Appointments

You can make an appointment either by telephone, in person or online (to do this you will need to register for online appointments in surgery).  The receptionist will try to give you a suitable appointment with the doctor of your choice.

Medically urgent problems are dealt with on the same day, please ring between 08:00 - 08:30 for an urgent appointment.

Extended hours appointments are offered on Monday and Tuesday evenings up to 19:30. These are primarily for patients who work and find it difficult to attend the surgery during normal hours.

If you are late for your appointment the doctor or nurse may not be able to see you.  If you are unable to attend your appointment please let us know as soon as possible so it can be offered to someone else.

Practice Nurses

In a number of cases it might be worth considering an appointment with a practice nurse rather than a doctor. Practice nurses are qualified to deal with many conditions and you may be seen more quickly.

Teaching

Occasionally we train medical students and nurses in the surgery and they may attend your consultation. You will of course be asked if this is acceptable to you and if it is not the student will leave.

Research

Hartwood Healthcare is a research practice and you may be asked occasionally to assist in our research.

Cancellations

If you cannot attend an appointment for any reason please inform us as soon as possible in order for us to give the slot to someone else.

IMPROVED ACCESS

GP appointments are now available in your area during the evenings and at the weekend. To book an appointment, contact your practice.

At the surgery we have two Pharmacists who can do medication reviews, structured medication reviews and also answer any prescription/medication queries.

Hartwood Surgery is part of the Community Referral Scheme. We can refer you to a pharmacist of your choice who can deal with a range of minor illnesses. For more info, see leaflet below.

Pharmacy Consultation

Our Doctors hold surgeries on different days of the week. 

Each patient has a named GP and they are responsible for your overall care at the practice.  Please contact the surgery if you wish to find out who this is.  If you have a preference as to which GP this is the practice will make reasonable efforts to accommodate this request.

Home Visits

Whilst we encourage our patients to come to the surgery, where we have the proper equipment and facilities available, we do appreciate this is not always possible. In this respect, if you do need a home visit, you can help us by calling reception before 10:00.  Please note emergency visits will be passed to the duty doctor rather than your usual doctor.

You may only request a home visit if you are housebound or are too ill to visit the practice.  Your GP will only visit you at home if they think that your medical condition requires it and will also decide how urgently a visit is needed.  Please bear this in mind and be prepared to provide suitable details to enable the doctor to schedule house calls.

Sickness Certificates

Get an isolation note

Use this service if you have to stay at home because of coronavirus and you need a note for your employer.

Before using this service, make sure you have checked the coronavirus advice on the NHS website https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/.

https://111.nhs.uk/isolation-note

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)

Hartwood Healthcare has a zero tolerance attitude to verbal and physical abuse towards staff.

Behaviour of this type will be dealt with by immediate removal from the patient list and referral to the Tackling Violence GP Unit at the BRI.