Policies

For immediate medical assistance please dial 999 or 112.

Please do not ask the doctor to make a home visit if you are well enough to come to the practice.  Several patients can be seen at the practice in the time it takes to make one home visit.  You will receive the best care by being seen at the practice where all your medical notes and other medical equipment are at hand.

N.B.  It is not harmful to bring a child with a fever or a temperature to the practice. Other than in the case of an extreme emergency, all requests for a home visit should be made by telephoning 090 6472172 before 12.30 p.m. The receptionist will ask a few questions to allow the doctor to assess the urgency of your call and to help you in the most appropriate way.

Responsibility for obtaining test results lies with the patient. Due to the large numbers of tests taken on a daily basis, it is not possible for patients to be contacted individually with test results. It is important that you call the practice before 1pm. At this time our receptionist will take a note of your contact details, so that our nurse can call you back in the afternoon with the results of your tests or investigations or alternatively book an appointment for you. Results of tests taken in the surgery will usually be returned within one week, however a number of tests will take longer. Your practice nurse or doctor will inform you if your test result will take longer. NB. Test result information will not be given to another person unless we have your prior permission.

Interruptions during surgery are upsetting for both patient and doctor.  For this reason, surgery staff have been asked not to disturb consultations with telephone calls.

All new patients wishing to join the practice are invited to make an initial registration appointment with one of our partners.  This is a dedicated appointment which needs to be booked in advance so as to offer you adequate time for our doctor to take your personal details and medical history.  Please specify to our reception that you would like to book a registration appointment.  All new applicants must complete a registration form for our records including PPS number, medical card number (if applicable) and details of your previous GP Surgery.  Once accepted as a new patient, all applicants will also need to sign a transfer of medical records form so that your complete medical history is forwarded for you. Please note that all patients are considered private patients at the time of joining the Practice and our normal fees apply for all services including your registration appointment. Should you already have a medical card elsewhere or wish to apply for a medical card through our practice, please discuss this with your doctor at your registration appointment so that appropriate arrangements can be made in a timely manner.

Patients who require letters or forms to be completed by their doctor must allow a minimum period of 48 hours.  This service may in certain circumstances occur a fee. Some of the most common forms can be downloaded from here.

Patients requiring Social Welfare Certificates / Work Certificates must first attend the doctor.  The certificate will be issued as appropriate. Patients are advised that there is a charge for Work Certificates, there is no charge for Social Welfare Certificates..

At our practice we aim to provide a fair and efficient service for all our patients. To facilitate this, the practice has adopted a policy that all accounts should be settled at the time of your consultation. We thank all our patients for cooperating with this policy. Patients with outstanding balances are required to pay their balance in full prior to making any further appointments. We accept payment by cash, cheque or credit / debit card.

Your medical records are held in the strictest confidence. To ensure that your details are correct on our system, our staff may need to verify your name, date of birth or address when accessing your file. Only a doctor or nurse will be able to discuss clinical matters with you. It is our policy that all our staff maintain absolute confidentiality of patients records.

We are committed to treating all patients in a courteous, consistent and professional manner. We aim to have a mutually fair and respectful relationship with our patients and to provide equality of service to all patients in an environment which is free from discrimination or harassment.

We value feedback from our patients and welcome your comments and suggestions. Please put these in writing and mark for the attention of our Practice Manager, Della Kenny.

At our practice we operate a NO TOLERANCE policy regarding ABUSIVE or AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOUR towards ANY member of our staff. We aim to provide a comprehensive and professional service in an efficient and pleasant manner to all our patients. We strive to provide a helpful and friendly environment. We would like to ask that patients co-operate with all our policies and treat our staff in a courteous manner. Safety is of paramount importance at our practice and, accordingly, any patient or visitor who is abusive or aggressive in a verbal or physical manner, will be asked to leave the premises immediately and will be REMOVED FROM THE PATIENT LIST. We consider aggressive behaviour to include any personal, abusive or threatening comments, bad language, physical contact, aggressive gestures and theft or damage to property. We will not hesitate to contact the Garda.

To register a complaint with the practice, please put it in writing and send it to Della Kenny, our Practice Manager.

PLEASE NOTE: All complaints will be dealt with in a strictly confidential manner.

.

We are very pleased that our premises have been chosen by the HSE to be a Training Practice under the direction of the Mid Leinster Vocational Training Scheme. This means that from time to time, a fully qualified doctor with several years of hospital training, following qualification, is attached to our practice for a period of one year. The doctor, called a Registrar, usually enters an independent practice following their years in training. Patients find their fresh, enthusiastic approach adds to the healthcare we provide.

Medical Students from UCHG and UCD, who are not yet fully qualified are sometimes attached to the practice for short periods to give them a flavour of what general practice is.

We also have Nursing and other Healthcare Professionals attached to the practice from time to time for training purposes. They will always be under the direct supervision of one of our doctors. If a patient would prefer NOT to see a registrar or student, their wishes will be respected.