Practice Information

Registration

New patients who live in the SA1 postcode area are welcome to join the practice. If you would like to register, please contact reception and we will arrange an appointment for you to discuss this. All new patients will be offered a routine mediacl consultation upon registering.

The practice operates an equality policy and does not discriminate on the grounds of race, gender, social class, age, religion, sexual orientation, appearance, disability or medical condition.

In line with other NHS organisations this practice operates a zero tolerance policy in respect of inappropriate behaviour by patients (or any persons accompanying them).

Violent, abusive or threatening behaviour, including verbal, where any person present has feared for his or her safety may lead to the police being called and removal from the practice.

Appointments

• Open Access: We currently hold Open Access surgeries every morning Monday to Friday - this means you do not need to book an appointment beforehand. Open access surgery runs between 9.00 and 11.00am. Book in at the reception desk and you will be seen in turn. During Open Access surgery patients are allocated to each doctor in turn and you will not be able to request to see a specific doctor.
• Afternoon Surgery: Afternoon surgery runs between 3.30 and 6.00pm Monday to Friday. These are booked appointments only and you are able to choose which doctor you would like to see. Appointments can be booked several weeks in advance. To make an appointment go to the Future Appointments window at reception or telephone the surgery on 01792 650716.
• Special Appointments: If you are booking an appointment for a special reason (for example, an HGV medical, taxi licence medical, medical report) please inform the receptionist when booking the appointment as you may require more time with the doctor. If you feel you need a longer appointment for any other reason please inform the receptionist when making the appointment.

Please note that an appointment is for one patient only and requests to deal with more than one patient during a single appointment are likely to be declined. Please ensure that you make a separate appointment for each patient that needs to be seen.

Every week the practice has many appointments that are wasted through patients not turning up for appointments they have booked. Whilst we understand that unforeseen circumstances do occur, we would be grateful if you could contact the surgery as soon as possible after you realise that you will be unable to attend. This will allow us to offer the appointment slot to someone else.

Home Visits

Doctors are able to see more patients within surgery time than on a home visit. In order to provide the most effective care possible to all our patients we ask that home visit requests are limited to those who are prevented from attending the surgery due to serious illness or infirmity. If you feel that you need a home visit please try to contact the surgery (on 01792 650716) before 10am whenever possible (unless a genuine emergency arises later in the day) - you will be called back by one of the doctors on duty to arrange a visit if needed. Please note that home visits can only be provided to patients at an address within the practice's catchment area. If you are at an address that is outside of this area we are unlikely to be able visit you.

Telephone Consultations

Many consultations can be dealt with over the telephone, thereby avoiding the need for an appointment or visit. If you would prefer to consult with the doctor over the telephone, please contact the receptionist by 11.00am.

The practice nurses are also available for telephone consultations; please inform the receptionist and the nurse will ring you back on the same day.

Out of Hours

Between 6.30pm and 8.00am the surgery is covered by Swansea Out-of-Hours Service. This service is provided to cover urgent medical problems which cannot be left until the normal surgery hours. There is always a doctor available for medical emergencies during these hours. The service is accessed through NHS Direct on 0845 4647. There is also a recorded message on the surgery answerphone giving details.

Prescriptions

Many patients who are receiving long-term treatment will be able to have their medication on repeat prescription. When you receive your prescription the medication you can order on repeat is listed on the right hand side. There are different ways to order a repeat prescription:

• Telephone 01792 456094 and inform our prescribing clerk which medication you require
• Submit a request slip - highlight the medication you require on your repeat slip from your previous prescription and hand it into reception
• Online ordering - click here to go to our online repeat prescription service

Please note that only medication that has been authorized by your doctor will be given when requesting a repeat prescription. Please allow at least 24 hours from ordering for the prescription to be issued. Please also note that Kingsway Surgery operates a policy of not supplying drugs of addiction and sedatives. If you feel that you are likely to need such medication we would suggest that you discuss your requirements prior to registering with the practice.

Medical Records

The practice's medical records are now primarily maintained on a computer server and accessed through PCs. We do still retain paper files also. All medical records are treated in the strictest confidence and the surgery complies with relevant legislation such as the Data Protection Act and The Freedom of Information Act. The surgery has several security measures in place to maintain the confidentiality of medical records.

Over and Under 75's

Patients are invited to request a consultation with their doctor annually aged 75 years and over and every 3 years when aged under 75 years.

Emergencies

Genuine urgent cases will be seen every morning in the open access surgery. Patients that become ill after 11.00am and cannot wait until the following morning should telephone the surgery as soon as possible to speak to a doctor.

Complaints and Feedback

We always strive to provide the best possible care for our patients but we accept that on occasions patients will be dissatisfied with the care they have received. Furthermore, we are always looking for ways to improve the service we provide and value patient feedback both positive and negative.

If you are unhappy with any aspect of the service or care you have received, please contact the Practice Manager (Karen Willett) either by telephone on 01792 650716, or in writing. If you wish to provide feedback or make suggestions you can do this either by contacting the Practice Manager as above, or by using our online feedback form.

Sickness Certification

For periods of sickness lasting up to seven days you should complete a Self-certification form which can be obtained from reception or through your employer. For periods of sickness longer than seven days you will need a sick paper from your doctor. If your employer requires a sick paper for periods of illness of less than seven days (which should be stipulated within your employment contract) a private sick paper may be issued - this is not a statutory Med3 certificate and a fee may be charged for such private certificates. Sick papers can only be issued for periods of illness preventing you from working for which you have actually seen your doctor. Papers cannot be provided for retrospective periods during which you did not see a doctor. We would be grateful if patients could avoid using emergency appointment slots for sickness certification, and instead attend morning open access surgery or book a routine afternoon appointment.

Training

The Kingsway Surgery has been heavily involved with GP Training for a long time and is proud of its educational record. Several of the partners at the surgery are involved with GP Training in Swansea and across Wales. The surgery has 2 posts for GP Registrars (trainees nearing completion of their training). These doctors are normally with the practice for 12 months, and are usually involved in preparing for examinations to complete their training and for Membership of The Royal College of General Practitioners (MRCGP). As part of this process they are required to submit a selection of videoed consultations. On arrival for your appointment you may occasionally be asked by the receptionist if you mind your consultation with the doctor being video-recorded. It is most helpful for the registrars if they are able to video their consultation with you, both for the purposes of their development and for their examinations. However, you are under no obligation to agree to being videoed and can decline when asked. If you agree to being videoed you will be given a consent form to read and sign to indicate your agreement. You are free to change your mind at any stage including during or after the consultation. Please note that physical examinations are not recorded in front of the camera. All recorded consultations are treated in the strictest confidence and are only used for training and examination purposes before being destroyed. We regret that copies of recorded consultations cannot be provided.

The surgery is also associated with Swansea Medical School and University of Wales College of Medicine and we regularly have medical students on placement at the surgery for part of their training. You may see the medical students sitting in on surgeries with other doctors or with the practice nurses, health visitors and midwives. You may also see a medical student as part of a supervised consultation (under the supervision of one of the partners). It is essential for medical students to have contact with patients throughout their training in order for them to develop the necessary skills to become a good doctor and we are grateful for your assistance with this. The surgery also occasionally has students in Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting on attachment in order to gain clinical experience.

NHS Direct

If you require any information or advice outside normal surgery hours NHS Direct is a 24 hour nurse led advice line. NHS Direct online can be found at www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk.

Disabled Patients

The practice has access suitable for disabled patients, induction loop and information available in large print. Please let us know if you are disabled, having any mobility problems or difficulties with hearing. We may be able to improve our facilities and services to help you.

Are you a carer or being cared for?

In order that your GP can do all he can to help when dealing with your needs it is important that you inform us if you are a carer or you are being cared for. Please ask for a form at reception.

Confidentiality and access to patient information

Your personal health information is confidential and this confidentiality is rigorously guarded. It will only be used within the health and social care service and will not be shared outside it, i.e. with external organisations or third parties without your explicit written consent.