Can another healthcare professional help?
Do you need to see the GP?
Sometimes the GP is not the most appropriate healthcare professional to deal with your ailment. Please see the information on see a doctor or healthcare professional, which might help you decide whether a GP appointment is truly necessary or whether it might be better for you to see a pharmacist, optician, dentist, or other healthcare professional.You can even self-refer for some services without seeing your GP.
When requesting an appointment please be prepared to tell the receptionist what the problem is as she will then be able to you an appointment with the most appropriate clinician.
Consulting Times
| Morning | Afternoon | |
| Monday | 8.30 – 12:30 | 1:30 – 5:30 |
| Tuesday | 8.30 – 12:30 | 1:30 – 5:30 |
| Wednesday | 8.30 – 12:30 | 1:30 – 5:30 |
| Thursday | 8.30 – 12:30 | 1:30 – 5:30 |
| Friday | 8.30 – 12:30 | 1:30 – 5:30 |
*This is subject to occasional change due to annual leave, study leave, sick leave etc.
For real life-threatening emergencies such as those below – RING 999
- Chest pain (suspected heart attack)
- Suspected stroke
- Suspected meningitis
- Anaphylactic shock (severe allergy)
- Heavy bleeding or deep lacerations
- Fluctuating levels of consciousness or completely unconscious
- Difficulty breathing or stopped breathing with a change in colour
- New seizure, fit or uncontrollable shaking.
For immediately serious conditions such as the following, GO TO Emergency Department (A&E) IMMEDIATELY
- A fever and lethargic (drowsy) child
- A feverish and floppy (unresponsive) infant
- Difficulty breathing
- Sudden, severe abdominal pain
- Accidental or intentional overdose of medication
- Trauma (including falls) and possible broken bones or road traffic accident.
Routine Appointments
- Please telephone the surgery during opening hours on 01294 464141 for Stevenston or 01294 823607 for West Kilbride
- GP/ANP appointments are only bookable on the same day
- You will be offered the first available suitable appointment
- You can request a GP telephone appointment
- If you feel that your health needs are not being met quickly enough please request a triage appointment. The GP will telephone you no later than the next working day and assess your problem. The GP may then offer advice, arrange an Advanced Nurse Practitioner appointment, issue a prescription, arrange a routine GP appointment, arrange an appointment at the emergency surgery or arrange a house-call, depending on the assessment.
- If you request to be seen quickly you may not be able to see the doctor of your choice
- If your doctor asks you to come back for review, please make an appointment at the reception desk before leaving. This will give you the continuity of care and save you telephoning nearer the time when appointments may not be available.Your doctor may decide to offer you a telephone review appointment. In this instance the GP will telephone you at an agreed time.
Emergencies
- If you need a doctor in an emergency situation during surgery hours please let the receptionist know. They will not realise the urgency of the call unless you say
- If you need an emergency at night or during weekend/public holiday please telephone 111. Your call will be dealt with by NHS 24 in partnership with Ayrshire Doctors on Call (ADOC).
Practice Nurses
- Practice Nurse and Health Care Assistant appointments can be booked in advance
Remember our practice nurses are qualified and trained to help you with and prescribe for many minor ailments such as:
- waxy ears
- dry skin
- simple constipation
- skin infections
- atheletes foot
- head lice
- threadworms
- minor wounds
- simple eye infections
- simple urinary tract infections
The practice nurse can also prescribe:
- oral contraceptive pill
- nicotine replacement therapy
Cancellations
If you cannot attend an appointment for any reason please inform us as soon as possible in order for us to give the slot to someone else.
Between 200 and 300 appointments are wasted each month because patients fail to cancel them.
If you have a suspected infectious disease
Please inform reception if you suspect an infectious disease, as this will enable us to deal with it appropriately during your visit to protect you, other patients and staff.
Consultations 16 to 75
If a patient aged between 16 and 75 years has not had a practice consultation within a period of three years, we are happy, on request, to provide a consultation.
Giving Consent for Treatment
You have the right to accept or refuse treatment that is offered to you, and not to be given any physical examination or treatment unless you have given valid consent. If you do not have the capacity to do so, consent must be obtained from a person legally able to act on your behalf, or the treatment must be in your best interests.
Your valid consent (agreement to the course of action) is needed for the treatment that’s offered to you before any physical examinations or treatment can be given. If you haven’t given your consent, you can accept or refuse treatment that’s offered to you.
It’s important to be involved in decisions about your treatment and to be given information to help you choose the right treatment. When making treatment choices, you’ll often discuss the options with your doctor or another healthcare professional.
