The Willow Group: how do I...?

If your postcode starts with PO12 or PO13, you can register as a patient with The Willow Group. You can register online using the NHS Register With A GP Surgery Service.

Or, you can attend one of our surgeries and ask for a form at Reception. If you can show us ID and proof of address, it can help us find your medical record, but it is not essential.

With the registration form, there is also a health questionnaire. The information you provide will be added to your medical notes.

If you give us your mobile phone number, we will send you a text message to confirm your registration.

When you register, you will receive a Named or Usual GP. Your Named GP will have oversight of your care. They will not be the sole provider of your care. Other doctors, nurses or healthcare providers may be more appropriate for your problem. If you would like to know who your Named GP is, or would like to change your Named GP, please ask when you next speak to us.

If you are ill while away from home, you can register as a temporary patient for up to three months. To register as a temporary patient call us on 023 8231 1034 or come in to one of our sites.

After 3 months you can re-register as a temporary patient or become a permanent patient.

If you run out of your medication while you are away from home, ask your usual surgery to send a prescription to a pharmacy near you.

If we prescribe medication, we may contact your usual surgery for confirmation or ask to access a summary of your health record. This may make your appointment/waiting time longer.

NHS rules say practices do not have to accept you as a temporary patient. They do have an obligation to offer immediate treatment for up to 14 days.

You cannot register as a temporary patient in same the town or area as your registered practice.

If you are on regular medication, the most accurate and secure way of requesting a further supply is for you to go online using NHS App or Patient Access service. This puts your request directly into our system so we can check it and process it faster.

Alternatively, you can send your request through your regular pharmacy.

We are unable to take medication requests over the telephone. 

Prescription processing time

Please allow at least 2 clear working days (excluding weekends and bank holidays) between giving us your request and it being sent to your nominated pharmacy. For example, a request handed in on Monday will be sent to your pharmacy by Thursday. Medication not on your repeat list or due for review may take longer to process.

Don’t forget to put your request in early if you are going on holiday or before any bank holiday as we get a large number of requests at these times.

Please check for any messages included with your medication when collected from your pharmacy. You might be due for a review.

Medication reviews

We will contact you if you need to be seen before your next prescription is due. Our practice pharmacists are available for medication reviews and can answer any queries you might have.

Electronic Prescription Service

We can send your prescription electronically to a pharmacy of your choice (including online pharmacies). Just ask your pharmacy to nominate you on the EPS system. Our system will be automatically updated to send future prescriptions (not dressings) there so you won’t need a green prescription paper.

If you use Patient Access and EPS together, you will save a lot of time and effort.

Many pharmacies also operate a collection and delivery service. Please contact your pharmacy for information.

Once dispensed, medication cannot be recycled and has to be destroyed which wastes NHS money. Please do not stockpile medication.

If you register with NHS App, you will get your NHS Login which can also be used in apps created by online pharmacies. These apps allow you to request medication, specify delivery address and complete payment all in a few clicks. The rest will be done for you.

Electronic Repeat Dispensing (eRD)

If you or someone you care for uses the same medicines regularly, you may be able to benefit from using the NHS Electronic Repeat Dispensing (eRD) service. 

This means you won’t have to re-order or collect your repeat prescriptions from your GP practice every time you need more medicine. Instead we the GP practice will issue a batch of prescriptions for 6 to 12 months duration.

Step 1 – Talk to your GP or the person who prescribes your medicines and ask them if you can use Electronic Repeat Dispensing (eRD).  

If your prescriber thinks that you could use eRD for your regular medicines, you will need to choose your nominated Community Pharmacy where your eRD prescriptions will be sent. 

Your GP or prescriber will then authorise a number of eRD prescriptions. This will be based on your circumstances and clinical need. These eRD prescriptions will then be supplied by your pharmacy at regular intervals. 

Step 2 – Collect your first eRD prescription from your pharmacy. 

Step 3 – Next time you need more medicines, go back to your pharmacy. Before dispensing the next issue of your prescription, your pharmacy will ask you the following questions: 

• Have you seen any health professionals (GP, nurse or hospital doctor), since your last repeat prescription was supplied? 
• Have you recently started taking any new medicines – either on prescription or that you have bought over the counter? 
• Have you been having any problems with your medication or experiencing any side effects? 
• Are there any items on your repeat prescription that you don’t need this month? 

If you don’t need all of the medicines on your prescription, let the pharmacy staff know, so that they only supply the medicines you need. This will help to reduce waste and save the NHS money. 

Step 4 – When your pharmacy supplies your last eRD prescription of the batch, they will advise you and a new Batch will need to be requested from the GP surgery. Note: Annual reviews are now scheduled with your month of birth (Born in July, get annual review every July). As long as you are up-to-date with any required reviews and blood tests a new eRD will be issued.

Your doctor or practice nurse may want you to make an appointment to see them before they will authorise more eRD prescriptions. 

More information is available in the leaflet here.

Willow Group is collaborating with NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) which is providing NHS numbers for those patients that may be suitable for electronic repeat dispensing prescriptions. The information is obtained from NHS prescriptions submitted to the NHSBSA. A member of our clinical team will contact these patients in due course to explain the benefits of this service.

Blood Tests

A blood test is when a sample of blood is taken for testing in a laboratory. Blood tests have a wide range of uses and are one of the most common types of medical test.

A blood test usually involves the phlebotomist taking a blood sample from a blood vessel in your arm and the usual place for a sample is the inside of the elbow, where the veins are relatively close to the surface. Blood samples from children are taken at Queen Alexandra Hospital. To arrange this, telephone Portsmouth Hospitals on 023 9228 6000 and ask for Paediatrics Phlebotomy.

You can find out more about blood tests, their purpose and the way they are performed on the NHS website.

X-Rays

An X-ray is a widely used diagnostic test to examine the inside of the body. X-rays are a very effective way of detecting problems with bones, such as fractures. They can also often identify problems with soft tissue, such as pneumonia.

If you have an X-ray, you will be asked to lie on a table or stand against a surface so that the part of your body being X-rayed is between the X-ray tube and the photographic plate.

An X-ray is usually carried out by a radiographer, a healthcare professional who specialises in using imaging technology, such as X-rays and ultrasound scanners.

You can find out more about x-ray tests, how they are performed, their function and the risks by visiting the NHS Choices website.

X-Rays are performed at Gosport War Memorial Hospital, Queen Alexandra Hospital and CareUK’s St Mary’s Treatment Centre, Portsmouth and Diagnostic Centre, Havant.

If your doctor thinks an X-Ray will be helpful, he or she will complete a form to arrange this. If you think you might be pregnant, you should not have an X-Ray. Please advise your doctor if this is the case.

Ultrasound

An ultrasound scan is a test that uses high frequency sound waves to create images of organs and structures inside the body. Doppler ultrasound is a special sort of ultrasound used to look at flow in arteries and veins.

Ultrasound is safe in pregnancy.

If your doctor thinks that an ultrasound will be a helpful test in your case, they will send a request to Gosport War Memorial Hospital or Queen Alexandra Hospital, or CareUK if you prefer, who will contact you with an appointment.

When will I get my result?

When you attend for a test of any kind you will be told how long you should expect to wait for the results. Please bear this in mind and call your surgery after midday, once sufficient time has elapsed. On average results will be available after the following periods:

•  X-ray report2 weeks
•  blood tests 1 week (some tests take longer)
•  urine tests 1 week
•  fungal nail tests 3 weeks
•  ultrasound report 2 weeks

It is your responsibility to contact the surgery to check the results of your test. The doctor who has reviewed the results will leave a message for staff explaining if anything further is required (eg repeat test or an appointment to discuss the result further). Once reviewed, you will be able to view the result on NHS App or Patient Access.

The Admin and Receptionist Teams are not qualified to give more detailed advice on your results.

Please note that we do have a strict policy regarding confidentiality and data protection. In this respect we will only give out results to the person they relate to unless that person has given prior permission for their release or if they are not capable of understanding them.

ADVICE FOR PROVIDING PROOF OF ABSENCE FROM WORK FOR COVID-19

Please see the Government advice on providing proof of coronavirus absence from work

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/online-isolation-notes-launched-providing-proof-of-coronavirus-absence-from-work

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Sickness Certificates

You do not require a doctor’s sickness certificate for any illness lasting seven consecutive 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. If your employer asks for a doctor’s sick note during the first seven days of illness, you or your employer will be required to pay for this privately.

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.

If you have been unwell for more than seven days, you can contact your doctor to discuss your fitness for work. These statements can be backdated up to 8 weeks so are not an urgent matter and therefore we ask you do not attend our Same Day Service solely to obtain a sick note.

For more information see the Returning to Work section on the DirectGov website (where this information was sourced)

It is a common myth that employees are required to be ‘signed back to work’. This is only the case in a number of specific occupations, eg the DVLA form D4 for LGV/PCV drivers. If an employer feels they require a doctor’s note advising their employee is ‘fit to work’, this would need to be paid for privately.

If you need a fitness for work certificate, please complete a Klinik online consultation from our home page.

From 1 July 2022 the DWP amended legislation to enable advanced nurses, occupational therapists, pharmacists and physiotherapists to certify fit notes.

Alternatively you can download our request form here, complete it and post or hand it in to one of surgeries.

Some services provided by The Willow Group are not covered under our contract with the NHS and therefore attract charges. Examples include the following:

• Medicals for pre-employment, sports and driving requirements (HGV, PSV etc.)
• Insurance claim forms
• Passport signing
• Confirmation of taking medication abroad
• Private sick notes or return to work notes
• Vaccination certificates
• Letters to external agencies eg school, Housing Authority

The fees charged are in line with suggested scales and our reception staff will be happy to advise you about them along with appointment availability.

The doctors reserve the right to refuse to undertake such work if they do not feel it is appropriate and will always make NHS work their priority.

Below is a list of indicative charges for most commonly requested fees. It is not an exhaustive list. Some prices are subject to change depending on the amount of time required.