manager or the Practice Manager in the first instance if there’s something you want to complain about. This can be in person, by telephone or in writing. You might prefer to complain to NHS England, who will investigate yuor complaint on your behalf. For more about our complaints prcedure, please see our PATIENT COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE Millcroft Medical Centre