Surgery Opening Times

The Medical Centre is open at the following times:

*Please note that the surgery is closed occasionally on Wednesday afternoons for staff training.

Phoning the surgery

Our Telephone number is 08456 048 214

(Note: If you subscribe to a telephone call package and incur additional costs for 0845 numbers, you may still contact surgery on 0121 446 2000.)
 

Our telephone lines are open from 8.00 am to 6.30 pm Monday to Friday except for Monday between 12.00 noon to 1.00 pm and occasionally on Wednesday afternoons when the surgery is closed for staff training.

We appreciate that it can be difficult to get through to the surgery at times.  We endeavour to do our best to answer your calls as soon as possible. 

In order to help us achieve this we would ask you avoid phoning us at our busiest times (8:00am to 10:00am) unless absolutely necessary.

Making an appointment

To make an appointment you can ring 08456 048 214 or call in at reception between 8.30 am - 12.00 pm or 1.30 pm - 6.00 pm. Wherever possible you will be given an appointment with the doctor of your choice.

Please notify us if you are not able to keep your appointment so that we may offer this appointment to someone else and help to keep waiting times to a minimum.

If you have a simple query that you think a doctor may be able to advise you on by telephone, a number of telephone consultations are available each morning between 9.00-10.00 am that may be booked by ringing reception on 08456 048 214. The receptionist will check your telephone number ask for a brief reason for the call and arrange for the doctor to call you back.

Cancelling Appointments

If you are unable to attend an appointment that has been booked please contact the surgery to cancel this.

This will enable us to offer as many appointments to people that need them.  As it is all members of our clinical staff have appointments that people do not attend without cancelling that could have been offered to others

We understands that at times it can be difficult to get through on the telephone and as a result we soon hope to be able to offer the facility of cancelling your appointments on-line

If you are interested please return here soon for further information

Appointment times

Routine appointments with doctors are for 10 minutes.  Nurses appointments are for 15 minutes only.

If you have an URGENT medical problem you may be given given an URGENT appointment for the same day although you may not be offered a choice of doctor.  These emergency appointments are for 5 minutes and are ONLY for the single URGENT medical problem.

Patients may see the doctor of their choice. However patients are encouraged to see the same doctor for any episode of care. When booking follow up appointments, please advise reception of the name of the doctor you usually see.

Booking In

Bellevue has recently acquired an automated booking in system.  This allows those with appointments to book in without needing to speak to one of our receptionists.

It is hoped that this will reduce unnecessary waiting when needing to speak to a member of staff for another reason.

It is quite easy to use and requires entering details relating to you date of birth.  Under no circumstances does this reveal any identifiable data about you.

We are hoping to introduce booking in by using fingerprints!  To do this you will need to have had this set up by a member of staff.  If you are interested in this, please keep your eyes open for more information at the surgery and on the website.

If you feel that you are unable to use this system, you can still book in by speaking to a member of our reception staff.

Patients Under 14 Years Old

If you are a child under 14 and wish to see a doctor without a parent or guardian, you will be advised or counselled to be accompanied by a professional member of staff. This may be either a Practice Nurse or Health Visitor from the surgery to chaperone.

Patients Not Seen Within 3 Years

If you have had your 16th birthday but have not yet reached the age of 75 years and you have not had a consultation within the last three years, you are invited to make an appointment for a health check.

Patients 75 Years and Over

Patients aged 75 years and over who have not had a consultation within the last 12 months are invited to make an appointment for a health check. Patients who are housebound may request a consultation at home.

Home Visits

If you are housebound or too ill to get to the surgery, you may request a Home Visit. Please telephone the surgery on 08456 048 214 before 10.30 am if possible. The doctor may contact you back to decide whether or not a visit is necessary. It may be that the doctor can advise you over the telephone.

Requests for emergency visits can be made to the surgery at any time. The receptionist will ask you for more information. The doctor who will visit you will either be one of the Practice doctors who is on call, or a doctor from the emergency service. The emergency service is available for urgent home visits and can be reached by telephoning the surgery where a recorded message will give details of how to contact them.

Repeat Prescriptions

We offer a 48 hour prescription service. Your prescription will be ready for collection by 3.00 pm 2 days after the request.

Please keep the tear off slip from your prescription for your reference. In this way you can tick against the listed items if you need to repeat any of the medications listed. You may post this slip in the box marked ‘Prescriptions’ in the entrance hall of the surgery, or post your ‘tear off slip’. Allow at least one working day from the expected date of receipt at Bellevue for your prescription to be prepared ready for your collection. If you would like us to post your prescription back to you please enclose a stamped addressed envelope.

Please read any message on the tear off slip. You may need to see a doctor before your next repeat prescription can be issued.

We do not take repeat prescriptions either faxed or over the telephone unless you are housebound, and only by prior agreement with one of the partners.

We are hoping to be able to offer the facility to order repeat prescriptions online, through our website.  Please click HERE for more information
 

Wheel Chair Access

The building can be easily accessed by wheel chair. We also have one car parking space reserved for disabled persons.

Change of Address or Telephone Number

Please let us know your new address as soon as you move so that we can keep our records up-to-date. Speak to reception who will give you a 'Change of Address' form to complete.

This is very important particularly as you may need a home visit in the future. If you move outside the practice area, please check with reception to see if we can still continue to care for you.

Please also tell us straight away of any change of telephone number.

Access to Information

All members of the practice team have access to patient information to varying degrees. All staff have received training in confidentiality and have signed a confidentiality statement. Patient data held on our computer system is protected by individual user passwords. All patients are entitled to have access to their medical records with a few exceptions. Copies of medical records may be made available although there will be a charge. Please ask at reception for further information.

Further information about the NHS Care Record Guarantee is given in the patient charter in this practice leaflet. Please ask at reception if you would like to see a copy of the full document.