Appointments

Our receptionists will be happy to help you make an appointment. If you cannot attend an appointment, please let us know, another patient could have urgent need of this appointment. One appointment must be made for each person attending. It is desirable for children under the age of 14 years to be accompanied by an adult, whenever possible, preferably a parent.

Appointment Length

The doctors currently see patients at a mixture of 10 minute intervals, which is a standard consultation time in many practices. Many appointments currently run over, which results in patients waiting. Sometimes this is inevitable and based on clinical need, but other factors include:

• Requests for routine repeat prescriptions during consultation time.
• Patients asking for accompanying relatives to be seen at the same time without having made an appointment.
• Patients with extensive 'lists' of problems which cannot possibly all be dealt with in a single appointment.

Please Try And Make The Best Use Of The Doctors Time

• Please use the repeat prescription system.
• Remember, one appointment for one patient only.
• If you have several problems, please make a further appointment.

Access

The current arrangement for access is a mixture of 24 hour appointments, which allows patients to book for any urgent appointments on the day.

Enquiries

Any other enquiries will be passed to the doctors after their morning surgery. You will then be asked to telephone the practice after 3pm the same day for a response.

Training Practice

Please Note: Our Practice has a regular influx of Post Graduate Junior Doctors. Patients have the right to decline the presence of a junior Doctor during usual consultations.

Home Visits

Home visits are for people who are housebound or very ill. Please try to attend Surgery whenever possible. If a home visit is necessary, please make every effort to request the visit before 11am, explaining the symptoms to the receptionist will help us to plan our calls. If you feel an home visit is not really necessary, but would like advice, a doctor will speak to you by arrangement.

Should you require a visit when the surgery is closed, please telephone the surgery and an answering machine message will give you instructions. You will be visited by one of our Doctors, Physician Associate or a local colleague of the Barnsley home visiting service.

Sickness 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.

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).