181 Shore Street, Gourock, Inverclyde, PA19 1AQ

Information leaflet

Main contact telephone numbers

Appointments 01475 607177 Home visits 01475 607177Repeat prescriptions 01475 607177(weekdays only 09.00-12.00 and 14.00-17.00)Results 01475 607177(between 10.00-16.00)Fax 01475 636009

If you require a doctor outwith opening hours (between 18.00 and 08.00 weekdays and at weekends) you should telephone: 111

Direct dial numbers

Chiropody 01475 502456Treatment room 01475 502455Health visitors 01475 502459School health 01475 502460District nursing 01475 502461 01475 502462Physiotherapy 01475 502477Social work 01475 502469 01475 502472

Please note that the above numbers are for use during normal working hours.

Welcome to Gourock Medical Practice

Doctors within the partnership

Dr Emma J Laverty MB ChB, MRCGP, DRCOG, Dip.DermDr Brendan Kelly MB ChB, MRCGPDr Audrey Francis MB ChB, MRCGP, DRCOGDr Richard Hill MB ChB, MRCGPDr Gayle Dunnet MB ChB, MRCGP

All GPs work fulltime except doctors Laverty and Dunnet.

The Partnership contracts to provide general medical services with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde who can be contacted at:

Primary care Support,Gartnavel Royal Hospital,1055 Great Western Road,GLASGOW G12 0XH.Telephone: 0141 211 3600

We work in Partnership at the Health Centre. It has only ground floor accommodation and is suited to all persons with disability.

Our Practice area covers the town of Gourock, West End of Greenock (west of Nelson Street and including Larkfield), extending westwards up to and not beyond the railway bridge in Weymss Bay.

The health care team

All members of our team have signed and have to obey a strict code of confidentiality.

In addition to the Doctors the following staff work within the Practice.

Practice ManagerMrs Carol McGowan MIHM

Practice Nurses Sister Rhona Aikman RGN, BA, MN, FP Cert, Asthma Dip Extended Supplementary Nurse Prescriber, Special interest: Diabetes

Sister Helen Heffernan RGN, BSc, DN, Oncology Cert, FP Cert, Asthma dip, Copd Cert Extended Supplementary Nurse Prescriber Special Interest: COPD/ Asthma

Health Care AssistantChristine Crossan Health Care Assistant, Phlebotomy

PhlebotomistGillian Hendry PhlebotomySusanne O’Rourke Phlebotomy

Administration StaffWe have 3 full time and 7 part time members of staff.

District NursesJanice Renfrew District Nursing Sister RGN, BSc, CN, NDNC Nurse Prescriber Jim Devine RGN, Community Staff NurseDeborah Davis RGN, Community Staff Nurse

Health Visitors

Generally the Health Visiting staff will be available at the following times:08:30 - 09:00 and 15:30 - 16:00.

An answering machine service is available on 01475 502459. Please leave a message along with you telephone number and we will return your call.

Treatment RoomAnne Gillon RGN

How to register with the practice

To register with the practice you should request new patient forms at the reception desk. It would be helpful to us if you also filled in the Questionnaire as it is sometimes a while before you medical records become available to us. Please also advise the reception staff if you are housebound.

We ask all new patients to attend for a new patient medical check with our Practice Nurse or Health Care Assistant. Obviously, due to work commitments etc, this may not be easy to organise, but please speak to the Reception Staff if this is the case. If attending for a new patient medical check, please bring a urine specimen with you in a white-topped container which you can obtain from reception. This allows us to gather any relevant information we may require before your medical record is received from you former GP.

If you prefer a particular type of doctor e.g. female for female patients and vice versa we will do our best to respect your choice. Please advise us if this is the case and it will be noted in your medical record. You should note however that not all of the doctors in the practice provide all services and specific doctors may not be immediately available.

Our Practice area covers the town of Gourock, West End of Greenock (west of Nelson Street and including Larkfield). Extending westwards up to and not beyond the railway bridge in Weymss Bay.

Services available

In accordance with the NHS contract the practice providesCore services: General management of medical conditions; health promotion advice; referral for other services; care for temporary residents; emergency care if appropriate.

Additional services: Cervical screening; contraceptive services; vaccination and immunisations; Child health surveillance.

Enhanced services: Near patient testing.

Contraceptive services including Implants, IUCD fitting and checks.

Maternity services in the antenatal and postnatal period, together with the Midwives from Inverclyde Royal Hospital.

Immunisation for adults in relation to travel. Not all travel requirements are available on the NHS, please ask our practice nurse. The practice is a registered Yellow Fever Centre.

Cervical smears.

Freezing of warts and other small skin lesions.

Annual flu immunisation programme to protect the elderly and patients at risk.

Regular monitoring, by blood and urine tests, for patients on a specific range of drugs.

The management of all disease processes.

Please telephone 01475 607177 for further information regarding our services or to make an appointment for any of the services. The reception staff will give you more information if required.

Surgery hours

The Practice is generally open from 08.00 to 13:00 and 14:00 to 18.00 Monday to Friday. The Practice is closed between 13:00 and 14:00 for lunch. If you have an emergency during this time please call 01475 607177.

The Practice also offers a limited number of extended hours appointments after 17:30.

Routine 10 minute consultations are bookable by appointment, generally between 08.30 and 17.30, Monday to Friday. These may be made by online Patient Access, by telephone after 09.00 or in person.

You can use Patient Access to view, book and cancel appointments at the surgery from home, work or on the move – wherever you can connect to the internet. What’s more, because Patient Access is a 24 hour online service, you can do this in your own time, day or night. You will need to register at the practice in person with identification before you are able to use this service. Our reception staff will give you a pin and access ID which are required to enable you to register for this service.

At the moment we do not normally make routine appointments more than 2 weeks in advance.

When booking appointments, it is worth remembering that our Practice Nurses are available to treat ailments such as sore throats, earache, cystitis, and many other minor ailments, as well as offering advice on pre conceptual matters, contraception and blood pressure monitoring. If you are unsure whether a nurse appointment would be appropriate, please ask when booking your appointment.

Triage

We offer daytime and evening appointments, but if you have an emergency that can’t really wait then request TRIAGE.

Triage is a system to determine the priority of a patient’s treatment based on the severity of their condition.

1. Telephone the reception and request Triage.

2. A nurse or doctor will telephone you and ask about your symptoms (it is essential that you keep your telephone line free/answer as soon as possible).

3. A nurse or doctor will assess and decide what to do to help you.

Will I get an appointment?

n Your doctor may make an appointment that day, either with themselves or with another doctor or nurse.

n They may be able to give advice over the telephone and book a follow up appointment for another day.

n They may be able to reassure you that your symptoms are not serious and transfer you to reception to make a routine appointment.

n They may prepare a prescription for you.

Please note: An emergency triage appointment is to treat your presenting condition and is for one patient only. Please make a routine appointment to discuss any other problems you may have.

Telephone availability

If you wish to speak to a GP or with a practice nurse for advice or with regard to something that does not require a face-to-face appointment you should call the practice and inform the reception staff. They can advise of the best time for a telephone consultation. This time will usually be after surgery or before the start of the next surgery.

Please ensure that you give up-to-date contact details, particularly mobile telephone numbers to reception staff.

Home visits

If you require medical attention and are unable to attend the Health Centre for a consultation, a home visit may be required. As with urgent /same day appointments, please be prepared to give a brief summary of your problem so that the best possible service may be offered to you.

Home visits should only be requested for patients who are seriously ill or housebound. It is important to bear in mind that most medical problems are dealt with more effectively in the clinical setting of a well-equipped surgery or hospital.

Patients should realise that home visits are made at the doctor’s discretion.

The Practice is being supported with specialist paramedics who work alongside the GPs to assist with house calls.

Please dial 01475 607177 for a home visit request during surgery opening times.

Please request routine home visits before 10.00.

Emergencies

Naturally emergencies can occur at any time.

During surgery opening hoursPlease contact the surgery, where staff will arrange for the Duty Doctor to contact you with advice or visit. Telephone 01475 607177.

Outwith surgery opening hoursPlease contact NHS 24 by dialling 111.

Out-of-hours

Out-of-hours cover is the responsibility of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. Out-of-hours services are provided during the following periods when the surgery is closed:

Monday to Friday 18:00 – 08:00Saturday to Monday 08:00 – 08:00

Bank Holidays 18:00 the night before until 08:00 the day after.

For urgent advice during these times, please phone NHS 24 on 111. You will speak first to an experienced nurse who will assess your symptoms and then either give you advice or direct you to the most appropriate health care professionals or organise a home visit. If you phone the surgery, you will hear a message advising you of the NHS 24 number to contact.

If, in an emergency, you have difficulty contacting NHS 24, dial 999.

Round the clock health advice and support is available from NHS 24.Telephone: 111Text: 18001 111Website: www.nhs24.com

Repeat prescriptions

It may be that your treatment requires you to take regular medication, and your doctor has arranged for you to obtain prescriptions without seeing him/her.

Requests for repeat prescriptions by telephoning: 01475 607177

This is a telephone answering service which allows you to order your repeat medication 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by leaving a message with:

n Your name n Date of Birth n Contact telephone numbern Medication required.

Prescriptions will be ready for collection 48 working hours after ordering.

If you are ordering prescriptions in person, at the Health Centre please use the tear-off slip attached to your prescription or one of the request forms provided at reception.

Your prescription will normally be ready for collection 48 working hours later. Prescriptions ordered on a Friday will not be ready for collection until Tuesday.

You may make arrangements with local pharmacies to collect prescriptions on your behalf. This service may increase turnaround.

You can now order your repeat prescriptions online by connecting to patient access.

You will need to register at the practice in person with identification, before you are able to use this service. Our reception staff will give you a pin and access ID which are required to enable you to register for this service.

All information that is sent to the surgery via Patient Access is secure. Your personal details are encrypted and protected using the highest standard internet security, so it cannot be intercepted. Only you and your GP surgery are able to see this information.

Childhood health surveillance

Dr Laverty is the GP responsible for child health surveillance within the practice and is supported by the Health Visitors at clinic times.

ThursdaysAssessments (6 weeks): 14.00 – 14.30You will be sent an appointment for assessments.

If you cannot make the appointment please contact the surgery and we will re-arrange it for you.

Help us to help you

Please help us to maintain a high standard of service to you by:

n Cancelling any appointments which you no longer need.n Notifying us if you change your name, address or

telephone number. n Requesting home visits before 10:00.n Ringing the Surgery after 09:00 for routine appointments.n Using the tear off slip when requesting further supplies of

your medication.n Supplying Surgery staff with the necessary information

when requested.n Use the direct dial numbers contained in this leaflet to

contact all Health Centre extensions.

Information sharing

The practice complies with Data Protection and Access to Medical Records legislation. Identifiable information about you will be shared with others in the following circumstances:

n To provide further medical treatment for you e.g. from district nurses, hospital services and screening.

n To help you get other services e.g. from the social work department. This requires your consent.

n When we have a duty to others e.g. in child protection cases.n Anonymised patient information will also be used at local and

national level to help the Health Board and Government plan services. If you do not wish anonymous information about you to be used in such a way, please let us know.

Zero tolerance policy

This Practice is committed to providing a safe and secure environment for both staff and patients. Our staff work here to care for others – being victims of violence is not part of their job.

This organisation fully supports NHS Scotland’s Zero Tolerance Campaign and any form of violence will not be tolerated.

The following behaviour is unacceptable and any person within the premises carrying out such acts could be subject to exclusion and criminal prosecution:

n Excessive noise such as loud or intrusive conversation or shouting.n Threatening or abusive language involving swearing or

offensive remarks.n Racial or sexual comments.n Abuse of alcohol or drugs within the premises.n Drug dealing.n Wilful damage to property.n Theft.n Threats of violence.n Actual violence or assault.

All abuse will be reported to the Practice Manager who will keep a log of all incidents.

All physical abuse of any of our staff by our patients will be reported to the police. The patient will be removed immediately from our list.

Your personal health information

To provide you with the care you need, we hold the details of your consultations; illnesses, tests, prescriptions and other treatments that have been recorded by everyone involved in your care e.g. GP, health visitor, and practice nurse. This information may be stored on paper or electronically on computer files by practice staff.

We sometimes disclose some of your personal health information to other organisations involved in your care. For example, when your GP refers you to a specialist at the hospital we will send relevant details about you in the referral letter and receive information about you from them.

Our practice also participates in regional and national programmes such as the cervical cytology screening service and your name and address, date of birth and health number will be given to them in order to send an invitation to you.

We need to use some of your personal health information for administrative purposes. In order to receive payment for services provided to you, we have to disclose basic details about you to the NHS Board responsible for this area and to the Common Services Agency for the Scottish Health Service.

These organisations have a role in protecting public funds and are authorised to check that payments are being properly made. We are required to co-operate with these checks and disclosure of your data is a necessary part of our provision of healthcare services.

Sometimes, we may participate in studies that are designed to improve the way services are provided to you or to check that our performance meets required standards. Whenever we take part in activities such as these we will ensure as far as possible any details that may identify you are not disclosed.

Where you need a service provided jointly with a local authority we will seek your permission before giving them your details.

Sometimes we are required by law to pass on information, e.g. the notification to the government of births and deaths and certain diseases or crimes is a legal requirement.

Our use of your personal health information is covered by a duty of confidentiality, and is regulated by the Data Protection Act. The Data Protection Act gives you a number of rights in relation to how your personal information is used including a right to access the information we hold about you.

Everyone working for the NHS has a legal duty to keep information about you confidential and adheres to a Code of Practice on protecting patient confidentiality. Anyone who receives information from us is also under a legal duty to keep it confidential.

Patient’s rights and responsibilities

In March 1993 the Department of Health and the Central Office of Information published “The Patient Charter – and the family doctor services”. It states that every person in the country has the right:

n To be registered with a family doctor

n To change doctor quickly and easily

n To be offered a health check when joining a doctor’s list for the first time or annually at home if 75 years of age or over.

n To receive emergency care at any time through a family doctor

n To have appropriate drugs and medicine prescribed.

n To be referred to an acceptable consultant when the family doctor thinks it necessary, and to be referred for a second opinion if the patient and family doctor thinks it desirable.

n To have access to personal medical records, subject to any limitations by law.

n To know that those working for the NHS are under a legal duty to keep the contents of health records confidential.

n To choose whether or not to take part in medical research or student training.

n To receive a copy of the doctor’s practice leaflet, setting out the services he or she provides to receive a full and prompt reply to any complaint made about NHS services.

Your responsibilities

n Patients should attend their appointments at the arranged time. If this is not possible they should inform the surgery as soon as possible.

n We expect patients will understand that appointments are for one person only. Additional appointments should be made for more than one person.

n Patients are responsible for their own health, and the health of their children, and should co-operate with the practice in endeavouring to keep themselves healthy. We will give you professional help and advice—please act on it!

n Requests for help and advice for non-urgent matters should be made during surgery hours only.

n Home visits should only be requested for patients who are seriously ill or housebound. It is important to bear in mind that most medical problems are dealt with more effectively in the clinical setting of a well-equipped surgery or hospital.

n Patients should realise that home visits are made at the doctor’s discretion.

n Requests for visits and advice at night should only be made for true emergencies.

n Many problems can be solved by advice alone, therefore patients should not always expect a prescription.

n We ask that patients treat the staff and doctors with courtesy and respect. Bear in mind that reception staff have a very difficult job to do, juggling with limited resources and without detailed medical knowledge, they are trying to do their best for you.

Suggestions and complaints

All our staff work together, endeavouring to offer you the best possible care and attention.

We are always pleased to receive any suggestions about how we may improve our service, and welcome new ideas.

Similarly, if you are unhappy about any aspect of our services please contact your doctor or the practice manager.