Appointments
Appointments can be made by telephone, by calling in at the reception desk and online. You can either book an urgent on the day appointment (if available) or a pre-bookable appointment.
You can book online via the NHS or Patient Access App.
Our Reception Team have been trained to signpost patients to local services which can help with a variety of issues. Please see information below regarding Enhanced Access, Additional Roles and the Community Pharmacy Consultation Scheme.
Chaperones
You may request a chaperone for any procedure, test or examination at our practice. Friends and family are not permitted to act as chaperones but are allowed to attend your appointments with you.
Please note – both male and female clinical team members work within the practice, if you have a preference, please ensure you discuss this when you book your appointment.
Urgent & Pre-bookable Appointment Slots
Not everyone is ill on-the-day – some people need to book appointments in advance e.g. due to their shift patterns, holidays or when the GP asks “See me again in a week”. Pre-bookable appointments are ideal in these circumstances.
In the past appointments with Dr McManus were booked weeks in advance; however this meant patients had a long wait if they wanted to see her. To try and ease the wait we now book appointments for Dr McManus one week ahead e.g. if you’d like an appointment to see Dr McManus on a Wednesday please book a pre-bookable slot on the Wednesday before
Our GPs do their utmost to see you at your appointed time however some patients’ appointments may take longer than the allocated time, so please be patient if there is some delay.
We will also try to give you an appointment with the doctor that you prefer, but it may not always be possible. It’s also advisable that you should try to see the same doctor during the course of the same illness when possible.
Home Visits
Whilst we encourage our patients to come to the surgery, we do appreciate this is not always possible. In this respect, if you do need a home visit, you can help us by calling reception before 10:00am.
You may only request a home visit if you are housebound or are too ill to visit the practice. Your GP will only visit you at home if they think that your medical condition requires it. They will also decide how urgently a visit is needed. Please bear this in mind and be prepared to provide suitable details to enable the doctor to schedule their house calls.
You can also be visited at home by a community nurse if you are referred by your GP. You should also be visited at home by a health visitor if you have recently had a baby or if you are newly registered with a GP and have a child under five years.
Practice Nurse
In a number of cases it might be worth considering an appointment with a Practice Nurse rather than a Doctor e.g. a chronic disease review, pill check, smear, etc. Linda, our Practice Nurse is qualified to deal with many conditions and you may be seen more quickly.
Enhanced Access
Albert Road Surgery is part of Primary Care Network (PCN) West: this is a group of practices throughout Jarrow and Hebburn.
To promote easier access to care, our PCN practices are offering early morning, late evening and weekend appointments to all patients across our area, outside of regular opening times – please see further information below.
The clinician you see will have full access to your medical records and will be bound by the same rules of confidentiality as our own staff.
These Enhanced Access appointments could be at another surgery in our PCN. When offered an appointment elsewhere please do make sure you know where it is – staff will be able to give you the full address, and if we have a valid mobile phone number can text you the date, time, address and postcode.
IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO ATTEND YOUR APPOINTMENT PLEASE CONTACT US AS SOON AS POSSIBLE TO ENABLE US TO OFFER IT TO SOMEONE ELSE – either via the practice or 0191 254 1040 during service hours.
The Enhanced Access GP centres are sited at:
- Albert Road Surgery, 118 Albert Road, Jarrow, NE32 5AG
- East Wing, Palmer Community Hospital, Wear Street, Jarrow, NE32 3UX
- Dowsett & Overs, Palmer Community Hospital, Wear Street, Jarrow, NE32 3UX
- Mayfield Medical Centre, Park Road, Jarrow, NE32 5SE
- Ellison View, Campbell Park Road, Hebburn, NE31 2SP
- The Glen, Glen Street, Hebburn, NE31 1NU
- Victoria Medical Centre, 12-28 Glen Street, Hebburn, NE31 1NU
Please note that not each site will be open each day, you must telephone first. We are unable to see patients who do not pre-book.
The service will be open during the following hours;
Monday to Friday Mornings: 7:00am – 8:00pm
Monday to Friday Evenings: 6.30pm – 8.00pm
Saturday: 10.00am – 2.00pm (start and end time may vary according to location)
Sunday: 10.00am – 2.00pm (start and end times may vary according to location)
Bank Holidays: 10am – 1pm
By opening GP practices in the early morning, late evenings and weekends, we hope patients find the service more convenient and provide continuity of care for people who need it. When the service is open as above we will have a dedicated number for patients to call and amend their booked appointment – 0191 254 1040 – this will be charged at the users normal call rate for a local geographical call – which may be more from a mobile phone.
During the day, patients will still be able to contact their GP practice in the same way as they do now. After 6pm, by calling NHS 111, which is available 24/7 and free to call from landlines and mobiles, people will be signposted to the most appropriate service for their needs. This could be at one of the extended hours GP centres or the urgent care hub at South Tyneside hospital.
For life threatening or serious injuries, please dial 999.
Further information can be found here: www.healthcollaboration.co.uk
Additional Roles
As well as being able to see a GP, Nurse Practitioner, Practice Nurse and Health Care Assistants, we have Additional Roles providing appointments such as Podiatrists, Mental Health Practitioners, Social Prescribers, Physiotherapists, Admiral Nurses, Cancer Care Co-ordinators and Dietitians.
Pharmacist
The Community Pharmacy Consultation Service (CPCS) scheme is a new initiative to make additional appointments with healthcare professionals available to patients in South Tyneside.
We know that people visit their GP with minor illnesses that their local pharmacist could help with. Instead of booking a GP appointment, you can book an appointment at your local pharmacy instead via our reception team.
All pharmacists can give advice and medicine if you need it that will help clear up the problem.
If your condition is more serious they will then refer you to your GP.
Please note, following government guidance, all appointment requests within this service are being triaged by the pharmacist before a face-to-face consultation is offered. Please see our page on the CPCS scheme for more information about which conditions they will help with.
Sickness Certificates
You do not require a doctor’s sickness certificate for any illness lasting seven days or less. Your employer may however require you to complete a self-certification form (SC2) which is available from your employer or on the HMRC website.
Evidence that you are sick
If you are sick for more than seven days, your employer can ask you to give them some form of medical evidence to support payment of SSP (statutory sick pay).
It is up to your employer to decide whether you are incapable of work. A medical certificate, now called a ‘Statement of Fitness for Work’ (see below) from your doctor is strong evidence that you are sick and would normally be accepted, unless there is evidence to prove otherwise.
You could also provide evidence from someone who is not a medical practitioner, e.g. a dentist. Your employer will decide whether or not this evidence is acceptable. If your employer has any doubts, they may still ask for a medical certificate from your GP.
Statement of Fitness for Work – ’Fit Note’
The ‘fit note’ was introduced on 6 April 2010. With your employer’s support, the note will help you return to work sooner by providing more information about the effects of your illness or injury.
For more information see the DirectGov website (where this information was sourced)