appointment sys

Our appointment system enables us to deal with patient's concerns quickly as we have a doctor available each working day to assess medical problems on the telephone.

So how does the appointment system work?

When you telephone the surgery the receptionist will take some brief details about yourself including the reason for your appointment. This helps our trained staff decide the best person to deal with your query. Please be assured that our receptionists are under the same confidentiality laws as the doctors and nurses. Their role is to assess the problem and guide you to the best person to help you. It is often possible for the doctor to advise and reassure you fully on the telephone or provide a prescription or sick note if necessary - saving you a visit to the surgery.

We offer a varied range of appointments, telephone consultations, pre bookable appointments with a specific doctor up to a week in advance, bookable appointments with a specific doctor on the same day and appointments on the same day on our shared GP clinic where you will see a doctor but we cannot guarantee which doctor you will see.

Home visits

Long Lane Surgery - Home Visit Policy

These are our home visiting guidelines.

Visit recommended
We believe home visiting makes clinical sense and is the best way of giving a medical opinion in cases involving:-

the terminally ill
the truly housebound for whom travel to the surgery by car would cause a deterioration in their medical condition or unacceptable discomfort.

Visit may be useful
After an initial assessment over the telephone a seriously ill patient may be helped by a GP’s attendance. However the GP may advise the patient, or person with the patient, to ring 999 to receive the appropriate immediate care.

Examples of such situations are:-

heart attack
severe shortness of breath
severe blood loss

Visit is not usual

In most of the following cases, to visit would not be an appropriate use of a GP’s time:-

common symptoms of childhood (fevers, cold, cough, earache, headache, diarrhoea/vomiting and most cases of abdominal pain). These patients are usually well enough to travel by car. It is not necessarily harmful to take a child with a fever outside. These children may not be fit to travel by 'bus or to walk, but car transport may be available from friends, relatives or taxi firms.

It is not a doctor's responsibility to arrange such transport.

What if I need to see a nurse?

We still offer appointments which can be booked in advance with our Nursing Team and also appointments which can be made on the day - giving you more choice and flexibility.

Who do I need to see?

We understand that it can be confusing when choosing the right person to treat your problem, so we have provided the following handy checklist to help you decide.

NURSE	Asthma annual review COPD annual review Diabetic annual review Healthy heart annual review Contraception follow up Smears Spirometry Travel advice and injections Painless hearing loss
HEALTHCARE ASSISTANT	Blood pressure checks Giving up smoking advice Lifestyle referrals New patient medicals
DISTRICT NURSE	B12 Injections Dressings Removal of stitches
PHARMACIST	Medication advice Coughs, colds, sore throats including 'flu' Thrush, period pains, bloating and cystitis Upset stomachs such as diarrhoea, constipation and indigestion Skin complaints such as acne, dandruff, athlete's foot and corns
MIDWIFE	Antenatal review appointments Practical pregnancy and newborn problems
HEALTH VISITOR	Child development Families with children under 5 years
OPTICIANS	Any problems with vision
DENTIST	All dental problems
PHYSIOTHERAPIST	Lower back pain Muscle problems
CHIROPODIST	All foot problems including ingrowing toenails
DOCTOR	All other medical problems
PRACTICE MANAGER	Feedback about the practice, staff or appointment system Suggestions to improve our service

Long Lane Surgery's appointment system

So how does the appointment system work?

What if I need to see a nurse?

Who do I need to see?