HOW DO I...
MAKE AN APPOINTMENT?

Appointments are bookable by telephoning between 8.30am and 6.00pm

• Minor Illness
We provide nurse-led minor illness appointments daily for minor ailments such as sore throat and ears, chest and urinary infections.

• Telephone apointment
This type of appointment tends to suit those who work and/or you feel you do not need to be examined. It is also an opportunity to discuss medication and results if required.

•  House Visits
These appointments are reserved for those who are housebound or too ill to attend the surgery. Please contact reception before 10.00 am if at all possible to arrange the house visit.

•  Phlebotomy
We provide daily appointments for blood taking when requested by the doctor or nurse. Please note morning appointments are of 10 minutes' duration and afternoon appointments, 15 minutes.

If you have more than one concern/problem it is most helpful to tell the doctor or nurse at the beginning of your consultation. This ensures the most pressing concern is dealt with adequately. It may be necessary to ask that you make a further appointment(s) to deal with your other concern/problem(s). Reception staff are trained to ask for a brief description of your problem/reason for appointment to ensure you see the most appropriate health care professional. Any information is treated as strictly confidential. \

Please arrive promptly for your appointment and tell us if you are unable to keep an appointment so we can offer it to another patient. Anyone missing three appointments in a six month period may be removed from the practice list.

HOW DO I...
REQUEST A HOME VISIT?

Whenever possible we ask you to try and come to the surgery, not only because home visits are time consuming, but also because we have better facilities for examining and treating you in the surgery. Should you be unable to do so for medical reasons, and require a home visit, please contact reception before 10.00am if possible. The receptionist will need a few details from you. This information is required in order that the doctor may decide which visits are most urgent, and will be treated in confidence.

Late visits - Calls requested after 10.30am will normally only receive a visit if it is of a genuinely urgent nature arising later that day.

Home visits - information required:

• Your full name and date of birth (or the patient's name and date of birth if you are
calling for someone else).
• Patient's home address and the address to which the doctor is to visit if different.
• Contact telephone number.
• Brief details of the illness.

Please remember requests for home visits should only be made if the patient is unfit to attend the surgery. We thank you for your co-operation with this.

HOW DO I...
OBTAIN TEST RESULTS?

If the doctor or nurse has advised you to call for your results please phone reception as follows:

• Between 10.00am and 6.00pm Bonnyrigg
• Between 10.00am and 5.30pm Loanhead

Please note most test results take one week to return to the practice and be reviewed by the doctor. If you have any concerns after receiving your results you can discuss them with a doctor by arranging a telephone appointment.

HOW DO I...
REGISTER WITH THE PRACTICE?

New patients are very welcome. Please feel free to visit.To register, you will be asked to complete a registration form and invited to make an appointment with our health care assistant for basic health measurements. It is helpful to have your Health Board medical card. Please note you may be asked to provide appropriate proof of ID.

You may wish to see a particular doctor, and if so the receptionist will try to give an appointment with your chosen doctor. Due to appointment availability this may not always be possible.