If you need to cancel your appointment click here.

Appointments

All consultations are by appointment only.

Please remember to cancel your appointment if you no longer need it. You can do this online via the above link.

The appointment system is organised to minimise your waiting time. Whilst we try to see you at your appointed time, some patients' problems take longer than the time allocated so please be patient if there is some delay.

You may consult any doctor or health professional you choose, but we recommend that, whenever possible, you try to see the same doctor as this enables us to get to know you.

Routine Appointments

• Monday to Friday 08:30 – 12:00 & 14:00 – 17:20
• Also (GP only) Mondays 18:00 – 18:20  and Wednesdays 0730 - 0820( pre-booked appointments only*)

* Although the surgery is open 18:00 – 18:30 (Mondays) and 0730 - 0800 (Wednesdays)  the surgery cannot be telephoned during these times and no other services are available.

Please note that all routine GP appointments are 10 minutes long.

Minor Illness Appointments

• (Not Wednesdays or Monday mornings) 10:20 – 12:00 & 15:50 – 16:10

These 10 minute appointments are conducted by our Senior Practice Nurse who is a qualified Nurse Prescriber. For more details of the conditions she can see and prescribe for contact reception, or alternatively CLICK HERE

Emergency Appointments (5 minutes)

If you have a condition which you consider to be an emergency and which cannot wait until a routine appointment is available duty GPs offer an emergency surgery daily. However these are 5 minute appointments and you may have to wait.

• Daily (via 5 min GP emergency clinic appointments) 11:30 & 16:30
• Our Senior Nurse offers a same day Minor Illness clinic.

Telephone Advice

You can request advice from the doctor or the nurse over the telephone, however they are in consultation for the most of their working days.  If the doctor or nurse you wish to speak to is not available when you phone, a receptionist will be very happy to make a note of any message that you wish to leave.  If a message is left for a GP after 1130, the GP will not routinely reply until their next working day so please phone before 1130 if your query is urgent.

Please Help Us By

If you are returning for a planned review appointment please book your appointment at least one or two weeks in advance and specify the doctor you normally see.

Please always try to let us know if you are unable to keep your appointment, since even with very short notice we will usually be able to use the time allocated to you for another patient.

The great majority of our appointments are booked for ten minutes, but we make use of some 5 minute emergency GP appointments each day to cope with new problems that have arisen that day where the patient wishes to be seen urgently and no routine appointments are available. When you are booked into such an appointment we would be grateful if you would refrain from seeking advice on non-urgent matters.

Chaperones

During examination you are entitled to ask for a chaperone to be present.

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 between 08:00 - 09:00.

Any requests made after 11:00 will receive a house call the following morning, unless it is an emergency.

You may only request a home visit if you are housebound or are too ill to visit the practice. 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.

 APPOINTMENT GUIDE FOR PATIENTS

We offer the following options to see a GP: 

Routine pre-bookable appointments.These last 10 minutes, and are booked in advance by calling in or booking in person.  Routine appointments make up 2/3 of our appointment slots, a figure which is based on our most recent patient access survey.

Urgent appointments.A small number of 10 minute-long appointments are held in reserve every day for urgent issues. You will be asked whether the next available routine appointment would be appropriate, and if all urgent slots are already booked you may be asked to call again the next morning.

 Emergency Appointments.These appointments are 5 minutes long, during which only ONE very urgent issue can be dealt with. These can be accessed by calling the practice at any time.

Prescribing Nurse appointments.These are 10 minutes long, and bookable on the day by phoning in at 8am. Many issues can be dealt with by our experienced prescribing nurse Gail. 

House Visits. These are only for the housebound, and patients who are so unwell they cannot come to the surgery. One house visit is equivalent to three doctor appointments at the surgery, so they are a valuable commodity that cannot be given out unless required. You may request a house visit if you deem it necessary, but please be aware a doctor may call you back before accepting the visit.

We try to provide an efficient, safe service at all times. Part of our service is caring for acutely sick patients who need help on the day. Please help us to provide a GOOD emergency service for these patients by :

• Booking a routine appointment to deal with ongoing issues – these cannot and should not be rushed by the emergency doctor in a 5 min appointment

• Requesting an emergency appointment if your illness is new, getting much worse, causing severe pain, making you feel very unwell…. And you deem that you need to see a doctor today

If you feel you need to see a doctor, please book an appointment. We would rather see you in person than call you back!

ALTERNATIVE RESOURCES - BEST WAYS TO CONTACT OTHER SPECIALISTS

For certain conditions other specialists provide a more comprehensive service than GPs.  Before phoning for a GP appointment please consider:

EYE PROBLEMS

All local opticians are able to provide on-the-day telephone triage and appointments if necessary. They have better instruments for looking into eyes, and can refer to specialist services if they deem it necessary.

They will see

• eye trauma - sticky eyes/ conjunctivitis

• blurry vision - scratches

• floaters            - dry eyes

• flashing lights

MEDICINE PROBLEMS/MINOR AILMENTS

Pharmacists in any local pharmacy run walk in appointments and offer advice on medicines that can help in many different problems. E.g.:

• acne - eczema and allergies             - pain

• athlete's foot - haemorrhoids (piles)  - period pain

• backache - hay fever                       - thrush

• cold sores - headache                      - sore throat

• constipation - head lice                    - thread worms

• cough - indigestion                          - warts

• diarrhoea - mouth ulcers                 - verrucae

• earache - nasal congestion              - conjunctivitis

 Consultations are free and private, and if they will advise if you do need to see a doctor. You will have to pay for any medicine, but it is not usually too expensive. If you are younger than 16, older than 60, on certain benefits, or have one of many other exemption certificates, you can sign up to the NHS Minor Ailments Service to be eligible for suitable medicines needed for free. Just register with a pharmacy of your choice.

Pharmacies can also provide emergency contraception, smoking cessation services and repeat prescription services. A further service is their unscheduled care service, which allows them to provide up to an 8 week supply of routine medications to Scottish GP registered patients while on holiday in other parts of Scotland. Holiday-makers from other parts of the UK can receive a 5 day emergency supply, but are required to pay. Controlled drugs (morphine, tramadol etc) are excluded.

Colinton Pharmacy at 46A Bridge Road is open 09:00am – 5:45pm Monday to Friday, and 09:00am – 1:00pm Saturday. Call them on 0131 441 2352, or check out their website at www.colintonpharmacy.co.uk

Extended Hours pharmacies are available for emergencies. Call NHS 111, or use the NHS pharmacy service to find other nearby pharmacies at http://www.nhs.uk/Service-Search/Pharmacy/LocationSearch/10

DENTAL PROBLEMS

For tooth problems including severe tooth ache, broken teeth etc, a dentist is most appropriate. Many dentists keep emergency on the day appointments, and in Colinton this is provided by Colinton Dental Practice at 21 Bridge Road from 08:30 all days of the week. Call them on 0131 441 2999, or check out their website at www.colintondental.co.uk

Please note that Colinton Surgery cannot provide antibiotics for dental conditions e.g. dental abscesses. You must see a dentist for this service.

FOOT PROBLEMS

Information on basic foot care and heel pain management can be found via the following link:  http://www.nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk/Community/EdinburghCHP/Services/Pages/Podiatry.aspx   NHS podiatry services can be accessed by contacting 0131 536 1627.   They can provide

• Biomechanical Assessment

• Orthotic Devices and Insoles

• Physical Therapies

• Nail Surgery

• Limited access to verrucae caustic and cryosurgery (NOT for children)

 Please note, corns, callouses, verrucas and warts are best dealt with by visiting the pharmacy for treatment. We can only provide extremely limited cryotherapy or other removal services at the Practice.  Self referral forms for podiatry can be collected from Colinton Surgery reception desk.

MUSCLE AND JOINT PROBLEMS

Most times these are due to an injury, or to wear and tear, and don't require to see the doctor. Excellent advice and exercises are available from www.nhsinform.co.uk/msk. There is also a very good smartphone app available free, called "NHS24 MSK help". Both these sources can off you advice on:  

Back - Hip; Neck - Knee; Shoulder - Ankle;  Elbow - Foot; Wrist, Hand, Finger

If the problem is persisting longer than six weeks, you may benefit from physiotherapy, so refer yourself by calling the NHS24 MSK Advice & Triage Service on 0800 917 9390 between 9am & 5 pm Mon-Fri.  In Colinton, there are also several private physiotherapists you may also wish to consult.

HEARING PROBLEMS

Audiologists are accessible if deemed necessary after GP or Practice Nurse review, but can also be accessed privately at The Edinburgh Clinic. Please consider a visit to the pharmacy first, for a course of wax softening ear drops.

MINOR INJURIES

Most minor injuries can also be dealt with at the Minor Injuries Clinic at the Western General Hospital on Crewe Road South. It has a walk in service, and is open between 8am and 9pm. It is staffed by specialist practitioners, and offers services for:

• burns - bites

• cuts - simple fractures

• sprains - wound infections

• and many others

If you want to check if your injury is suitable for treatment at the Minor Injuries Clinic, phone first on 0131 537 3481.

PREGNANCY

Advice on problems in pregnancy is also available from your midwife, once you have booked.

SMALL CHILDREN

Your health visitor may be able to help you with many problems during childhood. For example

• advice on immunisations

• advice on pregnancy, parenting, feeding (including breast feeding), sleeping, crying and speech

• support in post natal depression

• family nutrition

• family planning and well woman advice

Please contact your health visitor via the surgery reception.

INTERNET

The NHS has a very useful website with many high quality information leaflets at www.patient.info. You can search for advice on your problem, watch videos, and learn about your medicines.

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’ (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.

For more information see the DirectGov website (where this information was sourced)

Training

We are a training practice and each year one or two Specialist Training GPs (formerly known as Registrars) work in the surgery. These are fully qualified doctors who are completing their training in General Practice. As part of their training, on occasions we video record patient consultations. These will not be undertaken without the patient's written consent. Intimate physical examinations will not be recorded. The records will be used for discussion between the registrar and another doctor only and destroyed afterwards.

Medical Students

We are involved in teaching 5th (final) year undergraduate medical students who are attached to our practice for periods throughout the year. A student may therefore be present at your consultation. You will always be informed that a student is going to be present and you will have every right to object, in which case the student will leave.