HAGLEY SURGERY
Hagley Medical Practice Hagley Surgery 1 Victoria Passage Hagley Stourbridge DY9 0NH
Telephone 881700 to arrange your appointments
Fax: 887185
email: None Listed
Website: www.hagleysurgery.co.uk/
Dr David Richards, Dr Louise Evans, Dr Mobeen Ahmed, Dr Anna McDonald, Dr Ayodele Ola, Dr Christopher Troth
Opening Times
Monday 7:45am – 7:00pm
Tuesday 7:45am – 7:00pm
Wednesday 7:45am to 7:00pm
Thursday 7:45am to 7:00pm
Friday 7:45am to 7:00pm
New Patients Welcome
APPOINTMENTS:
As restrictions are releasing we wanted to update our patients on how our appointment system will operate as we move forward. The team at Hagley Surgery are here to support you and your health conditions and can be accessed via telephone, online or by popping into the surgery. Face coverings are still being promoted in the surgery environment wherever possible. We will be continuing to operate an ‘on the day’ telephone appointment system at the surgery as we have continued to find that this is well received and had positive feedback. For those patients where the Doctor feels an examination is needed, they will be invited to the surgery to see the Doctor, Nurse or healthcare professional in a face to face appointment. This will be explained and a time mutually agreed between the patient and the clinician during the initial telephone call.
All appointments (including telephone slots and selected nurse appointments for smears or blood tests) continue to be available to book online where you have online access to your medical record. It is really easy to do – to sign up if you haven’t already please speak to reception via telephone or via our online portal on the website. You can access appointment booking or order repeat prescriptions at anytime from anywhere so it really is worthwhile signing up.
ACCURX ONLINE:
We have a webform that can be accessed via our website that can be used to ask the surgery a question. By filling in the webform, you can use this service to avoid waiting on the phone. You can check your test results, ask the admin or clinical team a question, order medical notes, sick notes, reports or book non-urgent telephone calls with the team. This can be done at any time of the day or night and will be looked at by one of the team within 24hours.
PLEASE NOTE THIS IS NOT FOR URGENT CLINICAL ENQUIRIES
HOME VISITS
Home visits are immensely time consuming for doctors and are not always best for the patients. When we ask if patients can attend surgery, or could they be brought down to the practice by someone, it is not because our doctors cannot be bothered to call.
There are significant advantages to being seen at the surgery:
- The doctor has access to the patient's full medical record
- Have there been past episodes?
- Is the patient allergic to anything?
- Are there contraindications to whatever is about to be prescribed vs current medication?
- Course of action can be entered into record immediately
- If ambulance is required other staff can look after patient while doctor continues surgery
- The doctor can be assisted by a medical colleague if the condition escalates, or can ask for a second opinion
- The doctor can examine the patients more efficiently in the surgery environment; there is access to
- A medical couch
- Diagnostic sets
- ECG machine
- Nebuliser
- Dermatoscope
The doctor can see four or five patients at the surgery in the time it takes to see one patient at home.
BLOOD TESTS
Blood test results can be used to help diagnose a condition, to help eradicate a diagnosis or to check whether a patient is showing signs of improvement or deterioration. Clinicians request hundreds of blood tests per week and our phlebotomists endeavour to undertake such requests as quickly as possible. The courier calls once per day, at lunchtime hence phlebotomy clinics are mornings only.
Often patients ask the phlebotomist extra questions such as checking for results, referral letters or to do blood pressure checks. The appointments are literally a couple of minutes, often double booked, so there is no time to do anything other than print off the request form, take the blood, label and bag the sample and record the details in the medical record.
We hope you will understand when, due to time constraints caused by sheer volume of requests, phlebotomy appointments are for blood taking only.
RESULTS OF TESTS
Information technology has meant massive changes in the speed that results can be tested, returned and acted on.
It would be wonderful to think that thanks to all of the above mistakes can no longer be made?they are.
Results can be delayed or misfiled. Samples can disappear into thin air, be contaminated, lack identifying labels or simply be inadequate in quantity. Everyone involved in the chain tries to avoid any of this happening of course but inevitably, from time to time, there are hiccups.
It is helpful to us if patients make a point of checking whether any results requested by the GP are back. Ask if they are normal or if further action is required. The results are checked by a doctor every day, there are lots - help prevent yours slipping through the net. A quick telephone call, preferably between 11 and 2pm (when the lines are not so busy) would reduce the risk of missed results.
Allow a week before chasing and please, bear in mind, we only receive results of tests we have personally requested at the Practice. Results of tests requested by a hospital consultant will be returned to the consultant's secretary, not to the Practice.
We do not link up nationwide.
WAITING TIMES
Patients are sometimes frustrated when they are kept waiting, especially when they have an appointment.
The reception team do their best to advise patients when doctors are running behind but sometimes the receptionists may be busy and not notice.
People generally come to see the doctor because they have a problem. Fortunately the problem is not always serious and when this is the case the doctor can run to time. When things are not quite so simple, which is impossible to predict, doctors will inevitably run over. Computers do not help the situation in this case, doctors will never disengage from the patient who is in tears, has received terrible news or is presenting with urgent symptoms simply to let everyone know how the land lies. It would be totally insensitive and is not a realistic expectation.
More time allowed for each appointment would be ideal but is not feasible as the practice already struggles to meet demand for appointments.
The doctors naturally prefer to run on time, it makes the whole day run more smoothly. Prescriptions can be signed and delivered to the chemist, results can be checked, letters read, home visits undertaken etc., all under far less pressure if everything is on schedule. However a single event can, frequently does, throw out the whole day.
Travel Advice
- Vaccinations - ensure you have appropriate vaccinations, in good time, before departure.
- Malaria - take malaria prevention medication if travelling to a malaria risk area.
- Diarrhoea - affects a high proportion of travellers, go prepared with sachets to replace lost salts and fluids (available at chemist).
- Insurance - the European Health Insurance Card may not be enough, ensure that you are properly covered.
- Jet Lag - is common when crossing time zones. During the flight drink water, avoid coffee, fizzy drinks and alcohol. Set your watch to the new time zone and take your medication according to the new time.
- Sun - sunburn and sunstroke may cause headache, nausea, chills and vomiting. Stay in the shade, especially 11am?3pm. Guard against skin cancer by using a high strength sun block.
- Medicines - take a First Aid Kit and adequate supplies of any regular medication. Carry your medication in your hand luggage. If carrying needles and syringes you will need a letter from your doctor.
- Safe Sex - ALWAYS use a condom but remember that although excellent protection it is not 100% effective.
The nurses run a travel clinic, please book in to discuss your travel needs.
Telephone Advice
We thought we would explain our procedure when a patient needs telephone advice.
Consultations are not interrupted unless there is an urgent message for the doctor. So doctors are not available to speak to patients regarding routine matters until after surgery. However, the receptionists are always happy to take details of a query and forward them to the doctor via email. The doctor will then either email a response and will ask the receptionist to contact the patient - or the doctor may feel it necessary to contact the patient in person and will do so but this would be after, not during, surgery. Therefore we do have access to the doctor via telephone but not necessarily at the time the patient calls.
If you would rather not give details about your problem to the receptionist please advise that you would prefer to discuss your enquiry with the doctor. We understand that queries can be personal or sensitive.
It is also very useful to have mobile telephone numbers in addition to home telephone numbers. This would mean that staff could speak to you rather than another member of your family. This is particularly valuable when cancelling appointments, unavoidable at times. Please notify us of your mobile number on your next visit to the Surgery or by writing to us at the practice.
Appointments On Line
Not all appointments available will be shown on line as this would not be fair to patients without a computer. Appointments will be limited to one per person, to prevent patients booking for several consecutive months.
Only routine repeat prescriptions will show on the screen. The message facility may be used to advise the prescription clerk of information that may be useful. The turnaround time will still be 48 hours before the prescription is signed. The chemist will then need time to dispense the medication as usual.
Repeat Prescriptions
Hagley Surgery and the Chemist would much appreciate your help in ensuring that the process of ordering your repeat prescriptions runs smoothly. Please be aware that it takes at least two working days to process your repeat prescriptions. Sometimes the process may take a little longer in which case the surgery will contact you in advance.
Please make it clear to the surgery whether you wish your prescription to be taken to the chemist for you or whether you wish to collect it from the surgery - it would be helpful if you put this clearly on the prescription slip rather than on envelopes.
It is important that you place your repeat prescription order in plenty of time, especially before your holidays.
The doctors are unwilling for staff to take requests over the telephone for safety reasons. The chemist and surgery work closely together and we aim to continue to provide an efficient service to you.
If you have any concerns or have experienced any difficulties please let us know.
Germ Busting Campaign
The health department has launched a 'Catch it, Bin it, Kill it' campaign to help reduce the spread of cold, 'flu and other viruses.
Research shows that some people do not understand what a huge difference using and disposing of tissues correctly and washing hands can make in helping prevent the spread of the common cold and the more serious 'flu virus. Germs spread easily.
- Catch it. Always carry tissues and use them to catch your cough or sneeze.
- Bin it. Germs can live for several hours on tissues. Dispose of your tissue as soon as possible.
- Kill it. Hands can transfer germs to every surface you touch. Clean your hands as soon as you can, clean them thoroughly and frequently.
Hagley Surgery now has the facility for patients to order repeat prescriptions and make routine appointments on line.
Patients are asked to bring proof of identity, either the new style driving licence or a passport. We also request that there is proof of address if not current on those documents.
Patients may only register themselves; if a patient came in to register herself and her husband, a pin number and instructions would be given to the wife but not the husband, to protect patient confidentiality. We are only registering adults at present.