North Harris Medical Practice

North Harris Medical Practice Practice Leaflet
Updated March 2010
Dr Angus McKellar
Dr Antony Latham
Dr Kirsty McKellar
The Surgery Tarbert Isle of Harris HS33BG Telephone: 01859 502421 Fax: 01859 502010 Repeat Prescriptions: 01859 502782 (8am-1pm) WELCOME
Welcome to the practicel We aim to provide the best possible health care and we
, hope this leaflet helps you with the services we offer. If there is anything not
covered here, please ask us.
HOW TO SEE THE GP
Surgeries are by appointment only, and can be made by calling in or phoning 502421.
Urgent cases will be seen the same day, otherwise you will be offered the first available
appointment.
Appointment slots for GPs are 10 minutes, but if you wish to make a longer
appointment please tell the receptionist when you book. On any particular
day, one GP runs the appointment clinic and the other is 'on duty' for
emergencies, house visits and telephone calls (see below). Friday afternoon
clinics are reserved for urgent cases or patients who cannot come at other times. If you
want to see a particular GP just ask when you make your appOintment.
Patients should register at the reception desk on arrival. Sometimes surgeries will run
late due to the unpredictability of individual patient problems. Whenever possible,
reception staff will inform patients when there is likely to be a long delay. Please arrive
for your appointment on time, and always let us know in advance if you plan to cancel
your appointment.
DOCTORS AND PRACTICE NURSES APPOINTMENTS
DAY
MONDAY
TUESDAY
GP
APPOINTMENT
CLINIC
NURSE
APPOINTMENT
CLINIC
OFFICE
OPENING
HOURS
9.00-1.00
10.00-1.00
8.00-5.00
9.30-11.30
DIABETIC CLINIC
10.00-12.00
2.00-4.30
BP CLINIC
10.00-12.00
8.00-6.00
5.00-6.40
ASTHMA CLINIC
2.30-4.30
4.30-5.30
WEDNESDAY
9.30-12.00
10.00-1.00
8.00-5.00
THURSDAY
9.30-11.30
9.30-11.30
8.00-2.00
FRIDAY
Emergencyonly
10.00-1.00
4.00-4.30
10.00-1.00
8.00-5.00
SEEING THE GP AFTER THE ROUTINE CLINIC HAS FINISHED
Patients requiring an urgent consultation out with regular clinic hours should ask the receptionist,
who will arrange a suitable time to see the GP. In order to prioritise the urgent calls, patients may
be asked by the receptionist to give some details of the nature of the emergency.
OUT OF HOURS EMERGENCIES
TEL: 502421
The office is closed between 5 pm and 8 am during the week, and between 6 pm Friday and 8
am on Monday morning. If you require urgent medical attention during these hours, please phone
the surgery on 502421. You will be connected through to NHS 24 who will handle your call and
arrange for you to see one of the GPs if necessary. The on call GPs all stay in Harris and are
available immediately to attend to medical emergencies.
The office is also closed on Thursdays after 2.00 pm. If you require urgent medical attention on a
Thursday afternoon telephone 502421 and a recorded message will tell you how to get in touch
with the on call GP. Normally the Leverburgh practice take our Thursday afternoon calls.
Patients who are not housebound will be seen out of hours at the Tarbert Clinic, where full
medical treatment facilities are available.
If you know someone who has difficulty using a telephone, or dialling the surgery number, then
please let us know. We would encourage all such patients to have the Faire phone system
installed - one touch of a button will make contact with the operator - full details are available in a
leaflet at the surgery.
If at any time you have a medical emergency that needs urgent medical attention then either
phone the surgery number and ask NHS 24 to send help urgently, or dial 999.
HOME VISrnNG SERVICE
If you, or a relative, require a home visit please telephone before 10am to
arrange it, as the GPs do their home visiting in the mornings.
The home visiting service is reserved for genuinely housebound patients. The practice keeps a
register of housebound patients and has a follow up system to keep housebound patients under
review. However, if you know of someone who you think is overdue a visit from _ -__
the GP or nurse please let us know.
On Thursdays only one GP is available, covering both the routine appointment
clinic and urgent house calls. Patients requiring a house visit on Thursday
mornings at the same time as the GP is running the clinic may have to wait for a
few hours before a visit is possible, or the GP may have to ask the ambulance to '----~---'
attend.
When I am ill, should I ask for a home visit?
Patients who are normally mobile but have acute illness are normally best assessed and treated
in the surgery premises. The GPs have invested heavily in state of the art medical equipment,
and maintain a full drug dispensary. This means that most patients can now be fully investigated
and then supplied with treatment straight away.
PRACTICE NURSES and CHRONIC DISEASE MANAGEMENT CLINICS
~
.
Our practice nurse is Justin Busbridge who is covering for our full time nurse ) .~.
Chrisalda Morrison whilst she is on maternity leave, he works in the treatment room. ~
•... ~
Typical matters the nurses deal with include immunisation, holiday vaccinations, blood ,.. \. .) ...
tests, dressings and advice on health related matters slJch as weight reduction, ...'
smoking cessation etc.
.
\
Justin is full time (covering for Chrisalda) and runs the asthma, blood pressure, childhood
immunisations and COPD (chronic bronchitis) clinics. Justin also runs the diabetic and cardiac
clinics. All the above clinics are run with GP supervision.
The Nurses are available for consultation by appointment and are also available for telephone
advice, including giving the results of laboratory tests, between 2.15 - 2.30 pm on Mondays,
Wednesdays and Fridays.
CERVICAL SMEARS
These are carried out by Dr Kirsty on Wednesday afternoons. We operate a call and recall
system for cervical smears and all our female patients between the age of 20 and 60 are sent
regular follow-up appointments to attend for this investigation. They will receive written
notification of the result, usually within 4 weeks of the test. If you have not had a smear within the
last 3 years please ask for an appointment.
ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF
Janet May is our office manager, and is one of the practice complaints officers (see below) She
will be happy to hear your comments - both good and bad. She also does the administration
work for our Learning Disability Nursing service, along with reception and secretarial duties.
Kathleen Macleod is our practice administrator. She handles the practice accounts and
bookkeeping, as well as working in the office and dispensary.
Erica Macrae is our dispenser who works Monday- Wednesday with Marie working in
dispensary Thursday and Friday
Marie MacAskili carries out reception and secretarial duties, Marie also helps in dispensary
and deputises when Erica is away.
AMBULANCES
The patient non-emergency transport telephone number is 01463 667566. The opening hours
are 9.00 am-4.30 pm. Please give them at least 48 hours notice.
Patients attending mainland hospitals who require transport to Stornoway airport
should contact the above number so that arrangements can be made. They will
be met at the mainland airport and taken to the hospital they are attending.
Patients who do not require transport to Stornoway e.g. (flights only) should
contact the Western Isles Health Board Travel Office on 01851 708021. In
these instances they will be responsible for their own transport from the
mainland airport. All receipts should be kept and a claim form stamped by the hospital.
Transport is not available to take you to routine doctor/practice nurse appointments, but can be
arranged for appointments at the surgery for podiatry, physiotherapy, dietetic and surgical
clinics as these are extensions of hospital out-patient appointments.
MEDICAL RECORDS
Patients can request access to their own medical records, although the records may not be
removed from the practice premises. If a copy of the medical record, or a printout of the
computer record is required, a charge is made to cover costs incurred. Access to medical
records for people outside the health care team is only given with the patient's written
permission.
TELEPHONE ADVICE
If you need telephone advice from the GP please phone between 2.15 - 2.30 pm on Mondays,
Wednesdays and Fridays. The 'on duty' GP is normally available then. Otherwise, phone in the
morning and leave your number, and the nature of the enquiry (unless it is embarrassing or
personal) so that the 'on duty' GP can call you back sometime in the day when he/she is free. If
you wish to speak to the GP who is not on duty, leave a message with the receptionist. These
calls will take longer to respond to.
TEST RESULTS
The practice nurses can give you the results of your tests over the telephone. Please phone
them between 2.15 - 2.30 pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Please note that we will
make contact with you if a test result is abnormal.
SOCIAL WORK
Ann Murray is the Social Worker from the Community Care Team for adults and children with
special needs who works closely with the Practice Team. She can assess people for services
such as home care, day care, respite care or residential care, and she is also available to give
advice and information about other social work services. She is based in the council offices in
the old school hostel in Tarbert, telephone number (01859) 502367.
HEALTH VISITORIFAMIL Y HEALTH NURSE The Health Visitor/Family Health Nurse, Susan Macvicar, will work with
individuals/families e.g. a home visit to a new born baby and mother/parent and
child development assessment.
Issues which involve public health and
community development, such as influencing policy making decisions and
working with groups such as parenting classes or post natal groups and all other
health promotion issues, are an important part of the role of the Health Visitor.
The Health Visitor contact number is as follows: 07769932144.
REPEAT PRESCRIP1"IONS
Repeat prescriptions should be ordered by telephoning the REPEAT
PRESCRIPTION LINE 01859 502782 between 8.00 am and 1.00 pm each day.
Prescriptions will be ready for collection the following day.
Patients on less common treatments are normally asked to give a week's
notice. Requests can be taken by telephone, or at the desk. Even if you plan to
see the GP at the same time as collecting your repeat prescription, please still remember to
give at least 24 hours notice to process your request.
CAR PARKING AND DISABLED PARKING
Car parking is available opposite the surgery, on the other side of the road and there is limited
parking directly in front of the surgery. Please do not stop your car on the main road outside
the surgery - it makes it dangerous for patients crossing the road and for those cars driving
into the surgery car park. There is a disabled parking space near the surgery door, on the
right. Please keep this free for patients who need to use it.
OTHER DISABLED FACILITIES
There are disabled toilet facilities in the building, and a wheelchair is available to
use for transfer from car to consulting rooms. All the treatment and consultation
rooms have disabled access.
MEDICAL STUDENTS
Students join us for short periods to learn about general practice, and may want to take part in
the consultation with you. We will always ask you beforehand if this is OK. If you would rather
not have the medical student present, simply tell us - please feel free to do this.
NON NHS EXAMINATIONS
Medical examinations for special purposes (e.g. pre-employment, HGV medicals) are usually
done outside of normal consulting hours. A fee is payable which, as a service to our patients,
we try to keep at no more than half that recommended by the British Medical Association.
DATA PROTECTION INFORMATION
We have been advised to make patients aware of how information about them is used, and
who might see it. Here is a summary:
Using information about patients for care and treatment
•
Notes are made in written and computerised records in the course of providing treatment.
•
In medical emergencies, relevant information about the patient will be given to e.g. the
ambulance crew
•
Relevant information about patients will be given to other health professionals as required
e.g. To hospital consultants during referral, to our social worker when discussing a home
care need for a housebound patient.
• We will use information about patients when auditing our care of patients against na­
tional standards (e.g. we might make a list of all our patients on Blood Pressure treatment
and check through the notes to make sure that we are treating everyone to the highest
standard possible)
Using information about patients for administration purposes
•
Processing data to claim payments. We are required to give the health board lists of pa­
tients who have received certain types of treatment in order to receive payment, for ex­
ample immunisations.
•
Administrative audit. The NHS may ask us to study the way we deal with some patient
related task (e.g. how many ambulance cars we book per year) which may involve look­
ing at names of patients.
Using information about patients for research and teaching
•
We are obliged by law to give details to the health board of patients who have certain dis­
eases (e.g. mumps and measles) The health board may also ask for information about
patients with certain diseases that is not required by law but is helpful to them in planning
health care
•
Clinical trials can take place, which would involve asking permission from patients before­
hand
•
Teaching can take place in the practice, or in hospital, which can involve somebody else
(e.g. a medical student) knowing information about a patient
Using information about patients for non-health purposes
•
There are exceptional circumstances in which information could be passed to the police,
and information could also be disclosed under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998.
•
Information may be passed to a hospital chaplain, or to a minister whose church member
is in hospital.
In the event of e.g. a major accident, media involvement could occur. Any information
•
would normally be given via the health board press officer, and would take account of
medical confidentiality rules.
The data protection information above is only a guide. Patients should be aware that they can
question us at any time about the use of information about them. We have been advised by
the Scottish Executive that the above listed uses of information about patients are necessary
in order to enable medical services to be provided. We are assured that safeguards are in
place in order to prevent misuse of information. Patients who think that information about them
may be or has been misused can complain either via the practice complaints process or to the
health board
FAMILY PLANNING
The GPs provide a full range of family planning services during their appointment clinics.
Condoms are also available from the dispensary free of charge.
CONFIDENTIALITY
GPs and all practice staff are bound by strict rules concerning confidentiality. No information,
however trivial, will be passed on to a third party without permission, usually in writing, from
the patient concerned. The strict rules mean that e.g. if the wife of a patient phones us for a
test result for her husband, we can't tell her unless her husband has given us his permission.
This includes data concerning addresses, phone numbers, appointments etc. However, please
see the information on data protection above for an explanation of how information about
patients might be used.
REGISTERING AS A PA,.IENT
If you are staying in the practice area for 3 months or less and need medical care from the
GPs or Practice Nurses you should sign on as a 'Temporary Resident'. Simply phone the
surgery to make your appointment and arrive 10 minutes early to allow time to fill in the
relevant form.
If you are staying in the practice area longer than 3 months you should sign on as a patient,
and will be given a simple form to fill in. All new patients are offered a full 'New Patient
Medical'
VIOLENCE OR VERBAL ABUSE TOWARDS STAFF
Physical or verbal abuse of any staff member will be treated very seriously and may result in
the police being informed and the patient being removed from the practice list.
COMPLAINTS OR SUGGESTIONS
We aim to provide a high quality service and are very interested in hearing how our systems
could be improved. We now undertake an annual survey of a random sample of over 100
patients and ask them for their comments. The results of this survey are discussed with our
full staff team and also with our patient focus group (which has members from each area of the
practice)
You are also welcome to send us a note with any suggestions on it.
Furthermore if you are unhappy with any aspect of our service please contact either Dr Angus
McKellar or Janet May (office manager) who will be happy to listen to your complaint and
initiate appropriate action. Leaflets detailing our complaints procedure are available in the
waiting room area.
PATIENTS' RESPONSIBILITIES AND RIGHTS •
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You should share in the responsibility for your own heath
You are entitled to information and practical help towards healthier living and you are
entitled to expect the staff of the NHS to set a good example
You are entitled to the highest standards of care possible for yourself, your family and
friends and to be treated as a person, not a case
You are entitled, if you want, to accurate relevant and understandable explanations of
your problems and your options for treatment and if you wish, a second opinion
You are entitled to be involved so far as is practical in making decisions about your own
care and wherever possible given choices
You are entitled to know more about the standards of the hospital, community or other
health services you are using
You are entitled to expect close links between different aspects of health care
You are entitled to expect all NHS staff to ask themselves on each occasion "how
would I want to be treated if I were that person in that situation?"
You are entitled to access, with safeguards, to information held about you by the NHS;
and to be sure that this information will be kept confidential
You are entitled to know how long you are likely to have to wait for an out-patient ap­
pointment
You are entitled to know how long you may have to wait to be seen at an out-patient
clinic
You are entitled to expect that any comment you may have will be taken seriously and
that any complaints will be treated fairly and quickly
You are entitled to readily available information about how to complain and to help and
advice
You are entitled to clear information about the specific services offered by each GP
practice and the facilities available
You are entitled to improved information about NHS services
You have a responsibility to keep appointments or to contact the practice in sufficient
time for the appointment to be reallocated. Patients who fail to keep appointments
waste valuable time that other patients could use. Patients who consistently fail to
keep appointments may be removed from the practice's list of patients.