Appointments
All surgeries and are by appointment. Appointments with the doctor are booked at fifteen minute intervals. If you phone for an appointment, we will ask for some additional information to ensure you are directed to the best appointment for you. Please note that appointments are for one person only.
If you need to be seen urgently or require a visit, please call early, or contact 111. The ‘phone lines tend to be busy at the start of each day, so if the matter is routine, please leave your call until later in the day when you are more likely to get through without problems. Our staff are specially trained to fit you in with the most appropriate consulter, be it a doctor, nurse, pharmacist or other healthcare professional. Please help us by being prepared to answer a few general and non-intrusive questions regarding why you need to be seen. If you would rather not say why you are making an appointment, we will respect this.
Anyone registered with us may attend either the main surgery or the branch surgery. All of the doctors and nurses work at both sites.
Practice Nurses
The Practice Nurses are available during normal surgery hours. They operate an appointment system. Among the services they provide are well-person, asthma, diabetes, blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, thyroid, and lung disease clinics. They also provide family planning services. They have had additional training to work independently.
Primary Care Pharmacist
The primary care pharmacy team can review your medication, talk to you about how your treatment works, discuss alternatives and how to get the best from your treatment.
Primary care physiotherapist
The primary care physiotherapist can see anyone who has a new problem with their joints, ligaments, tendons or muscles. She will be able to assess your problem, advise about treatment and refer on to other services.
Telephone Advice
If you wish to speak to someone for telephone advice, please call (01870) 602215. You will be offered a choice of appointments with the most appropriate available clinician.
Booking appointments
Appointments are generally for fifteen minutes. Please inform reception staff for the main reason for booking your appointment; they will be able to offer you the most appropriate options to ensure you get the right appointment for your needs first time. You may be signposted to services outwith the practice if this is the best option for you. The practice provides:
- General consultations (face-to-face, VC and telephone) with the nurse practitioners, GPs, pharmacists or physiotherapist
- Medication review
- Chronic disease management
- Asthma review (house of care)
- Cervical screening
- Contraception services
- Diabetes review (house of care)
- Elderly Care Assessment
- Minor surgery
- New registration medicals
- Postnatal checks
- Travel advice
- Occupational health
Routine blood tests, BP checks etcetera will be provided by the community nursing team at the health clinic in Balivanich. Appointments for this service are made by phoning 01870 602215 as usual.
Chaperone Service
A member of staff will be available to chaperone the doctor during certain types of examinations. If you would like a chaperone present please ask.
Hospital appointments
We have prepared a guidance sheet to help you get the best out of your hospital appointments.
Hospital Outpatients guidance sheet
Escort Authorisation – Hospital Appointments
An escort will only be authorised for hospital appointments according to the Western Isles Health Board’s Patient Travel Policy. All escort authorisations are decided by the medical director's office, based on the information you supply on the escort request form.
Further information on patient travel is available at www.patienttravelwi.scot.nhs.uk and http://www.patienttravelwi.scot.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Patient-Travel-Scheme-travelling-to-a-hospital-appointment.pdf
Cancellations
If you cannot attend an appointment for any reason please inform us as soon as possible in order for us to give the slot to someone else.