Bishops Close Medical Practice

Welcome to our website

We have produced this website to provide you with information about the way the Practice is organised and the services that are provided directly by Practice Staff, or by other members of the Primary Health Care Team. Services will, by necessity, change from time to time, please do not hesitate to telephone the Practice to check the current position.

Help Us to help You

Practices can be busy places and staff try hard to accommodate their patients – in return you are asked to behave in a polite and considerate manner. It would be appreciated if you would help your Practice keep surgeries running smoothly and ensure that patients are seen at the right time, by:

• When you have an appointment please attend at the time stated, and if you are not able to attend please let the Practice know in advance, so the appointment can be used by someone else who needs it.
• If you do not attend appointments, the Practice may de-register you. This means that you would stop being a patient of the Practice and you would no longer be seen by us
• If more than one member of your family needs to see the Doctor or other Healthcare Professional, please book one appointment per patient
• If you have to discuss a complex medical issue please let the Receptionist know so a suitable length of appointment can be arranged
• Please notify the Practice if you change your address, telephone or mobile phone number
• Test results take time to reach us, so please do not contact us before you have been asked to do so
• We ask that you treat the doctors and staff with respect and courtesy

Disabled Facilities

You and Your General Practice

A new guide from NHS England, You and Your General Practice, describes what practices and patients can expect of each other.

• Patients are encouraged to be on time, be prepared, and avoid wasted appointments by cancelling early.
• Patients can ask to be supported by general practices in a variety of ways.
• You and Your General Practice also describes how patients and their representatives can give feedback or raise concerns.

Please note, with regard to opening hours stated in the document:

• GP contracts in our area provide for practice opening hours between 8am and 6pm.
• We are closed between 1pm and 2pm
• We close one afternoon per month for staff training

When the surgery is closed, call NHS 111 for free where the right healthcare professional will see you, as close to your home as possible.

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/you-and-your-general-practice-english/

Practice Privacy Notice

Bishops Close Medical Practice has a legal duty to explain how we use any personal information we collect about you, as a registered patient at the Practice. Employees at this Practice maintain records about your health and the treatment you receive in electronic and paper format.

Please go to our Privacy Notice Page for more information.

Our Commitment to you as a Veteran of the UK Armed Forces

The NHS is here to help improve your health and wellbeing and keep you mentally and physically well. It is also here to help you get better when you are ill and, when you cannot fully recover, to stay as well as you can until the end of your life. Click the link for more information: Veteran Information Page

Painkillers Don’t Exist

The Painkillers Don’t Exist is an NHS campaign across both Sunderland and County Durham. It aims to raise awareness of the dangerous effects of long-term high-dose prescription pain medication and empower people living with pain to make informed decisions about their health.  Click the link below for more information:

Painkillers Don’t Exist