Can another health professional help?
Sometimes a GP may not be the most appropriate healthcare professional to deal with your ailment. Other professionals such as pharmacists, opticians and dentists may be better placed to help.
First Contact Physiotherapy Self Referral – NHS Tayside (scot.nhs.uk)
Appointments
To request an appointment :
- phone us on during opening hours
- routine – call anytime during opening hours, for an allocated GP phone, or face to face consultation for a future date
- urgent – you only need to call at 8am to book an urgent appointment on the day.
When you get in touch, we’ll ask what you need help with.
Our receptionist will ask you questions regarding your symptoms. They will take details of your symptoms to support the GPs preparation for your consultation.This is also to ensure you are booked in with the most appropriate person, and to allow the clinicians to prioritise their calls.
Telephone consultations
We provide telephone consultations either early morning, early afternoon and late evening.
If following a telephone consultation, the GP feels you require an appointment in person, the GP will issue you with an appointment to attend the practice.
Follow up appointments
If the GP/ANP(Advanced Nurse Practitioner) asks you to make a follow up appointment either in person or by letter you can contact reception and they will book you in for a GP/ANP(Advanced Nurse Practitioner) face to face appointment or book you for a telephone consultation based on what has been requested.
Cancelling or changing an appointment
If you are unable to keep your appointment to see the Doctor or the Practice Nurse, please let us know as soon as possible as this can be used as an appointment for another patient.
How to cancel your appointment:
- phone us during opening hours
- If you are late for an appointment you may be asked to re-book.
If you need help when we are closed
The 111 service provides urgent care information and support if you think you need A&E but its not life-threatening, and advice when your GP, pharmacy or dental practice is closed.
Call 999 in a medical or mental health emergency. This is when someone is seriously ill or injured and their life is at risk.
Home visits
Home visits are reserved for housebound patients or those who are too unwell to attend an appointment at the practice, if you have poor mobility due to age, illness or disability and you require a home visit please try and phone the surgery between 8:00am and 11:00am as visits are usually carried out after morning surgery 11:30am to 1:30pm.
Requests for home visits made later in the day are assessed for urgency, but calling after 11:00am for non urgent visits may result in having to wait until the next day to be seen. Your GP will phone you if your visit needs to be postponed.
Routine vaccinations
Vaccinations help protect you and your family from many infectious diseases. You’ll be offered different routine vaccinations at different times, depending on your age and circumstances. For most routine vaccinations, your local health board will invite you by sending you a letter when you become eligible.You do not need to contact them to arrange your vaccinations.
You may be invited to a new location to receive your immunisations instead of your GP practice.
When to call 999
You should only call 999 in a medical emergency, when someone is seriously ill or injured and their life is at risk.
- Emergencies can include:
- Loss of consciousness
- Cardiac arrest
- Heart attack
- Stroke
- An acute confused state
- Chest pains
- Breathing difficulties
- Severe bleeding that cannot be stopped
- Severe allergic reactions
- Severe burns or scalds
- Major trauma, such as a road traffic accident or fall from a height.
If you are unsure if it is an emergency, call NHS 24 on 111.
What happens when you call 999
An operator will ask which emergency service you need. If it’s a medical emergency, ask for the ambulance service. The ambulance service will ask some questions to find out what has happened and arrange the most appropriate help.
Further information is available on the Scottish Ambulance Service website.
By only calling 999 for serious illnesses or injuries, it means that people who need essential treatment can get it as soon as possible.
Additional information about your appointment with us
Can I bring someone to accompany me to the Appointment?
We are generally very happy for patients to bring with them a carer, relative or even a friend. This often helps, particularly when they know you well and it allows them to tell us any observations they would make about you, which can help us in undertaking our assessment. Ultimately this will lead us more quickly to make an accurate diagnosis and therefore help you more.
Also, having someone with you means they can prompt you to ask questions that you may have forgotten, and after the appointment they can help in reminding you what was discussed.
Occasionally we might ask for them to leave but this would be unusual.
If you require interpretation services please contact us in advance of you appointment and we will arrange this.
Chaperone Policy
We will always respect your privacy, dignity and your religious and cultural beliefs particularly when intimate examinations are advisable – these will only be carried out with your express agreement and you will be offered a chaperone to attend the examination if you so wish.
You may also request a chaperone when making the appointment or on arrival at the surgery (please let the receptionist know) or at any time during the consultation.
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.
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.
Interpreter
If you require an interpreter to attend with you when you see your Doctor please notify the receptionist and this will be arranged.
Intimate Examinations
During your care, a doctor may need to examine you in order to provide you with the best care. Occasionally this may involve an examination of intimate areas. We understand that this can be stressful and embarrassing. If this sort of examination is necessary:
- We will explain to you why the examination is necessary and give you the opportunity to ask questions.
- We will explain what the examination will involve, including whether you can expect it to be painful or uncomfortable.
- We will obtain your permission before carrying out this examination You will be offered a chaperone.
- At all times we will respect your privacy during the examination and while dressing and undressing.
Your doctor and the nursing staff will be happy to discuss any concerns you have about this.
Private Medical Examinations
Medical examinations for special purposes such as pre-employment, fitness to travel, elderly drivers, fitness to undertake sports etc, will require longer than a routine appointment.
These examinations do not form part of NHS Services, you will be charged for any such examination. Please check the fee chargeable when you require to arrange any such examination.