Our practice operates a 'Personal List' system. This means that we hope you and your family will usually be able to see the same doctor.
For routine matters, we shall try and offer you an appointment with your doctor within two working days. If your doctor is away, we shall offer you the choice of waiting for their return, or seeing the 'duty doctor' before then.
We offer more urgent medical advice where necessary. Your own doctor will provide this whenever possible, but otherwise it will be provided by the 'duty doctor'.
We hope that you will be seen at your booked appointment time or soon after, but sometimes emergencies occur and medical problems can take longer than expected. Please tell us if you think your appointment should be longer than usual.
Changesto your doctor's working week
From July 2007 the doctors at this practicestarted working 4 days per week, andcompleted a successful trial of 3 months.
This is the day that your doctor will not be in surgery:
- Nick Cheales - Tuesday
- Sissy Frank - Tuesday
- Karen Potterton - Wednesday
- John Burke - Wednesday
- David Whillier - Thursday
- Vanessa Whillier - Thursday
Please be assured that the level of patient care will stay the same.
Early morning and evening surgeries
For a trial period we will be having one doctor offering appointments on Monday and Friday mornings 7-8 AM, and Monday and Friday evenings 6.30 – 8.30 PM, this is because of a government initiative to help those patients who would otherwise find it difficult to make an appointment during regular surgery hours without it interfering with their work. The out of hours On Call Care will continue and patients will still only be able to contact the practice directly between 8AM – 6.30 PM.
We expect these appointments to be used mainly for non-urgent problems and follow-up reasons, and we hope that patients will still wait to see their own doctor unless their problem is more urgent or if the next available appointment with their doctor is inconvenient for them. The doors will be locked during these extended hours but will be opened for those patients who have booked appointments already. Please note that this is NOT a walk- in service, so all these appointments need to be booked in advance.
GP REGISTRARS
For over 35 years this practice has been approved to provide special training for these fully qualified doctors, who are attached to the practice for between two to twelve months.
If your doctor is currently supervising one of these doctors, we may offer you an appointment with his or her GP Registrar instead. This doctor will be fully supported by your doctor or one of the other permanent doctors.
Sometimes you will be asked for your permission to video record your consultation for training purposes. You may also withdraw your consent after you have seen the doctor.
Medical and other clinical students also gain experience in our practice in a more supervised way.
Videoing of consultations
Video Recordings have been used for many years in the final training of young GPs – they are all qualified doctors – in particular to help to develop and enhance skilful communication when patients consult them. In the last ten years these doctors have been required to submit videotape evidence of their competence in this regard – their ability to work as independent GPs depends achieving a satisfactory standard as assessed by trained senior GP assessors.
The areas covered in the assessment include:
- Gaining an understanding of the patient's ideas and concerns
- Deciding what the problem is by questions & examination
- Helping the patient understand what the doctor considers is wrong & what can be done
- Deciding an appropriate course of action, involving the patient in choices where possible
The GP registrars may have to record many consultations before their skills have developed enough to find a selection that will demonstrate the specific skills assessed.
We wish to reassure our patients that they will always be asked to give written permission for a consultation to be recorded – and to provide written confirmation of this after the consultation
We try to make the video camera as unobtrusive as possible, but it is likely that the GP Registrar is more nervous and embarrassed by the procedure than you!
Any medical examination involving removal of indoor clothing will be conducted "off-camera" – either with the lens cap on or behind curtains
Confidentiality: if you give consent both before & after your consultation, we can assure you that the recording will only be viewed by GPs, and that it will be erased within 12 months of consultations
MONDAYS
Because Mondays are always the busiest day, we ask you to book on other days of the week if at all possible - particularly if you are returning at the doctor's request.