Rutland Lodge Medical Practice

How to make an appointment

Please call our main switchboard number on 0113 2007474 to book an appointment at Rutland Lodge or Carlton Surgery. Urgent cases are seen on the day. If your condition is non-urgent, you can expect to see a GP within two working days, though you may have to wait longer if you want to see a particular GP. If you don’t need an appointment within two working days, you also have the option to book up to 2 weeks in advance at Rutland and 1 week in advance at Carlton

Surgeries run at Rutland Lodge until 7.30 pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and from 7.15am on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

We have a walk-in clinic at Rutland Lodge every morning Mon- Fri 8.30 to 10.30

We have an Advanced Nurse based in our practice who treats patients for a wide range of common conditions. You can expect to see her usually within one working day.

Practice Nurses run a range of routine clinics which can be booked up to 2 months in advance for routine check-ups.

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Triage

The purpose of ‘triage’ is to ensure that all patients are dealt with fairly by an appropriate member of the team and to ensure that problems are dealt with urgently if necessary. Every morning we run a service for patients who request an urgent appointment. When you request such an appointment the receptionist will tell you that you will be placed on the triage list and that one of the medical team will call you back. You will be asked for your name, telephone number and a brief description of the problem. All staff adhere to strict terms of confidentiality. We will endeavour to contact you within the hour and therefore ask that you remain available for this time – if your condition deteriorates you should telephone the surgery again.

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Why might it be difficult to get an appointment

The surgery is particularly busy on Mondays and Tuesdays especially during the winter months and after bank holidays.

If your appointment is not urgent, try to book on a less busy day after 10.30am. If you let us know as soon as possible you can't attend your appointment, we can then make it available for another patient. If we can’t offer you an immediate appointment, we may phone back to offer you a cancellation slot. You can book to have a telephone consultation with a doctor if you wish. He or she will ring you at an agreed time on the telephone number you have given.

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How to get travel vaccinations

For routine protection against Tetanus and Polio please make appointments with the practice nurse. We offer a full range of vaccinations for foreign travel. For all advice and information regarding foreign travel please make an appointment with the practice nurse 4-6 weeks before departure so that immunisation can be completed. Please note that not all travel vaccinations are free of charge.

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Role of reception

Our receptionists are usually the first point of contact and are here to help you.

They have a lot of information to hand and in most cases will be able to help with your enquiry, ensuring you see the most appropriate clinician. Nonetheless, it is your right to request to talk only to the doctor. Anything that is discussed with the receptionists or any other member of the team is treated in strict confidence.

You have a right to be treated courteously, and our receptionists also have a right to be treated courteously by you. We can offer a degree of privacy at a separate reception booth (in a separate room) if your enquiry is sensitive. Please respect the privacy of other patients by standing well back from the reception desk until your turn.

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How do I arrange a home visit

Our doctors typically see four patients at the practice in the time it takes to do a single home visit. For this reason, we ask our patients to come to the practice if at all possible. However, we can visit you at home if your condition means you cannot attend one of our premises. Please ring the main switchboard ideally before 11.30 to arrange a visit. Please be prepared to tell the receptionist about your condition so we can visit the most urgent cases first. The doctor (or triage nurse) may wish to speak with you to see if it would be better for you to come to the surgery to be seen immediately. Home visits are normally made after morning surgery - or in emergency after afternoon surgery.

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What do I do in an emergency

If you need urgent medical advice during surgery hours, please phone the surgery on 0113 2007474 and press option 5. Please be prepared to give some information to the receptionist. If you need to see a doctor urgently when the surgery is closed please phone the surgery and follow the instructions.

You will be put through to Local Care Direct who provides the ‘out-of-hours’ service on behalf of Leeds PCT. They will pass a message to the doctor on duty who may phone you to assess your problem. You might be asked to attend the out-of-hours clinic, or receive a home visit.

Alternatively you can phone NHS Direct on 0845 46 47 or visit their website at www.nhsdirect.co.uk. NHS Direct offers free expert health information and advice 24 hours a day. It can advise you whether you need to go to the nearest A&E (accident and emergency) or if there is an alternative such as visiting an NHS walk-in centre. For deaf people and those hard of hearing, a telephone services is available on 0845 606 4647. If English is not your preferred language, you can choose to use a confidential translation service.The nearest NHS walk-in centre is located at Shakespeare Medical centre, Cromwell MOunt Burmantofts. NHS walk-in centres provide advice and treatment for a range of minor illnesses and injuries. Whatever the day or time, if you or someone else experiences severe chest pain, loss of blood or suspected broken bones, go to your nearest accident and emergency department or call 999.

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How to get your test results

On average please allow 7 working days for your test results to come back from the hospital unless your doctor has advised otherwise.

Please note that for X-ray or more complex tests, results may take a little longer, usually 7- 10days. For your test results please telephone the surgery.

Sometimes, we cannot always give full results over the phone. If the result is complicated, or if the doctor wants to see you about the result, we will offer you an appointment. We will only give results to the person who has had the test.

Please note that we can only give your results to you - unless you have advised us in writing that they may be released to another person eg your spouse or partner.

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How to get a prescription

Repeat prescriptions are available at 48hours notice. To avoid confusion, please tick the boxes on your B side (white side) of your prescription or ask a receptionist to print one out for you.

Reception staff are not permitted to accept prescription requests over the phone - to avoid misunderstandings. we require a written request with your personal details on it.  You may request prescriptions by post, or if you have access to a fax machine you may fax your request. If you wish we will post a prescription to you - provided you supply us with a stamped addressed envelope.

Doctors may issue a prescription for you to collect after a telephone consultation.

You may request your regular pharmacist to collect your routine prescription - please speak to the pharmacist about this, or ask our reception staff to forward your prescription to the pharmacy of your choice.

Our practice nurse/nurse practitioner can also issue prescriptions for common ailments.

Your local pharmacist should be able to give you advice for non-prescription medication.

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