Hickings Lane Medical Centre

Current Services at Hickings Lane Medical Centre, in light of the ongoing threat of Covid19.

Extended Access Appointments	Improving access to general practice: morning and evening appointments available Patients who are registered at this practice can book an appointment to see a GP for routine and emergency appointments from 07:30 to 08:00 am Monday to Friday. On some occasions nurse appointments may also be available. Talk to the practice receptionist to find out more to book an appointment. You can now book routine GP and Nurse appointments in the evening, at weekends and over bank holidays in your local area. Pre-bookable appointments are available Monday-Friday, 6:30pm-8:00pm, plus weekends and bank holidays and you can be seen by a GP, Nurse or Healthcare Assistant. To book your appointment, contact the surgery during normal opening hours. Please be aware that the appointment may take place at another GP Practice in the area. If you need urgent medical advice when the surgery is closed, you should continue to call NHS 111.
Reception	Our phone lines remain open from 8.00am – 6.30pm Monday – Friday. You will only be able to enter reception in person if you have made a prior appointment. This is for your safety and the safety of our staff. Our reception team may ask you for more details than usual. This will help us decide how best to deal with your query. The practice may contact you via text, video call, and email as well as see you face to face.
Face to Face Appointments	If you wish to seek advice from a doctor please contact the practice at either 8am or 2pm. Please provide as much information as possible to our care coordinators. We will then review the information and request and respond to you accordingly. We may need to discuss further on the telephone, or via video, or arrange a face to face appointment with you. Please ensure you keep your phone on you at all times. Due to the current demand the doctor will not be able to call you back if you miss their call. You will be instructed to make another appointment. Please ensure you wear an appropriate face covering before entering the practice for your appointment.
Video Consultations	If you wish to seek advice from a doctor please contact the practice at either 8am or 2pm. Please provide as much information as possible to our care coordinators. We will then review the information and request and respond to you accordingly. We may need to discuss further on the telephone, or via video, or arrange a face to face appointment with you. Please ensure you keep your phone on you at all times. Due to the current demand the doctor will not be able to call you back if you miss their call. You will be instructed to make another appointment. Please ensure you wear an appropriate face covering before entering the practice for your appointment.
Telephone Consultations	If you wish to seek advice from a doctor please contact the practice at either 8am or 2pm. Please provide as much information as possible to our care coordinators. We will then review the information and request and respond to you accordingly. We may need to discuss further on the telephone, or via video, or arrange a face to face appointment with you. Please ensure you keep your phone on you at all times. Due to the current demand the doctor will not be able to call you back if you miss their call. You will be instructed to make another appointment. Please ensure you wear an appropriate face covering before entering the practice for your appointment.
Women’s Health	A mixture of telephone and face-to-face appointments will be available to book in advance, including: -coils and implants -contraception and HRT -period/bleeding problems -pelvic examinations -postnatal maternity reviews You can continue to speak to any GP about women’s health issues in normal clinics, with appointments released daily at 8am and 2pm. If your problem is urgent (for example you have pain or postmenopausal bleeding) please do not wait until a routine Tuesday clinic.
Emergency Contraception	Emergency copper coils can now be offered by the practice as the most effective form of emergency contraception. They are 99.9% effective at preventing unintended pregnancy (for reference the morning after pills are 60-85% effective at preventing pregnancy depending on timing). It is important to speak to a doctor as soon as possible as timing is very important. If we are unable to assist you please speak to an alternative provider as soon as possible (Victoria Health Centre 01159627627).
Medication Reviews	If you require a medication review, please contact the practice to book an appointment with our pharmacist/GP.
Long Term Conditions Reviews	If you are due a review for your long term condition we will contact you to request blood tests if required, and arrange a consultation with a nurse to complete your review if necessary. You will be sent a text message with a personalised link to book your appointment online. Alternatively you can also use the NHS App to book your appointment.
Immunisations	Childhood vaccinations have continued as normal. We will invite patients when they are due. Please attend when invited.
Cervical Screening	The smear programme continues as usual. If you are due one please contact reception to book your appointment.
Ear Syringing	We have made the decision to permanently stop providing this service at the surgery. This is due to demand for clinical time in support of the Covid vaccinations and that it is no longer subsidised by the NHS.
ECG	We are performing ECGs only when a clinician deems them necessary.
B12 Injections	We have advised all patients to switch to oral tablets where possible. If you feel this does not manage your symptoms we will make appointments for the injections if essential. Please contact reception to book your appointment.
Joint Injections	Steroid joint injections are being given on an urgent only basis. Please contact reception to book your appointment.
Contraception Injections	Depo injections are still being given, please contact reception to book your appointment.
LARC Clinics	We continue to offer appointments for contraceptive Implants and Coils. Please contact reception to book your appointment.
Dressings	We are advising patients to self-care where possible. An appointment can be booked if required once triaged by a nurse.
Antenatal Appointments	You can still book an appointment to see the Midwife. Please contact reception to arrange or liaise with your Midwife.
Travel Vaccinations	This service is currently suspended due to COVID 19.
Referrals	We continue to refer patients wherever necessary. Please be advised there may be a delay in routine referrals at some hospitals due to COVID 19.
Blood Tests	We continue to offer appointments for our Phlebotomy services. To request an appointment please contact reception.
Prescription Requests	To order your prescription you may find it much easier and quicker to download the NHS App alternatively please use the online request form on our website. You prescription will be signed by the doctor within 2 working days. It will be sent electronically to your nominated pharmacy. If you do not have a nominated pharmacy you can go to any pharmacy with your NHS number and they will be able to pull your prescription from the NHS Database.
Audiology Clinics	If you need a hearing test, please speak to a GP or visit https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Hearing-tests/ for more information and how to self-refer.

Welcome to Hickings Lane Medical Centre

Hickings Lane Medical Centre is a long established General Practice providing a quality family doctor service for our patients. We are committed to working in a supportive and courteous manner in partnership with our patients.

Our aim is to provide the highest quality health care available to all our patients, with a well-trained and highly motivated multidisciplinary health care team. We aim to achieve this by developing and maintaining a cohesive team-based approach which is responsive to people’s needs and expectations and reflects, wherever possible, the latest advances in primary care.

Our Core Values:

Patients – Putting patients at the heart of every we do
Quality – Providing the highest standard of care and treatment
Ethical – Operating within an ethical framework through openness and transparency
Compassion – Caring about our patients
Staff – The practice team is dedicated to teaching, training and professional development

Hickings Lane Medical Centre – How to Access your GP

We are still open and here for you. We are continuing to provide services as we have been doing throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. We are prioritising delivering of care and services based on clinical needs.

If you need medical advice or treatment, please ring us on 0115 939 5555 or, for non-urgent advice or treatment, visit our website and send us your query – our opening hours are 08:00-18:30. If you walk into the practice you must adhere to social distancing; clean your hands and wear a face covering (unless exempt)

Due to coronavirus, how you contact us may be different at the moment. This is to limit face-to-face contact whenever possible and help stop the spread of coronavirus.

When you phone or go online, you will be asked to provide some information about your healthcare need. This will help the practice healthcare team assess the most appropriate way to provide your care, which may include a face-to-face consultation and ensure it is provided by the most appropriate person. Face-to-face appointments are available to all patients where there is a clinical need.

Online consultation requests for non-urgent help can be made at any time. They will be responded to as soon as possible, usually within two working days.

Alternatively, visit the local pharmacy for clinical advice on minor health concerns.

For urgent issues or out of hours, you can also call the NHS on 111 or go online to seek NHS advice 111.nhs.uk If you have the NHSApp you can access NHS111 on it. The app is available on iOS and android.

Appointments are being delivered face-to-face, by telephone, or using video calls and messaging to your mobile or computer – the practice team will assess what is most appropriate for you and if you have a preference you can discuss this with them.

Attending a face-to-face appointment If you are asked to come into the surgery for a face-to-face appointment, please remember to wear a face covering. Measures are in place to keep you safe from infection during your visit to the surgery. If you have a disability or condition which means you cannot wear a face covering or cannot communicate with someone who is wearing a face mask, or require other adjustments before your appointment, please let the surgery know ahead of your arrival.

COVID-19 Vaccination

The NHS is currently vaccinating those people who experts have agreed will benefit from it the most. A vaccination programme of this size and scale will still take some time to complete. Please be assured that everyone who needs the vaccine will be offered it. The NHS will be in touch with you when it is your turn to be vaccinated. Please don’t call us before you are invited. In the meantime, you can get information about the COVID-19 Vaccination online at www.nhs.uk/covidvaccination

Our staff are working extremely hard to provide services and care and we would like to thank our patients for your continued support.

Online Appointment Booking

Order your Prescriptions

Update your Details

New Patient Registration

Patient Participation Group

Patient Survey

Download NHS App

Friends and Family Test

Emergency Contraception

Opening Times

Monday
07:30 until 18:30
Tuesday
07:30 until 18:30
Wednesday
07:30 until 18:30
Thursday
07:30 until 18:30
Friday
07:30 until 18:30
Saturday
CLOSED
Sunday
CLOSED

Useful Links

	Very easy	Fairly easy	Not very easy	Very difficult	N/A
Getting through on the phone
Speaking to a doctor on the phone
Speaking to a nurse on the phone
Obtaining test results by phone

	Very good	Good	Average	Poor	Very poor
Giving you enough time
Asking about your symptoms
Listening to you
Explaining tests & treatment
Involving you in decisions about your care
Treating you with care and concern
Taking your problems seriously

	Very good	Good	Average	Poor	Very poor
Giving you enough time
Asking about your symptoms
Listening to you
Explaining tests & treatment
Involving you in decisions about your care
Treating you with care and concern
Taking your problems seriously