It is essential we have the most updated information about you for the communication and alert purposes.
The best way to let us know about change in your personal information is to submit Admin Request via PATCHS.
Alternatively you can phone our reception team.
Using PATCHS reduces number of non urgent calls received by our reception team allowing those who need urgent assistance to get through to us quicker.
No, we are closed on Bank Holidays. However, if you need medical advice or attention during this time you can:
Visit your pharmacy – Your local pharmacy can provide confidential, expert advice and treatment for a range of common illnesses and complaint. Visit NHS Choices to find a pharmacy open near you.
Call NHS 111 – If you need urgent medical advice but your condition is not life threatening. NHS 111 Is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Calls are free from landlines and mobiles.
A&E or 999 – for a genuine medical emergency including; loss of consciousness, acute confused state and fits that are not stopping, persistent and/or severe chest pain, breathing difficulties, severe bleeding that cannot be stopped.
No – our reception is open over lunchtime however our doctors will be often conducting home visits during that time.
The CQC (Care Quality Commission) is the organisation making sure health and social care services provide people with safe, effective, compassionate, high-quality care and encourage care services to improve.
Before a care provider can carry out any of the activities that regulated by the CQC, they must register and satisfy them that they will be able to meet a number of legal requirements. Activities regulated includes the treatment, care and support provided by hospitals, GP practices, dental practices, ambulance services, care homes and home-care agencies.
For more information about the CQC, you can visit their website.
If you live within the practice boundaries (if you are unsure our team will be happy to help) you can register at the practice.
You can either register by visiting our practice and speaking to one of our reception team who will help you complete a form or by downloading the form beforehand and taking it to our reception team.
More information can be found on our ‘New Patient registration’ page.
You can book appointments and order repeat prescriptions online by registering for Patient access. Please ask at reception for more details.
Please note that due to a high demand for the GP appointments those available online are quickly booked therefore it often appears there aren’t any available.
Although we recognize that online appointments give our patients more options to contact our practice we strongly encourage everyone to contact our Reception team directly to book. Unfortunately there have been many instances where online appointments were booked inappropriately which meant delayed advice and wasted appointment. For instance a problem which can only be dealt with by GP was booked with a nurse.
Our Reception team are trained to signpost you to the best health care professional depending on the problem you present and their assistance will reduce inappropriate and wasted appointments.
Reception staff are trained to ask certain questions in order to ensure that you receive the most appropriate medical care from the most appropriate health professional at the most appropriate time.
The receptionists are asked to collect brief information from patients to help:
– doctors prioritise house visits and phone calls
– ensure patients receive the appropriate level of care
– direct patients to see the nurse or other health professionals rather than a doctor where appropriate.
Reception staff, like all members of the team, are bound by confidentiality rules:
– Any information given by you is treated strictly confidentially.
– The practice would take any breach of confidentiality very seriously and deal with it accordingly.
– You can ask to speak to the receptionist in private, away from the reception desk.
– However, if you feel your issue is very private and do not wish to say what this is, then this will be respected.
If you submitted a repeat prescription request, please allow 3 working days (72 hours) prior to collection.
The prescription query line is open between 2pm and 4pm Monday – Thursday and 2pm – 3pm on Friday.
Tel: 01606 544300 option 3
We strongly encourage everyone to register for Patient Access – GP appointments & prescriptions online which allows you to order repeat prescriptions online without the need to visit the practice.
Our reception team can assist you in setting up your Patient Access – GP appointments & prescriptions online
Complaints
At Firdale Medical Centre we always strive to provide the best possible service for our patients with resources available to us. If you wish to raise a concern or a complaint please in the first instance, speak to Adrienne Jones our Lead Receptionist on 01606 544300 or personally. It may be possible to find the solution or if necessary to arrange meeting to discuss your complaint in detail. If you are unhappy with the solution your complaint will need to be made in writing to Marek Matuszczak, Patient Services Manager, Firdale Medical Centre, Firdale Road, Northwich, Cheshire, CW8 4AZ. We will look into your complaint and send you a written acknowledgment within 3 working days. Once the complaint has been fully investigated we will write to you again with an explanation or suggest a meeting with either Practice Service Manager or Senior Partner. This process should not take longer than 25 working days.
If you are sill unhappy with the outcome you may wish to contact NHS England Contact Centre on 0300 3112233 (Monday to Friday 8am—6pm) or write to them at NHS England, PO Box 16738, Redditch, B97 9PT or by email england.contactus@nhs.net
If you need help to make your complaint you can also contact the Independent Advocacy Service (ICAS) by phone on 08080 8023000 or via their website www.carerfederation.co.uk
Finally if you are still dissatisfied you may consider taking your complaint to the Ombudsman. You can do this after all attempts for a local resolution have been exhausted. You should do this within 12 months of the date of the letter telling you about the outcome of your complaint. You have the right to ask the Ombudsman to review your case. The Ombudsman promotes improvements in healthcare by assessing the performance of NHS organisations.
The Ombudsman can be contacted by telephone on 0345 015 4033 email phso.enquiries@ombudsman.org.uk or by writing to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman Millbank Tower, Millbank, London SW1P4QP
Comments and Suggestions
We welcome constructive comments and suggestions about our services and have a feedback and suggestion box in the waiting room for this purpose.
Care Quality Commission (CQC) welcome comments about the operation of NHS services and can be contacted on 03000 61 61 61 or by email at enquiries@cqc.org.uk. There is also online form can be found at www.cqc.ogr.uk
Results of the tests requested by our clinicians will automatically return to the practice and will be saved in your records. If you haven’t heard from us after your test there is nothing to worry about and the results are fine. If you require a further appointment, you will be contacted by the surgery.
You can still find out what your results were by submitting Admin Request via our Online Consultation Platform PATCHS. This is our preferred method of contacting the practice as it is easy to use, provides with clear record of your request and allows our team to manage our workload more effectively.
Alternatively you can telephone the practice please between 2pm and 4pm , when a staff member will be available to deal with your request. Call 01606544300 option 2