LATEST NEWS WINTER 2008

FLU CLINICS

Flu jabs now available by appointment.

Ring 770555 and ask for a 'flu clinic' appointment.

We give flu vaccination to any patient aged 65 and over. We also vaccinate some patients in certain risk groups as recommended by the department of health. Please see latest news from September each year for clinic dates. If you are under 65 and think you should be vaccinated, please speak to your doctor or nurse for advice.

EXTENDED OPENING HOURS

From the beginning of June, our opening hours will be changing. On Tuesdays and Thursdays we will be open until 8pm. We will be offering doctor and nurse appointments on these evenings until 7.30pm.

These appointments are pre-bookable and are available, as with all our appointments, one week in advance.

Please note that, although all services will be available at the front desk, telephone services will not be available after 6.30pm and urgent queries will still be referred to our out-of-hours service, South East Health.

If you book a late appointment please remember that it will not be possible to cancel or change the appointment by telephone after 6.30pm.

We are also offering some lunchtime appointments, available between 11am and 1pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

We hope that our patients will find our new appointment times helpful. We are responding to patient requests for more flexibility with appointment times. We have also been asked if it is possible to book appointments more than one week in advance. We restrict booking in advance because it reduces the number of missed appointments. However, we are currently considering extending the time when appointments can be booked to two weeks.

Telephone CONSULTATIONS

You can now book an appointment to talk to a doctor or nurse at a specific time. We have set up this service to give our patients more flexibility. You can arrange to speak to a doctor or nurse when at work or unable to leave the house, for example if you have childcare difficulties.

If you think your consultation could take place over the telephone, please ask reception for a telephone appointment. You will be given a specific time, usually either late morning or early afternoon.

Please note that these consultations are not suitable if there is any reason for the doctor or nurse to examine you. They are also not suitable for routine prescription requests or for new sick certificate requests.