(A Teaching Practice)
The Drive, Loughton, Essex IG10 1HW
PRACTICE LEAFLET
Website:
A LARGE PRINT VERSION
OF THIS LEAFLET IS AVAILABLE
PLEASE ASK AT RECEPTION
PLEASE USE OUR AUTOMATED CHECK-IN SCREENS
USE OUR WEBSITE TO BOOK A ROUTINE APPOINTMENT -
PLEASE REGISTER WITH THE PRACTICE FIRST
PLEASE QUEUE BEHIND BARRIER TO AFFORD ALL PATIENTS PRIVACY
Revised August 2015 z:\practice management\publications\practice leaflet\practice leaflet august 2015.docx
PartnersDr.Meenu V. Mirchandani(female) B.Med.Sci. BM.BS(1988) MRCGP (1993)
Dr.Tasneem Ally(female) MBChB Natal (1994) DCH (SA) DFFP DRCOG (1998)
Dr.Ashfack U. Ahmed(male) MBBS (1996) DFFP MRCGP (2002)
Dr. Alan Ding(male) MBBS, MRCGP
Dr.Zeeshan Bakht(male) MBBS, DRCOG (2005) MRCGP (2006)
Foundation Year 2 Doctors
Dr.Katherine Jack (female)
Speciality Year 1, 2 and 3 Doctors
Dr. Mohammed Ashiq(male)
Dr.YasmineDaoud(female)
Dr. Sachin Jhinghan(male)
Dr.MathumaiKanthasamy(female)
Practice Nurses and Healthcare Assistants
Sr Teresa Parke RGN / Jill Diner Healthcare Assistant
Sr Tricia Roffey RGN, SCM, B.Ed (Hons) / Tracy Holt Healthcare Assistant
Sr Jacqueline Pover RGN
SrMarian Preston RGN
Dietician
Linda Robinson & Damien Strawbridge
Practice Staff
Breda Tite / Business Manager
Choo Davies / Finance Administrator
Wendy Grange / Reception Manager
Pierra Jeffrey / Reception Manager
Mandy Burman / Receptionist
Janice Camp / Receptionist
Janice Chambers / Receptionist
Catherine Edwards-Bluck / Receptionist
Julia Foot / Receptionist
Debbie Norris / Receptionist
Kerry Osborne / Receptionist
June Thomas / Receptionist
Christine Tier / Receptionist
Charlotte Burgess / Administrator
Jan Mead / Administrator
Lynn Pace / Administrator
Debbie Richards / Registration Clerk
Lorraine Staight / Administrator
Angela Drew / Secretary
Carole Piper / Secretary
Health Visitors based at Rectory Lane
Christine Bartlett / Nyreen Honey
Angela Watts / Glenda Bickers – Nursery Nurse
Nicci Joseph
THE STAFF
All our staff will treat you with courtesy and respect at all times and do their best to assist you. By the same token we expect patients to treat our staff appropriately and would advise you that ANY PATIENTS WHO ABUSE STAFF will be asked to register elsewhere. Our reception staff deal with all aspects of your requests and enquiries.
PARKING AT THE PRACTICE
Unfortunately there is very limited parking space at the surgery and we are not even able to accommodate our staff.
Please do not park in either the doctors’ or staff parking spaces. Also please do not block cars in as doctors need to get out to go on urgent visits and district nurses also need access to the practice, sometimes on an emergency basis.
Your co-operation will be greatly appreciated.
PRACTICE AREA
Our Practice area covers Theydon Bois to South Woodford. If you wish to register with the practice our Registrations Clerk, Debbie Richards will be happy to answer your queries Monday to Wednesday 8.30am to 2.30pm. Her direct line is 020 418 3982.
APPOINTMENTS
Appointments with the doctor and practice nurses are made via reception, on the telephone or via the internet (see EMIS Access below). Please remember for your convenience to book as far ahead as possible for a routine problem. Our surgeries are held between 8:30 - 11:30 a.m. and 3:00 - 6:30 p.m. Monday to Friday then 8:30 – 11:30 a.m. on Saturday.A separate appointment is needed for each patient and it is preferable that you consult your registered doctor unless he/she is absent, when you can, of course, consult one of the other partners.
Appointments are bookable in advance and are at 15-minute intervals and we would encourage you to book an additional appointment if extra problems need to be addressed.
To allow for emergency access, a number of appointments are held for each GP and released on the day. Also we keep emergency appointments specifically for children.
EMERGENCY SURGERY
There is a duty doctor system in operation each evening for patients who have urgent problems that need to be dealt with on the day when all the routine appointments have been booked.This session is run with 5-minute appointments and must not be used for matters that are non-urgent and can wait. Times of this session vary and it is essential that you ring on the day for advice. We also operate an additional emergency surgery on Wednesday and Friday.
SATURDAY SURGERY
Saturday morning appointments are available for pre-booking between 8:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. but there are no facilities for emergencies or home visits.
From Tuesday 5 November 2013 if you require urgent medical attention when the surgery is closed please contact NHS111.The telephone number for this service is 111. This is a Freephone number from both landlines and mobiles.
EMIS ACCESS
It is now possible to book (and cancel) your routine appointment in advance through EMIS Access over the Internet. It is also to order repeat prescriptions and view your medical records.
It will be necessary for you to register with the Practice to obtain the relevant access code and pin number and produce the relevant identification. Please see EMIS Access booklet in Reception.
AUTOMATED PATIENT CHECK-IN
We have introduced an automated system which allows patients to check themselves in for any booked appointment whether with the doctors or nurses. It is very user friendly and has on-screen instructions.
It will ask your gender, the month you were born and then the day of that month. The final screen will ask you to confirm the entry is correct and it will then search the appointment system and confirm you are booked in with the doctor or nurse.
Our hope is that this will not only reduce the need for queuing but also release the receptionists to answer the phones and queries at the desk.
REPEAT PRESCRIPTIONS
This is a computerised procedure and there will be a tear off slip on the right-hand side of your prescription, which you can use to request repeat medication. This may either by sent to us by post, faxed to us on 020 8508 7895 or by putting it in the box in reception. If you require the prescription to be posted back to you, please ensure that you enclose a stamped addressed envelope.You can also order your repeat prescriptions via EMIS Patient Access but you will need to register first and produce valid ID. Please speak to Reception for details.
If you require your prescription to be collected by a local Pharmacy, please complete the relevant session on the repeat request slip.
We regret that we cannot accept requests for repeat prescriptions by telephone.PLEASE ENSURE THAT YOU ALLOW TWO FULL WORKING DAYS FOR YOUR PRESCRIPTION TO BE READYAND ALLOW EXTRA TIME IF YOUR PRESCRIPTION IS BEING COLLECTED BY A LOCAL PHARMACY
The timescale in which a repeat prescription can be issued is:-
2 weeks before medication finishes on a 56 day script
7 days before medication finishes on a 28 day script; and
2 days before medication finishes on a 7 day script
CONSULTATIONS
Patients often have several reasons for seeing the doctor and it is helpful if these are listed briefly at the beginning of the consultation. If you are seen as an emergency the doctor will only be able to deal with the urgent problem. Please remember that a separate appointment is necessary for each patient and requests for ‘fitting in’ other members of the family unnecessarily delays the doctor.If you have any urinary symptoms please bring a urine sample with you in a small clean container and complete a form detailing symptoms.
CHAPERONE
A chaperone will be provided if requested. Please advise the receptionist or the doctor at the time of consultation. If you would like a copy of our Chaperone Policy, please ask the receptionist.
HOME VISITS
If you are too ill to get to surgery and need a home visit please telephone before10.00 a.m. if possible. You may well be requested to attend surgery as home visiting really should be restricted to the very elderly, disabled, or terminally ill patients.EMERGENCIES
If case of emergency, please ring 020 8502 5000 for advice giving full details of the name, address, telephone number of patient and their registered GP and the problem. At night our answer phone will supply you with our Out-of-Hours contact details.If you are experiencing Chest Pains you must call an ambulance and go to hospital immediately.
CASUALTY SERVICES
There are no casualty facilities at the Health Centre. The nearest Accident and Emergency Departments are at Whipps Cross Hospital, Leytonstone, or Princess Alexandra Hospital, Harlow
OUT OF HOURS
When the surgery is closed an answer phone message will give you full instructions. If you require urgent medical attention please contact NHS 111. The phone number for this is 111.This is a Freephone number from both landlines and mobiles.
In cases of extreme emergency it is more appropriate to dial 999 for the ambulance service to go direct to the nearest Accident and Emergency department.
COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE
If you have a complaint which cannot be resolved by a member of staff, the Reception Managers are always happy to discuss this with you. You may make an appointment to see either Wendy or Pierra with the Receptionist or, if you prefer, you can write a letter, which will be investigated and replied to.A leaflet is available from Reception setting out our Complaints Procedure.
Facilities at the Health Centre
PRACTICE NURSES AND HEALTHCARE ASSISTANTSAppointments may be made with the Practice Nurses for immunisations, cervical smears, ear-syringing, wound dressings, removal of sutures, blood pressure checks and intermediate oral contraceptive and HRT checks.
Also clinics for Asthma, COPD and CHD are run by our Practice Nurses and these are by invitation.
Our Healthcare Assistants will also deal with removal of sutures, blood pressure checks, oral contraceptive and New Patient Health Checks.
CHILD HEALTH SURVEILLANCE
All the doctors are eligible to provide CHS services. An appointment will be offered by your doctor when your child is 6-8 weeks of age. It is therefore very important that you register your baby as a patient of the Practice as soon as possible.DISTRICT NURSES
District Nurses provide a domiciliary service for the care of acutely and chronically sick patients as well as advising on incontinence and the supply of various aids.HEALTH VISITORS
The Health Visitors (based at Rectory Lane Clinic) will be pleased to advise on health matters for the under 5s, e.g. feeding difficulties, hearing problems etc.
MATERNITY SERVICES
All the doctors provide Obstetrics care and provide full antenatal and post natal care during normal surgery hours. Please advise reception of your requirements when booking. Please see separate Maternity Services Leaflet in the Reception.Please note that expectant mothers who require a home delivery will be requested to temporarily register with another practice that has the expertise to provide this service.
Post natal Mother and Baby checks are carried out at the practice between 6-8 weeks by a GP. Please contact reception for details.
If you are pregnant when registering and have a maternity booking please inform the hospital that you have a new GP.
DIABETIC CLINIC
The Diabetic Clinic led by Dr.Ding reviews patients annually. Appointments are by invitation only. Please seek advice from your own doctor.
MINOR OPERATIONS
Surgical procedures such as excision of cysts and moles, in-growing toenails etc. are carried out only by appointment. If clinically indicated, your doctor will refer you.
SMOKING CESSATION CLINIC
We run a Smoking Cessation Clinic but to facilitate our patients you can book into this clinic on any day. Our Healthcare Assistants/Nurses will be very happy to help you in every way possible. Please ask at reception.
TELEPHONING YOUR GP
If you have any concerns which you need to discuss with your GP, please telephone 020 8502 5000, press 2 for Enquiries and a message will be left for your GP to contact you at the end of surgery. Consultations will not be interrupted unless the matter is urgent.
PROFESSIONAL TRAINING
On occasions there may be doctors or other professionals in training who will be ‘sitting in’ on consultations. You will be advised if this is the case and if you object to such persons being present please do not hesitate to advise the doctor or receptionist. We do have medical students with us from the Imperial College, UCL and Barts Hospital. These students spend time with us observing general practice during their fourth year of training.As we are a training practice we accommodate a ST2 who is a fully-qualified doctor undergoing a one-year training period prior to entering general practice. We also accommodate Foundation Year 2 Doctors who will spend 4 months with us on rotation from one of the local hospitals.
For training purposes some consultations need to be recorded with the prior permission of patients, although there is no obligation. The tapes are kept completely confidential between the ST2 and the partners of the practice.
We also have work experience students with us during school holidays as these are young people showing an interest in entering the profession. If you do not wish a student to be present at your consultation, it is your right to refuse.
DIETICIAN
We have the services of a weekly clinic at the Health Centre by a dietician. Referral is made via your own doctor.
TEST RESULTS
If you have had a blood or urine test it usually takes approx. one week for the result to be received back at the surgery. Xrays take on average ten days to be reported backed to us.
Please avoid telephoning for results early in the morning when surgery is very busy and wherever possible phone between 11.30 a.m. and 1p.m.
BLOOD TESTS
Each morning between 8.30 and 10.00 a.m. we have the services of an in-house phlebotomist to take certain blood samples but this is a very restricted service.You will need to arrive at the surgery before we open to be given a ticket. On occasions there might be a queue and you are not guaranteed a place. Your doctor will advise you if it is appropriate for you to attend.
It is not necessary to attend here for your blood test, you can use either of the following options:
Rectory Lane Clinic between 10.30am - 11.45am
St Margaret’s Hospital between 8.30am – 4.00pm
You may also have your blood test taken at Forest Medical Centre Old Station Road Loughton Essex IG10 BUT you must request a Whipps Cross Hospital form from your GP to use this service.
IMMUNISATION SCHEDULE
With effect from 1 September 20152 months
/ Diphtheria, Tetanus, Whooping Cough, HIB, and PolioPneumococcal, Men B and Rotavirus
3months
/ Diphtheria, Tetanus, Whooping Cough, HIB and PolioMenC and Rotavirus
4 months / Diphtheria, Tetanus, Whooping Cough HIB, , and Polio
Pneumococcal and Men B
12 months – 13 months / HIB and MenC
Pneumococcal
MMR (Mumps, Measles, Rubella) and
Men B
3-5 years / Booster Diphtheria, Tetanus, Whooping Cough, MMR and Polio
10-18 years / Rubella for girls who have not had MMR previously
Diphtheria, Tetanus, Polio
Men C Men W group
BCG is not given routinely - only to people at risk
Tetanus Booster as required
All immunisation procedures are given by the Practice Nurse except BCG
DISABLED PATIENTS
Wheelchairs can be used to access the Health Centre, including toilet facilities. A special Disabled Reception Desk is available which can be opened for your convenience and a consulting room has been specially adapted to accommodate wheelchairs. Braille signs have also been posted around the surgery and an induction loop for the hard of hearing is available at one reception desk. In case of any difficulty whatsoever please do not hesitate to ask a member of our staff for assistance.
MEDICALS
Insurance Company medicals and other medical examinations, e.g. fitness to drive are carried out at the Health Centre, for which a charge is made.
Please contact reception for details of how appointments are organised.
MEDICAL CERTIFICATES
There is no need for you to consult the doctor to obtain a self-certification of illness (SC1) form for your first five working days of sickness. Supplies of this form are available at reception.
PRIVACY
If you have a private matter to discuss, away from the reception desk, please do not hesitate to ask and we will accommodate you
CHLAMYDIA
Around 50% of men and 70-80% of women who get the chlamydia infection will have no symptoms.
The important things to know about chlamydia are:
For most people chlamydia has no symptoms, so you probably won't know if you or your partner(s) have it without having a test. Chlamydia is the most commonly diagnosed STI in England and rates are increasing.
Untreated chlamydia can have serious long term health implications, and may lead to infertility (being unable to have children).
If you are sexually active and under 25 years old, you should be tested for chlamydia annually or on change of sexual partner.
Chlamydia is easily tested for and easy to treat – you don’t need to be examined.
Any form of unprotected (without a condom) sex can put you at risk of catching chlamydia, including oral sex.
If you are 16 to 24 years old you can get a free and confidential chlamydia test here at the surgery.
WASTED APPOINTMENTS
We unfortunately have a number of wasted appointments each week where patients fail to advise us in advance that they will not be attending.
You are able to cancel an appointment via our telephone system 24 hours a day or via our website if you have registered with us for use of EMIS Access.
If you are unable to keep a booked appointment please advise us as soon as possible so that this time may be offered to another patient.
MJOG
We now have a text messaging service which reminds patients 24 hours before their appointment is due. Please let us have your mobile number to allow us to remind you!
CCG SHUTDOWNS
The GPs are required to attend clinical seminars for their continuing education which are arranged by the West Essex Clinical Commissioning Group. On these occasions the surgery will be closed at 12:30 p.m. Therefore there will not be any clinical staff at all on the premises during these shutdowns.
Prior notice is given by publishing notice in the waiting room and on our front doors. We also send a copy of these notices to all pharmacists who deliver/collect prescriptions.
PRACTICE WEBSITE
As you will see from our front cover, we now have a website. You are able to make a request for an appointment or cancel your appointment via EMIS Access and also order your repeat prescriptions and view your medical records. Please see booklet in Reception on EMIS Access.
TRAVEL ABROAD
This is an approved Yellow Fever Centre and we also offer a comprehensive advice and immunisation service via our Travel Clinic run by our Practice Nurse, for which there is a small administration fee. Please contact reception for advice on how to book
Please remember that it is essential to follow the necessary preventive measures before travelling abroad. You can obtain from the information from the Department of Health website where you can also apply for a European Health Insurance Card which replaces Form E111 – free of charge.
If you have left booking your travel vaccinations too late, you can visit the website below for further information
PASSPORT FORMS
The doctors will be pleased to countersign your passport application form, provided they are eligible (please check with Reception). Please note however that it is a criminal offence for a doctor to make a false declaration and the doctor signing the form (not his or her partner) must have personally known the applicant for at least 2 years.
A charge is made for this service.
EMERGENCY DENTAL TREATMENT