Appointments

Alconbury Telephone 01480 890281

Brampton Telephone 01480 454050

Doctors and nurses' appointments are for 10 minutes. Sometimes you will need longer, for instance if you wish to discuss several problems. Please ask the receptionist if you are unsure.

The Docctor does always try to keep to time, but can sometimes need more than 10 minutes with more complex cases. Please be patient if you are kept waiting as one day it may be you who needs the extra time.

Ask for a nurse appointment for the treatment of minor injuries, dressings, travel and other immunisations, ear syringing etc. Additionally, nurse practitioners are able to prescribe for some minor illnesses, under supervision by a doctor, from a limited formulary.

Health care assistants (HCAs) undertake the following tasks: blood tests, ECG, hearing tests, urinalysis, routine recording of blood pressure, new patient health checks.

If you are unsure about the kind of appointment you need please check with the receptionist.

Please inform reception as soon as possible if you are unable to attend for your appointment, so that we can give the appointment to another patient.

If you are late for your appointment, it is possible that you will need to make another appointment. Putting late patients ahead of those already waiting inconveniences those patients. To protect and maintain the quality of care we provide to all our patients, practice policy is to remove from our list patients who abuse our services by persistently failing to attend appointments they have booked.

We do not operate personal lists - you can see the doctor of your choice. However, please bear in mind that we are a split-site practice and our doctors, some of whom are not full-time in the practice, work at both surgeries and this means they may not be working from your surgery everyday.

It is preferable for you to see the same doctor if you are being treated for an ongoing condition. If your problem is urgent you will be offered an appointment the same day, but this may not be with your usual doctor. If you request an urgent appointment you must be prepared to come to the surgery at the time of the offered appointment.

If you or your child are very ill and need to see a doctor very quickly, please tell the receptionist.

Patients With Particular Needs

Each of our surgeries is accessible to patients using a wheelchair. We also have a parking space outside each of our practices which are reserved for patients displaying a disabled sticker.

For patients with hearing problems, we can arrange special facilities. Please notify reception.

We can arrange interpretation and translation services in person or by phone for patients who do not speak English. Please let us know if you need this service when booking an appointment.

Home Visits

If possible please try to telephone reception before 10:00 if you require a home visit.

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.

You can be visited at home by a community nurse if you are referred by your GP. You should also be visited at home by a health visitor if you have recently had a baby or if you are newly registered with a GP and have a child under five years.

Telephone Advice

You can talk to any of the doctors or nurses for advice. They may not be able to talk to you during surgery unless your problem is urgent.

The receptionist will be happy to take a message and arrange a time for you to talk to the doctor or nurse. If your problem is urgent please say so.

GP Training

From 1996 it has been a requirement that all doctors newly entering, and some doctors returning to General Practice, be vocationally trained. Patients, the practice team, GP Registrars and House Officers all benefit from this process.

The practice has been accredited for some time to train doctors and university medical students interested in General Practice.

GP Registrars are fully qualified doctors attached to practices from Vocational Training Schemes for placements of  4 or 12 months at a time.

We also have medical students visiting us for regular placements from the University of Cambridge.

As a patient you may be offered an appointment with a GP Registrar or medical students who will have a senior doctor supervising them. As part of their placement GP registrars may sometimes want to video consultations for their own education, with patient consent. Our reception team will ensure that you are aware of any such arrangements, please let them know if you would prefer an alternative appointment as soon as possible, preferably when making the intial booking.

We have three GP registrars working with us at present, Dr Rebecca Stone, Dr Shalini Cross and Dr Annika Andrews.

Practice Education

Continuous training and educational development are an important aspect of General Practice. In accordance with this we have an extended lunchtime closure every 2 weeks to allow the Practice team the opportunity to update their knowledge and share experience. During these meetings an on-call doctor is available to deal with emergencies and we hope to minimise any inconvenience.

Choose Well

If you become unwell or are injured, make sure you choose the right NHS Service. This will ensure you receive the best possible treatment, leaving A&E and 999 for people who are in critical or life threatening situations.

Self care: For wear and tear, minor trips and everything inbetween patients are encouraged to choose to self-care. A well stocked medicine cabinet will help you with many common health problems such as colds, flus, coughs, sore throats, indegestion, toothache, headaches and constipation.

NHS Direct: If you have any questions about your health choose NHS Direct, call 0845 4647. They can offer confidential health advice and information by telephone and on the internet 24 hours a day.

Pharmacy: For advice on common illnesses and the best menicenes to treat them, use a pharmacy. to find your nearest pharmacy text 'pharmacy' to 64746 for free details.

Doctor/GP: When you have an illness or injury that wont go away, contact your GP for an appointment. Your Doctor can advise, and point you in the right direction if you need other specialist services. The Doctor or Nurse will always try and see genuinely urgent problems on the same day and can advise by telephone if you are not sure whether you need to be seen. In addition we offer a Minor Injury at the surgery and can treat minor illnesses, cuts and sporting injuries to prevent an uneccesary attendance at A&E. After 6pm most services are covered by an emergency Doctor Service

A&E: For immediate life threatening emergencies call 999. Tell the operator that there is a medical emergency and a response vehicle will be sent to your location. Emergency services are very busy and should only be used in serious conditions.

www.cambridgeshire.nhs.uk/Local-services/choose-well.htm