GP Services - Night and Weekend

Your GP provides a 24-hour service. You can ask for medical advice from your GP at any time. GPs will visit you at home if they feel this is the best option.

They may ask you to go to the surgery. Or they may arrange for an ambulance to take you to hospital without delay.

Deciding whether to call the GP

Don't take risks. But if you can wait, make an appointment or go to the surgery in the morning. If the problem has been building up all day, try to phone your GP early in the evening rather than wait until the problem has worsened. Being ill at night can be frightening and it's sometimes difficult to tell how serious something is. It's easy to think that any symptom is the sign of a serious illness, but it's much more likely to be something minor.

Emergencies: In an emergency you can dial 999 for an ambulance or go straight to the Accident and Emergency (Casualty) department of a hospital. If you're not sure what to do, call the NHS DIRECT.

Followings may be signs of an emergency, whether in adults or in children:

  • Severe chest pain. Warning signs include: Looking pale or gray, feeling sick or cold, sweating, or having breathing difficulties that last more than 10 minutes.
  • Breathing difficulties. This is serious if the person is gasping or panting for air, choking, or is unable to swallow or drink.
  • A high temperature or fever. Watch out for a temperature of over 40°C or 104°F, a stiff neck, cramps or vomiting or a child that seems weak and listless or suffers a fit or convulsion.
  • Bad injuries. These include serious eye injuries, deep cut or wounds where the bleeding will not stop and injuries where the edges of the cut cannot be pulled together. 'Bad' means that it is difficult to clean the wound properly or that the area around the wound has become red and inflamed, possibly with red lines going down the arms or legs.
  • Head injuries. These are serious if the person has passed out (become unconscious), has developed double vision, seems confused or drowsy, or cannot remember what happened.
  • Broken bones
  • Sudden severe pains. These are serious if the person has no idea what has caused the pain and if the pain lasts more than 10 minutes.
  • Bad burns or scalds. These are serious if there is heavy blistering or the skin is broken, if the burn covers a large area or is on the face, or if the skin has turned white or black.
  • Vomiting with stomach pains which are getting worse
  • Vomit or diarrhea containing blood
  • Nose bleeds. Take action if the patient is taking anti-coagulants (blood-thinning medicines) or if the bleeding does not stop after holding the nose closed for at least 15 minutes.
  • Insect bites or stings. These are serious when the person has been stung in the mouth or throat, if the person normally suffers reactions to bites or stings, or if blisters or a rash appears on another part of the body. Bites from animals or humans.
  • Serious allergic reactions. These may be reactions to bites and stings, or reactions to drugs or to foods like peanuts. Watch out for: swellings, especially the lips and eyelids; feeling generally unwell with aches and pains; difficulty in breathing and tightness of the chest; turning pale and fainting; widespread itching or rash.
  • Serious sunburn. Watch out for: large burned areas and blistering, with cold shivers; queasiness or sickness; vomiting; fever or palpitations.

If the GP has to visit at night or at the weekend

Help him/her to find your house with good directions and leave a light on so that the house can be seen easily. Try to see the GP in a quiet room and keep dogs (and perhaps other adults and children) out of the way.

If you are a parent with a young baby

If your baby becomes unwell outside surgery hours you can always telephone for advice from the GP. There are also leaflets and guides on how to recognize and deal with minor childhood illnesses. Your GP, practice nurse or health visitor will be able to advise you about the kinds of health problems that might occur with a new baby. Ask the health visitor, practice nurse or GP for a leaflet or guide on how to recognize and deal with minor childhood illnesses and injuries. For further advice and help you can also call NHS Direct during out of hours time.

GP services - daytime

Your GP is an expert in health care. But only you know exactly what and how you feel. The more openly you and your GP can talk together, the better the service he or she will be able to give you.

Making an appointment

For most problems you can telephone your GP and make an appointment. Please bear in mind that your GP can see so many patients in a day. However, at Gladstone Medical Centre we try to make sure that we always have time available to see genuine emergiencies who need to be seen that day.

If you need to see a doctor urgently, tell the receptionists, you may be asked to come down at the end of the surgery to be seen by a doctor. Please do not use the urgent appointment for sick notes or something that could wait (It is just not fair for genuinely sick patients).

GIVE A THOUGHT TO YOUR GP:

To help your doctor help you:

  • Please keep your appointment and please arrive on time.
  • If for any reason you need to change or cancel your appointment, please telephone at the reception as early as possible as they may be able to fit someone else in at short notice
  • If you want to consult your GP about a family member, make a separate appointment rather than trying to cover it during your own consultation.
  • An Adult must accompany a child during consultation

During the consultation

In order to make a diagnosis, the doctor relies on what you say, although a physical examination is sometimes necessary as well. Be prepared to talk about what is really wrong. There may be an underlying problem that is causing your illness or making it worse. If you feel depressed, then say so - such feelings are very common.

Make sure you leave the consulting room having told your GP everything you wanted to say, and make sure you understand what your GP has told you. Always ask your GP to explain anything that isn't clear.

Be ready to tell your GP what you hope to get out of the consultation. There is no need to be nervous or shy with your GP. Don't hold anything back, even if it is a bit embarrassing or sounds silly. Write down anything you need to remember (or ask your GP to write it down for you).

Getting repeat prescriptions

If you have a long-term condition, your GP can write repeat prescriptions without seeing you each time. You can request repeat prescriptions by telephone, by letter or with a special form. During a long course of treatment, the GP will probably suggest that you make an appointment to review the situation, rather than keep on getting repeat prescriptions. Try not to run out of tablets or medicine, or request more than you need.

  1. You can request your prescripton using tear off counterfoil. Counterfoil is attached to your prescription, please keep it in a safe place.
  2. When you need a repeat prescription, please TICK alongside ALL items need to last you for the next 28 days.
  3. Please tick ONLY those items you need

Medication Reviw

All repeat medication is reviewed annually. When your review is due, the receptionist will let you know if you nee to see the doctor.