- Cervical screening – Accessing cervical screening with the right support for people with a learning disability – YouTube
- AHC and Health Action Plan – Charlotte’s annual health check and health action plan – YouTube
- Reasonable adjustments – Use of reasonable adjustments to reduce health inequalities for people with a learning disability – YouTube
Other Services
Blood Test Information
Phlebotomy Service for Patients over 12
From Tuesday 3rd May, Sheringham Medical Practice will be providing a Phlebotomy service to all patients over the age of 12 years.
If a clinician at the practice has requested that you have a blood test you can book your appointment by either:
- Online booking through SystmOnline
- Online via an appointment link sent to your Smartphone
- By telephone on 01263 820739 – Monday to Friday, 08:00-17:30
Children under 12 years will still be required to book their appointments at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital.
Patients who require a blood test as part of their hospital care should get a blood test at Cromer and District Hospital.
Please call 01603 646168 to arrange your appointment for blood tests requested by the hospital.
Clinics we offer at our GP surgery
We provide a range of services and clinics.
The following clinics are available at our surgery by appointment:
- Baby Immunisations
- Blood pressure and urine checks
- Cervical smears
- Childhood immunisations
- Chronic disease management
- Cryotherapy
- Family planning advice
- Minor injuries
- Skin Surgery
- Removal of stitches
- Registration health checks
- Travel Advice and Vaccinations
Chargeable Services
Please review our list of non-NHS work that we offer at our GP surgery, which attract a fee. This includes certificates, forms, medical examinations and various travel vaccinations.
Why does my doctor charge fees?
When your doctor is asked to give medical information about you in the form of a report, letter or certificate, the request kick starts a series of processes.
This takes time and is not always straightforward or simple to complete. Some of the information is not available easily and will mean the doctor has to sort and select the right information for the request.
The doctor also must establish who is funding this work and if it is not part of their NHS work, agree a fee for this.
Surely the work is paid for by the NHS?
Many patients see their doctor as the embodiment of the NHS and all that it provides – free care at the point of delivery. However not all work doctors are asked to do is paid for by the NHS and many GPs are self-employed.
This means they must cover their time and costs – staff, buildings, heating, lighting, etc – in the same way as any small business. The NHS only pays for NHS work, any work outside of the NHS must be funded by other means and this is why fees are charged.
Why does it take so long?
Your doctor receives large amounts of request and which is often to do with whether your general health allows you to do something e.g. to work, receive benefits, drive, play sport, attend school, own a house, a firearm or it is for insurance, court or other medico-legal reasons.
All requests will vary in complexity, volume and consistency ranging from signing a certificate which can take minutes, to an in-depth report with an examination that can take hours.
What your doctor is signing
When your doctor signs a certificate or completes a report, it is a condition of remaining on the Medical Register that they only sign what they know to be true.
In order to complete even the simplest of forms, they may have to check your entire medical record (some of which may not be accessible on a computer or on site).
Carelessness or an inaccurate report can have serious consequences for the doctor with the General Medical Council (the doctors’ regulatory body) or even the Police.
Why does my doctor seem reluctant or say no to this request?
Your doctor is inundated with work. They have to balance their time with treating the sick, keeping their practice afloat and making sure they are doing all of this safely and within their professional duties as a doctor.
With certain exceptions written within their contract, doctors do not have to carry out non-NHS work. However, many choose to for the benefit of you and other families they treat.
Where a doctor chooses to undertake the work, we advise them to inform and always agree a fee in advance of undertaking work.
Should their volume of work prove to be greater or more complex than expected, the doctor will contact you to discuss how to proceed.
What can I do to help?
– Not all documents need a signature by a doctor and can be done by other professionals. Please check the form and accompanying guidance as you may get a quicker response that way.
– If you have several forms requiring completion, present them all at once and ask your doctor if he or she is prepared to complete them at the same time to speed up the process.
– Do not expect your GP to process forms overnight. Urgent requests may mean that a doctor has to make special arrangements to process the form quickly, and this will cost more.
– Don’t book an appointment with your doctor to complete forms without checking with your doctor’s administrative staff as to whether you need to or not.
Get test results
General Information about Test Results
When you attend a test of any kind, you will be told how long you should expect to wait for the results. This is a guideline, and we ask that you wait this time before checking for your results.
Please note that we have a strict policy regarding confidentiality and data protection. We will only give test results to the person they relate to unless that person has given prior permission for their release or if they’re not capable of understanding them.
There are different ways you can access the results of tests that have been done at our GP surgery.
- You can use your NHS App and access the results from there. Please note that results are only available once the doctor has reviewed them. If you don’t have access to your record online, please request this in your online account or ask our reception team for help, ideally after 2 pm.
- You can telephone the practice by 01263 822 066
Please note that the results of tests carried out during hospital visits are not normally sent to the practice.
Why have I been asked to have a repeat test?
If a doctor asks you to have a repeat test, it is usually because:
- The result was borderline or unclear, and the doctor wants another sample to monitor the situation or to re-check the results.
- The result is abnormal, and the doctor cannot interpret the result without further tests and has asked you to come in for more tests.
Please do not worry if the doctor has asked you for a repeat test. The doctor will speak to you or request to see you directly if they need to discuss the results.
Get a sick note for work
The NHS provides sickness certification only after seven continuous days of illness. If you need a sick note to cover this period of sickness you should complete a Self-Certification (SC2) form which is available from your employer or on the HMRC website.
Online Services
Online Access to GP Services Form
SystmOnline
Online services allow you to:
- book, check or cancel appointments with a GP, nurse or other healthcare professional
- order repeat prescriptions
- see parts of your health record, including information about medicines, vaccinations and test results
- see communications between your GP surgery and other services, such as hospitals
How to register for Online Services
If you have not used our online services before you will need to:
- Contact the surgery by phone or in person
- Verify your identity
- Secure a username and password
- Enter SystmOnline and enter your registration details exactly as shown on the form.
- After registering, log on with your username and password.
SystmOnline
Non-urgent advice: Having Problems?
You can get
support and find
some Frequently
Asked Questions
about SystmOnline
below.
Online Consultation: SystmConnect
Who are SystmConnect
SystmConnect is the new online consultation platform that enables effective communication with patients. SystmConnect helps improve access and manage demand to the surgery.
Patients can access this service using a smartphone app, website, phone call or in person at reception. The request is allocated to the correct team and patients receive replies via their preferred communication route, whether that be a letter, video consultation, phone call, app notification or email.
SystmConnect can help you get things done without having to visit or telephone the surgery. These requests are for non urgent problems and we aim to get back to you within 2 working days. Patients can use Online Consultations – SystmConnect to request a FIT note, ask about test results or ask a question about advice or medication. Online Consultations – SystmConnect are also available through the NHS App.
NHS App
Try the NHS App. If you’re a patient at our practice you can now use the new NHS App, a simple and secure way to access a range of NHS services on your smartphone or tablet. You can use the NHS App to get health advice, order repeat prescriptions, manage your hospital referrals, view your GP health record and more. If you already use Patient Access you can continue to use it but you can use the NHS App as well. For more information go to www.nhs.uk/nhsapp.
What the NHS App does
- get advice about coronavirus – get information about coronavirus and find out what to do if you think you have it.
- order repeat prescriptions – see your available medicines, request a new repeat prescription and choose a pharmacy for your prescriptions to be sent to.
- book appointments – search for, book and cancel appointments at your GP surgery, and see details of your upcoming and past appointments.
- check your symptoms – search trusted NHS information and advice on hundreds of conditions and treatments, and get instant advice or medical help near you.
- register your organ donation decision – choose to donate some or all of your organs and check your registered decision.
- find out how the NHS uses your data – choose if data from your health records is shared for research and planning.
- view parts of your GP record – including information about medication, allergies, vaccinations, previous illnesses and test results.
Quote / Testimonial: For more information go to www.nhs.uk/nhsapp.
If you’re a patient at our practice you can use the new NHS App, a simple and secure way to access a range of NHS services on your smartphone or tablet.
Get the app
Non-urgent advice: Having Problems?
You can still contact the practice by phone or in person, this is just another option, which other patients have found is more convenient and saves them time. More information including “how to” leaflets and videos of patients and why they are using GP online services are available at www.nhs.uk/gponlineservices