Practice Information

We are a GP practice based within Govan Health Centre consisting of one male and three female doctor partners, and one male salaried GP. Our practice area serves Govan and surrounding areas which include G51, G52, parts of G41, G53, Ralston and Dean Park.

The practice telephone number is 0141 531 8490

Please use this number to arrange: Appointments, Home visits or to contact the practice for advice or test results.

Appointments

Our appointment system has changed. There are now a mixture of Face-to-face appointments and telephone appointments. If you feel you need to speak to a doctor the same day, please call BEFORE 12.00. Medically Urgent calls will be dealt with initially by telephone by the doctor on call that day. If a doctor feels you need to be seen in person, they will provide you with an appointment to come down to the practice.

The doctors and nurse are available by appointment only.

Although doctors endeavour to keep surgeries running to time, some consultations will inevitably take longer than the allocated 10 minutes. We would therefore ask you to please be patient if you are kept a little beyond your appointment time.

Missed or late appointments cause a great disruption to our system and we ask your co-operation in informing us if you are going to be late for your appointment or unable to attend altogether. This allows us to offer the appointment to other patients who may need to be seen urgently.

Results

Please phone for any results between 11am and 1pm. This is to allow the GPs to have time to look at them and write up any actions to be taken. They cannot do this whilst they are seeing patients, and our receptionists are more available to give out results at this time.

Extended Hours

The practice can now offer our patients who work or cannot attend the surgery in daytime hours an evening appointment. These surgeries are held once a week, on a Monday-Thursday early morning or evening (varies week to week) and can be booked in advance. Unfortunately we cannot guarantee that you will be able to see a Doctor of your choice.

Emergency Appointments

Emergency medical conditions are seen immediately. Patients who feel their condition needs the same day attention will be offered an urgent appointment to speak to the duty doctor.

Home Visits

If you are too ill to attend the surgery and require a doctor to call please call the surgery BEFORE 10.00am.

The receptionist will require some details of the reason for the request. They are not prying, but acting on the doctor’s instructions. Please note that this is a service for patients who are unable to physically attend the surgery – not simply if it is inconvenient for them to do so.

Also, the doctor can attend three patients in the surgery in the time it takes to do one housecall, so please do not request a home visit unless it is strictly necessary. The surgery is almost always the best place to be seen, where all means of examination diagnosis and treatment are at hand.

Self Certificates

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:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/statutory-sick-pay-employees-statement-of-sickness-sc2

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)

https://www.gov.uk/statutory-sick-pay/how-to-claim

NHS Inform

https://www.nhsinform.scot/

Heath Information you can trust. This website provides reliable information on :

Illnesses and Conditions
Symptoms and Self help
Tests and Treatments
Healthy Living
Care Support and Rights

Out Of Hours Consultations

Out of hours cover is now the responsibility of NHSGGC. NHS 24 is a 24 hour telephone nurse consultation and health information service and is available in Glasgow. The public can contact NHS 24 by dialling its free phone number “111”. When the surgery is closed you can access the service by either dialling the NHS 24 number or the practice number. If the practice is contacted out of hours, an information message will be available advising patients who to contact and the telephone number. NHS 24 website is www.nhs24.co.uk

Our local out-of-hours centre is based beside the A & E department at the Southern General Hospital or Victoria Infirmary Call Centre after midnight. If you require medical attention, you will be offered advice as deemed appropriate or asked to attend the centre. Please remember that you must always telephone beforehand, it is not a walk- in service. House calls will still be available for the housebound or seriously ill. Please bear in mind that all emergency cover is designed to deal with medical conditions that are too serious to wait until the next working day.

Telephone

If you wish to speak to your doctor or to the practice nurse, please leave a message and contact telephone number with the receptionist who will pass on the details of your call.

Repeat Prescriptions

If you are receiving regular treatment, repeat prescriptions may be obtained by using the tear-off slip attached to prescriptions and ticking the requested items in the following ways:

By post. If you enclose a stamped address envelope we will post it back to you. Please allow 7 working days for delivery.
In person at reception.
By phoning the surgery and leaving details of your request on the prescription answer phone. Tel 0141 531 8494

Genuine repeat medication requests, as they appear on your prescription sheet, can be collected in 48 hours. Amended or special requests will take longer depending on the availability of the doctor who knows you best, to authorise such a request.

RCGP Training (GP Training)

We are a recognised training practice for trainee doctors (registrars) to work with us for a period of 6 or 12 months. At some point we may seek your consent to video your consultation. The videos are used by doctors training to be a GP to review their consultations with their trainers.

The video/digital recording is ONLY of you and the doctor talking together. Intimate examinations will not be recorded and the camera will be switched off on request.

All video/digital recordings are carried out according to guidelines issued by the General Medical Council, and will be stored securely in line with the practice guidelines. They will be deleted within one year of the recording taking place.

You do not have to agree to your consultation with the doctor being recorded. If you want the camera turned off, please tell Reception – this is not a problem, and will not affect your consultation in any way.

Dr Maguire and Dr Shaw are our official trainers who teach and guide the registrars to become fully fledged general practitioners after their placement with us.

Violent & Abusive Behaviour

We aim to treat our patients courteously at all times and expect our patients to treat our staff in a similarly respectful way. We take seriously any threatening, abusive or violent behaviour against any of our staff or patients. If a patient is violent or abusive, they will be warned to stop their behaviour. If they persist we may exercise our right to take action to have them removed, immediately if necessary, from our list of patients. The police may also be involved.

There is a special GP practice in the city to which violent patients will be referred.

Students Doctors

Our practice is involved in the training of medical students, who spend short periods of time at the practice. You may be asked to help in their training. Your consent will always be sought prior to any recording being taken and you are not obliged to agree to this.

Student nurses are trained in the practice under the supervision of the practice nurse, health visitor or district nurse. Again, you will be made fully aware if they are to be involved in your care.

Data Protection

The practice is registered under the Data Protection Act 1998. Information about you will be retained both on computer and paper and made available to clinical and admin staff employed by the practice who require access for the purpose of your care.

We may sometimes have to share information we hold about you on our medical system with other health care professionals.

This data is always given anonymously and if we had to identify you we would not do so without your written consent. We also have other attached staff working with us from time to time such as pharmacists, research nurses, IT support staff and they may, on occasions have access to information relating to patient records. Please be assured that these individuals are bound by the same terms and conditions of the Data Protection Act as our own team members.

Freedom of Information

As from 1st January 2005, the public have the right to know how services are organised and run. By Law the practice has to respond to any member of the public who requests details about recorded information held within the practice. For details, please contact Liz Hannah (Practice Manager)

Patient Confidentiality

We respect your right to privacy and keep all your health information confidential and secure. It is important that the NHS keeps accurate and up-to-date records about your health and treatment so that those treating you can give you the best possible advice and care.

This information is only available to those involved in your care and you should never be asked for personal medical information by anyone not involved in your care.

Access to your Health Records

You have a right of access to your health records. A small fee may be charged to cover reproduction costs. The Data Protection Act 1998 gives you the right of access to information that the practice holds about you on paper records and on computer.

It is your legal right to see your Health records if you wish, or to obtain a copy of them. Only in certain circumstances can access be withheld. If you would like to apply for access to information held about you, or would like further information about the Act, please discuss this with the person in charge of your care.

Emergency Care Summary

These have been introduced across Scotland. If you contact NHS 24 it is now possible for medical information from your computer records to be accessed by the staff there.

This is the first time that the essential confidentiality of your General Practice medical record has been altered to make information available to others outside this Practice. We can no longer promise you complete confidentiality of your medical information now or in the future, but it is considered a great advantage that in an emergency, doctors in the hospital will be able to have information about your previous medical history, which is important when dealing with someone in a crisis.

You have the choice of opting out of this arrangement if you wish to. Please speak to any member of our reception staff should you wish further information on this.