Appointments

On contacting the practice , you will be offered a telephone triage appointment in the 1st instance . If a face to face appt is required following this telephone consultation , this will be arranged by the clinician.  Minor Illness, Practice nurse & Phlebotomy appointments will be face to face. 

Should you be experiencing respiratory symptoms including ear/nose/throat, if possible please perform a same day Lateral Flow Test before contacting the surgery. This is to ensure that if you are offered a face to face appt that same day, we are not taking patients with Covid into the building where other patients who may be vulnerable & our own staff are unnecessarily exposed. This is a decision made by the GP Partner Team in conjunction with the Nurses for very sound clinical reasons.  

All prescriptions will be issued directly to your chosen local Pharmacy. Results will continue to be obtained via the surgery results line.

Appointments telephone number is 0345 337 1150 - Option 2

Have you seen a pharmacist/optician/dentist/physiotherapist?

Your local pharmacist can assist with the following:

• Sore throat/cough/earache/headache
• UTI (16-65yrs females)
• Musculoskeletal pains: joints/limbs/back
• Constipation/diarrhoea/indigestion
• Athletes foot (not diabetics)
• Acne/warts/verrucae
• Conjunctivitis (>2yrs old)
• Cold sores/mouth ulcers
• Chickenpox/worms/head lice
• Hayfever/nasal congestion
• Haemorrhoids
• Thrush (16-60yrs)
• Eczema & allergies
• Pain/period pain
• Threadworms
• Smoking cessation advice
• Blood pressure testing service
• Weight management help

Cancellations

Cancellation telephone number is 0345 337 1150 - Option 5

The below appointment system is temporarily suspended due to ongoing COVID-19 restrictions. 

An appointment system operates for surgery consultations.  If you feel that your problem may take some time to deal with, make a longer appointment with your doctor.  If you have several problems that are unrelated, please do not present them all at once in a routine ten minute appointment, as it is unlikely that they can be sorted in this time.  ** LATECOMERS - patients arriving more than 10 minutes late for an appointment will require to re-book another appointment time.  Furthermore, in fairness to patients arriving on time, late-comers will not be guaranteed an appointment. ** 

If you need to see a doctor for a medically urgent problem, please telephone, give your details, and you will be telephoned as soon as possible by the duty doctor.

To ensure that you are treated by the appropriate medical support -

Minor Illness Nurse - can assist with the following:

• New cough (>3 weeks)
• Sore throat/ears
• Sinusitis
• UTI (female >65yrs of Trimethoprim allergy)
• UTI (adult male)
• Chest infection
• Conjunctivitis(6mths-2yrs)

Excluding: children<6mths, pregnant women, patients with an active cancer or undergoing chemotherapy

Advanced Nurse Practitioner (ANP) - can assist in general with the same ailments as your GP excluding: patients <6mths, pregnant women, mental health problems, breast problems, contraception, gynaecology issues, testicle/penis problems.

The Practice Nurse - can assist with the following:

• Dressings
• Blood pressure checks (not on medication)
• Bloods/ECG/Immunisations
• Chronic Disease Clinics

Phlebotomy Service

Please note this service is provided in practice by the NHSG Grampian CTAC ( Community Treatment & Care) Team.

NHS Near Me Video Appointments

TO USE THIS SERVICE YOU MUST HAVE A BOOKED VIDEO APPOINTMENT ARRANGED BY THE PRACTICE.  

The healthcare professional may request an NHS Near Me video appointment (powered by the Attend Anywhere system) to further assess the problem.

NHS Near Me is a video consulting service which allows patients to attend their appointment from their own home or wherever is convenient, using their own computer, smartphone or tablet device.

Attend my Appointment or Make a Test Call

If you are ready to attend your video appointment, or you want to make a test call before your appointment is due, click the start video call button below (please ensure that you are using Google Chrome on a Windows or Android device, or Safari on Apple devices). If you make a test call this tests your device connection, speaker and camera, it does not make a call.

For technical requirements to run an NHS Near Me video call click here Technical Requirements

For Troubleshooting tips if you experience difficulties using NHS Near Me click here Troubleshooting tips

Home Visits

Whilst we encourage our patients to come to the surgery, where we have the proper equipment and facilities available, 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 10:00. The duty doctor will contact you in the first instance and if he/she feels that you need to be seen, he/she will arrange this.

You may only request a home visit if you are housebound. Your GP will only visit you at home if they think that your medical condition requires it and 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 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.

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' 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.

Acute Emergencies

Conditions such as chest pains, road accidents, sudden collapse, acute breathlessness and profuse bleeding are medical emergencies. 

PLEASE DIAL 999

National guidelines state an ambulance may also be called as long as the caller has taken reasonable care to make sure it is justified.  Ambulances should NOT be called for minor accidents and non-emergency conditions.

Students - NHS Accredited Training Practice

Ellon Medical Group is certified as an NHS accredited Training Practice, offering undergraduate and postgraduate training. We are committed to helping grow the NHS workforce and encouraging more doctors in training to consider a career in General Practice.   Medical and nursing students shall periodically be present at the practice.  We hope that you will support us in their mentoring and training, and assist students to develop in general practice learning.