Noticeboard

Prescriptions

As of 31st March 2020, almost all prescriptions will be signed and sent electronically. We recommend that patients nominate a local pharmacy in order for us to do this. This will lead to a more efficient, faster and secure service.


Changes to repeat prescription ordering

From the 30th June 2019, West Leicestershire residents (which includes all patients registered at Greengate Medical Centre), will have to order their repeat prescriptions directly through their GP Practice and not a high street/internet pharmacy or appliance contractor. We have leaflets and posters available within the surgery for your information which should help to understand the changes, as well as provide details of what you need to do.

If you feel that you or your family member should be exempt from this, please ask at Reception for an 'Exemption Form' and the usual GP will make a decision as to whether a patient meets the criteria to have this be upheld.


Extended Access appointments

We are increasing the number of appointments available for you to see a GP in the evenings or at weekends.

Depending on your individual circumstances and symptoms, we may offer you an ‘extended access’ appointment. Please note however, that these appointments will not be in your usual GP practice and may not be with one of your usual GPs or nurses.

Depending on the reason for your appointment, and if you are in agreement, it may be suitable for you to see an Advanced Nurse Practitioner, instead of a GP.

The clinician you see will be able to access relevant sections of your medical notes and will communicate what has happened during your appointment back to your usual GP practice.

If you would like to know more please speak to a member of practice staff.


Becoming a Training Practice

We are pleased to announce that as of 2020, Greengate Medical Centre will become a ‘Training Practice’. This essentially means that we will be training an already qualified Doctor on site to become a General Practitioner. In doing so, the trainee GP will also be offering some of our patients appointments.


Online Services

We are encouraging patients to sign up to online services if they are able to. The link is available via this page on the right hand side. Having online services will allow you to get an appointment without having to call the surgery as well as giving you several other time-saving advantages. If you would like any help signing up, please contact the surgery and we will be happy to assist.


Coronavirus (COVID-19)

The NHS and Public Health England are well prepared for outbreaks of new infectious diseases. The NHS has put in place measures to ensure safety of all patients and NHS staff while also ensuring services are available to the public as normal.

The latest information on symptoms of Coronavirus infection and areas where recent travel may have resulted in high risk of exposure can be found on nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

Appointments

appointments

calendarClick here to book/cancel your appointment online

All surgeries are held by appointment which can be made using online services or by telephoning the surgery.

Making and Cancelling Appointments

We would like patients to be seen by the doctor with whom they are registered if at all possible. This is to ensure that the GP with whom you consult is familiar with your medical history. If your doctor is absent, you may consult with any of the other doctors in the practice.

If you would prefer to see a particular GP we will try to accommodate your wishes within the medical resources available at any given time.

If you would like to be able to book GP appointments on-line, please ask at reception.

One Appointment One Problem

Appointments are only 10 minutes long, and in order to investigate your problem fully, we ask that you prioritise your medical conditions and present your most important symptoms.

Every effort is made to see patients with urgent problems on the same day, and spaces are reserved each day for this purpose. Please note however that, if you are being seen on this basis, you may need to wait to be seen between patients who have booked appointments.

Appointments are always bookable up to 6 weeks in advance. Appointments are released at 8:00am and 12 noon daily for patients who urgently need to be seen by a GP.

If you cannot keep an appointment, please contact the surgery as soon as possible in order that we may offer the appointment to another patient.

We are especially busy before and after public holidays. To help us, please ensure you order any medication in advance of such periods.

no show

More than 15 million general practice appointments are being wasted each year because patients do not turn up and fail to warn surgeries that they will not be attending.

There are around 307 million sessions scheduled with GPs, nurses, therapists and other practice staff every year and 5% – one in twenty – are missed without enough notice to invite other patients. That works out as around 15.4 million missed slots.

Of these, around 7.2million are with busy family doctors, which adds up to more than 1.2 million GP hours wasted each year – the equivalent of over 600 GPs working full time for a year.

Each appointment costs an average of £30, putting the total cost to the NHS at more than £216million pounds on top of the disruption for staff and fellow patients that would pay for:

  • The annual salary of 2,325 full time GPs
  • 224, 640 cataract operations
  • 58,320 hip replacement operations
  • 216,000 drug treatment courses for Alzheimer’s
  • The annual salary of 8, 424 full time community nurses

Patients can do their bit by letting the surgery know if they cannot attend an appointment.

TEXT MESSAGING FACILITY

We now offer a free text messaging facility where a text message will automatically be sent to your mobile phone 24 hours in advance of your appointment, as a reminder to you. If you would like to receive these text messages, please contact the surgery.

 
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