GP, nurse, phlebotomy, chiropody appointments - line open between 8:00 am and 5:30pm - closed over lunchtime between 12:30pm and 2:00pm
On The Day AppointmentsThese appointments are for new ailments that can not be dealt with by the Chemist, NHS Direct or Minor Injuries at Cromer Hospital.
| Minor Illness Appointment (15 mins) Duty Doctor Telephone Appt (5 mins) |
Pre-Bookable Appointments
These appointments can now be booked up to 4 weeks in advance.
Telephone Appointment (5 mins)
Nurse Appointments (5-20 mins)
“I only want to make an appointment – so why all the questions?”
Patients who regularly visit Sheringham Medical Practice are likely to be familiar with the process of booking an appointment and the fact that the receptionist will typically ask a number of questions prior to giving them an appointment.
However, even though this is a practice that has been followed at Sheringham for the last few years, we are aware that many patients still wonder why they are asked what some may consider to be intrusive questions when they call to book an appointment.We realise that some patients do not like providing any medical information to non-clinical personnel.
As such, we thought it would be a good idea to explain why we take this approach and the benefits it can offer to you the patient.
Certain Types of Appointments are only Suitable for Certain Ailments
In order to ensure that patients are provided with an appointment that meets their requirements in terms of both timing and clinical need, there are a few things we ideally need to know, in order to give you the patient the widest number of appointment options. The questions you will typically be asked are:· Is it an ongoing problem or something new?
· Is the problem suitable for a minor illness appointment?· Is it much worse today?
If you have an ongoing problem that you have consulted the doctor with previously, then in the interests of continuity of care, we try to enable you to see the same doctor. Sometimes this may not be possible if you need to be seen on the same day or if your doctor is on holiday.
If you feel it is clinically necessary for you to be seen “On the Day”, you may be offered a number of options. We have Duty Doctor Telephone Triage Appointments and Minor Illness Appointments and sometimes there are routine telephone appointments available too.
However, to offer you a Minor Illness Appointment we will need to know what the problem is in order to ensure that this is going to be suitable for you.
Enabling Patient “Access"
The reason we offer different types of appointments is to enable patients to access the services that are most suited to their requirements at the time they need to be seen, all in the most efficient manner possible! This can be a complex situation with some 10,000 patients on our list and approximately 1,800 temporary residents during a busy summer season. Our approach is intended to try and cater for patient needs by extending the availability of “Pre-Bookable” appointments to up to 4 weeks in advance, and also by offering options in the type of appointments available. In this way, patients can be matched to the first available appointment that is suitable for the ailment with which they are presenting. However, the underlying message that goes with this approach is that certain types of appointments are only suitable for a certain types of ailment.Therefore, we need to know a little bit about what is wrong, in order to give you the right appoinment.
What Are The Differences To Me?
Ø You can now book an appointment up to four weeks in advance or with 48 hours notice.
Ø You are able to see a Minor Illness Nurse on the same day or if you have an ongoing problem you can speak to the Duty Doctor who may ask you to come to the surgery.
I’d Rather Not Say
Some patients find that being asked about their condition is intrusive and may consider it to be inappropriate. If you do not wish to disclose any information about your medical condition, you are absolutely entitled not to do so. However, you must appreciate that this means that certain types of appointment cannot be offered to you. Regardless of the circumstances however, we will make every effort to see you on the day if medically necessary or at an alternative time that is consistent with your medical requirements and hopefully convenient for you too. Whatever the case, please remember that the receptionist asking you questions is only trying to do their job to the best of their ability and to find you the appointment that is right for you in the least possible amount of time.
Minor Illness Clinic Explained Many of our patients have benefited in the last couple of years from the existence of our Minor Illness clinic.This is a nurse led clinic for acute Minor Illnesses that helps us expand our “On the Day” appointments capacity.
As the nurses cannot deal with the full range of conditions, it is important that we know what the problem seems to be, to ensure it is suitable for the clinic. The list below covers all symptoms and ailments you can make an appointment for the Minor Illness Clinic :
Upper Respiratory Tract -
- Sore throat
- swollen glands
- mumps
- earache
- colds and “Flu” symptoms
- Sinusitis, cough, acute asthma
- fever
- hayfever
- nosebleeds (epistaxis)
Eyes -
- Sore eyes
- styes
Skin & Mouth -
- Rashes
- acute itchy rashes
- a rash on a mildly febrile patient
- purple rashes
- other rashes
- warts & veruccae
- molluscum contagiosum
- boils
- infected wounds/cellulitis
- ingrowing toenail
- head lice
- moles
- insect bites and stings
- sunburn
- mouth problems
Abdomen -
- Diarrhoea & vomitting,
- urinary tract infection/cystitis,
- threadworms,
- balantis (sore penis)
Women’s Health –
- Vaginal discharge
missed pills
intermenstrual bleeding, emergency contraception (EC)
Injuries –
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Head injuries
-
bites
Unfortunately under 2's and preganant ladies cannot be seen in the minor illness clinic.
What if there are no appointments left and I need to be seen?If there are no routine appointments or minor illness appointments left on the day and you feel it something that can not wait, you will be offered a telephone appointment with our Duty Doctor for the day.
The Doctor will then telephone you that day to discuss your condition with you and, if they deem it medically necessary for you to be seen that day, the Duty Doctor will arrange an appointment for you to be seen.
But I prefer to be seen by another GP
If you normally ask to be seen by a different Doctor than your registered GP, (for example Dr Becker or Dr Birt), and are happy for them to continue with your care, please let us know and we will change them to your preferred GP.
Key Messages
Ø Certain types of appointments are only suitable for certain ailments
Ø The more options we have to offer you in booking an appointment, the quicker you are likely to be seen
Ø You do not have to provide any medical information but this may limit your options in terms of the type of appointment you are offered.
Ø We do not wish to be obtrusive or offend anyone, we are only trying to help!
When & How Do I Request A Sick Certificate?
It is not always necessary for you to make an appointment with a GP in order to receive a Medical Certificate.
If you are off work through illness for up to 7 days you need to complete a Self Certification Form which is available from your employer.
If you are self employed you need to complete a SC1 Form available from the post office.
Both of these forms should cover you for the first 7 days of a sickness.
After 7 days you will need to obtain a medical sickness certificate from a GP.
If you have already seen the GP during this particular period of sickness, please call the GP’s Secretary who may be able to request a medical certificate on your behalf.
If you have not been seen by the GP you must make an appointment to obtain your first medical certificate, any subsequent medical certificates can be obtained via the GP’s Secretary as above.
Do You Really Need To See A GP?
NHS Direct Helpline. 0845 46 47.
Call the helpline any time of the day or night. NHS Nurses will use their skills and experience together with a comprehensive computer system, to advise you on the most appropriate course of action to take.
With the right advice and information, lots of non-serious health problems can be treated at home or following a visit to your local pharmacist. If the problem is more serious, you may need to see your doctor or go to hospital. Whatever the problem, the NHS Direct Nurse will listen to the symptoms you describe and advise you what to do for the best. If your problem is serious they will connect you to the ambulance service.
Pharmacist
Did you know that your local Chemist can help with advice on many minor ailments including coughs, colds and flu, sun burn, verrucca, head lice and haemorrhoids?
There are a wide variety of creams, lotions and medication that you do not need a prescription for and can purchase over the counter. You may find it’s also cheaper than the price of a prescription which is currently £6.65.
Most Chemists also provide Cholesterol tests, Diabetes Tests, Pregnancy Tests, Blood Pressure Tests, Food Intolerance Tests, Smoking Cessation Advice, Emergency Contraception (Morning After Pill) many of them being free of charge.
Out Of Hours GP. 01603 488488
So the surgery has closed for the day or it’s a weekend but you know your symptoms aren’t worthy of a visit to the hospital, how do you contact a GP?
Medicom is the out of hours service used to contact the on-call GP’s. This is a service run by East Anglian Ambulance Trust. For North Norfolk the GP’s are based at the North Walsham Cottage Hospital. The out of hours GP will call you back to discuss your symptoms and decide what the next course of action is. Any contact you have with the Out of Hours GP is recorded and sent to the surgery for your own GP to see and add to your records the next day.
Cromer Hospital Minor Injuries Unit
We have a hospital just 3 miles along the coast at Cromer which provides a limited accident and emergency service which is open from 8:00am to 10:00pm every day of the year.
If you have had an accident and cut yourself, or think you may have broken a bone, skin burns, head injury without loss of consciousness, have something in your eye or eye abrasion, the minor injuries unit will be able to see you on the day.
The hospital is not able to see children under the age of 2.
Emergency Services. 999
When it comes to your health or the health of someone in your family, it is often very obvious if the person is seriously ill and needs immediate emergency care.An emergency is a critical or life-threatening situation.
To help you decide what a critical situation is; here are some examples:
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Unconsciousness
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A suspected stroke
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Heavy blood loss
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Suspected broken bones
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A deep wound such as a stab wound
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A suspected heart attack
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Difficulty in breathing
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Severe Burns
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A severe allergic reaction.