Practice Charter

Practice

The Attenborough Surgery is a five partner GP practice providing General Medical Services to residents in Bushey, Bushey Heath, Watford Heath, Oxhey, Watford Fields and Carpenders Park.

The practice operates from four premises and has a large team of clinical and administrative personnel

Practice Charter

The practice aims to offer high-quality care to all its patients. In order to achieve this, we have set our own standards of what you can expect as a patient and how you can help us to achieve that standard.

Appointments

Our Standard

  • You can expect under normal circumstances and providing you telephone the surgery in the morning, to be offered an appointment with a doctor if necessary, on the same day.
  • We do however ask you to book appointments for routine and follow-up conditions in advance. This will also allow you more opportunity to see the doctor of your choice.
  • Routine – something that can wait 2 working days (you make the request on Monday – we should offer an appointment no later than Wednesday.
  • On the day – you may also be offered an appointment with a practice nurse who is trained in the treatment of minor illnesses.

How You Can Help

  • Please assess your condition and request an appointment according to the urgency.
  • Cancel an appointment as soon as you are aware that it is not needed (Patients risk removal from the Practice if they regularly fail to attend pre-booked appointments).
  • Book your review appointment for long-standing conditions in advance and with the same doctor.

Waiting Times

Our Standard

  • For routine appointments, we endeavour to see patients within 30 minutes of the booked appointment time.
  • We will advise you when the doctor is running late and, if possible, offer an explanation.
  • Routine appointments are booked at 10-minute intervals.
  • Appointments booked on the day are allocated 10 minutes.

How You Can Help

  • Book one appointment per patient.
  • Arrive on time for your appointment.
  • Book double appointments for complicated problems or more than 1 condition.
  • Use the shorter appointments booked on the day for the immediate problem only, make another appointment if there is something else you wish to discuss.

Prescriptions

Our Standard

  • You can expect under normal circumstances for your request for repeat medication to be available or to be posted within 48 hours.
  • Previously prescribed medication that does not appear on the regular repeat list may not be issued.

How You Can Help

  • Make your request in good time.
  • Use the Practice tear off prescription request slip
  • Please add download and request your repeat prescription using the NHS App

Tests & Investigations

Our Standard

  • You can expect under normal circumstances the results of tests and investigations ordered by your doctor to be available to you within:
  • X Rays – 2 weeks
  • Smears – 4 weeks
  • Most other tests – 1 week
  • (Some tests take longer).

How You Can Help

  • Telephone Bushey Health Centre on 01923 231633 in the afternoon between 1.00 pm and 5.00 pm.
  • Wait until the result should be available before you enquire.

Telephones

Our Standard

  • You can expect your call to be treated politely.

How You Can Help

  • Telephone the appropriate surgery (where you normally attend) and make the appropriate selection from the recorded options.
  • Make your general enquiries in the afternoon.