Non-urgent advice: Disclaimer
The following FAQs relate to common normal circumstances. During the current Coronavirus outbreak, some of these FAQ may not be applicable.
Can a GP visit my home to see me?
The doctor’s will visit patients who are too ill to attend the surgery or patients who are housebound. Please help us whenever possible by requesting home visits before 11.00am (including weekends and bank holidays). To enable us to see the most urgent problems first, please give as much information as you can to the receptionist. The doctor will then call as soon as possible, depending on the number of visits they have to complete.
How can I book an appointment?
You can book an appointment by using Online Services – please do not email or fax an appointment request. If you are unable to book online then call us on 0121 706 0337.
Appointments can be booked 24 hours a day 7 days a week online or during surgery hours by telephone. To register for online appointments please fill out our online form or request access from the reception on your next visit.
How can I choose and book?
If you have been referred for a Choose and Book Appointment recently, you will need to book your own hospital appointment. You will have been sent the paperwork to do this within 2 weeks. Please contact the appointment centre details on section 2 on the enclosed paperwork and give details of both your reference number and password. You should then be able to arrange an appointment at your convenience at your chosen hospital.
Should you contact the e-referral service and there are no appointments available to book at your selected hospital, you will be put on that hospital waiting list for an appointment to be sent to you. It is the hospital’s responsibility to ensure you receive an appointment. Please be assured that you are on the hospital waiting list and will be sent an appointment in due course.
How can I track my e-referral (Choose and Book)?
If you have not heard from the hospital with an appointment, please contact the hospital directly quoting your reference number and password. Please see the direct telephone numbers for the hospitals as below as they manage their own waiting lists.
Birmingham Eye Hospital – 0121 507 6712
Birmingham Treatment Centre – 0121 507 4151
Birmingham Women’s Hospital – 0121 627 2786
Children’s Hospital – 0121 333 9700
Solihull/Heartlands – 0121 424 1234
Royal Orthopaedic Hospital – 0121 685 4186
Queen Elizabeth Hospital – 0121 371 7066
To track your e-Referral you will need the following details to log into the e-Referral website:
Your date of birth
Reference number – this will be on the first page of your letter
Password – this will be on the last page of your letter
Please make sure to update your mobile number.
How much does my GP earn a year? (GP net earnings)
All GP practices are required to declare the mean earnings (e.g. average pay) for GP’s working to deliver NHS services to patients at each practice.
The average pay for GP’s working at the Swan Medical Centre in the last financial year was £99,754.40 before tax and national insurance. This is for 4 full time GPs.
All earnings reported are pre-tax, national insurance (NI) and employee pension contributions and the figures are net of practice expenses incurred.
How to provide feedback or complain?
We always try to provide the best services possible, but there may be times when you feel this has not happened. The following information explains our in-house complaints procedure, drawn up to respond to patient grievances. Our practice procedure is not able to deal with questions of legal liability or compensation. We hope you will use it to allow us to look into and, if necessary, correct any problems that you have identified, or mistakes that have been made. If you use this procedure it will not affect your right to complain to the Birmingham Primary Care Shared Services Agency (formerly Birmingham Health Authority). Please note that we have to respect our duty of confidentiality to patients and a patient’s consent will be necessary if a complaint is not made by the patient in person. If you wish to make a complaint, please telephone or write to our practice manager. Full details will be taken and a decision made on how best to undertake the investigation.
We believe it is important to deal with complaints swiftly, so you will be offered an appointment for a meeting to discuss the details within seven days. Occasionally it may take longer, but we will keep you informed throughout. You may bring a friend or relative with you to the meeting. We will try to address your concerns, provide you with an explanation and discuss any action that may be needed.
F.A.O Trevorlyn Kerr – Practice Manager
Swan Medical Centre
4 Willard road
Yardley
Birmingham
Postcode B25 8AA
Telephone: 0121 706 0337 or 3957
Is my personal data safe? How do you process my personal data?
Swan Medical Centre takes the protection of our patient’s data and privacy very seriously. we have gone to great lengths to ensure we are fully compliant with GDPR legislation.
What are the opening hours?
Monday 08:00 – 13:30 14:30 – 18:30
Tuesday 08:00 – 13:30 14:30 – 18:30
Wednesday 08:00 – 13:00 Closed
Thursday 08:00 – 12:00 12:00 – 18:30
Friday 08:00 – 13:30 14:30 – 18:30
Consultations are normally by appointment as follows:
Monday 09:00 – 12:00; 14:45 – 17:50
Tuesday 09:00 – 12:00; 14:45 – 17:50
Wednesday 09:00 – 12:00
Thursday 09:00 – 12:00; 14:45 – 17:50
Friday 09:00 – 12:00; 14:45 – 17:50
What is a list of useful numbers and links?
List of useful links and phone numbers
QE Main switch – 0121 371 2000
QE Appointments – 0121 371 7070
QE Imagining Appointments – 012 1 371 4695
ROH Switch Appointments – 0121 685 4000, 0121 685 4186
Children’s main Appointments – 0121 333 9999, 0121 333 9700
Women – 0121 427 1377
Social services – 0121 303 1234
Birmingham Carer Hub – 0333 006 9711
Mon, Tues, Thurs & Fri: 8.45am-5.15pm Weds: 8.45am-7pm
Yewcroft / Quinton Carers Group – The Kenrick Centre Mill Farm Road
Monthly 2nd Wednesday of each month – Harborne 0300 304 5530 or Michelle Long 07392 319482
Longbridge Carers Group – Longbridge Health & Community Centre, 10 Park Way 0300 304 5530 or Michelle Long 07392 319482 Health & Wellbeing Carers Group Monthly 2nd Thursday of each month – Michelle Long 07392, 319482
Creative Support – 88 Bristol Road South Northfield
alt. Wednesdays 2-3pm – 0121 476 4349 [email protected]
Looking Forward – Term time only
(Parent and Carer Support Group) – 17 Victoria Road Harborne
Fortnightly, Thursdays 10-11:30 – [email protected]
National Autistic Society, Monday Thursday 10-4 Friday 9-3 – 0808 800 4104
National Dementia & Alzheimer’s Helpline – 0300 222 11 22
Ring and Ride – 0330 053 8135
Autism West Midlands – 0121 450 7582 / 0303 03 00 111
Silverline—Helpline for older people – 0800 4 70 80 90
Age UK – 0800 055 6112
Age Concern – 0121 362 3650
Citizens Advice – 0344 411 1444
National Debtline – 08088084000
CRUSE Bereavement Care – 0808 808 1677
Citizens Advice Bureau – 03444 111 444
MIND – 0300 123 3393
Dementia Awareness – 0121 466 6000
Samaritans – 0121 666 6644
Birmingham Healthy Minds – 0121 301 2525
What is our policy on zero tolerance?
Violence Policy
The NHS operate a zero tolerance policy with regard to violence and abuse and the practice has the right to remove violent patients from the list with immediate effect in order to safeguard practice staff, patients and other persons. Violence in this context includes actual or threatened physical violence or verbal abuse which leads to fear for a person’s safety. In this situation we will notify the patient in writing of their removal from the list and record in the patient’s medical records the fact of the removal and the circumstances leading to it.
What NHS services are available to a patient?
NHS Services
In addition to GP consultations the Practice offers a comprehensive range of healthcare services and specialist clinics:
Adult Immunisations – are your vaccinations up to date? If not, make an appointment to see one of our Practice Nurses to have your routine vaccinations. Adult Vaccines available on the NHS
Ante-natal Care – the Doctors work closely with the midwives to deliver your ante-natal care. Please arrange an appointment with your Doctor if you are pregnant.
Child Health Surveillance 6 – 8 week developmental review -Appointments for consultations will be sent from the practice. These are undertaken by the GP.
Childhood immunisations – Appointments for your child’s immunisations will be sent to you direct from the child health team. It is important that you attend for these appointments as the vaccinations need to be given at specific times in your child’s development (8, 12, and 16 weeks). If you are unable to attend please let us know so that we can re-arrange in a timely fashion. Childrens Vaccination Schedule
Contraception and Sexual Health – a full range of contraceptive services are available – this includes fitting coils as well as hormonal methods e.g. the pill, injections and implants. These services are also available to residents who are not registered with the Practice.
Chronic Disease Reviews – We have changed the way we invite our patients with chronic diseases, so that hopefully it will make it easier to know when you will be invited and reduce the number of times we ask you to attend. By chronic disease, we mean Diabetes, Asthma, COPD, Stroke monitoring and Heart Disease. Instead of asking you to see the nurse about separate conditions, we will invite you to attend for a nurse appointment each year in the month of your birth for a review of any of these conditions. So, if you suffer from 2 of these conditions, the nurse will review both conditions at the same appointment. You are welcome to book appointments if you have any concerns at any other time and the nurse will arrange any follow up you may need before your next routine review. We hope this will make your review appointment procedure simpler and more effective.
Holiday/ Routine Vaccinations – are your tetanus and polio vaccinations up to date? If not, make an appointment to see the Nurse to have a booster dose. Holiday vaccinations are just as important- ask for details at reception
Health Promotion – the Practice firmly believes that good health can be maintained by adopting a healthy lifestyle. Advice and encouragement are available for all our patient
Minor Surgery – these clinics are held on some Fridays by appointment. In these clinics minor lumps and bumps, skin tags, verrucas and warts may be removed. Please see your Doctor for further details.
Smoking Cessation – we have a comprehensive programme of help if you want to stop smoking. This involves initial support to set a quit date, prescription of medication to help you to stop smoking and follow up advice to help you keep well when not smoking. Please book an appointment with reception if you want help to quit.
Travel Vaccinations – if you require any vaccinations relating to foreign travel you need to make an appointment with one of our Practice Nurses at least two months before your planned travel. This allows time to plan and complete a course of any necessary injections and sign post you to other specialist clinics.
Please see our travel form.
What Non-NHS services are available to a patient?
Non-NHS Services
The National Health Service provides most health care to most people free of charge, but there are exceptions such as prescription charges. The NHS does not employ GPs but has a contract with them to provide NHS general medical services for their patients. Sometimes, however, GPs are asked to provides additional services, which fall outside their contract with the NHS, and in these circumstances, they are entitled to make a reasonable charge for providing them. It is up to the individual practice to decide how much to charge, although the BMA produces lists of suggested fees for the Doctors to use as a guideline.
When a doctor signs a certificate or completes a report, the doctor needs to check the patient’s entire medical record to ensure that they are providing accurate information. GPs will not be able to complete forms overnight, so please ensure that you give them reasonable notice. Not all documents need a signature by a doctor. For example, you could ask another person in a position of trust, who may be willing to sign a passport application free of charge. (Teacher, Accountant, etc).
If you have several forms requiring completion, present them all at once and ask the receptionist if bringing them as a ‘job lot’ can reduce the price. You can also complete the form to the best of your ability in pencil, so the doctor just has to quickly verify your entries against the information held by the practice.
What is covered by the NHS and what is not?
Examples of non-NHS services for which GPs can charge their NHS patients are:
Certain travel vaccinations
Private medical insurance reports
Holiday cancellation claim forms
Referral for private care forms
Letters requested by, or on behalf of, the patient
The fees charged are based on the British Medical Association (BMA) suggested scales and our reception staff will be happy to advise you about them along with appointment availability.
We aim to complete all reports within 2 weeks from the date of receipt. If the report does not form part of the NHS services a charge may apply. Where possible, we base our fees in line with the British Medical Associate (BMA) Guidance.
IMPORTANT: Contact reception about any requests you may have. Do not book an appointment with the Doctor to discuss a medical report or letter.
What should I do if I need to see a doctor urgently?
Please telephone us an explain you need to see a Doctor urgently – The receptionist will ask you for a brief description of the problem and will offer you a same day appointment to see a Doctor. If you call after 11am, the Receptionist will pass on the nature of your problem to the Doctor, who will either request you come to the surgery or they will telephone you to discuss the problem.
What’s your Slavery statement?
Modern Slavery Statement
Section 54 of the UK Modern Slavery Act (2015) requires commercial organisations operating in the UK with an annual turnover in excess of £36m to produce a ‘slavery and human trafficking statement for each financial year of the organisation’.
Organisational Structure and Business
Our Health Partnership is one of the UK’s biggest GP partnerships. It brings together 52 surgeries in the Midlands and Shropshire. By using our shared expertise to tackle the challenges of GP practice today, we can keep local surgeries thriving and provide the excellent care that our patients need now and into the future.
Our approach to slavery and human trafficking
We are committed to tackling modern slavery within every part of our business and its supply chains. Our Anti-slavery statement, in combination with the establishment of effective policies, demonstrates our commitment to the issue of modern slavery and ensures that appropriate and coordinated action is taken throughout the business.
Due diligence
We have taken action to understand and address the risks of modern slavery within our operations, including:
• The development of robust processes around whistleblowing, grievance, disciplinary and bullying and harassment policies, to provide both staff and patients with assurance that modern slavery concerns will be raised and dealt with appropriately
• Staff training and increasing awareness of modern slavery, on how to spot signs and raise complaints within the organisation, and monitoring the delivery of this training to staff
• Putting in place Strict standards for conduct in the workplace, mirroring the NHS code of conduct, as referenced within our staff handbook and code of conduct policy
• Ensuring inappropriate employment practices are avoided by adhering to our Illegal Working Prevention, DBS, and Recruitment policies, to ensure identity checks, DBS, qualifications and references are in place
• Continued development of policies around safeguarding.
Which items should not be routinely prescribed in primary care?
Earlier in the year NHS England and NHS Clinical Commissioners also published guidance on ‘Items which should not be routinely prescribed in primary care’ and subsequently the Birmingham and Solihull CCG policy was produced. Medicines included in the policy are:
Co-proxamol
Dosulepin
Glucosamine and chondroitin
Herbal treatments
Homeopathy
Immediate release fentanyl
Lidocaine plasters
Liothyronine
Lutein and antioxidants
Once daily Tadalafil
Omega-3 fatty acid compounds
Perindopril arginine
Prolonged release doxazosin
Rubifacients (excluding topical NSAIDs)
Targinact – Oxycodone and naloxone combination
Tramacet – paracetamol and tramadol combination
Trimipramine
Vaccines administered exclusively for the purposes of travel (see list in policy)
NHS England Guidance: www.england.nhs.uk/medicines/conditions-for-which-over-the-counter-items-should-not-routinely-be-prescribed/
Birmingham and Solihull CCG policy: nhs.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=fc496e37a02fff5979483df7e&id=50f4e99283&e=261acd4ccf
Will I be charged for Non-NHS services?
British Medical Association
List of fees for certificates, Reports, and Examination
Report on pro forma, no examination (e.g 20 minutes) £61.90
Report written (e.g 30 minutes) £94.15
Medical examination and report in surgery (e.g 45 minutes) £135.20
Extract from record £48.40
Private medical Certificate £15
Freedom from infection £30
Bupa Claim from £30
Sickness/Accident Report £30
Foster Medical £73.86
Adoption full medical report
( Price may vary depending on the information required) £169.50 each
Taxi Medical (30 min doctor 30 min nurse) book nurse first £170
Access to computer records £15
Manual records computer records £50
Holiday cancellation £45
Yellow Fever £55
ACWY Vaccination £35
Will there be someone else during intimate examinations?
Chaperone Policy
It is the policy of this practice to respect the privacy, dignity, religious and cultural beliefs of our patients.
If you feel you would like a chaperone to be present during a physical examination by a doctor or any other health professional you may be consulting at the surgery (or if you prefer to be examined by a doctor or health professional of the same sex as yourself) please let us know and we will do our best to comply with your wishes.