!!! PLEASE READ !!!
Northgate Surgery is not closed however until further notice...
In order to minimise the risk of spread of coronavirus for anybody requesting an appointment we will initially offer our patients a telephone consultation with a GP.
Once you have discussed your symptoms with the GP, where appropriate you will be asked to attend the surgery.
We have also removed the facility to book appointments online at this time. This is a precautionary measure to minimise the footfall to the surgery.
We would also ask patients to call the surgery when booking an appointment rather than coming into the surgery to make your appointment in person.
Thank you very much for your co operation.
23rd March 2020
Re: Coronavirus Pandemic and Requests for Doctor’s Note (The Med3 ‘Fit Note’)
Dear Patient,
In view of the ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic, GP practices are experiencing a significant increase in the number of requests for Fit Notes from patients, which are not required in several situations. South Staffordshire Local Medical Committee has therefore prepared this explanatory note on behalf of your practice as the statutory body that advises and supports all GPs and practice teams across South Staffordshire.
Requests for certification of absence from the workplace may fall into five categories:
1. Personally affected - so isolating for seven days
According to government regulations, patients can and must self-certify for the first seven days, if they are unfit for work. They do not need to contact their GP for a note.
2. Personally affected and remaining unwell for over seven days
If patients remain unwell and unfit to work after seven days, the current advice is to visit https://111.nhs.uk/isolation-note/ to obtain an Isolation Note after going through an online assessment tool. They do not need to contact their GP.
3. Household contact affected - so isolating for fourteen days as per Government advice
Again, patients should visit https://111.nhs.uk/isolation-note/ to obtain an Isolation Note that they can then forward to their employer. They do not need to contact their GP.
4. At risk groups - following government advice
GPs cannot and are not the gatekeeper of the statutory sick pay system. Employers are responsible for putting in place arrangements for home/remote working where this is possible. Where it is not, the employee may self-certify and return to work following the relevant absence which their employer may authorise as per government advice. Where they do become unwell during or after this time, point 1 and 2 applies. If a patient in a high-risk group has received a letter starting this week from the NHS advising isolation for 12 weeks, then a copy of that letter can be provided to their employer as evidence. They do not need to contact their GP.
Note for Employer: As per the current www.gov.uk S13 Guidance for Employers it should be noted that by law, medical evidence is not required for the first 7 days of sickness. After 7 days, it is for the employer to determine what evidence they require, if any, from the employee. This does not need to be a fit note (MED3) issued by a GP or any other doctor. “Your employee will be advised to isolate themselves and not to work in contact with other people by NHS 111 or Public Health England if they are a carrier of, or have been in contact with, an infectious or contagious disease, such as Covid-19. “We strongly suggest that employers use their discretion around the need for medical evidence for a period of absence where an employee is advised to stay at home due to suspected Covid-19, in accordance with the public health advice being issued by the government.
5. Those in full time education.
There is no NHS requirement for GPs to issue certification to schools or colleges to confirm absence. These organisations must work with parents and students to ensure that any absence is appropriately recorded, obviating the need for a ‘doctor’s note’. They do not need to contact their GP.
Our GPs have a responsibility to prioritise the assessment and management of the needs of their patients at this challenging time. We thank you for your support in helping us achieve this.
Yours sincerely
Dr Gulshan Kaul FRCGP
Secretary
South Staffordshire LMC
ALL ADVICE REGARDING COVID19 CAN BE FOUND AT WWW.GOV.UK/CORONAVIRUS
IF YOU ARE CONCERNED THAT YOU MAY HAVE CORONAVIUS OR COME INTO CONTACT WITH SOMEONE WHO HAS VISIT
Northgate Surgery Online
At your Service
Northgate Surgery serves Uttoxeter town and the surrounding villages. Our team includes three GPs, two practice nurses, one health care assistant and four dispensers, as well as our practice manager, administration and reception staff.
We offer a full general practice service and run specialist clinics for travel advice, childhood immunisations, contraception, pregnant women, heart disease, diabetes and asthma care. We perform some minor surgery and see minor injuries. We offer an on-site dispensing service for those living more than one mile from the town pharmacies.
Click here for all the ways you are able to submit your repeat prescription request.
Click here to find out about the chemists who may supply you with the appropriate medication for your condition under the Pharmacy Minor Ailments Scheme.
We aim to treat all our patients promptly, courteously and in complete confidence.
Join In
As well as a source of information about our practice, the staff and the services we provide, we hope you will use this website as a useful resource for other health-related information. Please have a look around and do send us some feedback if you like. We can use your ideas to improve our online services and further develop the content of this site.
Online Services
Have you considered signing up for GP online services?
You will be able to,
book appointments
order repeat prescriptions
see your patient record
without having to phone or visit the surgery - saving you and our practice staff time.
It is quick, easy and secure. All you need to do is visit reception with some photo ID and proof of address. You can get a copy of the form by clicking here..
GP online services gives patients the option to book appointments, request repeat prescriptions and view their GP records, using their computer, tablet or smartphone rather than having to phone or visit their practice.
Online services complement the existing ways patients can access appointments, prescriptions and their records. Our practice already have the facility to offer online access to records and transactional services for our patients.
Friends and Family Test
Would you recommend this service to friends and family?
The NHS friends and family test (FFT) is an important opportunity for you to provide feedback on the services that provide your care and treatment. Your feedback will help NHS England to improve services for everyone.
How does it work?
After your appointment you will be asked to answer the following question: "How likely are you to recommend our GP practice to friends and family if they needed similar care or treatment? You will be invited to respond to the question by choosing one of six options, ranging from "extremely likely" to "extremely unlikely". You will also have the opportunity to explain why you have given your answer, so please answer any follow-up questions.
You may answer the question by completing one of the postcards in the surgery, or online via our webiste when you get home. Click here to complete the online FFT surgery.
(Site updated 31/03/2020)