Good morning, everyone. I’m John Smith, the General practitioner of London Fields Medical Centre, and I’m very glad to give you a brief introduction about our practice and some suggestions about how to see a doctor here.
Our receptionists are usually the first point of contact and are here to help you. They have a lot of information to hand and in most cases will be able to help you with your inquiry , ensuring you see the most appropriate clinician .
OK, right, well the first thing to do is to register. We can only accept new patients who live in our practice catchment area. To register with us you will need 2 proofs of address such as bank statements or tenancy agreements plus 1 form of ID such as passport or drivers’ license.
If you are foreign nationals, then you’ll have to register as a temporary visitor. Then, fill in this form. It’s a medical history form. You have to give details of any illnesses you have had. Then you also need to write down if you’ve got any allergies , OK? This as well as that, we need to know if you’ve had any operations … and last of all, you have to give full details of current medication you may be on. This as well as that, you need to fill in this registration card – this is for your personal details, thats your full name, address and telephone numbers. Okay? And we also need to make an appointment for you to see the doctor for a new patient health check. It’ll just take about 15 minutes, thats all. It’s just a basic checkup really.
OK, then, let me tell you something about the health centre. We have 5 GPs here – general practitioners . We also have a practice nurse who looks after minor injuries . She can also administer some treatments . We also have a chiro product . That’s a foot specialist. She’s private which means you have to pay for the service, unless you’re over 65.
If you want to see a doctor, you have to make an appointment first. Please call our main switchboard number on 0207 9 23 8 100 to book an appointment at either our main practice or one of our branch surgeries. You can also email for an appointment on London Fields medical@NHS.net. Urgent cases are seen on the day. If your condition is non-urgent, you can expect to see a GP within two working days, though you may have to wait longer if you want to see a particular GP.
If it’s an emergency , you’d better come straight here to the Centre, one of the doctors can usually see you, or you can go to the emergency department at the hospital in town. If you are very sick, you can ask for a home visit as well. On Friday afternoons we have an open surgery which means you can come along and just wait to see a doctor, but you may have to wait for several hours, so it’s much better to make an appointment and come at the specified time.
Usually when you see a doctor you’ll be given a prescription for medicine which you need to take. Or you can choose to go to a pharmacist in a chemist’s shop. If the doctor decides that you will need the medication for a long time, you will be given a repeat prescription form. This allows you to get a further supply without seeing the doctor again. You simply leave the repeat form here a few days before you need it. Then you pick up the medication at the chemists.
Oh, you may wonder how much this all costs? Well, there is no charge for seeing a doctor – you can make an appointment anytime to see one of our doctors and it will not cost you anything for the consultation. However, you need to pay for the prescription and the cost varies with the medicine, but its usually just a few pounds. Nevertheless, in some situations, such as pregnancy, the prescription is then free.
All right, do you have any other questions?