Noticeboard

NEW GP JOINING THE PRACTICE

We are delighted to announce that Dr Madeline Brennan is joining the practice as a salaried GP and will officially start on 6th August 2019. You may be in contact with Dr Brennan before that as she is covering sessions in the interim period so please join us in welcoming her to the practice team.

ROUTINE APPOINTMENTS

On behalf of the staff and GPs at the practice we wish to inform you of our current difficulties with recruiting and retaining GP locums and GPs to help with the increasing workload we are experiencing.

This will result in patients experiencing longer waiting times for an appointment, especially if requesting a particular GP.

This situation is likely to continue for some time and we would appreciate if you could bear with us. We will continue to take steps to ensure we deliver the best care and service to you and thank you for your understanding.

TELEPHONE CALL BACK REQUESTS

All telephone requests to speak to a Doctor be requested between 8.30am and 10am each day.  For safety reasons we have a limited number of GP telephone call backs. The Receptionists will take your details and the GP will ring you back.  Please note that if you miss a call from the GP they will no longer be able to return your call and you will be required to ring the next day. Please inform the receptionist of the best number and time for the GP to contact you at.

DNA's

Please note that during the month of March 2019 we had 586 unattended appoitments.  These appointments could have been offered to othere patients needing treatment.  Please ring to cancel an appointment or text CANCEL at the end of your text message reminder if you are unable to attend as soon as possible.

Thank you for your co-operation.

TEXT MESSAGING and EMAIL SERVICE.

The Practice is currently operating a text message and Email service for some of our clinics.  If you have a mobile number and an email address and would like to receive a text message or email reminder of your appointment please inform the receptionist of your mobile number and email address.

 

 

 

Sickness Certificates

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).

Your employer can ask you to confirm that you've been ill.You can do this by filling in a form yourself when you return to work. This is called self-certification.

If you're sick and off work for more than seven days, your employer will probably ask for proof of your illness. Most employers ask for a fit note from your GP.

However, this will also depend on your employer's company policy on sick leave (or sickness absence). This policy should tell you how many days you can be off sick before you need to provide proof of illness or a fit note.

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)