Appointments

A New Way of Operating during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Coronavirus has changed the way health services work.  GP Practices are open, and have been throughout the pandemic, but services are being delivered differently.

If you think you need and appointment, please contact us.  It may be something that you can safely manage yourself, so you may want to get advice from the NHS Inform website, or your local pharmacist, before getting in touch. 

Most appointments are carried out over the phone, or through NHS Near Me, but if you need a physical examination, you'll need to see a clinician in person.  Practice staff will let you know the options available to you when you call.

If you have a face-to-face appointment, the practice may look a bit different, but please follow the guidance to help reduce the risk of infection.

These changes are in place to protect you, your family and staff.  Thank you for your patience and understanding.  For more information please visit nhsinform.scot/gp.

A useful video is available at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=13&v=5hP9Yn5-zFE&feature=youtu.be

Please telephone 01456 486224 to make an appointment to see the doctor. You may see any of the doctors in the Practice when they are available. If you have a preference, please say so when making an appointment. 

Regular appointments are available between 6pm and 6.30pm – please contact the Practice should you require an appointment after 6pm.

Please assist our receptionists when you are asked for what may seem like personal details – the information is to help the doctor, nurse or healthcare assistant who is going to be dealing with your problem. All staff are bound by confidentiality protocols.

This video explains why.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hP9Yn5-zFE&feature=youtu.be

It is important that you inform us if you cannot attend an appointment as soon as possible, so we can offer it to someone else. Please see our leaflet on Your Rights and Responsibilities as a Patient.

If you need to be seen within 24 hours please say so. We aim to ensure all patients who need an appointment to see a doctor within 24 hours will be offered one.  

Urgent medical attention

If you wish to see the doctor urgently please telephone 01456 486224 between 8.00 am and 6.00 pm, Monday to Friday. A Practice Doctor is available to respond as soon as possible if you require medical attention urgently.

If you find you are answered by an answering machine, please leave your name, address, telephone number and brief message recorded on it, as the doctor on call will be automatically paged and he or she will respond as soon as possible.  

Disabled Access

There is ample parking and suitable access for patients with a disability, with a wheelchair ramp at the entrance to the Medical Centre and toilet facilities with wheelchair access. Our staff will assist any person with a disability who wishes access to our services.  

Under our contract with NHS Highland we provide a range of services to our patients, including:

Introduction

The practice provides a full range of ‘essential’ and ‘additional’

Additionally we provide the following enhanced services:

Alcohol Brief Interventions

Alcohol Users

Antipatory Care

Chronic Pain monitoring

Depression

Diabetes

Drug misuse

Deep Vein Thrombosis

Implanon services

IUCD checks

Learning disbilities

Multiple Schlerosis

Near Patient Testing

Polypharmacy

Flu immunisations

Childhood immunisations

Doctor Extended Hours

Clinician Services

Routine 15 minute consultations

Urgent on the day appointments

Telephone consultations

Home visits

Private medicals

Contraceptive services

Cervical smears

Chronic disease consultations and reviews

Completion of medical records

Palliative care

Travel Health

Wound care

Investigations to aid diagnosis and treatment monitoring including venepuncture, ECG, Spirometry and anticoagulation monitoring.

Continuity of Care

Do you have trouble seeing the same doctor

This information advises you how best to see the doctor that you want and whether you should see a doctor or a nurse.

Sometimes you may feel this doesn't matter, but for longstanding problems or those that are new and under investigation it may be best to see the same one or two doctors if possible.

Planning Appointments - should allow you to choose the doctor you want to see:

• If you ask to see a doctor urgently it can be more difficult to see a named doctor as these appointments are given with the first available doctor. Many doctors are not in every day. If the problem can wait a few days you have more chance of choosing your doctor. 
• The phone. Some problems can be dealt with (or a plan of action started) exclusively by telephone consultation.
• The practice nurses and health care assistants can care for and follow up most long term conditions, and can involve the doctor in any treatment decisions. 
• Please, only see the doctor for things that need the doctor. Other health care professionals in the practice can see you for a variety of problems or procedures. This helps make doctors more available to see patients for illness.

The Healthcare Assistants should see you for:

• All blood tests, Blood pressure checks, ECG, Urine tests

Cancelling Appointments - if you are unable to attend is essential. Every week we lose on average 50 appointments because patients fail to turn up without letting us know. If you cancel an appointment that you cannot attend then we can use that appointment for someone else.

Some clinicians don't consult every day. This list indicates when they usually consult;

Dr Mills  - Tuesday, Wednesday Morning

Dr Anderson - Mondays and Wednesday

Dr Brown - Thursday and Friday

Sickness Certificates

COVID - Please visit the NHS inform website - Complete this form if the advice is to self isolate.

http://www.111.nhs.uk/isolation-note

Self certification

You do not require a doctor's sickness certificate for any illness lasting seven days or less. Your employer may however require you to complete a self-certification form (SC2) which is available from your employer or on the HMRC website.

Evidence that you are sick

If you are sick for more than seven days, your employer can ask you to give them some form of medical evidence to support payment of SSP (statutory sick pay).

It is up to your employer to decide whether you are incapable of work. A medical certificate, now called a 'Statement of Fitness for Work’ (see below) from your doctor is strong evidence that you are sick and would normally be accepted, unless there is evidence to prove otherwise.

You could also provide evidence from someone who is not a medical practitioner, e.g. a dentist. Your employer will decide whether or not this evidence is acceptable. If your employer has any doubts, they may still ask for a medical certificate from your GP.

Statement of Fitness for Work - ’Fit Note'

The 'fit note' was introduced on 6 April 2010. With your employer's support, the note will help you return to work sooner by providing more information about the effects of your illness or injury.

For more information see the DirectGov website (where this information was sourced)

https://nhsattend.vc/gpnearme/lnesmp

Attend Anywhere - Terms of Use (Callers and Guests)

1. General

1. These Terms of Use apply to your use of and access to Attend Anywhere as established by NHS NSS.
2. In these Terms of Use:
   • Attend Anywhere means the suite of services, web-based management software and associated infrastructure provided by NHS NSS designed to help health and care providers offer video call access to their services as part of their day-to-day operations.
   • NHS NSS, we or us refers to The Common Services Agency for the Scottish Health Service (commonly known as NHS National Services Scotland or NHS NSS).
   • Provider means the health or care provider that invites you to use Attend Anywhere to access their services.
   • Provider Website means the website or other interface which the Provider provides to you to access Attend Anywhere.
   • Waiting Area means a way for you to participate in video consultations with the Provider to access health care services. You will enter a Waiting Area via a button on the Provider Website, and wait in your own private video room until a health care provider is ready to join you.
   • Video Room means a video room created for you as you enter a Waiting Area.
   • You or your refers to person who has been invited to and uses Attend Anywhere.

2. Your Acceptance of these Terms of Use

1. These Terms of Use are legally binding on you and us. By using Attend Anywhere, you are deemed to accept these Terms of Use which govern our relationship with you in relation to Attend Anywhere.

2. We may modify or amend these Terms of Use by including a modified or amended version in the "Terms of Use" link when you access Attend Anywhere via the Provider Website. NHS NSS will use its best endeavours to notify you of any changes to the Terms of Use via Attend Anywhere. You will be deemed to have agreed to any such modification or amendment by your use of Attend Anywhere following the date in which the modified or amended Terms of Use are posted in the "Terms of Use" link.

3. Requirements for Attend Anywhere

1. Attend Anywhere requires your computer, telephone, internet access, device and associated equipment to meet certain technical levels (System Requirements) in order to receive the services. NHS NSS takes no responsibility for problems associated with or arising from your inability to access or receive the services due to your equipment or internet speed not meeting the System Requirements.

2. Use of Attend Anywhere requires the use of a combination of hardware and browsers supported by NHS NSS (Supported Environments). Details of the Supported Environments are set out in the Attend Anywhere Technical Guide accessible at: https://nhs.attendanywhere.com/techguide

3. Use of Attend Anywhere requires the use of audio-visual peripherals (visual displays, web cameras microphones/speakers or headsets) that are compatible with your device and operational.

4. Your use of Attend Anywhere

1. You may only use Attend Anywhere and access the Video Room in the Waiting Areas if you have been provided permission or have been invited by a Provider.

2. You may be subject to additional terms of use in relation to the services provided via Attend Anywhere by NHS NSS or third parties. If you decide to use these services you will be responsible for reviewing and understanding the terms associated with these services.

3. We reserve the right to terminate your access to Attend Anywhere if you fail to comply with these Terms of Use.

4. NHS NSS only provides access to Attend Anywhere and takes no responsibility for any health or other services provided to you through the use of Attend Anywhere.

5. Disclaimers

1. Attend Anywhere is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis. We disclaim any warranties, express, implied or statutory, that may be expressed or implied by law which are capable of being contracted out of regarding Attend Anywhere, including warranties of accuracy, merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement. We further disclaim any warranties regarding the security, reliability, timeliness, availability and performance of Attend Anywhere.

2. Without limitation to section 5(a), we make no warranty regarding the ownership, continuation, suitability or fitness for use of third party intellectual property used in Attend Anywhere.

3. We do not warrant that you will have continuous and uninterrupted access to Attend Anywhere or that Attend Anywhere will conform to any particular service levels or performance specifications.

4. We do not warrant that Attend Anywhere is free of any form of harmful surreptitious code, virus or other contaminants. We do not accept any liability for any interference with, or damage to, your computer systems, infrastructure, software or data occurring in connection with Attend Anywhere.

5. Attend Anywhere may contain links to other websites. You acknowledge and agree that we have no responsibility for the content or availability of the linked websites and we do not specifically endorse any organisation, association or entity referred to or linked from Attend Anywhere.

6. You acknowledge that your use of Attend Anywhere is entirely at your own discretion and risk and, to the extent permitted by law, we expressly exclude all liability for any loss, damage, expenses and costs incurred by you in accessing and using Attend Anywhere, including but not limited to:

   1. use for a purpose for which it is not intended;

   2. the inability to obtain consistent, reliable and uninterrupted access to Attend Anywhere;

   3. damage or interference to any piece of hardware, software, equipment or device installed on or used in connection with your use and access to Attend Anywhere, or your internet data that arises in connection to your use of Attend Anywhere, its content or any linked website;

6. Copyright and trademarks

1. Attend Anywhere including (without limitation) content, material text, graphics, information architecture and coding (including any copyright subsisting in them), is owned by us or licensed to us.

2. Nothing in these Terms of Use shall be deemed to grant you any right, title or interest in Attend Anywhere.

3. You may access Attend Anywhere where available, but may not, modify, publish, transmit, distribute, participate in the transfer or sale, create derivative works, or in any way exploit Attend Anywhere in whole or in part without the prior written permission of the owner of the material.

4. Attend Anywhere may contain trademarks owned by us and third parties. You may not display or use in any manner any trade marks featured in Attend Anywhere without the prior written permission of the trade mark owner.

7. Governing Law

Your use of Attend Anywhere, and any dispute arising out of your use of Attend Anywhere, is subject to the laws of Scotland.

Attend Anywhere – Privacy Information

To access Attend Anywhere, NHS NSS may collect your first name, last name and your phone number. However, Attend Anywhere does not require you to create an account or to disclose these details. You are able to use Attend Anywhere anonymously, if that is permitted by the Provider.

Where a Provider does require you to supply your personal information to the Provider, this is governed by the Provider’s privacy statement. For more information, please ask your Provider.

We do not use, disclose or store any of the personal information you have provided prior to access of Attend Anywhere. Any personal information you enter is deleted from our system following the end of your Attend Anywhere session. This information is only used to identify you in the Waiting Area or Video Room or by the Provider during their services.

We do not record your Attend Anywhere consulting session; however, deidentified information about the time of your call, length of your call and similar technical data may be collected by us or our hosting services provider for the purposes of further developing and improving the Attend Anywhere service. We do not collect any information about the subject of your Attend Anywhere consulting session.

For further information on NHS NSS's general Privacy Policy please see https://www.vc.scot.nhs.uk/attendanywhere/aa-privacy-policy/

https://nhs.attendanywhere.com/callers/Content/J_Callers/Caller_PatientInformation.htm

Please visit the NHS inform website - Complete this form if the advice is to self isolate.

http://www.111.nhs.uk/isolation-note

Phase one - please call the practice to book your flu vaccine. 

Individuals aged 18 to 65 with "at Risk" Conditions.

Individuals aged 60 years and Over.

Pre school age 2 to 5 years

If you do not meet the above criteria please keep an eye on the website and we will continue to update the information. 

Patients will be invited to attend at dedicated times. It is very important that patients comply with the following:

• Arrive on time- not early or late

• Wear a face covering (unless exempt) and wear suitable clothes which allow a clinician to easily access your upper arm ie no tight fitting tops and try to reduce the amount of layers being worn.

• Adhere to social distancing at all times

• You will only receive your flu and pneumococcal vaccine on the day. No other health issues will be discussed and there will be no opportunity to request prescriptions or any other advice from clinicians.

• DO NOT ATTEND IF YOU HAVE ANY COVID SYMPTOMS. If you have a persistent cough, fever and/or loss of/change in taste or smell. Please phone the practice to re-schedule your appointment.

Vaccination Program

If you have a general query about the COVID-19 vaccine, please look on the NHS Inform website or use the national helpline 0800 030 8013 which is open from 8am to 8pm, seven days a week. Vaccine rollout to the general public, based on age and underlying health conditions, and will depend on vaccine supply.

Please avoid calling with any general queries about the COVID-19 vaccine as we are unable to give you any more information at this stage and we need to try and keep phone-lines open for people who are unwell and needing medical care. Many thanks for your ongoing patience and cooperation.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/priority-groups-for-coronavirus-covid-19-vaccination-advice-from-the-jcvi-2-december-2020/priority-groups-for-coronavirus-covid-19-vaccination-advice-from-the-jcvi-2-december-2020