Phone: 041 9846846
Fax: 041 9846847
- GENERAL INFORMATION
- (see below for information on appointments, phone calls, repeat prescriptions, house calls, certificates and letters etc.)
Appointments (9.00-12.00 2.30-5.00)
- We use an appointment system to make the best use of our time.
When you make an appointment, tell the receptionist which doctor you wish to see and when. Some delays are inevitable in medical practice, but please rest assured that we are trying to minimize them and that we are very conscious of when they occur. - You can help us help yourselves in a few ways...
For urgent problems, we will make every effort to see you on the day. However if there are no free appointments, you may have to wait to be seen,
Please notify the receptionist at the time of booking the appointment if you are requesting a special service e.g. vaccination, maternity, travel clinic etc.
If you have a list of problems, consider writing them down, and let the doctor or nurse know at the start of the consultation. We will try but may not get through them in one day!
If you cannot attend for your appointment, please let us know so that it may be offered to someone else
If your problem is urgent or you feel too ill to wait, please tell us as we will always give priority to such cases, and most especially to sick children.
Telephone Calls
If you ring to speak to your doctor, please remember that the doctor may be in consultation with another patient. If the doctor is unavailable to take your call, our receptionist will arrange for you to be rung back, usually at the end of surgery. If your call is urgent, the doctor will talk to you immediately.
The telephone is often busiest with requests for appointments between 9 and 10am, so if possible please ring later for other matters. For results please ring between 12.30 and 1 p.m. if possible.
Repeat Prescriptions
Requests for repeat prescriptions are normally for patients on long term treatments, and may be made using the forms provided at reception by post, fax or calling into the surgery during normal working hours. Please try to allow two working day for routine repeat prescriptions to be issued, as all prescription requests need to be checked thoroughly by the doctor. Requests for urgent prescriptions e.g when discharged from hospital, will be facilitated as quickly as possible.
House Calls
House calls can be arranged for house bound, invalided or patients too ill to attend the surgery. All other patients, including sick children, should attend the surgery where they can be examined, investigated and treated thoroughly.
Medical Card Holders
We are happy to see Medical Card Holders. If you are not a patient of the practice, you must have proof of GMS eligibility – usually your white plastic card.
Please note that your Medical Card does not cover the following:
- Driving Licence Medicals
- Completion of forms in support of claims, such as travel insurance
- Travel vaccination services
EU Visitors
Visitors from the EU are entitled to emergency medical care without charge, but they must have a valid E111 form with them, at the time of the visit. Visitors from the UK do not need an E111 but must have proof of NHS eligibility. Otherwise normal fees are payable.
Letters and Insurance Forms
Due to the large number of requests for letters and other forms and the administrative cost involved in presenting these, there is now a charge for the letters and forms - full details at reception.
Please allow a week for your letter or form to be prepared - if you need it urgently, please let us know at reception and we will try to facilitate you.
Antibiotic Policy
Most coughs, colds and sore throats go away by themselves and do not need antibiotics. We try to reserve antibiotic usage for infections which are bacterial in origin, and will therefore respond successfully to them. Your views on this matter will always be taken into account when deciding on a treatment plan.
Training in General Practice
The doctors in Wheaton Hall are very pleased to be involved in training. We feel that it is helpful for tomorrow's doctors to experience general practice here, and we hope that the training which takes place here will encourage the maintenance of high standards.
We are involved in training and teaching in 2 ways. Some of you may already have met one of our visiting medical students from Trinity College, Dublin. These students are near the end of their training to be a doctor and come to us for a week to observe and learn. They will usually be sitting in with your doctor and you should always be notified of their presence.
We are also one of the designated training practices in the North East region. In this capacity, the practice will be welcoming doctors who are already extremely well qualified and who are completing their transition from hospital medicine to general practice. Each of these doctors will join us for 1 year as a fully fledged member of the practice team. Our first registrar was Dr. Aoiveen Matthews who worked with us for 1 year from July 1st 2003, and who was well liked and respected by all. 
