Smithfield Medical Centre

Appointments may be made by telephoning the receptionists at on 2565 2301 or by coming into the surgery.

If you are unable to keep an appointment, please let us know as soon as possible.

HOW DO I...
REQUEST A TELEPHONE CONSULTATION?

If you wish to speak to the doctor please ring between 11:30am - 12 noon or 2:45pm - 3.00pm. If the doctor is unable to take your call the receptionist will take your details and the nature of your call for the doctor to call you back. The receptionist may be able to help with your query so it is important to give as much information as you can. Please note: in case if a genuine emergency the doctor will always be able to speak to you; if this is the case please let the receptionist know. Please also note, however: in general we do not take calls during surgery consultations, as this is a distraction for both the doctor and the patient.

TELEPHONE CONSULTATION WITH THE PRACTICE NURSE

If you want to speak to the practice nurse please ring after 10:30am. If the nurse is unable to take your call the receptionist will take your details and the nurse will call you back.

HOW DO I...
REQUEST A HOME VISIT?

Please do not ask the doctor to make a home visit if you are well enough to attend the surgery. If you request a visit you should give a complete description of the patient's condition to the receptionist so that the doctor can decide if a home visit is necessary. (telephone advice may be all that is required). Only the doctor can judge if a home visit is needed. Other than in cases of extreme urgency, all requests for home visits should be made before 10.00am.

HOW DO I...
ORDER A PRESCRIPTION?

Prescriptions, repeat or acute, can be ordered by either telephoning the surgery or by calling at reception. When prescriptions are ready they can be collected from the surgery or can be sent by the courier service at your request to a chemist of your choice. Prescriptions ordered before 1:00am will be ready for collection the following day

ACUTE PRESCRIPTIONS
Acute medication requests will be dealt with on the same day. Patients are reminded that not all requests will necessarily result in a prescription being issued. If you feel you may need an antibiotic please phone at a suitable time, ie when a doctor is free to speak. When ordering a repeat presciption please have the correct name of your medication at hand. Please allow 48 hours for your prescription to be processed. Repeat scripts ordered before 11:00am will be ready for the collection at the designated chemist the following day.

HOW DO I...
OBTAIN TEST RESULTS?
The doctors review all results on a daily basis and note what action (if any) needs to be taken. Please phone for results between 12:30 - 2:30pm. The recetionist will give you the result of your test and if you need to speak to the doctor, the receptionist will inform you of this.
If you have tests carried out at the medical centre it is your responsibility to obtain the result. Please check with a member of staff when to contact the surgery for your test results.

48-HOUR ACCESS
The practice is committed to offer access to a health care professional within 48 hours. This means that you as a patient will not have to wait any longer than two working days to see or speak to a doctor or nurse.

HOW DO I...
REGISTER WITH THE PRACTICE?
Please contact our reception staff in the first instance. They will explain the registration process to you. If it transpires that your personal details (eg address, telephone number) change during your stay with us, it is important that you let our receptionists know promptly.