What do I do in an emergency
If you need urgent medical advice during surgery hours, please phone the surgery on 0208 5398950 Please be prepared to give some information to the receptionist. If you need to see a doctor urgently when the surgery is closed please phone the surgery on 0208 5398950 and follow the instructions. You will be put through to PELC who provides the ‘out-of-hours’ service on behalf of Waltham Forest CCG. They will pass a message to the doctor on duty who may phone you to assess your problem. You might be asked to attend the out-of-hours clinic or receive a home visit. Alternatively, you can phone 111 offers free expert health information and advice 24 hours a day. It can advise you whether you need to go to the nearest A&E (accident and emergency) For deaf people and those hard of hearing, a telephone service is available on 0845 606 4647. If English is not your preferred language, you can choose to use a confidential translation service.., if you or someone else experiences severe chest pain, loss of blood or suspected broken bones, go to your nearest accident and emergency department or call 999.
How to make an appointment
Please call our main switchboard number on 0208 539 8950 to book an appointment. Urgent cases are seen on the day. If your condition is non-urgent, then you can book a telephone consultation with a GP. GP will call you back on the same day to discuss your clinical problem. If you don’t need a telephone appointment, you also have the option to book up to four weeks in advance if this is more convenient for you. Nurses based in our practice treat patients for a wide range of common conditions. You can book up to a month ahead for clinics – please see the ‘services and clinics’ section.
Why might it be difficult to get an appointment
The surgery is particularly busy on Mondays and Tuesdays, especially during the winter months. If your appointment is not urgent, try to book on a less busy day after 10.30am. Last month we had a high number of patients who failed to turn up for their appointments. If you let us know as soon as possible you can’t attend your appointment, we can then make it available for another patient.
It is now our policy due to the high number of wasted appointments if you repeatedly fail to attend without contacting the practice you will be removed from our practice list and you will have to find an alternative GP.
Routine appointments
If you need to book a routine follow-up appointment with a particular GP you can make an appointment up to two-four weeks in advance. Please phone after 10.30am to avoid busy times. Many routine appointments are for patients who have a long-term or chronic condition that needs monitoring on a regular basis. We will let you know when your next appointment is due with the practice nurse or doctor either by post or email. If this time is not convenient, please telephone reception to re-arrange it. It is important to continue your regular check-ups, even if you are feeling well. Routine appointments are available during normal surgery hours with the practice nurse and/or doctor. We hold regular Chronic Disease clinics for Diabetics,Hypertension,Asthma and Cronary Heart Disease . Please see the ‘services and clinics’ section for the full list.
Role of reception
Our receptionists are usually the first point of contact and are here to help you. They have a lot of information to hand and in most cases will be able to help with your enquiry, ensuring you see the most appropriate clinician. Nonetheless, it is your right to request to talk only to the doctor. Anything that is discussed with the receptionists or any other member of the team is treated in strict confidence. You have a right to be treated courteously, and our receptionists also have a right to be treated courteously by you. We can offer a degree of privacy (in a separate room) if your enquiry is sensitive. Please respect the privacy of other patients by standing well back from the reception desk until your turn.
How do I arrange a home visit
Our doctors typically see four patients at the practice in the time it takes to do a single home visit. For this reason, we ask our patients to come to the practice if at all possible. However, we can visit you at home if your condition means you cannot attend the practice Please ring the Practice before 10.00 am to arrange a visit. Please be prepared to tell the receptionist about your condition so we can visit the most urgent cases first. The doctor may wish to speak with you to see if it would be better for you to come to the surgery to be seen immediately.
Triage
The purpose of ‘triage’ is to ensure that all patients are dealt with fairly by an appropriate member of the team and to ensure that problems are dealt with urgently if necessary. Every morning we run a service for patients who request an urgent appointment. When you request such an appointment the receptionist will tell you that you will be placed on the triage list and that one of the medical team will call you back. You will be asked for your name, telephone number and a brief description of the problem. All staff adhere to strict terms of confidentiality. We will endeavour to contact you within the hour and therefore ask that you remain available for this time – if your condition deteriorates you should telephone the surgery again.
How to get travel vaccinations
For routine protection against Tetanus and Polio please make appointments with the practice nurse. We offer a full range of vaccinations for foreign travel. For all advice and information regarding foreign travel please make an appointment with the practice nurse 4-6 weeks before departure so that immunisation can be completed, or telephone the Practice Nurse between 12.00-1.00pm for further advise. Please note that not all travel vaccinations are free of charge and malaria tablets are not available on NHS, but can be brought from the Pharmacist or on a private prescription.
How to get a health checkup
Newly registered patients, those aged 75 or over who have not had a consultation in the past year and adult patients under 75 who have not had a consultation in the past three years all have the right to request a health check consultation with either a doctor or nurse at the practice. Please call reception to arrange an appointment.
