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Appointments

Appointments can be obtained by telephoning or personally calling in to reception. The appointment system operates both for your convenience and to aid the doctor.

You may request an appointment within 48 hours access with a member of the Primary Care Team.

Requests for urgent appointments must be made by telephoning the practice at 08:30. All urgent cases will be seen on the same day.

Patients are requested to either report to reception upon arrival or use the self check-in system.

Practice Nurses

In a number of cases it might be worth considering an appointment with a practice nurse rather than a doctor. Practice nurses are qualified to deal with many ailments and you may be seen more quickly. They are available daily 09:00 - 12:30 and 14:00 - 16:30, usually after referral by the doctor.  We operate an appointment system for a Wednesday morning as there is only one nurse on duty.

Telephone Advice

If you wish to speak to the doctor please phone outside surgery times. The best times are 12:00 - 12:30 or at 15:00. If the doctor is unavailable we will take a contact number and ask him/her to call you back at a more convenient time.  Please leave us your up-to-date landline or mobile number.

Code of Practice for Videotaping Consultations

On occasions there will be video recording of patients’ consultations.  A recording will not be undertaken without a patient’s consent.

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.

Home Visits

Whilst we encourage our patients to come to the surgery, where we have the proper equipment and facilities available, we do appreciate this is not always possible. In this respect, if you do need a home visit, you can help us by calling reception before 10:00.

You may only request a home visit if you are housebound or are too ill to visit the practice. Your GP 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 the doctor to schedule house calls

You can also 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.

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.  It is not necessary to get a fit note for return to work.

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

Telephone System

When you reach Castlederg Group Surgery on 816 71211 you will be answered by the auto-attendant.  For repeat prescriptions between 09:00 - 12:00 for collection after 13:00 the following day press1.  For appointments, home visits, acute prescriptions and other enquiries press 2.  For results between 14:00 - 16:00 press 3 and if your call is a medical emergency press 4. 

If you do not have a touch tone phone hold the line and a receptionist will deal with your enquiry.