Can another Healthcare Professional help?
Do you need to see the GP?
Sometimes the GP is not the most appropriate Healthcare Professional to deal with your ailment. Please see the information on see a Doctor or Healthcare Professional, which might help you decide whether a GP appointment is truly necessary or whether it might be better for you to see a Pharmacist, Optician, Dentist or other Healthcare Professional. You can even self-refer for some services without seeing your GP.
Your local pharmacy can offer expert advice and treatment on a number of ailments such as simple urine infections, diarrhoea, sore throats, coughs, colds, hay fever, etc. For more information and a full list of ailments please visit the NHS Inform website and search for ‘Pharmacy First’ https://www.nhsinform.scot/care-support-and-rights/nhs-services/pharmacy/nhs-pharmacy-first-scotland
For real life-threatening emergencies such as those below – RING 999
- Chest pain (suspected heart attack)
- Suspected stroke
- Suspected meningitis
- Anaphylactic shock (severe allergy)
- Heavy bleeding or deep lacerations
- Fluctuating levels of consciousness or completely unconscious
- Difficulty breathing or stopped breathing with a change in colour
- New seizure, fit or uncontrollable shaking
For immediately serious conditions such as the following, GO TO Emergency Department (A&E) IMMEDIATELY
- A fever and lethargic (drowsy) child
- A feverish and floppy (unresponsive) infant
- Difficulty breathing
- Sudden, severe abdominal pain
- Accidental or intentional overdose of medication
- Trauma (including falls) and possible broken bones or road traffic accident
Patients who have a problem outwith the surgery opening hours that can’t wait until the surgery reopens should contact NHS24 by dialling 111.
Your appointment at the Practice
Patients can choose whether they would prefer to have a telephone or face to face appointment when booking routine or follow-up appointments. If you request a telephone appointment the Patient Care Administrator will advise you that you will receive the call either in the morning or afternoon. Unfortunately we cannot give exact times. If you choose to have a face to face consultation you will be given a specific time to attend the Surgery.
Requests for advice on urgent issues that need to be dealt with on the day will usually be booked as a telephone consultation. However, if after speaking to you the GP feels you need to be examined they will book you in to a face to face appointment. Depending on urgency, the face to face appointment will be on the same day or within a few days of your initial telephone appointment. We have a limited number of on the day appointments available for urgent issues. The GPs therefore triage these requests and if the issue can wait until the next routine appointment one of our Patient Care Administrators will contact you to arrange an appointment.
- You may choose to speak to any of the doctors or the practice nurse, subject to their availability
- Every effort will be made to accommodate you on your preferred day and your preferred doctor but as you are aware this is not always possible
- If you need to see a doctor urgently, make this clear to reception and you will be given an emergency telephone appointment with any available doctor
- If you feel that you no longer need your appointment, please phone to cancel as soon as possible, so that the time can be offered to someone else
- If you have more than one problem to discuss, please tell the doctor this at the start of your appointment so that the most important problem can be dealt with first. If it is not possible to deal with several complex problems during a single consultation you may be asked to make a further appointment(s) to deal with less pressing issues.
Please help us
If you are not able to attend your appointment please let us know in time so that the time can be used for someone else. If you are late for an appointment you may be asked to re-book.
Consulting Times
- Consultations with doctors are available by appointment between 8:30am and 5:30pm, Monday to Friday.
- Early morning and late evening appointments are available by appointment
Additional information
If you have a suspected infectious disease
Please inform reception if you suspect an infectious disease, as this will enable us to deal with it appropriately during your visit to protect you, other patients and staff.
Giving Consent for Treatment
You have the right to accept or refuse treatment that is offered to you, and not to be given any physical examination or treatment unless you have given valid consent. If you do not have the capacity to do so, consent must be obtained from a person legally able to act on your behalf, or the treatment must be in your best interests.
Your valid consent (agreement to the course of action) is needed for the treatment that’s offered to you before any physical examinations or treatment can be given. If you haven’t given your consent, you can accept or refuse treatment that’s offered to you.
It’s important to be involved in decisions about your treatment and to be given information to help you choose the right treatment. When making treatment choices, you’ll often discuss the options with your doctor or another healthcare professional.