Wychall Lane Surgery

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Wychall Lane Surgery

Non-urgent advice: Disclaimer

The following FAQs relate to common normal circumstances. During the current Coronavirus outbreak, some of these FAQ may not be applicable.

If you are too ill to attend the surgery and really need a home visit, please ring 0121 628 2345 before 11.00am. This helps in the planning of the visits and gives us a chance to ensure continuity of care. The on-call doctor may wish to talk to you and offer advice and, if the doctor feels a visit is necessary, they will authorise a home visit. Visits are usually done between 1.00 and 4.00pm and we cannot guarantee which doctor will call.

You can book an appointment by using Online Services – please do not email or fax an appointment request. If you are unable to book online then call us on 0121 628 2345

Appointments can be booked 24 hours a day 7 days a week online or during surgery hours by telephone. To register for online appointments please fill out our online form or request access from the reception on your next visit.

If you have been referred for a Choose and Book Appointment recently, you will need to book your own hospital appointment. You will have been sent the paperwork to do this within 2 weeks. Please contact the appointment centre details on section 2 on the enclosed paperwork and give details of both your reference number and password. You should then be able to arrange an appointment at your convenience at your chosen hospital.

Should you contact the e-referral service and there are no appointments available to book at your selected hospital, you will be put on that hospital waiting list for an appointment to be sent to you. It is the hospital’s responsibility to ensure you receive an appointment. Please be assured that you are on the hospital waiting list and will be sent an appointment in due course.

If you have not heard from the hospital with an appointment, please contact the hospital directly quoting your reference number and password. Please see the direct telephone numbers for the hospitals as below as they manage their own waiting lists.

Birmingham Eye Hospital 0121 507 6712

Birmingham Treatment Centre – 0121 507 4151

Birmingham Women’s Hospital – 0121 627 2786

Children’s Hospital  – 0121 333 9700

Solihull/Heartlands – 0121 424 1234

Royal Orthopaedic Hospital – 0121 685 4186

Queen Elizabeth Hospital – 0121 371 7066

To track your e-Referral you will need the following details to log into the e-Referral website:

Your date of birth

Reference number – this will be on the first page of your letter

Password – this will be on the last page of your letter

Please make sure to update your mobile number.

Relay UK is national relay service which helps people with hearing and speech difficulties communicate with anyone over the phone.

Alternatively, InterpreterNow is a free online app which provides an online British sign Language interpreter for phone and video consultations.

Requesting a repeat prescription is easy. Please sign up to GP online services and you’ll be able to use a website or app to order repeat prescriptions online. The service is free and available to everyone who is registered with a GP.

Alternatively please visit out our General and Admin Enquiries page and click Request Repeat Prescription button for a step by step guide.

All GP practices are required to declare the mean earnings (average pay) for GPs working to deliver NHS services to patients at each practice. The average earning for GPs working at Wychall Lane Surgery in the last financial year was £66,218.00 after tax and national insurance. This is for 2 full time and 6 part-time GPs.

How to provide feedback or complain?

Is your feedback positive or negative?

Positive Feedback: We really work hard to provide you with good quality healthcare services and we are human too. If you are happy with our services then please do tell us and tell others too.

Negative Feedback: If you have a complaint or concern about the service you have received from the doctors or any of the staff working in this practice, please let us know. We operate practice complaints procedure as part of a NHS system for dealing with complaints. Our complaints system meets national criteria.

How to complain

Complaints Procedure
Although we always try to offer our patients the best care, despite the increasingly heavy demands made of us, we accept that there may be times when you have comments or complaints to make.

If you are unhappy about any aspect of our service or have constructive suggestions for improvement then please contact our practice business manager. We would ask that you let us know of any problems as soon as possible. We hope that most problems can be sorted out easily and quickly, preferably at the time they occur. Information is obtainable from reception.

If you feel you cannot raise your complaint with us, you can contact PALS, Adams Hill Centre,190 Adams Hill,Bartley Green,Birmingham.B32 3PJ. If you remain unhappy after everything has been done to try to resolve your concern or complaint you have the right to approach the Ombudsman. Tel: 0345 015 4033 Email: phso.enquiries@ombudsman.org.uk Write: Millbank Tower, Millbank, London SW1P 4QP.

NHS Complaints. members of the public, patients and their representatives can also contact NHS England. Customer contact centre, NHS England, PO Box 16738, Redditch B97 9PT telephone:0330 311 22 33 email: england.contactus@nhs.net. British Sign Language (BSL): if you use BSL, you can talk to NHS England via a video call to a BSL interpreter. Visit NHS England’s BSL Service NHS England opening hours are: 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday, except Wednesdays when they open at the later time of 9.30am.

Wychall Lane Surgery takes the protection of our patient’s data and privacy very seriously. we have gone to great lengths to ensure we are fully compliant with GDPR legislation.

Read Our Privacy Policy

List of useful links and phone numbers

QE  Main switch – 0121 371 2000

QE Appointments – 0121 371 7070

QE Imagining Appointments – 012 1 371 4695

ROH Switch Appointments – 0121 685 4000, 0121 685 4186

Children’s  main Appointments – 0121 333 9999, 0121 333 9700

Women – 0121 427 1377

Social services – 0121 303 1234

Birmingham Carer Hub – 0333 006 9711

Mon, Tues, Thurs & Fri: 8.45am-5.15pm  Weds: 8.45am-7pm

Yewcroft / Quinton Carers Group – The Kenrick Centre Mill Farm Road

Monthly 2nd Wednesday of each month – Harborne  0300 304 5530  or Michelle Long 07392 319482

Longbridge Carers Group – Longbridge Health & Community Centre, 10 Park Way 0300 304 5530 or Michelle Long 07392 319482 Health & Wellbeing Carers Group Monthly 2nd Thursday of each month – Michelle Long 07392, 319482

Creative Support – 88 Bristol Road South Northfield

alt. Wednesdays 2-3pm – 0121 476 4349 Birmingham.hob@creativesupport.org.uk

Looking Forward – Term time only

(Parent and Carer Support Group) – 17 Victoria Road Harborne

Fortnightly, Thursdays 10-11:30 – info@cpmids.org.uk

National Autistic Society, Monday Thursday 10-4 Friday 9-3 – 0808 800 4104

National Dementia & Alzheimer’s Helpline – 0300 222 11 22

Ring and Ride – 0330 053 8135

Autism West Midlands – 0121 450 7582 / 0303 03 00 111

Silverline—Helpline for older people – 0800 4 70 80 90

Age UK – 0800 055 6112

Age Concern – 0121 362 3650

info@ageconcernbirmingham.org.uk

Citizens Advice – 0344 411 1444 

www.citizensadvice.org.uk

National Debtline – 08088084000

www.nationaldebtline.co.uk

CRUSE Bereavement Care – 0808 808 1677

Citizens Advice Bureau – 03444 111 444

MIND – 0300 123 3393

Dementia Awareness – 0121 466 6000

Samaritans – 0121 666 6644

Birmingham Healthy Minds – 0121 301 2525

Monday 08:00  am – 18.30 pm

Tuesday 08:00  am – 18.30 pm

Wednesday 08:00  am – 18.30 pm

Thursday 08:00  am – 18.30 pm

Friday 08:00  am – 18.30 pm

Saturday Closed

Sunday Closed

Violence Policy

The NHS operate a zero tolerance policy with regard to violence and abuse and the practice has the right to remove violent patients from the list with immediate effect in order to safeguard practice staff, patients and other persons. Violence in this context includes actual or threatened physical violence or verbal abuse which leads to fear for a person’s safety. In this situation we will notify the patient in writing of their removal from the list and record in the patient’s medical records the fact of the removal and the circumstances leading to it.

NHS Services

In addition to GP consultations the Practice offers a comprehensive range of healthcare services and specialist clinics:

Adult Immunisations – are your vaccinations up to date? If not, make an appointment to see one of our Practice Nurses to have your routine vaccinations. Adult Vaccines available on the NHS

Ante-natal Care – the Doctors work closely with the midwives to deliver your ante-natal care. Please arrange an appointment with your Doctor if you are pregnant.

Child Health Surveillance 6 – 8 week developmental review -Appointments for consultations will be sent from the practice. These are undertaken by the GP.

Childhood immunisations – Appointments for your child’s immunisations will be sent to you direct from the child health team. It is important that you attend for these appointments as the vaccinations need to be given at specific times in your child’s development (8, 12, and 16 weeks). If you are unable to attend please let us know so that we can re-arrange in a timely fashion. Childrens Vaccination Schedule

Contraception and Sexual Health – a full range of contraceptive services are available – this includes fitting coils as well as hormonal methods e.g. the pill, injections and implants. These services are also available to residents who are not registered with the Practice.

Chronic Disease Reviews – We have changed the way we invite our patients with chronic diseases, so that hopefully it will make it easier to know when you will be invited and reduce the number of times we ask you to attend. By chronic disease, we mean Diabetes, Asthma, COPD, Stroke monitoring and Heart Disease. Instead of asking you to see the nurse about separate conditions, we will invite you to attend for a nurse appointment each year in the month of your birth for a review of any of these conditions. So, if you suffer from 2 of these conditions, the nurse will review both conditions at the same appointment. You are welcome to book appointments if you have any concerns at any other time and the nurse will arrange any follow up you may need before your next routine review. We hope this will make your review appointment procedure simpler and more effective.

Holiday/ Routine Vaccinations – are your tetanus and polio vaccinations up to date? If not, make an appointment to see the Nurse to have a booster dose. Holiday vaccinations are just as important- ask for details at reception

Health Promotion – the Practice firmly believes that good health can be maintained by adopting a healthy lifestyle. Advice and encouragement are available for all our patient

Minor Surgery – these clinics are held on some Fridays by appointment. In these clinics minor lumps and bumps, skin tags, verrucas and warts may be removed. Please see your Doctor for further details.

Smoking Cessation – we have a comprehensive programme of help if you want to stop smoking. This involves initial support to set a quit date, prescription of medication to help you to stop smoking and follow up advice to help you keep well when not smoking. Please book an appointment with reception if you want help to quit.

Travel Vaccinations – if you require any vaccinations relating to foreign travel you need to make an appointment with one of our Practice Nurses at least two months before your planned travel. This allows time to plan and complete a course of any necessary injections and sign post you to other specialist clinics.

Please see our travel form

Click here

Non-NHS Services

The National Health Service provides most health care to most people free of charge, but there are exceptions such as prescription charges. The NHS does not employ GPs but has a contract with them to provide NHS general medical services for their patients. Sometimes, however, GPs are asked to provides additional services, which fall outside their contract with the NHS, and in these circumstances, they are entitled to make a reasonable charge for providing them. It is up to the individual practice to decide how much to charge, although the BMA produces lists of suggested fees for the Doctors to use as a guideline.

When a doctor signs a certificate or completes a report, the doctor needs to check the patient’s entire medical record to ensure that they are providing accurate information. GPs will not be able to complete forms overnight, so please ensure that you give them reasonable notice. Not all documents need a signature by a doctor. For example, you could ask another person in a position of trust, who may be willing to sign a passport application free of charge. (Teacher, Accountant, etc).

If you have several forms requiring completion, present them all at once and ask the receptionist if bringing them as a ‘job lot’ can reduce the price. You can also complete the form to the best of your ability in pencil, so the doctor just has to quickly verify your entries against the information held by the practice.

What is covered by the NHS and what is not?

Examples of non-NHS services for which GPs can charge their NHS patients are:

• Certain travel vaccinations

• Private medical insurance reports

• Holiday cancellation claim forms

• Referral for private care forms

• Letters requested by, or on behalf of, the patient

The fees charged are based on the British Medical Association (BMA) suggested scales and our reception staff will be happy to advise you about them along with appointment availability.

We aim to complete all reports within 2 weeks from the date of receipt. If the report does not form part of the NHS services a charge may apply. Where possible, we base our fees in line with the British Medical Associate (BMA) Guidance.

IMPORTANT: Contact reception about any requests you may have. Do not book an appointment with the Doctor to discuss a medical report or letter.

Please telephone us an explain you need to see a Doctor urgently – The receptionist will ask you for a brief description of the problem and will offer you a sameday appointment to see a Doctor. If you call after 11am, the Receptionist will pass on the nature of your problem to the Doctor, who will either request you come to the surgery or they will telephone you to discuss the problem.

Earlier in the year NHS England and NHS Clinical Commissioners also published guidance on ‘Items which should not be routinely prescribed in primary care’ and subsequently the Birmingham and Solihull CCG policy was produced. Medicines included in the policy are:

Co-proxamol

Dosulepin

Glucosamine and chondroitin

Herbal treatments

Homeopathy

Immediate release fentanyl

Lidocaine plasters

Liothyronine

Lutein and antioxidants

Once daily Tadalafil

Omega-3 fatty acid compounds

Perindopril arginine

Prolonged release doxazosin

Rubifacients (excluding topical NSAIDs)

Targinact – Oxycodone and naloxone combination

Tramacet – paracetamol and tramadol combination

Trimipramine

Vaccines administered exclusively for the purposes of travel (see list in policy)

NHS England Guidance:https://www.england.nhs.uk/medicines/conditions-for-which-over-the-counter-items-should-not-routinely-be-prescribed/ 

Birmingham and Solihull CCG policy: https://nhs.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=fc496e37a02fff5979483df7e&id=50f4e99283&e=261acd4ccf

The NHS provides most healthcare services to patients free of charge, but some work undertaken at the practice is not covered by the NHS. This is known as ‘private’ work. This includes:

• Insurance forms

• Medical and legal reports, e.g. requested by the DVLA or by a court or solicitor

• Fitness to travel certificates

• Private sick notes and prescriptions

• Emergency treatment under the Road Traffic Act 1988

Our fees for these services are in line with British Medical Association approved national guidelines. All fees listed are inclusive of VAT.

Medical Reports with 30 Minute Face-to-Face Examination

• HGV/LGV/PCP driving licence – £162.24

• Pilot licence – £162.24

• Adoption application medical – £162.24

Medical Reports

• Solicitor’s/legal report – £156.00

• Enduring power of attorney report – £112.98    

• Occupational health report – £94.15

• Short report – £94.15   

Forms, Certificates and Letters

• Ofsted report/certificate (e.g. for childminder) – £109.20

• Insurance short form/verification/certificate – £63.00   

• CENTRO application form – £61.90

• Holiday Cancellation – £61.90 

• Fitness to Travel certificate – £48.40

• Patient requesting a letter i.e. ‘To whom it may concern’ – £26.00

• Private sick note – £18.00

• Private prescription – £18.00

• Other simple certificate – £18.00

Emergency Treatment Under the Road Traffic Act 1988

• First doctor to provide emergency treatment to the victim of a road traffic accident – £21.30

Chaperone Policy

This practice respects the privacy, dignity and the cultural and religious beliefs of our patients. If you would like a chaperone to be present during a physical examination by a doctor or nurse at the surgery, please let us know. This chaperone may be a family member or friend or we can arrange for a trained member of staff to be present.