The Medical Centre & The Old Bakery

Consult A Doctor/Nurse by Phone?

We offer a number of pre-bookable telephone appointments each day when patients can speak to a doctor or nurse. These appointments can be used to discuss test results or when patients require advice or reassurance on medical problems. All the doctors are happy to give telephone advice providing they are not actually consulting when you ring. If you need to speak to a doctor or another member of the primary care health team please ask the receptionist to put you through to the appropriate person or to suggest a time to call back. The receptionist will assist whenever possible by passing queries or messages to or from your doctor.

The Medical Centre, Greggs Wood Road
Tel 01892 541444

The Old Bakery, Speldhurst
Tel 01892 863040

HOW DO I...
Make Appointments?

Surgeries are always by appointment. The receptionists will do their best to arrange for you to see your doctor or any other member of the team at a time convenient to you, but there are one or two points we would ask you to bear in mind.

We only pre-book the first three of the doctors' appointments on any day. The remainder of the appointments are offered to patients on the day that they contact the surgery and we request that patients telephone the surgery first thing in the morning, ie from 8.00am onwards, to book an appointment for that morning or afternoon. It is possible to pre-book an appointment by arrangement with a doctor. We always aim to offer patients an appointment that same day. However, if a patient requests to see a particular doctor, then this may not be possible.

Appointments are 10 minutes long and the doctors and nurses try to keep to time as far as possible. There are occasions when an appointment can run over time so please be patient if you have to wait. To keep the surgery running as smoothly as possible please remember the following points:

1 - please arrive on time for your appointment.
2 - please let us know if you cannot keep your appointment.
3 - please don't bring other family members or friends to be seen in your slot.
4 - please don't save up six problems for one appointment.

REMEMBER: ONE APPOINTMENT IS FOR ONE PROBLEM AND ONE PERSON!

If you have several problems or need more time please tell the receptionist who will ask the doctor when it would be convenient to offer you a longer appointment.

Urgent Appointments
Urgent problems will always be seen the same day by the duty doctor. Appointments with our practice nurse are available most mornings and evenings. She is trained to deal with minor illnesses and injuries and will 'call in' a doctor if there are any complications.

HOW DO I...
Request A Home Visits?

Home visits are for patients who are too ill to attend the surgery. A doctor can see four to six patients at the surgery in the time it takes to do one home visit.
Requests for home visits should be made before 10.30am The decision as to whether a home visit is necessary is made only by the doctor. Visits are made when the patient's medical condition is such that it would be detrimental to their health to travel to the surgery.

Visits are carried out by the visiting doctor for that day, which varies from day to day as determined by the practice workload and doctors' timetables/commitments. It is not possible to request a visit from a particular doctor.


HOW DO I...
Obtain Test and X-ray Results?

The receptionists are not clinically trained to explain test results to patients. They can only pass on any information regarding your test that the doctor instructs them to tell you. The receptionists will book you a telephone consultation if you wish to discuss your results with a doctor. If you would like copies of any of your test results please provide us with a stamped addressed envelope and we will send them to you. Alternatively, speak to a receptionist and arrange to collect them from the reception desk. There will be a small charge to cover the cost of photocopying.

Please allow at least 10 working days for X-ray results to come back from the hospital and be checked. For all other routine tests allow three days and contact the surgery for the results after 11.00am. It is the responsibility of the patient to contact the surgery for their results. Please note that patient information is only given to the patient (normally aged over 16) and not to a relative, unless consent has previously been given.

HOW DO I...
Change My Details?

If you move or change your name, please inform the receptionist. If you are leaving the practice, please let us know so that we can keep our records up to date.

HOW DO I...
Obtain Repeat Prescriptions?

If you take certain medication on a regular basis, your doctor may authorise you to obtain repeat prescriptions from the surgery. Prescriptions are issued on the practice computer - this allows both us and you to have a record of all prescription items. Your prescriptions come with a tear-off section, which becomes the 'prescription request form'. This lists the names and doses of your medicines. Tick those medicines which you require and hand in or post the request to us.

Please give 48 hours' notice if at all possible to allow requests to be processed and monitored. If you post the prescription request form with a stamped, self-addressed envelope, the prescription will be posted back to you. Repeat prescriptions will generally be provided for one month at a time and issued for between three and six months before you are asked to see your doctor to re-authorise further supplies. Please make an appointment in good time so that you can be reviewed by your usual doctor. It may be possible to arrange for your prescriptions to be collected from the surgery by one of the local chemists, some of whom will also be able to deliver your medicines to you. Ask the reception staff for more details.

Some of the local pharmacists are also able to offer a service whereby they manage the repeat medication of patients whose medical condition is stable. Discuss with your doctor the possibility of being included in this scheme. It would entail your seeing a doctor or nurse for six monthly check-ups/tests.

In order to avoid potentially dangerous errors we regret that we cannot take repeat prescriptions over the telephone. Written requests are accepted by post, fax or by dropping them into the surgery.

At Speldhurst we have a dispensary for those patients who live more than a mile from a chemist. The dispensary is open from 8.30am to 12.30pm and 2.45 to 6.00pm Monday to Friday.

HOW DO I...
Obtain Sickness Certificates?

Form SC1 is available from this surgery for the unemployed, self-employed and those who require special medical treatment, eg dialysis, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and plasmapheresis.

For employees, doctors do not have to issue sick notes for the first week of sickness. For the first seven to eight days of sickness please ask your employer for a form SC2. If you require a sick note from your doctor for insurance purposes etc (or your employer), please ask the doctor for a private sick note for which a fee is payable; a receipt will be issued if requested. If you are still sick after seven days ask your doctor for a free NHS sick note.