Appointments

When you telephone Tyntesfield Medical Group, a receptionist will ask you about your symptoms. We want to make sure you get the best appointment to deal with the issue you have. This is not always an appointment with a GP -we have a wide range of other healthcare professionals working with us. Our reception team are highly skilled at getting you the most appropriate appointment for the condition you have. Whilst you don't have to discuss your issue with them if you would prefer not to - it will really help if you do. 

One such service is the Community Pharmacist Consultation Service -outlined below :

NHS Pharmacy First

What is this new service about?

When you telephone Tyntesfield medical group, you will be asked about your symptoms. If they indicate that you can best be helped by a pharmacist, you will be offered a same day private consultation with a community pharmacist at a range of local choice of pharmacies.  Or if the referral is during the late afternoon, the consultation will be offered for the next morning.

Community pharmacists have already successfully seen thousands of patients for a consultation for a minor illness, following a call to NHS 111. This new way of arranging consultations with the pharmacist by a GP practice, has been successfully piloted around the county.

Why are you doing this?

Pharmacists are qualified healthcare professionals and experts in medicines. They can offer clinical advice and over-the-counter medicines for all sorts of minor illnesses, and a same day consultation can be arranged quickly and at a time to suit you.

This in turns frees up GP appointments for those people with more complex symptoms who really need to see a GP.

What happens when I see the community pharmacist?

We will share your personal details with the pharmacist and details of your minor illness and the pharmacist will contact you to arrange your consultation on the same day, or at a time that suits you.

You may be seen in person in a private consulting room, if the pharmacist thinks it appropriate, or your consultation may be carried out over the phone or via video. You will be asked about your medical history and symptoms and current medication, in the same way the GP would ask you about them.

Usually, the pharmacist will provide you with advice and can sell you with an over the counter product where needed, if you choose. For some conditions they are able to prescribe medication such as antibiotics for a UTI.  They will also send details of your consultation back to the surgery for our records. 

Please see the Pharmacy First poster for a summary of some of the conditions that are treated. 

If the pharmacist feels you need to be seen by a GP urgently, they will call us to ensure you are seen, or they will advise you to contact the hospital Emergency Department if deemed necessary. You may also be referred back to us to arrange a non-urgent appointment or follow up.

What if I get free prescriptions from my GP?

Your pharmacist will provide you with advice on how to treat your symptoms, which may include a medicine or product. Medicines that can be purchased in a pharmacy to treat minor illnesses, are usually inexpensive and would not normally be prescribed by your GP anyway. You are free to choose if you wish to make a purchase or not.  If the pharmacist prescribes a medication, you will need to pay a prescription charge as normal or if exempt from prescription charges, you will not need to pay. 

What if the patient is my child?

Children aged over one years are eligible to use this service and can be seen by the pharmacist. Children who are able to make their own decision about their health may be seen unaccompanied.

Why is this a good thing for patients?

Community pharmacies are local, open longer hours than the GP practice and can offer you the same consultation outcome at a time that is more convenient for you. If the pharmacist thinks you need to see the GP, they can help arrange an urgent appointment for you.

Patients who have already used the service liked the convenience of having a consultation on the same day, or a day that suited them, at a pharmacy of their choice.

Continuity of care is central to our ethos at Tyntesfield Medical Group. Every one of our patients has their own 'named GP' and we would encourage you to see them where possible. There is good evidence that seeing the same GP over time, rather than seeing different GPs leads to better outcomes for patients.

We recognise though, that this is not always possible and indeed for some acute problems not necessary. You may also wish to see a GP who is a different gender to your own GP.

As a general principle, if you do see a particular GP about a particular problem, please go back to that GP for follow up of that problem. Also, if a GP orders some tests for you, please go back to that GP for follow up.

As well as our routine appointments we also run emergency appointments that can be offered for medically urgent matters that require same-day attention. We would appreciate patients using this service appropriately and not for a routine appointment or long-term conditions.

As well as face-to-face appointments we do also offer telephone appointments to allow our patients to speak to a GP for when their query or problem can be sorted quickly and easily without the need to attend the surgery.

If you own a smart phone you can now book a video appointment, where you and your doctor can conduct an appointment over videolink. 

Patients are requested, where possible, to telephone before 11:00 if a home visit is required that day.

We would request that, apart from the genuinely housebound, all other patients attend the surgery rather than request a home visit because of the extra time home visiting takes. On average four to five patients can be seen in surgery in the time it takes to do a single house call. In addition, the care that can be offered due to the lack of adequate lighting, examination facilities and equipment means that you may not receive as good a service as the doctor may be able to offer if you came to the surgery.

Please note that the doctor may telephone you rather than visit you if this is medically appropriate. Ultimately it is the doctor's right to decide whether or not a visit is appropriate for a particular set of circumstances.

To cancel an appointment you can press option 2 when calling on the phone system. It is important that you inform the reception staff if you are unable to attend your appointment, this will allow that appointment to be offered to another patient.  If you fail to notify the Practice that you are unable to attend, you will be sent a letter informing you that you have defaulted from your appointment. Persistent defaulters maybe removed from the list.

Please attend your appointment on time, if you are late you may not be seen. If you are not seen you will not be able to rearrange your appointment until the next working day-except in the event of an medical emergency that requires immediate attention.

If you require an interpreter to attend with you when you see your Doctor please notify the receptionist and she will arrange this for you.

ENHANCED ACCESS

We are working together with other practices in North Somerset by ensuring “Enhanced Access” appointments are available in the early morning, evenings and at weekends at Tower House, Backwell, Brockway and Long Ashton. Please speak to a member of staff to find out more. Under normal circumstances one of the four sites will be open on a Saturday morning each weekend and until 2000hrs on a Thursday evening.

Further late evening or early morning appointments may also be available on other days. As Tyntesfield Medical Group patients, if you require an appointment on a weekend, then you may be seen at whichever location is open that day. Weekend appointments have proved very popular with patients who find it very difficult to make normal appointments times on a weekday. Weekend surgeries will only be available for pre-booked patients. If you think you need to see a Doctor at short notice on a weekend you should ring NHS Direct on 111 or in the case of an emergency 999.

Working within our current staffing capacity we are doing our best to ensure that you have access to additional appointments outside of these hours.  As a result you may be offered an early morning or evening appointment. If this is something you would prefer please ask about availability when booking an appointment.