Pencoed surgery
0844 477 8890
01656 861228Visit the Contact page to see a location map for the surgery
This page contains details about Opening hours, Appointment times, Telephone consultations, Parking at Pencoed, Services provided, Clinic times, Repeat prescriptions, Home visits, Disabled facilities, Consultations in Welsh, Private fees, Treatment of overseas patients, Complaints, Removal of patients and your choice of practitioner.
How to make an appointment with a Doctor:
You have 3 choices:
-
Pre-booked appointment - These are the most popular appointments. If you want to book an appointment with a named Doctor and you don't want to sit and wait your turn, then a pre-booked appointment may suit you. All doctors hold pre-booked appointments in the morning and afternoon. You will be given a set time slot and may see a Doctor of your own choosing. Because these clinics get booked in advance, it pays to book ahead. These appointments are useful for annual reviews or non urgent problems - things that can wait.
Advantages: You can see a named Doctor. You are given a set time and do not have to sit and wait on a first come first served basis. You can book ahead.
Disadvantages: These appointments get booked up quickly, so you need to book ahead. If the named Doctor is on holidays or simply fully booked up, you may not be able to book an appointment for a couple of weeks. Emergencies are a fact of life in medicine and if your doctor has to deal with a seriously ill patient, then the appointments may run later thereafter. -
Book on the day appointment - These are held every morning. You must phone in the morning to arrange a "book on the day" appointment. We understand that some conditions need to be seen the same day, either because they're urgent or you simply want to see the doctor that day. With "book on the day" appointments, you are given a suggested time of arrival then you sit and wait to see a doctor. If it's quiet, you could be waiting for a few minutes. If it's busy, you could be waiting much longer - it all depends on demand on the day. In order to "fast track" urgent cases, we may screen your problem with one of our minor illness nurses (who have the ability to "fast track" seeing the Doctor if your case is an urgent one).
Advantages: You will be seen that same morning.
Disadvantages: You may have a long wait (e.g. Monday mornings), you cannot specify a named Doctor (patients are seen on a first come, first served basis). Book on the day appointments are held ONLY during the morning. -
Telephone appointments: Maybe you just want advice or want to ask a question? Many problems can be dealt with over the phone. All doctors hold telephone appointments in the morning or afternoon. We phone you on your home, mobile or work number (whatever number you want, as long as you are at a location where you are happy to talk). If it turns out that the doctor needs to see and examine you, you may need to arrange a face to face appointment, but the doctor will be happy to advise.
Advantages: You can carry on with your routine as normal and we phone you. These appointments are often available at short notice - although demand obviously varies.
Disadvantages: Telephone appointments are 5 minutes long and mainly for short queries or reviews.
Opening hours:
Mornings:
8.00am - 12.30pm Each weekday
Afternoons:
1.30pm - 5. 00pm Monday
1.30 - 6.00pm Tuesday, Thursday & Friday
Pencoed surgery premises are closed
Wednesday afternoons. All appointments and medical cover
is from Llanharan surgery during this time
Monday 08:15am - 08: 35am and 2:15pm - 4.30pm
Tuesday & Friday 08:15am - 08: 35am and 1.30pm - 4.30pm
Wednesday 08:15am - 08: 35am
Thursday 08:15am - 08: 35am, 2.00pm - 5.35 pm
Consultations are booked at 10minutes, but patients with more complex problems or wishing to discuss more than one problem may book a double appointment if desired. Booked appointments are held for the first half of each morning until 10 o clock - these are pre-booked and you will be allocated a specific time for your appointment. Immediately after the booked surgery we run an open access surgery for any emergencies that need to be seen on the day. Patients who need to be seen that day are asked to contact the surgery and will be invited to sit and wait to be seen. Emergency patients are called in the order of attendance on a "first come first served" basis, but you will be asked by the receptionist for a brief outline of the problem. These details are treated in the strictest confidence and are used for doctors to be able to prioritise any patients who may need to be seen quickly. All emergencies should contact the surgery before 10am each weekday. We also run a pre-booked afternoon surgery (except on Wednesday afternoons, when the service is run from our Llanharan surgery).
We are very fortunate to have two highly qualified
Minor Illness nurses at the surgery (Sister Lynne Jones - who is also a
nurse prescriber and nurse manager - and Sister Gill Evans). If you
request a "book on the day" appointment, you may be offered an
assessment by the Minor Illness nurse. This is NOT a means of preventing
you from seeing the Doctor. It is a supplementary service that has two
big advantages:
1. Patients triaged by the Minor Illness nurse may be fast tracked to
the doctor if they are more unwell than they seem to the casual
observer.
2. Secondly, our Minor Illness nurses are specially trained to deal with
rashes, coughs, colds, sore throats, earache etc and it is possible that
you can be seen and treated quickly by our Minor Illness nurse without
having a prolonged wait to see the Doctor.
However, if your condition warrants a consultation with the Doctor the
Minor Illness nurse will make sure that the Doctor sees you. Patients
who have been seen by our minor illness nurse who subsequently need to
see the Doctor are given priority over all other "book on the day"
patients.
In common with the other GP practices in the Bridgend area, during the afternoon of the last Tuesday of every month, both surgeries will be closed for staff training. If you call the surgery during this time, you will hear a recorded message giving you contact details for an emergency doctor service.
Telephone consultations:
Did you know that it's possible to book a 5 minute
telephone consultation with your Doctor? Sometimes patients need to
speak to a Doctor for advice (say, to ask about a possible side effect
of medication or an explanation of a result). Rather than taking time
off from work and waiting in the surgery to be seen, you can book a
telephone consultation. In order to book a telephone consultation we
simply need a telephone number on which you can be contacted. It could
be a work, home or mobile number, but we would advise that you bear in
mind that it may be a confidential conversation and that it is not in a
public place - but it's your choice. When you book a telephone
consultation, you simply give your number to the receptionist, then you
will be given a time slot when you can expect to be called. The doctor
will then call you at, or soon after, the agreed time. Telephone
appointments are available after morning surgery and before the
afternoon surgery every day, but they are very popular and get booked
up, so it's wise to book ahead.
Parking at Pencoed:
Patients are requested to park their vehicles in the
surgery car park and NOT on the road or in the cul-de-sac, as this
causes obstruction and congestion to the adjoining residents. The most
accessible route is from the monument via Heol-y-Groes and Ton-y-Groes
and bear right into the surgery car park. It must be pointed out that
there is no access via Glossop Terrace as this road is marked "Access
Only" and this entrance must be kept clear for use as emergency exits by
the doctors in the case of urgent calls.
Services provided:
The practice provides full general medical services
including:
- Family planning
- Cytology (Cervical Smears) - This service is provided at our Llanharan surgery
- Child Health Surveillance
- Immunisation
- Health screening
- Minor Surgery
- New Patient Health Check
Maternity care is 100% midwife led in Bridgend and no longer routinely provided by the GPs via their own clinics
Eligible patients should complete a registration form obtainable at the reception desk. All new patients are requested to attend within three months of joining the practice for a simple health check. Before attending, we ask each patient to fill in a brief questionnaire.
Clinic times:
Several health promotion and disease management
clinics are run in the practice for more efficient care. All are by
appointment only and may be varied from time to time according to the
needs of the practice. For further details about the clinics held,
please visit the Clinics section
of the website. At present they are as follows:
|
MONDAY |
TUESDAY |
WEDNESDAY |
THURSDAY
|
FRIDAY. |
|
AM |
||||
|
SMEAR CLINIC at Llanharan with Nurse Nicola Nicholas |
DIABETIC CLINIC Llanharan with Sister Wright PHLEBOTOMY* CLINIC Pencoed
with Louise |
PHLEBOTOMY* CLINIC at Pencoed with Lindsay Riding |
DIABETIC CLINIC at Pencoed with Sister Wright HYPERTENSION** CLINIC at Pencoed with Louise Rees PHLEBOTOMY CLINIC Llanharan with Meinir Simons |
HYPERTENSION** CLINIC at Llanharan with Meinir Simons |
|
PM |
||||
|
INR CLINIC at Pencoed with Sister Lynne Jones YELLOW FEVER VACCINATION alternate weeks at Pencoed /SMEAR CLINIC opposing weeks at Llanharan with Sister Tina Morgan ASTHMA CLINIC at Pencoed with Sister Gill Evans |
DIABETIC CLINIC at Llanharan
with Sister Viv Wright BABY CLINIC alternate weeks at Pencoed with Sister Lynne Jones /Every week at Llanharan with Nurse Nicola Nicholas |
ASTHMA CLINIC at Llanharan with Sister Gill Evans |
DIABETIC CLINIC at Pencoed with Sister Viv Wright INR CLINIC at Llanharan with Sister Lynne Jones SMEAR CLINIC at Llanharan with Nurse Nicola Nicholas/Sister Tina Morgan alternate weeks |
|
*Phlebotomy = Blood samples taken
**Hypertension = Blood pressure
Repeat Prescriptions
All repeat prescribing is computerised. Your prescription will have a
tear slip itemising your treatment (on the right hand side). To obtain a
repeat prescription, mark the item(s) that you require and deliver the
slip to the surgery. Please allow 48 hours notice. If you wish, you may
enclose a stamped addressed envelope and your prescription will be
posted to you
PLEASE DO NOT REQUEST REPEAT PRESCRIPTIONS BY
TELEPHONE - with over 10 000 patients, this would block the lines for
urgent calls. If the words "APPT" shows on your slip, please refer to
the receptionists
Telephone: 0844 477 8890
If you are unable BECAUSE OF ILLNESS OR INFIRMITY to attend the surgery, a home visit may be required, if deemed necessary by the doctor. Transport difficulties and other inconveniences are not normally acceptable reasons for requesting house calls. PLEASE make requests between 8.30am and 10.00am. Requests after 10.00am make it more difficult for the doctors to plan their visits.
The receptionist will need to have some details so that the doctors can decide which visits are more urgent. This information will be treated in the strictest confidence.
Disabled Patients
Disabled patients have adequate access at both
surgeries. There is a patient display message board at Pencoed and
disabled access toilets.
Mae
rhai o'r Meddygon yn siarad Cymraeg (Dr Thomas a Dr Preest). Os ydych
chi eisiau siarad i'r Meddyg yng Nghymraeg, gofynnwch wrth y derbynfa.
Private Fees (Dated 01/01/09):
Patients may not realise that General Practitioners
are self employed doctors. They are not employed by the NHS, but hold a
contract with the NHS to provide certain services - but not others (in
much the same way that your household insurance covers damage to
household items but would not cover the cost of servicing your car!).
Any services not covered by this NHS contract will attract a fee. Our
current fees for non NHS services are given below. These fees are also
displayed in the waiting areas of our surgeries. The fee covers the cost
of the Doctors time in preparing documents and performing examination
(when required) in addition to the cost of administrative time and
sundry costs (copying and letters etc). Patients sometimes ask why a
"signature" attracts such a high fee. The reason for this is that the
Doctor often has to spend considerable time examining records (on paper
archive and held on computer) before being able to "sign off" a
document. It is not unusual for a GP to spend 30 minutes examining
medical records in order to provide a signature for one document.
|
CERTIFICATES/FORMS |
|
|
DRIVING LICENCE PHOTOGRAPH |
£45 |
|
INSURANCE CLAIM FORM |
£45 |
|
SICKNESS/ACCIDENT BENEFIT CLAIM |
£45 |
|
SCHOOL FEES INSURANCE CLAIM |
£45 |
|
FITNESS TO TRAVEL CERTIFICATE |
£45 |
|
TRAVEL CANCELLATION CERTIFICATE |
£45 |
|
PRIVATE SICKNOTE |
£15 |
|
PRIVATE SICKNOTE/LETTER |
£15 |
|
RTA PER PERSON (First Doctor in Attendance) |
£25 |
|
REPORTS |
|
|
REPORTS WITHOUT EXAMINATION |
£98 |
|
REPORTS WITH EXAMINATION ( eg HGV, TAXI etc) |
£165 |
|
SOLICITORS |
|
|
PHOTOCOPYING NOTES (MAXIMUM) |
£50 |
|
VACCINATIONS |
|
|
PRIVATE PRESCRIPTION |
£45 |
TREATMENT OF OVERSEAS VISITORS - INFORMATION
FOR PATIENTS
“Overseas visitors” is a term given to all patients
who do not ordinarily live in the UK permanently. All overseas visitors
can receive free medical care on the NHS if it is an emergency. Hence
the E111 form is irrelevant in UK. European nationals can receive free
non-emergency care only if they possess forms E128 or E112. These two
forms are specifically for certain subgroups only and should be in
possession on entering the country. Overseas visitors are all people not
usually living in the UK. Eligibility for free treatment is not
determined by nationality, insurance contributions or taxes. Overseas
visitors are not eligible for free non-urgent care on the NHS and
medical practices working within the NHS are not obliged to attend these
patients. Treatment can be offered as a private patient with
consultation rates of £35 a time for average duration (10 minutes). Scripts for
repeat or other non-urgent medications are offered at £18 per script.
A private consultation with a nurse is £20. Prices will increase on
April the 1st in line with the RPI. Patients cannot be fully registered unless resident in this country for
six months and seen to be ‘ordinarily resident’ in UK. Should you
require more detailed information then please get in contact with the
Local Health Board who will be able to help further.
Summary o
Ten minute consultation with Doctor - £35.00
Private prescriptions - £18 per prescription
Consultation with nurse - £20
Complaints:
Although we work very hard to provide you with the
best service possible, there may be times when you may wish to make a
complaint. There is a practice complaints procedure and all complaints
should be addressed in the first instance to the Practice Manager,
Mrs
Joanne Carter, at The Medical Centre, Heol yr Onnen, Pencoed. Mrs Carter
will then contact you for a preliminary discussion. Mrs Carter will
offer you a meeting and carry out a full internal investigation.
Following this you will be given a written reply to keep you informed of
the outcome. We would like to let you know that, although we seldom
receive complaints, we take all complaints seriously and we listen very
carefully to our patients and take the necessary action where
appropriate.
Removal of patients:
The relationship between a practice and a patient can
sometimes suffer an irreconcilable breakdown. In these circumstances the
right of the practice to remove a patient from the practice list
remains. Patients too will be able to apply for registration with a
different practice if that is their preference. Removal from a list will
follow a transparent process that normally would include a warning to
the patient before removal. When a patient is removed, practices will be
required to give specific reasons to the patient as to why the removal
has occurred, though it is accepted that, in certain specific
circumstances, a statement to the effect that the relationship between
the patient and the practice has irrevocably broken down will suffice.
The right of a practice to remove a violent patient will be extended to safeguard all those who might have reasonable fears for their safety. These will now include members of the practice’s staff, other patients and any other bystanders present where the act of violence is committed or the behaviour took place. Violence includes actual or threatened physical violence or verbal abuse leading to a fear for a person’s safety. It is the responsibility of the PCO to ensure that there is a service available for patients who are difficult to manage, and this will be commissioned separately as an enhanced service as set out in chapter 2 of the new GP contract.
Choice of practitioner:
Patients will now register with practices rather than
individual GPs. However, patients will retain the flexibility that they
currently enjoy to request to be seen by the practitioner of their
choice. This is particularly important for patients who value seeing a
practitioner of their choice for the purposes of continuing care, care
of particular conditions, gender or ethnicity. Primary legislation will
provide for choice of practitioner to be set out as a legal right within
regulations governing the contract between the PCO and the practice.
Where a patient wishes to exercise this right:
-
the patient may have to wait longer to see their preferred practitioner and, where this was accepted, it would not count against achievement by the practice of any rewards for improved access
-
the practitioner would still be allowed the rights of reasonable refusal (eg in respect of a violent patient)
-
the patient may be asked to accept an alternative if for example the service required was now being delivered by another professional member of the practice (eg if a service had been designated by the practice as a nurse or therapist led service rather than a doctor led service).
These rights will not undermine a practice’s flexibility to organise its services in order to best meet patient needs. This means that a practice cannot force a patient to see a doctor that the patient does not wish to see. The practice will still have an obligation to offer immediately necessary treatment to non-registered patients.
Confidentiality of Patients Records - A Guide to Practice Accreditation Visits - Joint Committee on Postgraduate Training for General Practice
Your records may be disclosed to persons outside the primary care team which provides their care. The purpose of such disclosure is strictly limited to a verification process which is required to ensure practice compliance with educational standards for trainee doctors. The visit team are all subject to a strict duty of confidentiality. Any patient may object to the whole, or any part, of the inspection of their own medical records and that their objection will be respected.