Biggar Health Centre

Welcome to Biggar Health Centre

Click this link to order Repeat/Acute Prescriptions online

Opening Hours

The practice is open between the hours of 8.00am and 6.00pm, Monday through to Friday.

We operate an appointments system for both doctor and nurse clinics. Please telephone if you wish to book an appointment. Routine appointment scheduling varies on a day to day basis.

If you require to be seen the same day you will either be offered an appointment by a receptionist to be seen that day or, if appropriate, you will be put through to the duty doctor and he/she will arrange to see you later the same day.

Routine appointments are listed below. It should be noted that if a doctor is on Duty, or Housecall duty, then their routine times will not be available that day.

Doctor/Nurse	Commuter/ Special Late Morning Surgery	Telephone Surgery	Afternoon Surgery	Extended Opening Hours
Dr AMD Goldie Dr P McGregor Dr PB Strigner Dr D Carvel Dr J K Hutchison	8.00am - 12.00 noon	2.00 - 2.30pm	3.00 - 6.00pm	Wednesdays 6.00 - 7.45pm
P/N Kirsten Steele P/N Barbara Muir	8.00am - 12.00 noon		1.00 - 6.00pm	Wednesdays 6.00 - 7.45pm Mon - Friday 7.30 - 8.00am
TR/N Mary Brownlie	8.00am - 12.00 noon		1.00 - 6.00pm	Mon - Friday 7.30 - 8.00am
HCSW Irene Smith HCSW Ros Wallace	8.00am - 12.00 noon	1.00 - 2.00pm

Public Holiday Closure - Monday 20th July 2009

Biggar Health Centre will be closed between 6.00pm on Friday 17th July and 8.00am on Tuesday 21st July.

For urgent advice please phone NHS 24 direct on 08454 24 24 24, or the Health Centre number 01899 220383.

In an emergency phone 999.

Please ensure that you have an adequate supply of routine medication to last over the holiday period. Requests for repeat prescriptions should be with the Health Centre at the very latest Wednesday 15th July 2009.

District Nurses Telephone Number

As part of a recent upgrade of our telephone system, we now no longer put phone calls through to the District Nurse's office. Instead you can contact them on direct telephone number 01899 229536.

Health Visitor (Lanarkshire Area)

As part of a recent upgrade of our telephone system, we now no longer put phone calls through to the Health Visitor's office. Instead you can contact them on direct telephone number 01899 229539.

Extended Opening Hours

On Wednesday evenings there is an extended evening surgery with Doctor and Practice Nurse appointments available from 6.00pm to 7.45pm.

There are also Practice Nurse appointments available Monday through to Friday from 7.30am to 8.00am.

Kello Hospital, Biggar

Treatment Room

For patients who require stitches removed or dressings changed, there is an open access treatment room at the Kello Hospital open from 14:30 - 17:00 each day. If you are unable to attend during these times please contact the Kello Hospital direct on 01899 220077 to make an alternative arrangement.

Patients who arrive with suspected fractures will be advised to go to Wishaw General Hospital, Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, or St John's Hospital, Livingstone.

Young Parent Survival Guide

Promoting Positive Policies and Services for One Parent Families

We have a copy of the Young Parent Survival Guide in the waiting area of the health centre for young parents to have a read through if they wish. This is generally aimed at under 25s, with information about money, legal advice, childcare, housing and other useful tips.

If you are a lone parent and you need free confidential information, please phone 0808 801 0323 (Mon - Fri 09:30-16:30)

There is a supply of cards in the waiting area with this number on it.

NHS LANARKSHIRE, GP AND STAFF TRAINING 2009/2010

WEDNESDAY 16TH SEPTEMBER 2009

WEDNESDAY 28TH OCTOBER 2009

WEDNESDAY 25TH NOVEMBER 2009

WEDNESDAY 24TH FEBRUARY 2010

WEDNESDAY 24TH MARCH 2010

Automated Arrivals System

Biggar Health Centre now has an automated arrivals system installed in the waiting area. This means that you will be able to ‘check in’ when you arrive for your appointment, using the touch-screen.

The automated arrivals system works with our own computer clinical system. This means that all appointments you have made with a GP or nurse will not only be on our computer system, but they will also be on the automated arrivals system.

How to Use the Automated Arrivals System:-

The system will identify you either by you entering your date of birth on the touch-screen. PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL DATES OF THE MONTH FROM 1 THROUGH TO 31 ARE ON THE SCREEN SO THERE IS NO NEED TO TRY TO ENTER A TWO DIGIT NUMBER FOR THE DATE OF THE MONTH OF YOUR BIRTH. WHEN YOU HAVE FINISHED REGISTERING YOUR ARRIVAL PLEASE REMEMBER TO PRESS 'ARRIVE ME' OR THE SYSTEM WILL NOT RECOGNISE YOUR ARRIVAL.
The system can also identify you by fingerprint recognition. This requires you to go through a registration process but once complete makes your arrival process a simple two touch action on the screen.

Within seconds you will be informed who you are seeing and the approximate waiting time.

Benefits of the automated arrivals system:-

It will cut down the length of time you will spend queuing at the reception window just to ‘check in’

It will allow our receptionists to spend more time in person with patients who have special needs or complex queries

It will also allow our receptionists to spend more time answering phone calls and deal with administrative matters

Case Study:-

Greyfriars Surgery, Hereford, was one of the first practices in the UK to install this particular type of automated arrivals system.

One of their receptionists stated, ‘I think self check-in is a great service for our patients.’ ‘If a patient is happy to use the kiosk, they can check themselves in quickly and easily. Alternatively, those patients that would prefer to speak to a receptionist benefit from reduced queues and shorter waiting times when telephoning the surgery.’

The service has proved popular with patients too. ‘Everyone has found the system really user friendly.’ ‘[It is] widely used by all our patients. We expected to see a defined group that used it more than others, but have discovered that everyone is more than happy to use it, from small children to pensioners. The timesaving benefit is clear to all.’

Patient Notice

At Biggar Health Centre, we are aware that sometimes you may feel our receptionists ask many questions of you before you are able to see or speak to a GP or a Nurse.

As we constantly strive to provide as efficient a service as possible, we make every effort to give our GPs and Nurses the fullest and most accurate information that we can before you see or speak to them. This means that when you phone to ask for a house visit, or ask to speak to a GP or Nurse, our receptionists are instructed by the GPs to ask you for personal details, including an indication of your current problem. We understand that sometimes you may feel that this is inappropriate or too personal but we hope you appreciate that far from our receptionists being ‘nosey’ or obstructive, they are endeavouring to ensure the quality of healthcare service being provided to you is of the highest. We hope we can, as always, count on your co-operation and support.

EMERGENCY CARE SUMMARY (ECS)

WHAT IS THE ECS?

The Emergency Care Summary is an extract of data from Practice Computer Systems. The extract consists of the following:-

Patient demographics (CHI number, forename, surname, previous surname, address and post code, telephone number(s), date of birth, sex, current GP practice, seen by GP)
Allergies and adverse reactions
Medication (drug name, dose, quantity, date prescribed)
acute prescriptions from last 30 days
current repeat prescriptions (drug name, dose, qty, date prescribed) in the last 12 months
Consent status
Registration status
Deducted field indicating that the patient is no longer registered at the practice (if applicable)

WHAT IS THE ECS FOR?

The ECS is for patients who need care out of hours when their own surgery is closed, especially if they are unable to remember details about their own current prescriptions. If you require medical care after 6.00pm or at weekends, NHS24 and Out of Hours centres will be able to access your ECS records. This will tell the clinicians which drugs you are taking, all medications prescribed within the last year and whether you have had any adverse reactions. If you would like to see your ECS, please ask for a print-out at reception. There are leaflets available in the waiting area. This service will soon be available in A & E and in all areas of Scotland. If you do not wish to have an ECS record and wish to opt out, please inform the Practice Manager.

Travel Clinics

If you are planning an overseas trip and are unsure of what, if any, vaccinations or malaria pills you might need, Travel Forms are available from reception. One form per person should be completed and returned to us. Please ensure that the telephone number you enter on the form is an easily contactable number and that you have signed the form. Once these forms are returned to us, a Practice Nurse will check if you need any vaccination treatment and/or malaria pills and contact you within two to three days to arrange appointments, or a vaccination schedule if necessary.

If you are leaving the country for an extended period you may need vaccinations eight weeks prior to departure. Please obtain Travel Forms as per the above procedure.

There is no charge for the Travel Clinic. If you pay for your prescriptions you may be charged the current prescription fee for some vaccinations, and some more complicated vaccine schedules may require a private prescription. This can, however, be discussed with a Practice Nurse.

Emailing Requests for Acute/Repeat Prescriptions

Please refer to the Home Page and the 'Our Services' page of this website for two ways of emailing the health centre with your request. There are details of a dedicated email address, and also directions for filling out an on-screen form. Please note that your patient ID number is on the top of your paper repeat prescription list, although it is not necessary to have this number in order to fill out the form on-screen.

Please ensure that you have entered your own email details correctly when filling out the form so that a copy of your request can be sent to you. You can add the address sending the email to your address book (post@net-blast.com) and check any other spam/junk filter software that you use to make sure that your acknowledgement is not stopped by your own filters.

Please do not email prescription requests to the Practice Manager.

COLLECTION OF PRESCRIPTIONS

Please refer to the guidance table below, which demonstrates the day on which your prescription will be ready to collect depending on which day you made your request.

N.B. Please note that if you handed your request in to Graemes, the chemist, or emailed after 6.00pm, we will not receive it until the following day - in which case you should ADD ONE DAY ON BEFORE COLLECTION.

REQUEST SUBMITTED	READY FOR COLLECTION
MONDAY	WEDNESDAY
TUESDAY	THURSDAY
WEDNESDAY	FRIDAY
THURSDAY	MONDAY
FRIDAY	TUESDAY

Please note that there are very few exceptions to the above. Exceptions would include urgently required medication such as inhalers, etc.

NO SMOKING POLICY - NHS LANARKSHIRE

The revised No Smoking Policy came into force on 1st August 2008.

It means that people are no longer allowed to light up ANYWHERE INSIDE NHS LANARKSHIRE PREMISES OR WITHIN ITS GROUNDS, including hospitals, clinics health centre entrances, AND IN VEHICLES PARKED ON NHS PREMISES.

PUBLIC HOLIDAYS 2009/2010

FRIDAY 10TH APRIL	GOOD FRIDAY
MONDAY 13TH APRIL	EASTER MONDAY
MONDAY 4TH MAY	MAY DAY
MONDAY 25TH MAY	BANK HOLIDAY
MONDAY 20TH JULY	FAIR MONDAY
MONDAY 28TH SEPTEMBER	BANK HOLIDAY
FRIDAY 25TH DECEMBER	CHRISTMAS DAY
MONDAY 28TH DECEMBER	CHRISTMAS CLOSURE
FRIDAY 1ST JANUARY 2010	NEW YEAR'S DAY
MONDAY 4TH JANUARY 2010	NEW YEAR CLOSURE

MUSIC IN THE WAITING AREA OF THE HEALTH CENTRE

At the health centre we realise that patients who are feeling poorly may not always welcome the radio or music being placed in the waiting area.

In order that we can maintain privacy and confidentiality from within the District Nurses and Health Visitor's rooms, which are just off the waiting area, and also to maintain privacy within the main corridor of the Health Centre in the event of a medical emergency, we require a certain level of background music.

In an effort to acommodate as large a percentage of musical tastes as we can, we have the radio tuned to Radio 2, and hope that we can - as always - count on your understanding and support.

Smoking Cessation

All pharmacies within Lanarkshire are now providing one-to-one advice for those wishing to stop smoking.

If you want some advice about smoking cessation, please ask at Graeme Pharmacy on the High Street in Biggar. Tim May, the Pharmacist, will be pleased to offer you a consultation in a private room and can also provide you with a course of nicotine replacement if appropriate.

Graeme Pharmacys’ telephone number is 01899 220019