F.A.Q.

On average please allow 3 working days for your test results to come back from the hospital unless your doctor has advised otherwise. Please note that X-ray results take a little longer, usually 10-14 working days. For your test results please telephone the surgery on 01375 846232. Sometimes, we cannot always give full results over the phone. If the result is complicated, or if the doctor wants to see you about the result, we will offer you an appointment. We will only give results to the person who has had the test.

If you think you may need a prescription medicine, please make an appointment with the doctor. Our practice nurse/nurse practitioner can also issue prescriptions for common ailments. If you have previously been given a prescription for a straightforward condition, such as hay fever, we may be able to issue a prescription after a telephone consultation. Please ask the receptionist. Your local pharmacist should be able to give you advice for non-prescription medication. We are allowed to dispense medication to patients who live in rural areas, or more than a mile from the nearest chemist. If you don’t qualify for this service you must take your prescriptions to one of the community pharmacies. Ask us about registering for our dispensing service if you think you qualify.

Repeat prescriptions. At present repeat presciptions can be obtained by sending your requests to admin.mailboxf81691@nhs.net

If you need urgent medical advice during surgery hours, please phone the surgery on 01375 846232. Please be prepared to give some information to the receptionist. If you need to see a doctor urgently when the surgery is closed please phone the surgery on 01375 846232 and follow the instructions. You will be put through to South West Essex PCT who provides the ‘out-of-hours’ service. They will pass a message to the doctor on duty who may phone you to assess your problem. You might be asked to attend the out-of-hours clinic, or receive a home visit. Alternatively you can phone NHS Direct on 0845 46 47 or visit their website at www.nhsdirect.co.uk. NHS Direct offers free expert health information and advice 24 hours a day. It can advise you whether you need to go to the nearest A&E (accident and emergency) or if there is an alternative such as visiting an NHS walk-in centre. For deaf people and those hard of hearing, a telephone services is available on 0845 606 4647. If English is not your preferred language, you can choose to use a confidential translation service.The nearest NHS walk-in centre is located at [insert address and telephone number]. NHS walk-in centres provide advice and treatment for a range of minor illnesses and injuries. Whatever the day or time, if you or someone else experiences severe chest pain, loss of blood or suspected broken bones, go to your nearest accident an

Our doctors typically see four patients at the practice in the time it takes to do a single home visit. For this reason, we ask our patients to come to the practice if at all possible. However, we can visit you at home if your condition means you cannot attend one of our premises. Please ring the main switchboard before 10am to arrange a visit. Please be prepared to tell the receptionist about your condition so we can visit the most urgent cases first. The doctor or nurse may wish to speak with you to see if it would be better for you to come to the surgery to be seen immediately. Home visits are normally made either before or after surgery times.

Please call our main switchboard number on 01375 846232 to make an appointment at either our main practice. Urgent cases are seen on the day. If your condition is non-urgent, you can expect to see a GP within two working days, though you may have to wait longer if you want to see a particular GP. If you don’t need an appointment within two working days, you also have the option to book up to 4 weeks in advance if this is more convenient for you. Nurses based in our practice treat patients for a wide range of common conditions. You can expect to see a nurse within one working day and all of them are qualified to prescribe from a range of medicines. You can book up to a month ahead for clinics – please see the ‘services and clinics’ section.

Complaints policy: All complaints at the surgery is dealt with in line with NHS complaints policy. Dr. T. Nimalaraj is the surgery designated complaints officer. Patients who would like to complain should leave their complaints at the receptionin a sealed envelope addressed to Dr. Raj. He will investigate the matter in accordance to NHS complaints policy and get back to you with theresults of his investigations.