Find out a result? 

Contact reception after 10.30am Monday to Friday.  Most blood test results are reported within a week. X-rays, scans, ECGs, pathology and less common tests may take two weeks or longer.  If you sign up to 'Patient Access', you can view your test results online.  To do this, bring photographic ID to reception and request to sign up to 'Patient Access'. If your test was done via a hospital outpatient department then the result may take considerably longer than two weeks to be sent to us.  The hospital department will contact you direct regarding tests they have requested, or make follow up arrangements with you.

Get a certificate if unable to work?

NHS certificates (known as "Fit Notes") are only issued after a week of ill health or more (five working days). You do not need a certificate if you have been off work for less than a week. For absences of less than a week, you will be given a "self certificate" or SC1 form by your employer to complete.  Employers are not legally entitled to request medical certificates for absences of less than a week, if they insist that you provide a certificate then this is a private matter. There is a charge for Private Certificates.

Get a countersignature for a passport application?

Our Doctors do not countersign passport applications. You can check the list of people/professions able to do this with the Passport Office: www.ukpa.gov.uk

Arrange a private medical for insurance or other purposes?

Call us on 0208 365 3303 and choose option 3 to contact our office administrator to arrange a private medical.  Not all of the doctors do private work and there is always a charge for private medicals.  Our standard fees are in line with current BMA recommended rates and we do not offer discounts.  They are arranged outside normal surgery hours by prior agreement only.

Find out my blood group?          

This is generally not done.  It is not routine and of very little practical use to you, however we would encourage everybody to become a blood donor and you would be informed of your blood group as part of this process.  It is possible to have blood group testing done at a local hospital but this would be a private arrangement and there would be a charge. 

Make a complaint?  

We hope that you won’t feel the need to complain, but if you do please speak to our Practice Manager in the first instance, or write in to her.  We are always keen to try and resolve any problems.  Please give us your full details - If you contact us anonymously it is often very difficult to investigate or resolve issues appropriately.  We make every effort to give the best service possible to everyone who attends our practice. 

Please click here to download our complaints procedure. 

There is also a service called NHS complaints advocacy that offers to assist people who want to make a complaint.  It is free, confidential and independent of the NHS.  NHS Complaints Advocacy leaflet 

Give positive feedback?

If you are happy with the service you have received from the practice, please let us know! It is always a great boost for staff morale when we hear from people who have been happy with our care.  You can complete the "friends and family test" questionnaire online here (click on the 'Have your say' button at the top left of this page) or in person at the practice.  The paper questionnaires are in the waiting room.  You can leave feedback on the NHS Choices website under our practice name.  Please give your name, we would like to be able to thank you!

Arrange a private referral?

Generally you would need to book an appointment to see a doctor to discuss any referral.  If you have an ongoing problem, it may be possible to do this by telephone.  Insurance companies may not fund treatment unless you have been properly referred.  The doctors generally only refer to colleagues whose professional work they are familiar with and are happy to recommend.  See the notes elsewhere on this site on "Private Medicine".

Change a private prescription into an NHS prescription?

We are not obliged to switch private prescriptions for NHS prescriptions.  We have local and nationally agreed guidelines on prescribing and we may agree to do this if the medication is within our local formulary, but this is at the doctors discretion. The doctor who signs a prescription is taking clinical responsibility for the effects of the drug and its consequences. 

Find out why I haven't received my hospital appointment?

In the first instance, please contact the hospital and ask for the appointments department.  If they deny all knowledge of your referral then please speak to our office administrator, by calling 0208 365 3303 and choosing option 3.  Have you changed address without telling us?

Get a certificate of fitness to travel/to perform?

Please contact our office administrator by calling 0208 365 3303 and choosing option 3.  There is a charge for these certificates.

See my medical records?

Under the Data Protection Act 1998, you are entitled to see your medical records.  There is an increasing amount of information which you can now view online (you will need to ask at reception for an online access code for your records and bring in photographic ID). You can also make a written application to the Practice Manager to see your full written records, these have to be viewed on site under supervision at a prearranged appointment.  We would have great difficulty coping if even a tiny number of patients wished to do this, so we hope people restrain themselves unless there is a genuine need.  Should you require copies of any of your medical record there will be a charge.

Change registration from one doctor to another within the practice?

There is no need to do this as you are free to see whichever doctor you prefer in the practice.  You do of course get better continuity of care if you stick to one person and we would encourage you to do this where possible. 

Get a letter in support of an application to the local council housing dept?

Please do not request these letters. The Council have a special points system for medical problems.  They will write to us directly (with your permission) if they require information, and we then have a statutory duty to provide the information requested.  Any letter written to the housing department which is not directly requested by them is ignored, and this is clearly stated in their policy documents.

Get an appointment, or a longer one?

Appointments are generally 10 minutes long, we wish we could offer longer appointments but we simply do not have the resources to be able to do this.  Over 80% of patient contact in the NHS occurs within Primary Care, yet we recieve only 7.3% of the NHS budget (2016 figures).  Please use the scarce resources wisely - arrive on time, cancel appointments if you are no longer able to use them, ensure that you do not run out of your medication, think about whether your problem could be dealt with by telephone - many problems do not require an appointment. We have a telephone triage system with a Duty Doctor available every day for pressing or urgent issues: could your problem be dealt with by the Duty Doctor?

Get a homeopathic medicine?

Haringey CCG do not commission Homeopathy services apart from a small number which are  available to patients who are suffering from cancer. Homeopathic medication is not  prescribable on the NHS, and none of our doctors are homeopathically trained.

Get travel vaccinations?

Speak to reception and book in to see one of our nurses. Please arrange travel vaccinations in good time - generally at least 4-6 weeks prior to travel. 

Get the contraceptive pill?

For the initial prescription,  you will need to see a doctor or our senior nurse.  After that we would need to update your details (height, weight, smoking status, blood pressure, medical history) annually, and this can all be done in the surgery pod (please ask at reception if you have not used it before). It is important to press "FILE" to save the information in your medical record.  If you are under 16 the duty of confidentiality still applies.  We would always encourage young people to involve a parent or guardian in decisions regarding contraception, however we are able to prescribe without parental knowledge should you wish.  Please come in to see a doctor to discuss this. 

Have a coil (IUD or IUS) or contraceptive implant fitted?

Please speak to reception.  You will need to book a double appointment with an appropriate doctor.  It is advisable to discuss your requirements with a doctor prior to booking in, as there are recommendations as to timing / suitability for these procedures. 

Bring a chaperone

We are committed to providing a safe, comfortable environment where patients and staff can be confident that best practice is being followed.  You will automatically be offered a staff member as chaperone if an intimate examination is required,or you may bring along your own chaperone if you wish. 

See a doctor on my own if I am under 16?

We will see you.  It is the doctor’s responsibility, if it is an important medical problem, to establish whether you are mature enough to understand.  We hope parents are kept informed but where it is your wish not to do so, we will respect that.

Change from another doctor in the locality?

You are free to register at the practice as long as you live in our practice area. 

Why does the Practice keep asking me in for checks?

These are important as part of your ongoing health care, and also part of government requirements for GPs.  We appreciate that you are busy but please don’t ignore invitations for medical reviews.  Many reviews can be done by completing a questionnaire available at reception or online. It is important that you take responsibility for your own health by accepting these invitations when offered.

Get medical help if I am a visitor from overseas?

Please check with reception.  The entitlement to free treatment is dependent on your circumstances and your country of residence.  There will normally be a charge for seeing an overseas visitor who is in the UK short term except for a medical problem that has arisen during your stay.  There is no entitlement to free treatment at an NHS hospital.

Find out how long will it take for my notes to arrive from my previous doctor?

It is extremely variable, from a few seconds (some can be sent electronically) to many months.  We can make an urgent request if it is clinically necessary.  The process is much quicker if you provide full details including your NHS number when you register.

What happens if I change address?

You must inform us.  We sometimes have important information to impart and you may be wondering why that hospital appointment letter has not arrived.  It is also important to update telephone numbers, both landline and mobile.  Email addresses are helpful too. Please note, if your new address is outside of our catchment area, you will need to register elsewhere.

Why do I have to pay for some things at the practice when the NHS is free?

This is because the NHS only covers certain services.  Anything outside the NHS terms of service is a private arrangement and we are entitled to charge for these. Our charges are reviewed to be in line with national scales.