Are you open on Bank Holidays?
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.
Do you close at lunchtimes?
No our reception is open over lunchtime.
How do I get my test results?
Please ring 01270 275949 after 14:00 for test results.
Your results cannot be given to another person due to confidentiality reasons, unless you have already requested this and it is recorded in your notes.
Most tests take approximately 2 working days to return, with specialised tests taking longer. X-ray and scan results are usually received by the practice 7-10 days after the test was performed. It is your responsibility to telephone for results, as we process large numbers of tests each day and are unable to telephone individual results.
How do I make an appointment
The Practice offers a range of options for making appointments with the Doctor or Nurse. They can be made by:
- Telephone – 01270 275949
- Call in at Reception
To Cancel An Appointment
To cancel an appointment please call 01270 275949.
Appointment Information
We have a wide range of appointment times available for both Doctors and practice Nurses.
Seeing the Doctor may not always be necessary. Please check the Practice Team page and their roles to see who can deal with your questions best.
Many problems concerning advice can be dealt with over the phone and it may be more convenient for the Doctor or Nurse to telephone you. If you think this is appropriate please advise Reception Staff when you call. It might not be your usual GP who will contact you. We will always deal with urgent requests that day.
If you need an appointment with a nurse, please inform the receptionist of the type of appointment required, so that adequate time can be made available.
GP appointments are routinely set at 15 minutes and nurse appointments at 20 minutes. If you feel you need more time please mention this to the receptionist when making the appointment.
How do I register with the practice?
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.
How do I update my personal information?
If you have a new address then you will need to come into the surgery to complete the necessary paperwork.
How to make a complaint
If you would like to make a formal complaint about any aspect of your experience here at Hungerford Medical Centre, please do so to the Practice Manager at Hungerford Medical Centre, School Crescent, Crewe, Cheshire, CW1 5HA.
Please try to include all the relevant information and the names of the individuals concerned as it makes our investigations more thorough.
We will send an acknowledgement of your complaint within 7 working days of receiving it.
We will endeavour to give you a formal response when we acknowledge your complaint, however this is not always possible so we will give you an estimated timescale for our formal response with the acknowledgement; in the meantime we will keep you updated during the process.
If, having received our formal response, you do not feel your complaint has been appropriately dealt with, you can contact the Practice Manager, explain why you are not satisfied and ask for a review of our findings. The Practice Manager will look at the circumstances again and if it is felt that further investigation is warranted, we will instigate this.
If it is not felt that further investigation is warranted, the Practice Manager will inform you.
Members of the public wishing to make a complaint to the commissioner of a primary care service can contact NHS Cheshire and Merseyside by:
Telephone: 0800 132 996
E-mail: [email protected]
Writing to us at: Patient Experience Team, No 1 Lakeside, 920 Centre Park Square, Warrington, WA11QY.
At the end of the process, if you are still not satisfied, you have recourse to contact the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman as follows:
Tel: 0345 015 4033
Fax: 0300 016 4000
e-mail: [email protected]
Via website: www.ombudsman.org.uk
By post:
The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
Millbank Tower
Millbank
London
SW1P 4QP
What are the NHS Prescription Charges?
Most adults in England have to pay prescription charges.
Some items are always free, including contraceptives and medicines prescribed for hospital inpatients.
The current prescription charge is £9.65 per item.
A prescription prepayment certificate (PPC) could save you money on NHS prescription costs:
- a 3-month PPC costs £31.25
- a 12-month PPC is £111.60
What is CQC?
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.
What is the complaints procedure?
Why does the receptionist need to ask what’s wrong with me?
The reception staff are members of the practice team and it has been agreed they should ask patients ‘why they need to be seen’. 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.