Welcome to the Stewart Medical Centre

STEWART MEDICAL CENTRE www.stewartmc.nhs.uk Patient Information Leaflet Rev April 16

Opening hours 8 am - 6.30 pm Mon,Tue,Thu & Fri 7 am - 6.30 pm Wednesday* 8 am - 12.15 pm 3rd Saturday of each month * Closed one Wednesday afternoon each month for training etc – see website for dates Stewart Medical Centre, 15 Hartington Road , Buxton SK17 6JP Telephone: 01298 22338 Fax: 01298 72678

Welcome to the Stewart Medical Centre We would like to welcome you to the Stewart Medical Centre. Our practice covers Buxton and the surrounding areas with over 9,400 patients registered. We are part of NHS Derbyshire County.

Our Aim Our aim is to provide high quality, professional and considerate care with a maximum degree of satisfaction for all concerned. Our team co-ordinates care for all aspects of your health.

Our Practice Team Comprises: 8 Doctors Practice Management Practice Nurses District Nurses Health Visitors Administrative Staff Community Midwife CAB Advisor Community Matrons Phlebotomist Pharmacist Care co-ordinators

Our Services Include: Minor surgery Maternity care Teenage clinics Immunisations for travel Well woman/man services Family planning services Child health surveillance Chronic disease care Leg care clinic

1 Doctors Dr Justin R Walker (M) Senior partner Dr Christopher I Harvey (M) Partner Dr Clara H Hockenhull (F) Dr Claire F Hayes (F) Dr Katherine Brennan (F) Dr Lisa Kozakis (F) Dr Sandra Ives (F) Dr Louise Murray (F)

Practice Nurses Paulene Morten Emma Knowles Caroline Hince Mair FitzPatrick

District Nurses Brenda Lee Helena Jodrell Sue Jackson Sylvia Baldwin Gemma Newbold

Health Visitors Gillian Davies Merle Young Beverley Calladine

Healthcare Assistant Christine Bones

Midwife Sue Gould

Managers Business Manager: Graham Chipp Operations Manager: Claire Scott

Pharmacist Bob Whitehouse

Care Co-ordinators Alison Waterhouse Wendy Gartside

2 Appointments We operate an appointment system for all routine appointments with the Doctors and the Practice Nurses. Surgeries are available throughout the day from 8.10 to 6pm. We also offer telephone consultations and advice with our Doctors and Nurses throughout the week. All appointments can be made by telephoning the surgery on 01298 22338 or in person. After registering, routine appointments can be made using our internet booking service. Please let us know as soon as possible if you no longer need your appointment so that we can use it for someone else. Patients who need to be seen as an emergency will be assessed in the first instance by our Emergency GP who will ensure that you are seen, or receive advice from, the most appropriate healthcare professional. If you have several issues that you wish to discuss with your GP, you are advised to ask for a longer appointment when you book with our receptionists. We aim to see patients who need a routine consultation within 5 working days; for those who need an emergency consultation we would arrange an appointment on the same day. For patients who wish to see a specific GP or Nurse of their choice we aim to arrange an appointment within 10 working days although this will be dependent on their availability which may be affected by their working rota, annual leave arrangements or their unexpected absence. Our appointments are arranged with either a GP or the Practice Nurse.

Home Visits If you are too ill to attend the surgery and you need a home visit, this can be arranged by ringing the surgery on 01298 22338 (before 10.30 am if possible). A Doctor or Nurse may telephone you prior to the visit to identify the severity of the problem so that we can plan and prioritise our home visits.

Services Out of Hours For emergency advice when the surgery is closed, please contact the surgery on 01298 22338 and you will be automatically transferred to the out of hours service which is co-ordinated by NHS Direct and provided by Derbyshire Health United. Alternatively you can contact 111.

3 Ordering Repeat Prescriptions Patients who are on regular medication may be able to request repeat prescriptions without seeing the Doctor. You can request repeat prescriptions by telephone, by post, by fax, on the internet, in person or from your designated pharmacist. All of the pharmacies in Buxton offer a prescription collection service and we can arrange this for you. We can also send prescriptions electronically to your pharmacy. Please speak to one of the receptionists about this service. Otherwise, prescriptions can be collected from the surgery or sent to you by post if you provide a stamped addressed envelope. Repeat prescriptions take 2 working days to authorise, 3 days if they go to a chemist.

Blood Tests Blood tests are performed at the:

• Cavendish Hospital, Manchester Road, SK17 6TE, • Buxton (Cottage) Hospital, London Road, SK17 9NJ, and • Fairfield Surestart Centre, Victoria Park Road, SK17 7PE. All blood clinics are by appointment. Please book online, telephone 01298 22338 or ask at reception for an appointment. Blood test clinics are available at the following times.

Mon. Tue. Wed. Thu. Fri. VENUE am Pm am pm am pm am pm am pm Cavendish √ √ √ √ √ Buxton √ √ Surestart √ √ √

Please remember to take your test specification form with you when you go to your appointment.

Test Results If your Doctor arranges for you to have a test, you may be advised to arrange a follow up appointment to discuss the results or to contact the surgery by telephone for the results. If you are phoning for the result of a test, we would like you to do this between the hours of 11:00 -12:00 and

4 14:00 - 15:00. Your doctor or nurse should try and remind you of this at the time. This allows time for the incoming blood results and letters for that day to scanned into you records and then checked by your doctor. The reception staff should also have more time do deal with your request at these relatively quieter times. If the test was requested by a consultant in hospital it will probably take 3-4 weeks before your GP is notified. Please contact the surgery if you have not heard within for four weeks.

Registering as a New Patient at the Surgery We can only register patients who live within our Practice boundary. Our boundary stretches to Dove Holes to the North, Taddington to the East, Longnor to the South and to the Cheshire border at the Cat and Fiddle to the West. For a detailed boundary map, please contact Claire Scott, Operations Manager. Patients who are visiting the area can be seen on a temporary basis. When you register at the surgery we will need information that will help us trace your medical records from your previous Doctor. We will also need your address and telephone number. Because your medical records may take a while to arrive from your previous Doctor we will ask you to complete some simple questions on your registration form which will provide us with some basic information about your health. It is important that you also have a new patient check, if requested to do so, with one of our Practice Nurses so that we are aware immediately of your medical history and current medication.

GP Referrals Please contact our Practice Secretary if you would like a copy of your referral letter.

Registering to Use the Internet Booking Services You can request repeat prescriptions and book routine GP and blood test appointments online. These services are available 24/7 and allow patients to arrange their prescriptions and book appointments without having to ring the surgery. Please request a Patient Access Registration Information Letter from reception if you wish to use these services. Guidance on using these services is available at reception, in the waiting room and on the Stewart Medical Centre website. By arrangement with the surgery, the internet service can also be used to view your medical records.

5 Patient Participation Group (PPG) The Stewart Medical Centre has a Patient Participation Group of volunteers, who work in partnership with the practice to contribute to the continuous improvement of services and quality of care, provide practical support and help implement change. Anyone who is a SMC patient or a carer of a SMC patient is welcome to join the group. If you would like to contribute to the group, please ask at reception for a Contact Form and a Welcome Pack giving more information about the PPG and details of the next meeting to which everyone is welcome.

Private Medical Examinations and Forms We can offer private medical examinations outside of our normal surgery hours by arrangement. Please contact our receptionists for more information. Please ask about charges for this service when booking your appointment. Various forms can also be completed without the need to see your Doctor. Please leave these at reception explaining your requirements. The receptionist will advise you of the charge.

Patients with Special or Particular Needs Our surgery is accessible to wheel chair bound patients with car parking spaces available for disabled drivers. All consulting rooms are on the ground floor and are fitted with ‘rise and fall’ examination couches. We have a loop hearing system in reception and a portable loop for patients to use during consultation. However, if you feel that you may need further assistance when you visit us, please let the receptionist know when you make your appointment so that we can make any arrangements necessary to make your visit as comfortable as possible. It is also useful for us to know if you have any hearing or visual problems.

Patient Carers If you are registered with our practice and you provide significant health or social care for a relative, please let us know so that we can ensure that you have access to the appropriate support for your role.

Students

6 Occasionally there will be undergraduate medical students from Sheffield University undertaking their GP placement with us. Patients will be made aware if a student is going to be part of their consultation. Students are always closely supervised by GPs.

Chaperones It is our policy that a chaperone will be offered to all patients who are going to have an intimate examination during their consultation. If requested, a member of the practice staff will be present in the room during the examination to act as a chaperone. Chaperones will be members of the nursing team or specifically trained members of the surgery team. If a trained chaperone is not available, you may be asked to rearrange your consultation.

Comments and Complaints The Practice has a clear procedure for dealing with complaints or concerns that you may have about the care and attention you have received. In the first instance you should contact the Operations Manager who will ensure that your concerns are handled by the most appropriate person. Equally, we are always happy to receive compliments and suggestions that will help us to continually improve our services. Please ask a member of staff for our leaflet which will provide detailed information and advice about how to make a complaint.

Help Us to Help You There are many ways that you can work with us to ensure we continue to provide the best possible service to you. Please:  Think before you dial: Is your problem something that needs medical attention from your GP or Nurse? Is it something that will get better given time and patience? Is it a matter best discussed with a pharmacist, dentist, physiotherapist, optician or another service such as the Citizens Advice Bureau?  Call as early in the day as possible if your problem is an urgent emergency.  Try to distinguish between "important" and "urgent".  Avoid busy times, particularly mornings, if your need is not urgent.  Be honest and sensible when requesting an urgent appointment.

7  Use online booking for non-urgent GP and blood test appointments and for repeat prescriptions if you have the technology available. This saves time for you and the surgery.  Be aware that an appointment is 10 minutes duration.  Aim to prepare in advance, be succinct and whilst notes can be very helpful indeed, bringing a list of problems rarely is. If you feel that you have more than one problem to discuss, please book a double appointment.  Mention the most serious or most worrying problem first. It may be unsafe to spend time discussing a more trivial matter and neglect a serious issue.  Plan ahead. It is quite accepted that you would book a dental or hairdressing appointment 3-4 weeks ahead and GP surgeries should be no different for most routine matters.  Wear something sensible when attending. Much time can be taken removing multiple layers of clothing or struggling to examine a knee through skinny jeans for example.  Be aware that a few prescription requests we receive from hospitals or clinics are inappropriate and may be declined by the Practice. We will aim to communicate this to you as early as possible and contacting our practice based pharmacist is recommended in the first instance.  Help us manage home visits by only requesting a home visit if you are housebound. If possible, home visit requests should be received before 10:30 am. Please be prepared for the doctor to telephone you first.

Data Protection Act 1998—Use of Information The practice holds and processes information about patients under the terms of the Data Protection Act 1998 in order to provide the best possible healthcare. The information we hold consists of personal identification details, data about your registration with the NHS and personal healthcare information. Information is collected from you directly, from other health and social services professionals involved in your care with whom we may share details, from other people with an interest in your health, or from our own observations. We will not disclose any personal information about you to any other person other than in the most exceptional of cases. Please pick up our ‘Use of Information’ leaflet from a member of the practice team.

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