Information

Appointments

Telephone, or call into the surgery. The receptionist will arrange an appointment with the doctor of your choice at the earliest opportunity, usually the same or next day.  The receptionist will ask you for a little bit of information about your problem.  The Doctor has requested that the receptionist gain this information in order to book the right type of appointment with the correct professional. Alternatively you may wish to set up online access to allow you to book your appointment online, please speak to a member of the reception team to do this

Evening appointments are reserved for those who are at work and children who are at school during the day. Please book a morning appointment wherever possible. Please try to avoid Friday evening appointments when possible. This is because if you require any tests or follow up tests, we would not be able to action them until Monday morning at the earliest.

Please note that we do not hold an open surgery, so it is important to make an appointment.

Bank Holidays

The practice is closed on bank holidays.

Out of Hours/Emergencies

See the local services page emergency contacts.

Please note that the practice is not able to treat accidents or injuries. Please attend the A&E Department at Hartshill as X-rays or Sutures may be required. Always tell the receptionist if you are requesting an appointment because of an accident or injury.

When the practice is closed, patients are advised to dial 111 for urgent medical attention.

NHS 111 Service

NHS 111 is a new service that’s being introduced to make it easier for you to access local NHS healthcare services. You can call 111 when you need medical help fast but it’s not a 999 emergency. NHS 111 is a fast and easy way to get the right help, whatever the time.

NHS 111 is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Calls are free from landlines and mobile phones.

When to use it

You should use the NHS 111 service if you urgently need medical help or advice but it’s not a life-threatening situation.

Call 111 if:

• You need medical help fast but it’s not a 999 emergency.
• You think you need to go to A&E or need another NHS urgent care service.
• You don’t know who to call or you don’t have a GP to call.
• You need health information or reassurance about what to do next.
• For less urgent health needs, contact your GP or local pharmacist in the usual way.
• For immediate, life-threatening emergencies, continue to call 999.

How does it work?

The NHS 111 service is staffed by a team of fully trained advisers, supported by experienced nurses. They will ask you questions to assess your symptoms, then give you the healthcare advice you need or direct you straightaway to the local service that can help you best. That could be A&E, an out-of-hours doctor, a walk-in centre or urgent care centre, a community nurse, an emergency dentist or a late-opening chemist.

Where possible, the NHS 111 team will book you an appointment or transfer you directly to the people you need to speak to. If you need an ambulance, one will be sent just as quickly as if you had dialled 999.

If a health professional has given you a specific phone number to call when you are concerned about your condition, continue to use that number.

Typetalk or textphone

If you have difficulties communicating or hearing, you can use the NHS 111 service through a textphone by calling 18001 111.
Calls are connected to the TextDirect system and the textphone will display messages to tell you what is happening. A Typetalk Relay Assistant will automatically join the call. They will talk back what you’ve typed to the NHS 111 adviser and, in return, type back the adviser’s conversation, so you can read it on your textphone’s display or computer.

Repeat Prescriptions

We do not accept prescription requests over the telephone, to order your repeat prescription, please return the printed request form to the surgery, clearly marking the items required. If you are not in possession of a request slip, please put your request in writing, giving the name of the medication / strength / dose. Alternatively you may wish to set up online access to allow you to request your prescriptions online, please speak to a member of the reception team to do this.

Please allow 48hrs after your request before collecting your repeat prescription.If a stamped addressed envelope is enclosed with the order, the prescription will be posted back to you on the same day.

Only in exceptional circumstances or poor mobility will telephone requests for prescriptions be accepted. Telephone requests prevent urgent calls being taken and it also helps to avoid errors with medication.

Home Visits

Home visits are made for patients who are too ill or infirm to come to the surgery. If you feel that a home visit is necessary, please telephone the surgery before 10.00am and give the receptionist details of your illness so that the doctor can assess the urgency and priority of calls. This also helps the doctor to organise his surgery and plan his route.

Please be aware that the doctors commence home visits once they have finished morning surgery. If it is at all posssible for the patient requesting the visit to attend the surgery instead, they will be seen and treated much sooner.

Home visits are made on the basis of clinical need. It is always better for the patient to receive their assessment in surgery.

Test Results

Please telephone for your results between 12.00 noon and 2.00pm. Staff can assist at this time as it avoids busy surgery times.

Test results which have been processed at the central path lab at the University Hospital of North Midlands now come to the surgery via a computer link. If you have had a blood or urine test they are normally back with us within 7-10 days.
Other tests such as scans and x-rays take longer.

Smear Results – You will be notified of the results via the screening office directly to your home address.

Changes of Details

Please make the practice aware of any changes to either your name, address or telephone number.

It is vital that we have the correct information on our records.

Registering with the practice

Anyone living in the practice area may be able to register with the practice.  A map of the catchment area is situated in our waiting room. We cover areas of Longton, including Dresden, Florence, Lightwood, Normacot and Blurton.

When registering, you will be required to complete a registration form and a general health questionnaire, and bring a sample of urine for routine testing at the surgery.

We also require proof of current address before we can register new patients. This can be in the form of a recent utility bill (gas, water or electricity) from the last 3 months or a land-line phone bill from the last 3 months (not mobile phones).  We may also ask to see your rental agreement.

If you would like to register at the Practice, please pop into the surgery to pick up a Registration, when returning the forms you will need to bring 2 forms of ID to the surgery.

When the practice list is closed we are unable to take on new patients.

Chaperones

Belgrave Medical Centre is committed to providing a safe and comfortable environment where patient and staff can be confident that best practice is being followed at all times.

You are entitled to have a chaperone present for any intimate consultation, examination or procedure where it is considered necessary.

Please make your request for a chaperone at the time of booking your appointment.

If you would like to see a copy of our Chaperone Policy, please contact the Practice Manager on 01782 593344.

Complaints

In the first instance, complaints should be made to the Practice Manager. You may prefer to put the complaint in writing, but if you are unable to do so, or prefer not to do this yourself, the Practice Manager will provide you with details of an organisation which would be able to help with this.

As a patient, you have the right to be treated in a courageous and non-discriminatory manner. Your requests will be dealt with efficiently.

If you feel you cannot approach the practice, you can contact NHS England on 0300 311 2233 or In Writing to – NHS England, PO Box 16738, Redditch, B97 9PT, or by email – [email protected]

Dental problems

Please try to avoid calling the surgery with dental complaints, such as abscess or toothache.

To get the most effective treatment, and to prevent the problem recurring you need to see a dentist.

Locally there is a dental advice line for patients who are not registered with a local dentist.

Emergency Dentist : 0300 123 0995

Medication Reviews

Regular medication reviews are essential for those patients on repeat medications. This is to ensure that your medication is working for you, and you are receiving the most appropriate treatment for your condition. If you are due for a review you will be issued a reminder note with your next prescription. Please ensure you book an appointment with the practice pharmacist, or your usual doctor before you order any more medication.

Patient Participation Group

Belgrave Medical Centre has a Patient Participation Group which meets periodically.

Patients are invited to join this group by contacting the Practice Manager on 01782 593344.

The group meets to discuss priority matters relating to the practice and seeks to act on the results of surveys carried out by the practice.

The group have discussed issues such as:
The practice telephone system
Receptionist telephone technique
Re-design of the practice Reception Area

Practice Survey

The practice conducts an annual survey during the summer months.

The survey looks at various aspects relating to patients consultations with their doctor.

Our survey results are reviewed by the Patient Participation Group, and acted upon where necessary.

The survey reports are available for you to see online on the news page

Disabled Access

The premises are purpose built and cater extremely well for disabled patients.

We have a disabled car parking space, automatic entrance doors and the surgery is well situated for public transport.

GP Earnings

“All GP practices are required to declare the mean earnings (e.g. average pay) for GPs working to deliver NHS services to patients at each practice.

 The average pay for GPs working in Belgrave Medical Centre in the last financial year was £172,334 before Tax and National Insurance. This is for 4 full time GPs, 1 part time GPs and 0 locum GP’s who worked in the practice for more than six months”

Self Certification

Download a Self Certification here – Click Here for the Self Certification Form

Data Protection / Patient Information & Access to Records

All personal data, including patient information relating to living individuals that are held in either electronic or manual systems are subject to the Data Protection Act. The practice is registered with the Data Protection Register.

The NHS commits to share with you any letters sent between clinicians about your care. The practice has an office based IT system which enables us to provide a service which is appropriate for the needs of our patients. Please help us to keep our records up to date by notifying us of any change in address and telephone number.

Everyone working for the NHS has a legal duty to keep information about you confidential. All staff have been fully trained and understand all aspects of confidentiality. Information is recorded in both handwritten and computerised health records and will not be passed to anyone without your consent. Information passed onto other service providers is on a need to know basis.

If you would like to know how to access your health record, or if you have any concerns about how we use your information, please speak to the Practice Manager.

WRITTEN REQUESTS TO EXPEDITE APPOINTMENTS

We are aware that patients are often told by the hospital to get a letter from the GP so that their appointment can be expedited.

Please be aware that simply waiting a longer time than you would wish does not make your request urgent. Unfortunately, in the current situation, everyone is waiting longer*. We cannot write letters to expedite your appointment for this reason.

If your condition is deteriorating, we do advise you to speak to your specialist so that they can assess if they need to see you sooner. We do find that an initial response might well be ‘get a letter from your GP’, however we are finding that we are merely reporting exactly what you have told us and it seems more sensible for patient and consultant to have a direct conversation. Should you continue to have difficulty in accessing your consultant, we advise that you contact the following number at the hospital for assistance 676676

If the hospital is insistent on a letter, we may be able to write a letter for you, however getting a quicker appointment as a result is not always guaranteed, as we have no influence on how the hospital is managing and prioritising their own workloads. Please contact our practice secretaries to do this on 01782593344 option 3

*Official figures published January 2022 show that a total of 6 million people were waiting to start hospital treatment in England, the highest number since records began.