Appointments 

Parents Guide When to call 999 or go to A&E

Important information for patients about GP appointments

As you will be are aware, COVID-19 (Coronavirus) is a new illness that is spreading across the UK. As such, Cookham Medical Centre is taking actions to protect our patients, our staff and our community by introducing a new telephone triage system for GP appointments. Our aim is to significantly reduce the footfall through our surgery in order to reduce the risk of spreading the virus, in line with national guidance.

All GP appointments will initially be on the telephone. If you have an appointment booked with a GP, please do not come to the surgery – please stay at home and the doctor will call you at the allocated time. The GP will do all they can to help you over the phone – however, should they feel the need to see you face to face for an examination, you will be invited to the surgery for review.

Nursing appointments will continue as planned but we ask you to consider the national guidance before visiting the practice https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

Stay at home for 7 days if you have either:

                                                     a high temperature

                                                     a new continuous cough

Do not go to a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital.

You do not need to contact 111 to tell them you're staying at home.

Use the NHS 111 online coronavirus service if:

                                                    you feel you cannot cope with your symptoms at home

                                                   your condition gets worse

                                                   your symptoms do not get better after 7 days

Only call 111 if you cannot get help online.

We thank you for your co-operation and understanding. As you are aware, the situation is evolving daily and we will keep you updated via our website and text messaging service. The above information added Friday 13th March

APPOINTMENTS GENERAL INFORMATION (currently operating differently during Coronavirus outbreak but info below retained for when we return to normal)

Our doctors prefer to see their own patients to give good continuity of care but you may consult any of them. Appointments can be made by calling in at the Medical Centre, by telephoning 01628 810242 or booking online.

A routine appointment is 10 minutes. If you think your problem is going to take longer, please ask for a 20 minute appointment. Please make it clear whether an appointment is required for more than one member of your family. This will assist in preparing patient records for the consultations and allocating the appropriate amount of time.

You can also book telephone consultations with the doctors or nurses

SEVEN DAY ACCESS TO GP SERVICES

A weekend and evening GP and nurse service is also available at the General Practice Hub based at St Mark's Hospital. This is for pre-booked appointments only which can be booked via our receptionists. The GPs and nurses are not from our practice but are able to access your notes with your consent. Online booking is not currently available for this service.

Click the link for more information about this service in our CCG area

Extended Access Evening and Weekends

An evening and weekend phlebotomy service (blood tests) is also available at the hub - by appointment only

Patients may call directly to book these BUT only if a Dr has already ordered the test on the electronic system known as ICE.

Patients cannot get blood tests that have not been authorised

03000 240009

You will need your NHS number

Telephone Triage Consultations (Duty Dr system

For patients requiring urgent same day assistance we operate a Duty Doctor telephone triage system.

This enables the Doctors to manage and prioritise patients themselves according to clinical need and urgency.

The receptionists will ask for information on the symptoms to make sure the Doctor knows the nature and urgency of the problem and will take a contact number

Patients are placed on the triage list and the Doctor will ring the patient back during their Duty session. We have a Duty Doctor every morning and every afternoon.

In many cases the matter can be resolved during the call with advice but if a face to face consultation is needed – the doctor will arrange a time directly with the patient.

This may be to come down and see the Duty Doctor or to see one of the other doctors at a suitable time.

The advantage of this system is that the Doctor can provide advice and assistance to far more people than could be seen in a normal clinic session.

Cancellations

If you cannot attend an appointment for any reason please inform us as soon as possible in order for us to give the slot to someone else.

You can cancel by phone, by texting back cancel to a text reminder or cancel online even if you did not book the appointment that way.

Running to Time

We do our best to run to time. If you want to discuss several problems with your doctor, please book a double appointment so that you don't keep other patients waiting.

Chaperones

If a doctor or nurse needs to examine you and you would like to be chaperoned, please mention this before the examination.

Do you need to see a doctor?

Please consider whether your problem or condition could be handled effectively by one of the other healthcare professionals in the practice, for example the practice nurses.

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 here

Special arrangements are in place for sickness or compulsory self isolation due to Coronavirus

Go to https://111.nhs.uk/isolation-note

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

Home Visits

If you are not well enough to come to the Health Centre, telephone us on 01628 810242 so that we can advise you or arrange a home visit.

Please telephone before 10.30 am if possible, to help the doctors plan their rounds.

Please do come to the surgery whenever possible, we do try to reserve home visits for patients who are either genuinely too ill to come to the surgery or housebound.

You can be visited at home by a community nurse if you are referred by your GP or when being discharged from hospital. You should also be visited at home by a health visitor if you have recently had a baby. The health visitors will contact new parents directly.

Referrals

In order to be referred to another healthcare professional you will usually need to see a GP first. This allows a review of your medical condition in the context of your medical history and discussion of treatment and referral options. There are exceptions, for example a patient may self refer to a private physiotherapist or chiropractic. NHS referrals generally take a week to dictate, type and process through the appropriate referral process.

Many NHS hospital referrals are now done as Choose and Book/e-referrals. This system enables you to choose from a small selection of local hospitals and make the booking yourself. You will be contacted by one of the receptionists approximately a week after seeing the GP to inform you that your booking paperwork, which contains a password, is ready to collect from reception. 

Some treatment courses need approval by the CCG for funding before they can go ahead. For more information on Individual Funding Requests visit www.fundingrequests.cscsu.nhs.uk, or speak to your GP. You may also like like to read the leaflet on Will the NHS fund my treatment leaflet.

Private referrals

In some instances you may wish to be referred to a private consultant or specialist after seeing the GP.  You may need to seek approval from your insurance company first as they may have restrictions on which services you can access. The GPs may be able to recommend a suitable Consultant and/or service and give you the contact details.

When you have made your appointment - please let the secretaries know the date of your appointment and the person you are going to see, so that a referral letter can be done which will be left at reception for you to collect. Please give us as much notice as possible and a minimum of 3 working days to produce the letter.

Please note if you wish someone to collect the letter on your behalf, we must be informed as we require your consent to release such letters. Thank you. 

Following a Hospital Admission

After an emergency admission it is often helpful to see a GP afterwards to review the condition, address any queries, review medications. This is not always necessary if the condition has been dealt with or has resolved.

You are usually given a discharge letter before you leave the hospital. The hospital will send a copy of this to the surgery informing the GP of any follow up actions or medication changes etc. that may be needed. Please contact us if you should encounter any problems immediately after your discharge.

Letters are also sent to the GP following planned hospital admissions, attendance at clinics or from other service providers. These may arrive electronically or by post and are either for information only, to ensure completeness of your medical records, or may relate to any follow up actions required.