Emergencies - Home Visits - Repeat Prescriptions - Telephone Advice - New Patients  - Practice Nurse Appointments - Enquiries About Results
Practice Boundary - Change of Address - Suggestions - Complaints - Disabled Persons - Voluntary Group -  Carer's Support Worker - FOI Publication
Citizen's Advice - "PALS" - Chaperone Policy - National Database

APPOINTMENTS
All patients are seen by appointment booked at 10 minute intervals. We aim to see the majority of patients within 10 minutes of your appointment time. You can book an appointment by calling at reception or telephone during surgery hours.

HELP US TO ACHIEVE THIS BY
1. Making a separate appointment for each patient.
2. Please try to be punctual.
3. Please cancel an appointment as soon as possible if you are unable to keep it. This will allow another patient to take your place.
4. If you need an appointment time longer than 10 minutes, please tell the receptionist when you book the appointment. 

We aim to see urgent cases at the next available surgery on the same day. Routine appointments will be available within 2 working days of your request.


EMERGENCIES (top)
The receptionists will take your message and transfer it to the doctor, nurse practitioner or practice nurse during surgery hours.

On Tuesday and Thursday afternoons between 1.00pm and 6.00pm emergency care is provided by doctors at Shiphay Manor Surgery. After surgery hours and at weekends please ring 01803 605939. You will be given a telephone number to ring in order to access the Emergency Out of Hours Doctor Service. Emergency care is provided by "Devon Doctors", a rota of General Practitioners. Please note that all telephone calls taken by the out-of-hours Control Centre are recorded. You may also seek telephone advice from NHS Direct by telephoning 0845 46 47 or accessing their website on www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk 
SATURDAY AND SUNDAY COVER: The surgery is not open on Saturdays or Sundays.  Patients are therefore requested to make alternative arrangements for the collection of prescriptions etc.  Emergency cover will be provided by Devon Doctors, as at other times out of normal surgery hours.  Please telephone 605939 out of hours to access the contact number to call.  This information also applies at Bank Holidays.

HOME VISITS (top)
These are available if you are too ill to come to the surgery. Whenever possible please request a visit before 10am. Some detail will be needed to assess the urgency of the visit and if the matter is very urgent, the doctor will be informed immediately. Otherwise he will normally visit after morning surgery.

REPEAT PRESCRIPTIONS (top)
We need 24 hours Monday to Friday to have your prescription ready.   Requests made on a Friday will be ready for collection on the following Monday.  Repeat prescriptions may be obtained by letter, enclosing a stamped addressed envelope or by calling at reception and using our prescription post-box.  You may use the prescription counterfoil to indicate the necessary items.  You may also fax your request on 606525, e-mail us at prescriptions.L83667@nhs.net (lower case “L”) or make your request online now by clicking here. Prescription requests are not taken over the telephone.

TELEPHONE ADVICE (top)
Dr Hutchinson, our Nurse Practitioner or our Practice Nurse will be happy to give you the advice over the telephone when they are not consulting. The best time to seek telephone advice is following morning surgery. The receptionists have been asked not to interrupt your doctor during consultations unless your call is urgent. You may therefore be asked to phone back or leave a telephone number where you can be reached.

NEWLY REGISTERED PATIENTS (top)
All newly registered patients will be invited to make an appointment with Dr Hutchinson. You will be asked to complete a questionnaire about your past health and present lifestyle. You will also be offered a health check.

PRACTICE NURSE APPOINTMENTS (top)
Our nurses provide a wide range of nursing and health promotion services. You can make an appointment without seeing the doctor.

ENQUIRIES ABOUT RESULTS (top)
Dr Hutchinson will individually arrange with the patient to either make a follow-up appointment to give the results of any tests or will undertake to contact the patient if any result is of significant importance.  If you wish to enquire about results please telephone after 11am.

PRACTICE BOUNDARY (top)
Our patients live predominantly in the Chelston and Livermead areas. The practice boundary includes all of Torquay and fringes of Preston to Preston Down Road. SEE MAP

CHANGE OF ADDRESS (top)
Please advise us of any change of address or telephone number as soon as possible, and also please inform Torbay Hospital if you are a patient there.

SUGGESTIONS (top)
Please write any comments you have about the practice in the suggestions box in the waiting room (emptied monthly). A reply to your comment will be given if you leave your contact details. If you prefer, please make your comment personally or in writing to any member of the practice.

COMPLAINTS (top)
If you feel that any aspect of our service has been less than adequate, please discuss this with Dr Hutchinson or our manager - Mrs Stackhouse. If you are still dissatisfied or prefer not to discuss the matter with the practice, you may address your complaint to: The Complaints Manager, Torbay Care Trust, Bay House, Riviera Park, Nicholson Road, Torquay TQ2 7TD

DISABLED PERSONS (top)
The surgery is all on one level and allows wheelchair access.  Toilet facilities are also available.  The Health Visitor, Counsellor and Citizen’s Advise Bureau Officer work on the first floor but arrangements can be made for patients unable to manage the stairs.  If any patient experiences difficulties accessing our services, please alert a member of staff who will be only too pleased to help where possible.

THE VOLUNTARY GROUP (top)
Friends of Old Mill has been running since 1995 and offers friendly help and support to patients of any age. We hold regular coffee mornings, offer help with transport, collecting prescriptions and so on. We are always eager for new volunteers and people to care for.

CARER'S SUPPORT WORKER (top)
Sally Corbishley, our Carer's Support Worker is in the surgery every Monday between 9.30am and 3.00pm. If you are a Carer, or think you might be, she is here to offer you support. Are you getting all the support you need? Are you claiming all you are eligible for? Please call in to see Sally to discuss your needs, worries etc, or just for a chat.

CITIZEN'S ADVICE (top)
A Citizen’s Advice Bureau Officer is available by appointment at the Practice on Tuesdays from 9.30am to 12.30pm every week.   Home visits can also be arranged where necessary.  Appointments can be booked at Reception, and normally up to an hour is allotted.

“PALS” (top)
PALS is an NHS Service aiming to provide information and support to patients, their carers and families.  Please call 0800 02 82 037 at any time.  Leaflets on the service are available at the surgery.

CHAPERONE POLICY (top)
A chaperone service is available at Old Mill Surgery and will be offered to patients for any intimate examinations.

FOI PUBLICATION (top) to download CLICK HERE

NATIONAL DATABASE (top)
OLD MILL SURGERY IS A RESEARCH PRACTICE.

We ask you for information about yourself so that you can receive proper care and treatment. We keep this information, together with the details of your care, because it may be needed if we see you again. 

We may use some of this information for other reasons, for example, to help us protect the health of the public generally, to plan for the future, to train staff and to carry out medical and other health research for the benefit of everyone.   

We are currently involved in some research studies that require anonymous information from patients’ notes. You can not be identified from this information. The database holds data on millions of patients, and no patient will be traceable to anyone outside this practice. 

If anything to do with the research would involve you personally, you will be contacted to see if you are willing to take part, you will not be identified in any published results without your agreement. 

You have a right of access to your health records. If at any time you would like to know more, or have any concerns about how we use your information you can speak to: Lis Bridgeman, Practice Manager. 

EVERYONE WORKING FOR THE NHS HAS A LEGAL DUTY TO KEEP INFORMATION ABOUT YOU CONFIDENTIAL