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Contact surgery on 01245 426898 for urgent enquires
Contact surgery on 01245 426898 for urgent enquires
This is a conversation taken on the phone by a qualified clinician such as the ANP or GP. An understanding of the patient concerns and relevant information is obtained on the phone rather than in a face to face conversation.
Once the triage is completed there can be a number of outcomes such as a patient can be referred for investigation e.g. blood test, referred to a specialist e.g. Consultant, brought in for a face to face appointment that is appropriate to the need or what largely occurs, the query is resolved.
Due to limitations of the IT system, booking online is as yet not an effective method for our patients. This was tried in the past but patients booked in appointments with clinicians who could not deal with their query, for example, a patient booked to see a GP for a smear but this wasn’t due and would need to be done with the nurse causing a wasted appointment.
In addition to this, due to the need for Covid screening prior to patients coming to visit us Face to Face, online booking has only been temporarily suspended.
Unlike some practices we do not set times for calling in – you can call 0800-1830 or email ANYTIME of the day. As we use a triage system, we can assess your need and prioritise appointments accordingly. A reply to your query/request is usually dealt with that same morning or afternoon you have called.
To allow the ANP/GP to manage their time over the lunch hours, we do ask that home visit requests are called in by 10am. However, if requested after this time, a triage will always be done at the very least.
We are very lucky to have experienced ANP’s at Greenwood Surgery who can do a lot of what the GP does – they are qualified to ask the important questions, assess, examine, diagnose, prescribe and refer for investigations/hospital care.
If ever an ANP needs advice they will call upon the GP working that day. If a patient has seen the ANP and either the ANP or patient feels a GP would be more appropriate for example a complex issue needs to be addressed then this will of course be arranged.
The telephone calls just like face to face appointments can over-run depending on the needs of the patient. Although we appreciate it can be difficult to stay by your phone, we do try and provide a rough time i.e. morning or afternoon to expect a call. The calls can also be anonymous if the clinician has to use their personal mobile due to practice phone lines being busy. If you have not heard the day of the call being booked, please do wait to the next day to email or call in.
Also, if there are specific times you are or are not available e.g. school hours or work commitments then please do let reception know as they will state this on the slot for the clinician calling.
The clinician will always try calling twice and/or leave a message or text asking you to call back.
You can ask who your named GP is and also request a change if you desire. Please speak to the reception team who can help. At Greenwood Surgery, we have Dr Patel and Dr Mistry who are the GP partners but you can at any time request to speak to or see a GP who is not your named GP.
Monday is our busiest day so if the query can wait (bearing in mind if your query is urgent it will be dealt with no matter what time you call in using the triage system) then please call later that day or another time.
Unfortunately due to the overwhelming demand of day to day work and staffing levels, the clinical team are no longer able to manage the additional growing volume of emails being received each day.
We ask that all clinical questions are phoned through for triage and the email will be monitored by the pharmacy clerks and administrative teams.
We understand that this will create more pressures on the phone lines and we will arrange for more staff to be available to help at our most busy times of the day.
We remind all patients to use the following services: Dental issues must be dealt with by a dentist not a GP, minor eye conditions can be dealt with by contacting James Bryan Optician in Chelmsford, minor ailments such as rash or diarrhoea/vomiting can be managed by local pharmacists.
Your medications have been ‘repeat dispensed’ which means some/all of your stable repeat medications have been sent to your chosen chemist in advance for a certain number of months/issues. This means all you need to do is visit your chemist when they are due and you should be able to collect from there, avoiding the need to request from the practice.
We can send most prescriptions to any chemist who uses the electronic prescription service. Provide either the name and postcode of the chemist near you or we can search on the postcode you are currently at to let you know which is nearest.
Just ask the member of staff who is prescribing for you that you wish to collect immediately. This will enable the staff member to provide you the ‘token’ or code on text which when shown at the chemist will allow them to prepare and provide the items immediately (as long as they have in stock).
Once your prescription has been sent electronically, it is down to the individual chemist to prepare this, which can vary chemist to chemist. If you ever need a prescription immediately or are at the chemist and know it has been sent but the chemist say ‘they haven’t received it’ please do call us and we can provide the bar code to allow them to download this.
Monday is our busiest day so if the query can wait (bearing in mind if your query is urgent it will be dealt with no matter what time you call in using the triage system) then please call later that day or another time.
The item on your repeat has not been removed but will only be present for requesting if it is due.
Please always check your stock at home and with the chemist in case some was ‘owing’ to you before emailing the prescription team about medication you will run out of but is not available for you to request online.
The pharmacy team will be happy to check in case a medication review is needed and will let you know once it is issued.
Yes, we have limited parking available with designated spots for GP’s and disabled parking at the entrance. Sainsbury’s is also next door which can be used but please follow their care park guidelines.
Yes, we are based on the ground floor and have no steps into or out of the building. We have large wide spaces and consultation rooms.
We also have a wheelchair that can be used for any of our patients who need this to and from the car. Please ask our reception staff who can help you.
No, we do not have this but Sainsbury’s which is next door does have several located bays for this.
Please call or look at the hospital website you would like to go and pick the speciality you need. If you are self-funding or going through an insurance company you are likely to need a referral letter. If so, please call the practice PRIOR to booking a private appointment as time to speak to the clinician and get the referral letter prepared must be given.
The linking of the third party ‘NHS App’ and ‘SystmOnline’ access can be challenging to navigate. If you come across any issues including needing the ODS code/linkage key/third party passphrase then please contact the administration team via Patchs and a member of the admin team will get in touch.
This varies for the type of result you want to know. For example, for blood tests if you have consented for SMS of results we try to send a text for normal results but ALWAYS send a text or call for abnormal results. Therefore if you haven’t heard please do be reassured but call 7 working days after the blood test and this will enable the receptionist to inform you how it has been filed. This also allows for certain tests that can take longer to come through to be seen.
Satisfactory and Normal both mean fine, no action.
For other results please see ‘test results’ page under Services.
Please see ‘Feedback’ section within ‘Surgery Information’ on the website or ask one of our reception team who will direct you to our practice policy.
This is not something that is held on file unless you have been pregnant and had this tested. It is not something that we can test for and is only usually done when a patient is going to have major surgery which may require a blood transfusion and this information is then held in your hospital file.
A quick and easy way to have your administrative query answered is to complete an online consultation form using Patchs.
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Greenwood Surgery,
Crouch Vale Medical Centre
South Woodham Ferrers
Chelmsford, Essex, CM3 5QP
01245 426898 | Patchs Online Form
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