About The Practice

Dr Weatherhead took over the Practice on 1 December 1997, Dr Premchand joined us on 11 September 2012; Dr Middleton returned to the practice on 3 February 2014;  Dr Dalhuijsen joined us on 1 November 2014; and Dr Jamie Willey has joined the Practice on a permanent contract from 13 October 2017. All doctors are registered on the Medical Performers list and between them the provide services ranging from Maternity, Child Health Surveillance, Family Planning and Minor Surgery.

We have a number of Staff contracted by the Practice to provide specific services; Ian Clough, Advanced Nurse Practitioner provides minor surgery and cryotherapy services;  Megan Blythe, Prescribing Pharmacist carries out medication review, medication changes requested following hospital contact and offers advise on best prescribing practice; and Patsy Pringle hosts a weekly Warfarin Monitoring Clinic at the Practice, but also offers home visits for patients who are unable to get to the surgery.

Home Visits

If you are ill and unable to attend the surgery please telephone before 11.00am with your symptoms and a contact telephone number. Home visits are at the doctors discretion and the doctor will contact you before visiting. Visits are usually done between 1.00am and 2.30pm when the doctors have finished their morning surgery.

Telephone Advice In Surgery Hours

If you need advice about a health problem or a query regarding medication and simply with to speak to a doctor or nurse please telephone the surgery. We will ask fro your name and contact number and a brief description of your query if you are able to give it. Please ensure that you inform us if your query is urgent. Please let us know if it is a personal matter and you do not feel able to tell us. Your call will be returned as soon as a doctor or nurse becomes available. This is usually when surgery finished unless it is urgent.

Access To A Doctor Out Of Surgery Hours

The provision of out of hours care between the hours of 6.00pm and 8.30am, Monday to Friday and 24 hour care on Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays has been delegated to NHS 111, whom you should contact direct.

NHS 111 – Please dial 111 – all calls to this number are free. 

NHS 111 is also available during surgery hours for medical advice.

Emergencies

In case of an ‘emergency’ or when the surgery is closed, you have below options available to you:

• If your problem is an emergency or life threatening, please call 999.
• Out of hours contact number for the practice – this information will be available soon…
• If you require information on symptoms or need medical advice, please call NHS Direct on 111

Repeat Prescriptions

We operate a repeat prescription service allowing patients on long-term medication to obtain a prescription without consulting the doctor when their condition is stable. Your medication will however need to be reviewed at regular intervals (at least every 12 months), by appointment or telephone consultation with the practice Pharmacist or a doctor.

Please allow at least 48 working hours notice when requesting your repeat medication at the demand is extremely high. 

If you are ringing for medication that is not part of your routing prescription there may be a delay as the Practice Pharmacist will need to be consulted before it can be issued. 

We also work with local pharmacies to provide a Repeat Dispensing service for patients whose monthly medication very rarely changes.  This service offers you the opportunity of nominating a Pharmacy to dispense your medication and we will supply up to three monthly prescriptions to the Pharmacist. The benefit to you is when your medication is running out you can go direct to your pharmacy to collect your next supply. If you would be interested in joining the scheme or would like further information please ask one of the Reception Team.

Electronic Prescription Service

We offer the opportunity for patients to have their prescription send electronically to a pharmacy of their choice, as long as the pharmacy you choose is set up to receive prescriptions this way.  You request your prescription in the usual way, in person, by post or by phone, but instead of collecting a paper prescription from the Practice you will be able to go direct to your pharmacy and pick up your medication. The 48 working hours notice applies in requesting your medication but there is no need to come to the surgery. Further details are available at reception.

Ringing For Results

If you have investigations or tests carried out during a hospital attendance it is the responsibility of the hospital staff to inform you of the result. We are responsible for tests and investigations done at our request.

We will try, where possible, to provide the results on behalf of the hospital if they are unable to but results can take longer to reach the practice. Please do not get upset with the practice staff if the result is not returned within the timescale suggested by the hospital.

New Patients

All newly registered patients will be asked to attend the surgery for a New Patient Health Check with our Health Care Assistant. This gives us an opportunity to meet you and your family and to tell you about the practice. You will need to see the Practice Pharmacist or a doctor to initiate any regular medication. 

If You Move House

Please remember to tell us your new address and telephone number for yourself and your family, as soon as you move.

If anyone is receiving regular treatment at a hospital it is important that you also inform them of your change of address, we will not routinely do this. If you have recently changed your GP Practice you must also inform the hospital of the new details as they may not ask.

Practice Boundary

Please note that we have reviewed our Practice boundary . This may mean that, in future, if you move outside of the boundary you may be asked to register with another doctor.

Disabled Access & Parking

Disabled access and parking is available at the front and side of the building.

Hearing Impaired

An Induction Loop has been installed at reception to help the hearing impaired. Please ask the Reception Team to activate this if needed.

NHS Contract Changes

From 1 April 2015 the Practice will revert back to working under a standard General Medical Services (GMS) contract. The impact of this for patients may mean that some of the specialist and extended services we provide under the former Personal Medical Services (PMS) contract will no longer be available.

Confidentiality

The Practice Manager and Administrative Team are available to help with any queries you may have about the Practice and the services we offer. All staff are bound by rules of confidentiality. There is always a vacant room in the surgery  where patients can speak privately by request to a member of staff.

Primary Care Walk In Centres

Your nearest walk-in centre is:

Bunny Hill 0191 519 5800
                      Hylton Lane, Downhill, Sunderland, SR5 4BW 

Bunny Hill offers treatment to adults and children aged 2 years and over who may be suffering from a minor injury or illness. If your child is under 2 years please contact the surgery to arrange for them to be seen by one of our doctors.

Sunderland Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG)

The health needs of Sunderland are served by Sunderland CCG and its member GP practices. Sunderland CCG is responsible for ensuring that you get the services you require, according to need and works in conjunction with the Local Authority, Public Health Department and other organisations to deliver this.

They can be reached at Pemberton House, Colima Avenue, Sunderland Enterprise Park, Sunderland , SR5 3XB. Tel: 0191 512 8484

Complaints

Our aim is to provide the highest level of care for all our patients. We will always be willing to hear if there are ways we can improve.

Making a complaint
If you have cause to complaint or have concerns about the service that you have received from the doctors or staff working for this practice, please let us know.

We hope that most problems can be sorted out easily and quickly, often at the time they arise and with the person concerned. If your problem cannot be sorted out in this way and you wish to make a complaint, we would like you to let us know as soon as possible – ideally within a matter of days or at most a few weeks – because this will enable us to establish what happened more easily. If it is not possible to do that, please let us have details of your complaint:

• Within 6 months of the incident that caused the problem; or
• Within 6 months of discovering that you have a problem, provided that it is within 12 months of the incident.

The Practice Manager will deal with your complaint. She will explain the procedure to you and make sure that your concerns are dealt with promptly.

You can make your complaint in person or in writing. Please give as much information as you can, then send your complaint to the practice for the attention of Wendy Page, as soon as possible.

What we shall do
Our complaints procedure is designed to make sure that we settle any complaints as quickly as possible.

We shall acknowledge your complaint within 3 working days and aim to have looked into your complaint within 28 working days of the date when you raised it with us, where possible. We shall then be in a position to offer you an explanation and/ or a meeting with the people involved.

When we look into your complaint, we shall aim to:
• find out what happened and what went wrong;
• make it possible for you to discuss the problem with those concerned, if you wish;
• make sure you receive an apology, where appropriate;
• identify what we can do to make sure the problem doesn’t happen again.

At the end of the investigation your complaint will be discussed with you in detail, either in person or in writing.
Complaining on behalf of someone else
Please note that we keep strictly to the rules of medical confidentiality. If you are complaining on behalf of someone else, we have to know that you have his or her permission to do so. A note signed by the person concerned will be needed, unless they are incapable (because of illness) of providing this.
What you can do next
We hope that if you have a problem, you will use our practice complaints procedure. We believe that this will give us the best chance of putting right whatever has gone wrong and the opportunity to improve our practice.

However this does not affect your right to approach NHS England if you feel you cannot raise your complaint with us.

NHS Choices

Lose Weight

Food & Diet

Sexual Health

SmokeFree

NHS Direct

Patient UK

Contact details are:
NHS England
PO Box 16738
Redditch
B97 9PT

Tel: 0300 311 2233
(calls are charged at local rate)
Hours: 9am – 5pm Mon-Fri
Email: england.contactus@nhs.net

In addition, the NHS Complaints Advocacy Service can offer you help and support in submitting a complaint.

Contact details are:
North East NHS ICA
Room 312, DBH Gateshead
Aidan House
Sunderland Road
Gateshead
NE8 3HU

Freephone: 0808 802 3000
Email: ica@carersfederation.co.uk
If you remain dissatisfied with the responses to your complaint, you have the right to ask the Health Service Ombudsman to review your case. The Ombudsman is an independent body established to promote improvements in healthcare through the assessment of the performance of those who provide service.

For further information please ask Reception for a leaflet .

Contact details are:
Health Service Ombudsman Millbank Tower
Millbank
London
SW1P 4QP
Tel: 0345 015 4033
Email: phso.enquiries@ombudsman.org.uk

www.ombudsman.org.uk

Help us get it right
We constantly try to improve the service we offer. Please let us know when we have done something well or if you have any suggestions as to how we can do better.

Dr Weatherhead & Associates,
Southwick Health Centre,
The Green,
Sunderland
SR5 2LT

Tel: 0191 502 6700

Minor Surgery & Cryotherapy

Please Click Here to view Patient Information regarding Minor Surgery & Cryotherapy.

GP Earnings