West Calder Medical Practice is involved in the teaching and training of new doctors and medical students. The doctor will inform you if a student is in attendance and will ask if you are agreeable to them staying during the consultation. You have the right to say no. The students are the doctors of the future, and practical experience is invaluable to them, and we hope that our patients will be supportive.
Can another Healthcare Professional help?
Do you need to see the GP?
Sometimes the GP is not the most appropriate Healthcare Professional to deal with your ailment. Please see the information on see a Doctor or Healthcare Professional, which might help you decide whether a GP appointment is truly necessary or whether it might be better for you to see a Pharmacist, Optician, Dentist or other Healthcare Professional. You can even self-refer for some services without seeing your GP.
For real life-threatening emergencies such as those below – RING 999
- Chest pain (suspected heart attack)
- Suspected stroke
- Suspected meningitis
- Anaphylactic shock (severe allergy)
- Heavy bleeding or deep lacerations
- Fluctuating levels of consciousness or completely unconscious
- Difficulty breathing or stopped breathing with a change in colour
- New seizure, fit or uncontrollable shaking
For immediately serious conditions such as the following, GO TO Emergency Department (A&E) IMMEDIATELY
- A fever and lethargic (drowsy) child
- A feverish and floppy (unresponsive) infant
- Difficulty breathing
- Sudden, severe abdominal pain
- Accidental or intentional overdose of medication
- Trauma (including falls) and possible broken bones or road traffic accident
Patients who have a problem outwith the surgery opening hours that can’t wait until the surgery reopens should contact NHS24 by dialling 111.
Your appointment at the Practice
- In the event of an emergency, you will be passed to the duty doctor. If the doctor is unable to take your call immediately, the receptionist will take your details and pass a message on as quickly as possible
- Please make one appointment for each member of the family who needs to be seen
- We try to keep to time but please be patient if someone before you takes longer than planned
- Appointments are normally ten minute slots, so if you have a complicated problem, or more than one problem, please ask for a longer appointment
- It is Practice Policy to allow patients to choose whichever Doctor they wish to attend in the Practice
Please help us
If you are not able to attend your appointment please let us know in time so that the time can be used for someone else. If you are late for an appointment you may be asked to re-book.
Appointments
How to see your Doctor
During the current COVID 19 Pandemic please contact the practice to arrange a telephone call back from a doctor in the first instance. The doctor will assess you and arrange to see you face-to-face if it is required. You can contact the practice Monday – Friday between 08:30 and 18:00. We also offer a limited number of early morning and evening call backs (again the doctor will assess you and arrange a face-to-face appointment if required). A duty doctor is available to deal with emergencies from 08:00. At all other times emergency calls are covered by NHS 24, telephone 111.
Urgent requests will be assessed by an appropriate Health Care Professional. You may consult any of the doctors, but we do try and encourage patients to see the same doctor where possible for a particular problem, as this ensures better continuity of care.
Telephone consultations
If you wish to speak to your own doctor by telephone contact the secretary and tell her what you require. She will then have any relevant reports and/or your records made available to the doctor.
Your own doctor will try to return your call as soon as possible within 3 working days.
A duty doctor is available to give advice for urgent medical problems requiring same day attention
Additional information
Can I bring someone to accompany me to the Appointment?
We are generally very happy for patients to bring with them a carer, relative or even a friend. This often helps, particularly when they know you well and it allows them to tell us any observations they would make about you, which can help us in undertaking our assessment. Ultimately this will lead us more quickly to make an accurate diagnosis and therefore help you more.
Also, having someone with you means they can prompt you to ask questions that you may have forgotten, and after the appointment they can help in reminding you what was discussed.
However during the COVID 19 pandemic we are encouraging patients to attend the practice on their own as we try to reduce the footfall into the practice therefore reducing the risk to patients and staff.
Occasionally we might ask for them to leave but this would be unusual.
If you require interpretation services please contact us in advance of you appointment and we will arrange this.
If you have a suspected infectious disease
Please inform reception if you suspect an infectious disease, as this will enable us to deal with it appropriately during your visit to protect you, other patients and staff.
Giving Consent for Treatment
You have the right to accept or refuse treatment that is offered to you, and not to be given any physical examination or treatment unless you have given valid consent. If you do not have the capacity to do so, consent must be obtained from a person legally able to act on your behalf, or the treatment must be in your best interests.
Your valid consent (agreement to the course of action) is needed for the treatment that’s offered to you before any physical examinations or treatment can be given. If you haven’t given your consent, you can accept or refuse treatment that’s offered to you.
It’s important to be involved in decisions about your treatment and to be given information to help you choose the right treatment. When making treatment choices, you’ll often discuss the options with your doctor or another healthcare professional.