Appointments

All appointments should be pre booked.  Following Covid-19 we will no longer hold “drop in” clinics due to lack of space in the waiting area.

Consultation appointments are available as either face to face or telephone according to your preference

Routine blood tests are done on a Thursday morning and must be pre-booked.

In the event of an emergency during these hours, the GP may be required to visit a patient urgently at home or to attend an accident. This may mean that your appointment will need to re-scheduled at short notice.

If you need a “same day” urgent appointment please try to call before 9.30am if possible.

AFTERNOON CLOSURES; In the event of an urgent medical problem when the practice is closed during the day (ie. after 8.30am and before 6pm, Monday to Friday) please phone the normal surgery number, you will be connected to Kingussie surgery who will process your call and if appropriate – arrange for you to be seen by a doctor or nurse.  Please advise the receptionist that you are a Laggan registered patient to avoid confusion.

PATIENT INFORMATION

Please be aware that reception staff may at times have to ask for personal and medical information from you;

THEY ARE NOT BEING NOSEY

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.

Receptionists are asked to collect brief information from patients:

• To help doctors prioritise house visits and phone calls
• To ensure that all patients receive the appropriate level of care
• To direct patients to see the nurse or other health professional 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 accordingly.
• You can ask to speak to a receptionist in private away from reception.
• However if you feel an issue is very private and do not wish to say what this is then this will be respected.

Thank you for your support

Telephone Advice

The doctor can offer advice by telephone, where appropriate. Please contact reception to book a telephone consultation and the receptionist will tell you the approximate time that your call will be returned.

Cancellations

If you decide that your appointment is no longer needed, please ring and cancel so that someone else can have the appointment slot instead.

The practice has the authority to remove patients who constantly abuse the appointments system.