Also in Aboyne Medical Practice:
To register at the practice, please visit the surgery during the hours of 10am and 4 pm, Monday to Friday and tell the receptionist you would like to register. Please bring your medical card to the surgery if possible. If you are on regular medication, or need to see a doctor at the same time the receptionist will arrange an appointment. All newly registered patients will be asked to complete a simple questionnaire and invited to attend for a "new patient" check-up/assessment. This enables us to meet you and assess your medical needs. Please note you can choose to attend any of the doctors in the partnership. Patients are registered with the practice, not an individual GP. You can at any time express a preference for a particular doctor. This preference will be recorded in your medical notes. We do, however, encourage you to consult one doctor for chronic problems as this ensures continuity of care.
If you change your name, address or telephone number please notify the health center promptly. It is important that our records are kept up to date should we need to communicate with you. If you or a member of your household move outside the practice area then you should register with a doctor in the new locality.
Appointments for the doctor or practice nurse can be made by telephoning or calling in during opening hours(8.30am to 6.00 pm) You may attend any doctor, regardless of whom you are registered with, but it is best to stay with your usual doctor. In general you will be able to make an appointment for the day you wish provided you do not require a particular doctor. Please inform the receptionist as soon as possible if you are unable to attend an appointment.
If you are more than 20 minutes late for your appointment you will be asked to make a new appointment at another time.
If you have not been seen at the surgery for 3 years you can request a check up appointment if you wish.
8.20 - 12.45
14.00 - 17.35
Appointments are provided daily for those with urgent problems. If you request an urgent appointment the receptionist will need to gather some information from you in order that the doctor can ensure your request is treated in the most appropriate way. You will usually be seen the same day.
These are always dealt with promptly. During opening hours telephone 013398 86345 and give the information to the receptionist who will relay it immediately to the duty doctor.
Home visits are carried out by the doctors between morning and afternoon surgeries.
If you are housebound or too ill to attend the surgery you can request a home visit by telephoning 013398 86345, before 10.30 a.m. if possible. The receptionist will take your name, address, and brief details of the problem. A doctor will either phone you back or attend later in the day. If you feel that you cannot wait, the receptionist will ask a doctor to speak to you, to assess the urgency of the call and if necessary, attend sooner.
Please do not ask for a home visit unless you are genuinely not fit to attend the surgery. Remember a doctor can see 4 or 5 patients at the surgery in the time it takes to do one home visit.
The doctors prefer to consult without interruptions. If you are calling in an emergency you will be put though to the duty doctor, otherwise we would ask you to be patient and wait until the doctor is free.
A phone call to your doctor for advice can save a visit to the surgery. If the doctor or nurse is not available when you phone a message will be taken for someone to call you back as soon as possible. For named medical staff you may have to wait up to 24 hours.
If you are phoning to require about test results eg blood tests, x-rays, smears etc. please try to call between 11:00 am and 4:00 pm. This minimises congestion earlier in the morning.
Blood results are normally available within 3 working day, please allow longer for other results.
In order to maintain patient confidentiality, results will only be given to the actual patient themselves, not relatives or spouses. In most cases parents will be informed of results for children under 14 years.
Remeber it is sometimes possible to obtain test result information from the receptionist so please ask.
If you are required to have a fasting blood test please have nothing to eat or drink from 10pm the night before the test other than plain water. However, remember to drink water and stay hydrated as if you do not this may affect your test results. On the morning of the test take your regular medication as normal with a sip of water unless advised not to do so by the doctor or the nurse.
Repeat prescription can be ordered at reception or by telephoning our 24 hour number 013398 87800. A receptionist or answering maching will take your message. Be ready to give your name, address and the medication you require. The prescritpion can be collected from reception, or sent directly to chemists at Aboyne, Tarland, Torphins or Ballater (Monday to Friday), whichever you prefer. Please allow 48 hours notice, even if you are collecting your prescription from the surgery. From time to time you may be asked to see the doctor for review of your medication.
Patients who do not qualify for free prescriptions on the NHS may find it beneficial to use the pre-payment system. For further inforamtion please speak to your local pharmacisit, or collect a form to register from the surgery.
We hold around 20,000 consultations every year and approximately 1,880 new requests for home visits are received and fulfilled, this means each patient is seen on average 4.3 times each year.
In addition to face-to-face consultations and home visits the doctors spend considerable time on the telephone, dictating letters, updating patient records, processing paperwork, teaching, attending meetings and keeping up to date with medical advances and research.
Every day we issue up to 120 seperate repeat prescriptions. Last year our prescribing costs were over £981,186 which equates to £165 per patient.
We look after large numbers of patients with specific conditions:-
671 patients (11% of adults) have high blood pressure controlled with medication.
244 patients have coronary heart disease.
193 patients have diabetes.
260 patients are on treatment for asthma.
37 patient have epilepsy requiring treatment.
DOCTORS IN TRAINING
We are reconginised as a training practice to teach doctors the skills of general practice These doctors are fully qualified and have worked in hospitals for at least 3 years and are attached to the practice on an annual basis. As part of their training we occasionally video consultations. You will always be asked for your consent before this is done and you will be able to withdraw your consent at the end of your consultation if you change your mind.
MEDICAL AND NURSING STUDENTS
The practice frequently undertakes teaching of 4th and 5th year medical students and nursing students from the University of Aberdeen. You will always be advised if there is a student sitting in on consultations and asked for your consent in advance.
In order to ensure high standards of training, patient records are sometimes checked by other doctors during an assessment visit. If you would object to your records being reviewed in this way, please let us know.
The practice is committed to equality of opportunity and to the elimination of unlawful discrimination as defined under the terms of the Race Relations Act, the Equal Pay Act and the Sex Discrimination Act.
No one person shall be treated less favourably than another, wholly or mainly on the grounds of that person's sex, marital status, race, nationality, age, colour or ethnic or national origin.
Private medical examinations (e.g. HGV, PSV)
Private health insurance claim form
Certain holiday vaccinations
Passport verification
Private sick notes and medical certificates
Holiday cancellation forms
The practice considers aggressive behaviour to be any personal, abusive and/or aggressive comments, cursing and/or swearing, physical contact and/or aggressive gestures.
The practice will request the removal of any patients on the list who is aggressive or abusive to a doctor, member of staff, other patient or who damages property.
All instances of actual physical abuse on any doctor or member of staff, by a patient or their relatives will be reported to the police as an assault.
Carers are people of all ages who look after and support a spouse, child, relative, neighbour or friend to help them to continue to live in the community. Most people do not see themselves as carers - they think of themselves as husbands, wives, partners, relatives and friends doing their best for people they love and for whom they feel responsible.
Despite this, they may provide a lot of practice and emotional care and support for their relatives or friends, often without a break and at considerable cost to themselves.
Do you look after someone or does someone look after you?
If the answer is yes please let the staff at the surgery know.
If you wish to see our chaperone policy please ask at reception. A chaperone is available on request.
Everyone can go to their pharmcist for advice or to buy a medicine for a minor illness or ailment. But there is a new NHS service for people including children who don't pay prescription charges. It means that if your pharmacist thinks you need it then they can give you a medicine on the NHS without you having to pay for it. It will also save you making an appoiinment with your GP simply to get a prescription.
You will be able to get advice and free treatment from your community pharmacist for minor illness and ailments such as:-
Acne, Headache, Athletes Foot, Head Lice, Back Ache, Indigestion, Cold Sores, Mouth Ulcers, Constipation, Nasal Conjection, Cough, Pain, Diarrhoea, Period Pain, Earache, Thrush, Eczema and Allergies, Sore Throat, Haemorrhoids, Threadworms, Hay Fever, Warts and Veruccae.
If your pharmacisit feels it is better for you to see your GP then they may refer you directly or tell you to make an appointment with your GP.
The main entrances at the Aboyne practice and hospital have automatic doors and there are no steps. There is provision for diabled parking. There are toilets for the use of the disabled and a wheelchair is available. A hearing loop is provided at reception. Reception and nursing staff will be pleased to give any assitance necessary.
If you have arranged to meet someone here, please inform the receptionist as, in the interest of confidentiality, we are otherwise unable to tell anyone whether or not you are in the building.
The practice are is restricted to a 12 mile radius of Aboyne. If you move out of the practice area you will be asked to register with another practice.