All staff are bound by strict rules of confidentiality. We are a computerised practice and registered under the Data Protection Act. All staff receive training in the Caldicott Code of Conduct on safeguarding confidentiality and preserveing information security

Click here for details of the Data Protection Act

We welcome new patients from within the practice area. All new patients will be asked to complete a questionnaire of their past and future needs, and to book an appointment with the practice nurse for a health check. Those on regular medications or with complex problems may then be seen at a further appointment by the Doctor. The proceedure is the same for those patients allocated to the practice by the Health Authority.

It is vital that you notify the surgery of any changes to your address, telephone number or even name. Updating our records is important in case we need to communicate with you. Patients with out-of-date addresses are sometimes removed from our list by the health authority. Please note that if you move outside the practice area, your doctor may not be able to provide treatment or visits.

Following patient feedback, we have updated our telephone system. Please be aware that despite this, at peak times, especially first thing in the morning, the phone lines are very busy.
General enquiries can be made by telephoning 643 6700
For routine calls to the surgery please telephone after 2pm if possible, as the reception staff are very busy before this time dealing with patient appointments and home visits.

Certain requests for medicals, certificates or assessment of fitness are not covered by the Doctors’ NHS contract. A fee will therefore be requested and details of these will be available on request.
These include private sick notes (for periods of absence from work of less than a week) holiday cancellation forms, passport and driving licence applications and medical insurance claim forms.

From time to time we are involved in the teaching of Medical Students from the University of Liverpool. These students will make no decisions on your management, however it is important for them to see the full range of problems that present to a General Practitioner. They are bound by the same rules of confidentiality as the rest of the staff. You will be informed in advance if there are likely to be medical students present for your consultation and you have the right to refuse however we would urge you to allow them to sit in as it is important for the future generations of doctors.

Some of you will be on continuous medication for your conditions. We are happy to offer a service for you to receive repeat prescriptions on request. We would ask that you allow at least 48 hours for us to check your prescription is still appropriate and to issue a new script ready for picking up.
We will accept repeat prescription requests as follows:
1. The tear off printed portion of your previous prescription. Please tick the items you require. If you do not tick any items, we will assume that you need the whole list. This can prove very wasteful of expensive drug treatments.
2. A written list of the required items with your name, date of birth and the names of the required medication.
These can be left at reception, or posted to us.
We respectfully request that you do not order repeat prescriptions over the 'phone - wrongly heard information can lead to dangerous mistakes. If you wish us to mail the new prescription back to you, please enclose a stamped, self-addressed envelope and allow time for delays in the post.
You may have noticed a review date at the bottom of your repeat medication list. This tells you when you need to see the doctor before you can order any more medication, and we would request that you follow this.
If you receive a note with your prescription requesting that you attend for a blood test or review with the nurse or doctor - please contact the surgery as soon as possible to arrange this before your next prescription.

To register for e-mail repeat prescriptions please see reception who will set you up with a PIN. You can then order them at the link below

Click here for e-mail prescription requests

All specimens for processing at the hospital laboratory are collected daily (excluding weekends) from the practice. Please ensure that specimens for testing are handed into reception before 12 noon and that the container is clearly marked with the patient's name and date of birth.
When ringing for results please telephone after 2.00 p.m. when results should have been received and seen by the doctor.
Enquiries about tests ordered by the hospital should be directed to the hospital and not the practice. In order to maintain confidentiality test results will only usually be given to the patient or to parents/guardians of children

We welcome suggestions for improving our services. These can be made to individual members of staff or in writing to Barbara Lewis, the Practice Manager.
We aim to provide the best services possible, but there may be times when you feel this has not happened. If you feel you have grounds for complaint, please discuss these with the member of staff concerned, when it is hoped any problem can be resolved at once. However, should you not wish to speak to the person concerned, please contact Barbara Lewis either directly or in writing. We operate a Practice Complaints Procedure as part of the NHS system for dealing with complaints

Violent or Aggressive Behaviour
In the rare instances when patients are removed from our list for aggressive or violent behaviour against us or on our premises, we will share details of the patient and the violent act with other health and welfare agencies insofar as it is necessary to protect other health and welfare agency staff