Before booking a GP appointment ask yourself these three questions:

Can I?

• Self-care
• Use NHS Choices or similar reputable websites/resources
• Seek advice/treatment via a pharmacist

When booking an appointment to see a GP/Nurse Practitioner, you may have our receptionists ask you questions in an attempt to signpost you in the right direction to avoid any unnecessary appointment bookings.

Often patients ask for an appointment with the GP/Nurse Practitioner when sometimes another Health Care Professional or source could deal with the problem more appropriately.

Our Appointment System 

Appointments Line: 01530 270933

Please be aware our phone lines are extremely busy between the hours of 08.30-11.00. Please do not call us for anything that isn't urgent for that day during these times.

You will be offered an appointment which is most appropriate to your concern, this may be in person or via the telephone. Each member of our reception team has undergone extensive training to ensure your appointment is booked with the most appropriate clinician. You will be asked the reason for your appointment - this isn't to be nosey, it is to ensure your appointment is booked correctly. It is very frustrating for both patients and clinicians alike when your appointment is booked incorrectly. 

Getting the Best From Your Appointment

Before the Consultation

It is usually best to concentrate on one problem during the consultation. If you want to discuss several problems or family members, please ask the receptionist for a separate appointment.

• Think – When did the problem start?
• Does anything make the problem better or worse?
• How can you describe it?
• What worries you more, the discomfort or what might be causing it?
• How are you hoping the doctor might be able to help you?
• The doctor can help you more if you can explain the problem.
• If you think you (or your child) may have to be examined, wear clothes that are easily removed.

During the Consultation

If you have an underlying problem, for example feeling depressed – say so. Make sure you tell the doctor all you want them to know and also, that you understand all they have told you. If you are given a prescription, you should be told why and what side effects the medicine may have. If you are not given a prescription, you may wonder why. Do ask and, if you are not happy, let the doctor know why.

Enhanced Access

In North West Leicestershire the 12 practices are working in collaboration as a Primary Care Network (PCN).

The PCN allows us to work differently and provide services jointly or at scale. A great example of this was the Covid Vaccination hub that was provided from Measham Leisure Centre during 2020/21 and has left us with a successful model for future projects.

 From 1st October 2022 the PCN will be providing Enhanced Access appointments (including Covid vaccinations) and these will be available to patients:-

• Monday to Friday – 18:30 to 20:00,
• Saturday – 09:00 to 17:00.

As a collative these appointments will be delivered from two hub locations and we will rotate between:-

• Castle Medical Group – 118 Burton Road, Ashby de la Zouch, LE65 2LP
• Long Lane Surgery – Beacon House, Long Lane, Coalville LE67 4DR

Appointments are available to book and cancel through your GP practice and you may be offered an appointment at one of these clinics when you speak with reception. If you need to speak to us about an extended access appointment and we are closed, please telephone 01530 566550, if the staff there are unable to answer your call please leave a message or email llrib-llr.nwlpcn@nhs.net. We will also be making available online booking functionality for this service in the near future. 

Please note that we will also be continuing to deliver our early morning pre booked appointments Monday to Friday from 07:30 to 08:00.

Community Pharmacy Referral Scheme 

What is this and what can the service offer me?

This is an NHS service to help support and reduce the pressure on GP appointments. If you need advice or treatment for an everyday minor illness, we will refer you to a trained Community Pharmacist. 

What conditions can the community Pharmacist treat? 

Bites and stings

Cold and flu symptoms

Congestion (blocked runny nose, hay fever, excess mucus)

Ears (Wax, blocked)

Eyes (conjunctivitis, dry, runny, or sore eyes)

Gastric (Bowel issue, constipation, heartburn, indigestion, haemorrhoids, and vomiting)

General muscular pain (sprains and strains)

Skin conditions (ache, athletes foot, rashes, warts, verruca’s)

Mouth and throat conditions (cold sores, ulcers, sore throat)

What conditions are not referred to a Community Pharmacist? 

Immunosuppressed patients

Severe Symptoms

Pregnant patients

Symptoms or conditions that have lasted for more than 3 weeks.

Has not responded to over-the-counter medication

What happens when I see the Community Pharmacist? 

The referral from the GP will share personal details with the Pharmacist about your minor illness.

The pharmacist will contact you to arrange a consultation on the same day, however if we refer you later in the day the pharmacist may contact you the next day. The pharmacist may call you back or offer you a face-to-face consultation.

You will be asked about your medical history and current symptoms in the same way which the GP would ask about them.

The pharmacist will then provide you with advice and prescribe medication to you should they feel the need to.

If the pharmacist feels that you need to be seen by a GP urgently then they will call or send the referral back the us at the practice to ensure that you are seen.  You may also be referred back to us to arrange a non-urgent follow up appointment with a GP.

Please attend your appointment on time, if you are late you may not be seen. If you are not seen you will not be able to rearrange your appointment until the next working day-except in the event of an medical emergency that requires immediate attention.

If you require an interpreter for your appointment, please notify the receptionist when you book and this will be arranged. Please be aware, we do require notice for an interpreter to be booked for a specific time. The interpreter service will be carried out over the telephone. 

Chaperones

If you are alone, but wish to have a chaperone present, please advise the clinician that you are seeing.

It is important that you inform the reception staff if you are unable to attend your appointment, this will allow that appointment to be offered to another patient. If you fail to notify the Practice that you are unable to attend, you will be sent a letter informing you that you missed your appointment. Persistent offenders maybe removed from the list.

Patients are requested, where possible, to telephone before 11am if a home visit is required that day.

We would request that, apart from the genuinely housebound, all other patients attend the surgery rather than request a home visit because of the extra time home visiting takes. On average four to five patients can be seen in surgery in the time it takes to do a single house call. In addition, the care that can be offered due to the lack of adequate lighting, examination facilities and equipment means that you may not receive as good a service as the doctor may be able to offer if you came to the surgery.

Please note that the doctor may telephone you rather than visit you if this is medically appropriate. Ultimately it is the doctors right to decide whether or not a visit is appropriate for a particular set of circumstances.

The surgery closes each day at 6pm, DHU (Derbyshire Health United) then provide telephone cover from 6pm-6.30pm Monday to Friday. If you require medical assistance between 6.00-6.30 Monday to Friday please call 0300 323 0671. After 6.30, please call 111. 

Pharmacy

Your local Pharmacist is able to help with most minor ailments so please speak with a Pharmacist first. Some Pharmacies stay open later than surgeries, for example Ashby Pharmacy (located on the green) and Tesco Pharmacy are open until 9pm most days (please check opening hours on their website before attending)

111

111 is free from both landlines and mobiles

If you require urgent medical assistance which cannot wait until our surgery re-opens please dial 111.

(If you do call our enquiry line outside of normal working hours (01530 270667) after 6.30 you will be asked to hang up and dial 111).

Out-of-hours services are generally busy so please think carefully before asking to see a doctor and only do so if you genuinely cannot wait until the surgery re-opens.

Urgent Care Centres

Please see below

In a genuine emergency you should call 999. Chest pains and / or shortness of breath constitute an emergency.  

Urgent Dental Care - Click here for information

If you require urgent medical assistance which cannot wait until our surgery re-opens please dial 111.

NHS 111 Online

There are often different ways to treat a medical condition. The clinician should explain the options, so that you can discuss them and choose which you prefer. You can play an important part in how you are treated. However, in an emergency, it is usually best to rely on the clinician’s advice.

We are pleased to announce our drop in clinics for this years flu vaccinations:

Saturday 23rd September 1pm-4pm

Saturday 7th October 8.30am-12pm

All eligible patients are welcome - no appointment needed 

Eligibility categories for a free flu vaccination at Measham Medical Unit

If you are:

65 or over

Or have:

Diabetes.

Heart problems.

A weak immune system.

Kidney Disease

Liver Disease

No Spleen

Respiratory Disease including COPD & Asthma requiring continuous use of steroid inhalers.

Morbid Obesity – Adults with a BMI of >40 kg/m2

Chronic Neurological Disease including Stroke, Transient Ischaemic Attack (TIA), Cerebral Palsy, severe or profound and multiple learning disabilities. Down’s Syndrome, Multiple Sclerosis, Dementia, Parkinson’s Disease, Motor Neurone Disease.

Household contacts of immunocompromised individuals.

Healthcare and social workers in direct contact with patients/clients.