Appointments

Online Appointments

Regent Medical Centre currently offers patients the facility to book, view, amend, cancel and print appointments online. You can now make appointments and order repeat prescriptions online directly from this website. You will first need to register with reception to obtain a user name and password to use the service.

Urgent Appointments

If you need to see a doctor urgently on the same day or require emergency contraception please tell the receptionist. She will take your name and a contact telephone number and inform the doctor as soon as possible. The doctor will ring you back and after assessing your problem decide on the best course of action. For multiple problems or more complex issues you must book a routine 10 minute appointment.

Routine Appointments

You can make an appointment in person at the surgery or by ringing 0191 2236555.

Routine appointments with the doctor and nurse are available to book up to 8 weeks in advance so you should have no problem making an appointment with your choice of doctor/nurse if you wish to book ahead. Appointment times with the doctor are for 10 minutes. Appointment times with the nurse can be variable - the receptionist will allocate the appropriate time when you book an appointment.

On occasions a doctor or nurse may need to cancel or move their surgery due to unforeseen circumstances. You will be notified of this as soon as possible by our Receptionists, preferably by phone or (if we can't contact you by phone) by letter.

It is important to keep us up to date with your current telephone number/e-mail address as well as sign a consent form if you are happy for us to contact you via text or e-mail (ask at reception for more details).

Telephone Appointments

Limited telephone consultations are available every day except Wednesdays these can be booked in advance with either a male or female GP.   Phone the surgery anytime and ask to be added to the next “telephone appointment” list. The GP will phone you back usually between 11:30 – 2:00pm but it will not be possible to give you an exact time. If the list is full on a particular day you will be offered the next available session.

Please ensure you give the receptionist an up to date telephone number and be aware that telephone consultations are for straightforward problems or issues that do not require an examination and can be dealt with over the telephone.

Practice Nurses

To speak to a practice nurse please ring the surgery and if she is free you will be put through straightaway, between 13:30 - 14:30 is often a good time. If not, your telephone number will be taken and she will ring you back on the same day.

Cancellations

If you cannot attend an appointment for any reason please inform us as soon as possible in order for us to give the slot to someone else.

Extended Hours

Newcastle Extended Access Service now provide additional appointments with local GPs.  This service offers pre-bookable appointments for patients who require urgent attention at Molineux Street, Westgate Road and Ponteland Road Walk-in Centres.

8am - 8pm: Monday to Friday

8am - 12noon: Saturdays

To book an appointment please ask a receptionist.

Home Visits

Requests for home visits for patients who are not well enough to come to the surgery must be made before 11:00. The details of your request will be passed on to the doctor who may telephone you to discuss your problem. Any requests for home visits after 11:00 will be classed as an emergency and will be dealt with by the doctor on call.

Please do not request a home visit simply because you do not have transport to the surgery

Home visits are expensive and time-consuming and should only be for patients who are genuinely house-bound or too ill to come to the surgery. If you have transport problems, please call reception for advice.

You can also be visited at home by a community nurse if you are referred by your GP. You should also be visited at home by a health visitor if you have recently had a baby or if you are newly registered with a GP and have a child under five years.

Sickness Certificates

You do not require a doctor's sickness certificate for any illness lasting seven days or less. Your employer may however require you to complete a self-certification form (SC2) which is available from your employer or on the HMRC website.

Evidence that you are sick

If you are sick for more than seven days, your employer can ask you to give them some form of medical evidence to support payment of SSP (statutory sick pay).

It is up to your employer to decide whether you are incapable of work. A medical certificate, now called a 'Statement of Fitness for Work’ (see below) from your doctor is strong evidence that you are sick and would normally be accepted, unless there is evidence to prove otherwise.

You could also provide evidence from someone who is not a medical practitioner, e.g. a dentist. Your employer will decide whether or not this evidence is acceptable. If your employer has any doubts, they may still ask for a medical certificate from your GP.

Statement of Fitness for Work - ’Fit Note'

The 'fit note' was introduced on 6 April 2010. With your employer's support, the note will help you return to work sooner by providing more information about the effects of your illness or injury.

For more information see the DirectGov website (where this information was sourced)