Pool Health Centre

 WELCOME TO POOL HEALTH CENTRE

This Practice Leaflet sets out basic information for patients. If you require further details please contact the Practice Manager or any member of staff.

Contact Details
Drs Joseph, Jones, Trevail, Jones, Baker, Danielsen and Boissonade
Pool Health Centre
Station Road
Pool
Redruth
Cornwall
TR15 3DU

Tel: 01209 717471
Fax: 01209 612160
Email: healthcentre@pool.cornwall.nhs.uk
Website: www.poolhealthcentre.co.uk

Dr Joseph & Partners provide medical services to patients under a Personal Medical Services (PMS) contract with the Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Primary Care Trust. A list of Partners and other doctors working in the Practice is attached.

Surgery Hours
We are open Monday to Friday from 8.30 a.m. to 6.30 p.m. and within that time frame we aim to ensure that an appointment will be available with a primary care professional within 12 hours and a GP within 48 hours. It should therefore be unnecessary for patients to request a non-routine appointment in all but exceptional circumstances. We are however almost always able to ensure that urgent cases can be seen the same day by the Nurse Practitioner or the Duty Doctor at the Surgery. Such emergency surgeries will have shorter appointment times and may be subject to disruption. Please book for a routine surgery if your problem can wait. We also offer evening appointments.

To Make an Appointment
Please call in or telephone 01209 717471. When telephoning, please bear in mind that the early part of the day can be busy. Appointments can now be booked over the internet – please visit our website www.poolhealthcentre.co.uk to sign up for online appointment bookings.

Results of Tests
Enquiries should be made after 2pm

To Request a Home Visit
Please telephone 01209 717471, before 10.30 a.m. if possible. Visits are for those who are housebound or who are too ill to be brought to the surgery, so please visit the surgery if you can. The duty doctor will usually telephone you before arranging a home visit.

To speak to a Doctor
All the doctors are prepared to give advice over the telephone, but may not be free when you call. The receptionist will take details and can usually arrange for a clinician to return your call.

Repeat Prescriptions
When you need a repeat of a regular prescription please bring or post your repeat slip to the surgery. It is our policy that prescriptions will be ready for collection in two working days. If you enclose a stamped addressed envelope your prescription will be returned by post. (Repeat prescriptions cannot be taken over the telephone for safety reasons but may be submitted by e-mail to healthcentre@pool.cornwall.nhs.uk , or ordered via our website www.poolhealthcentre.co.uk)

When the surgery is closed
Out of hours emergency cover is provided by Kernow Urgent Care Services. You may be asked to attend your nearest Emergency Clinic, or a Doctor may be sent to your address. Telephone 01209 717471 out of hours and your call will automatically be diverted to their staff. Please note that this service is for EMERGENCIES ONLY that cannot wait until the surgery re-opens.

Provision for the Disabled
We work within a single-storey purpose-built surgery with access suitable for wheelchairs. The Health Centre also has a toilet for disabled users and induction loop equipment for the hard of hearing.

Patients’ Rights and Responsibilities
The Practice will consider all applications to register regardless of gender, age, disability, race or income provided you live within the Practice area.

Registered patients have the right to:
• Receive treatment regardless of gender, age, disability, race or income.
• Consult with a clinician within 24hrs for urgent medical problems
• Access the Practice deputising service out of hours.
• Have your treatment explained to you
• Confidentiality
• Refuse to be treated in front of any medical students.
• Complain, without discrimination, if there is a problem.

Registered patients are responsible for:
• Making and keeping appointments.
• Notifying the surgery if you are unable to keep your appointment.
• Ordering repeat prescriptions in adequate time.
• Behaving in an acceptable manner.
• Switching off mobile phones when in the Surgery.
• Informing the practice of any change of address, name or telephone number.

Confidentiality
Personal health information is confidential and may not be released without the patient’s informed consent. There are strictly limited exceptions to this where the clinician determines that release is justified in the specific circumstances. We take our responsibility of Patient Confidentiality very seriously. All our staff including the receptionists are well aware of their roles and will not divulge any information given to them except to the appropriate GP.

Please feel at ease when requested to give them information (for example if requesting a phone call or visit from the doctor) that the details you give will be dealt with in strict confidentiality. Similarly we cannot and will not divulge medical information including test results to anyone other than the person who had the test. This is irrespective of whom is asking for the information. Sometimes parents of teenage children expect to be able to obtain test results for them automatically but, if your child is competent legally, then we are bound to keep their confidence unless they specifically give us permission to discuss their results with you. The duty of confidentiality owed to a person under 16 is as great as the duty owed to any other person.

Zero Tolerance towards Aggression at the Practice
Pool Health Centre tries at all times to deal with patients in a polite and courteous manner. In return we expect that the same is shown to both the staff and doctors at the surgery. Whilst we understand that a visit to the doctors can at times be stressful or worrying we will not tolerate aggression or abuse to either our reception staff or any of the Professional staff at the surgery. Any patient being threatening or abusive to any member of our team will be removed from our practice list without further warning.

Patient Comments, Suggestions and Complaints
Comments or suggestions about the services we provide should be addressed to Mr. Stephen Holby, Practice Manager. The designated Complaints Officer for the Practice is Mrs Ann Curtis and patients are requested to raise any concerns with her in the first instance either verbally or in writing. In her absence please ask for the Practice Manager.

Change in Personal Details
If you change your name, address or telephone number please inform us as soon as possible so that we can keep our records up to date.

Special Services and Clinics Available:
Stop Smoking Clinics
Maternity Care
Contraception
Well Woman Clinic
Diabetic
Asthma
Nurse Clinics

Our practice nurses hold surgeries by appointment every day to deal with:
Wound management and dressings Blood tests ECGs
Cervical smear tests Injections Immunisations
Blood pressure checks Dietary advice Weight reduction
Healthy eating Exercise Contraception
Our senior nursing staff run special clinics for conditions such as asthma, diabetes and coronary heart care.
Minor Operations

Please see your own doctor first for assessment.
Child Health Surveillance and Development Assessment
These clinics will be carried out by the doctor and the health visitor. Appointments for the clinic will be sent to those children when each check is due.

Immunisation
Children should receive immunisations at 2, 3, 4, and 12 months plus pre-school boosters at the age of 4 years. Adults should have a tetanus booster every 10 years.

Medical Services not provided under NHS
Certain medical services are not available within the framework of the National Health Service but may be provided by doctors within the Practice at their discretion. Such services include medical examinations for insurance purposes, travel vaccinations, HGV/PSV/Driving and Pre-Employment Medicals. Charges for these services accord with rates recommended by the British Medical Association (BMA) where applicable.

Travel
For advice and immunisation please see the practice nurse at least 6-8 weeks before travelling. We are a yellow fever centre.

Training Practice
As an approved training practice, we usually have at least one doctor with us for a 12- month period as a registrar. The registrar is a fully qualified doctor with several years experience in hospital medicine, who is completing the post-graduate training in general practice and who functions as an independent practitioner, sharing the on-call and surgery duties. We may occasionally request your consent to video these consultations to be used in general practice training. Please be assured you can decline to participate at any time with no prejudice to your care. We also have medical students with us from time to time. The receptionist will inform you if a medical student is sitting in with your doctor.

Community Team
The Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Primary Care Trust has a number of attached staff who share offices at the surgery including Counsellors, Midwives and Health Visitors.
The Health Visitor is a state registered nurse with midwifery experience and training in child health and development. All the above have offices in the Health Centre and can be contacted weekdays by telephoning 01209 886575.

Partners (*) and Other Clinicians at Pool Health Centre

Dr Rowland Joseph*
MB ChB Birmingham 1972

Dr Ben Jones*
MB BS London 1981 MRCGP DA DRCOG

Dr Phil Trevail*
BM Southampton 1986 DRCOG MRCGP DFFP

Dr Helen Jones*
MB BS London 1982 DCH

Dr Tim Baker*
MB ChB Bristol 1985 DA DCH DRACOG MRCGP

Dr Mark Danielsen*
BM Southampton 1992 BSc MRCP DRCOG DFFP

Dr Julie Boissonade*
MB ChB Manchester 1983

Dr Kath Stephens
MB ChB Bristol 1997, DGM, DCH, DRCOG, DFFP, MRCGP

Practice Nursing Team
Sophie Casey
Nurse Practitioners

Helen Scott
Practice Nurses

Liz Cousins
Practice Nurse

Sarah Ford
Practice Nurse

Jo Keevil
Assistant Practitioner

Ann Curtis
Phlebotomist

Carol Whitham
Phlebotomist