Dr Weatherhead & Associates

Southwick Health Centre, The Green, Southwick, Sunderland SR5 2LT

A guide to the Practice Appointment System

Appointments

Surgery Times (By Appointment)

Mon 8.40am – 12.00pm 3.00pm – 5.30pm
Tues 8.40am – 12.00pm 3.00pm – 5.30pm
Wed 8.40am – 12.00pm 3.00pm – 5.30pm
Thurs 8.40am – 12.00pm 3.00pm – 5.30pm
Fir 8.40am – 12.00pm 3.00pm – 5.30pm
Sat/Sun Closed

Surgery start and finish times vary from day to day, depending on the health professional on duty.  We do our best to accommodate patients who work or who may rely on someone who works.

Appointments can be booked from 8:30am every weekday either by telephone or on attendance at the Practice. Alternatively you can book appointments on-line via Patient Access (see below).

APPOINTMENTS AND ACCESS

In response to patient comments about access to appointments we are making changes to the current appointment system with effect from 1st October 2015.

What will change……

  • Reinstate the ability to book in advance, up to 4 weeks;
  • Reinstate a ‘Sit & Wait’ clinic but this will be a short appointment for a single urgent problem; if you attend with a problem that the On-Call Doctor considers to be ongoing or if you attend with more than one problem you may be asked to re-book into a routine appointment;
  • If you request a call regarding results of tests you will be called back by the Doctor/Nurse who requested them and on the day that they are next in, therefore this may not be on the day that you contact us;
  • Requests for repeat Fitnotes (commonly called sicknotes) will be dealt with by telephone and by the Doctor who issued your last note. They will contact you on the day that they are next in, therefore it may not be on the day that you request it;

What won’t change……

  • Ability to book appointments and request prescriptions on-line;
  • When a Doctor wants to see you again they can book the review appointment while you’re sitting with them;
  • Medication reviews will be dealt with by our Practice Pharmacist either face to face or by phone.

We will do our best, where possible, to ensure that there are 2 Doctors available every day. Please remember that all of our Doctors work a limited number of sessions per week, they do not work full-time at the Practice.  If you wish to see a particular Doctor, while we understand that this is best for you in terms of continuity of care, you may wait a little longer for an appointment.

Patient Access (On-line booking system)

You can register to book appointments, request repeat medication, inform us of changes in your address or telephone details on-line and also view a record of your immunisations and allergies (that we are aware of). Registration is via our website or ask at Reception for more details.

SMS Appointment Reminders

Please ensure that we have your correct mobile telephone number in order for us to confirm and send reminders of your appointment by text.

Reception Hours

The office is open extended hours to deal with general enquiries and the collection and ordering of repeat prescriptions. We are open from 8.00am until 6.00am, Monday to Friday.

Keeping Your Appointment

If you find that you are unable to keep your appointment it is important that you contact us in good time to cancel. This allows us to offer your appointment to someone else in need. You should also inform the hospital if you are unable to keep a hospital appointment as it may result in you being discharged from their care and re-joining the waiting list at the bottom should a further referral become necessary.

Practice Nurse Clinic Times (by appointment)

Approximately surgery times are:  8.30am-12noon  2.00pm – 5pm

The Practice Nurse is available Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday.  Surgery start times vary from day to day.  We will do our best to accommodate those who work or rely on someone who works.  If we are unable to offer a time to suit please ask to speak to the Practice Nurse who may be able to discuss your needs and suggest a suitable appointment.

The Practice Nurse provides a range of health promotion clinics, by appointment, aiming to improve the health of patients and helping them to understand and manage long term conditions. The nurse is also available to assist the doctors with routine medical examinations and tests.

Health Care Assistant

Clinic Times – (By appointment)

Mondays         9:30am – 3.30pm
Tues & Wed    9:30am – 2:30pm

The Health Care Assistant offers a range of services to support the doctors and the practice nurse, including phlebotomy (taking blood), blood pressure measurement, health checks, ECG (heart tracing) etc.

The HCA is also trained to administer the seasonal influenza vaccination and the pneumonia vaccination and provide smoking cessation advice and monitoring.

Practice Pharmacist

Your annual medication review may be carried out by the Practice Pharmacist by appointment or by telephone.  You should have a review at least once every 12 months.  The Pharmacist is available all day Tuesday and a Thursday morning.  Clinics are held:

Tuesday               2pm-4pm

Thursday             10am-11.30am

Vaccination & Immunisation

We offer travel vaccination according to national guidelines, some vaccinations we are not able to offer and you will need to attend a Travel Vaccination Centre to receive these.  Please contact the Practice to speak to the Practice Nurse for further details, when you contact us please have your destination and travel date available.