Practice updates
Important information for patients considering private surgery
The Scottish Government has provided the following guidance:
Travelling overseas for privately arranged and purchased surgery is not recommended.
There is no obligation for local health boards to provide routine pre and post-operative care.
Our practice is unable to provide you with routine follow up if you choose to have private surgery.
Follow up tests after private treatment have to be arranged privately. You should investigate your options and costing before making your decision regarding surgery.
May Public Holiday
The practice will be closed on Monday 6th May.
If you require urgent medical attention while we are closed, please phone NHS24 on 111.
For advice on everyday conditions, please visit the NHS Inform website.
In the event of a life threatening emergency, always phone 999.
Spring Health Campaign 'Healthy Know How'
NHS 24, Scotland’s provider of digital and telephone-based health and care services, has launched its annual spring health campaign ‘Healthy Know How.’
There are lots of tips on their website on how to keep fit and well this spring!
Visit the 'Healthy Know How' website by clicking on the link below
Free Anam Cara Wellbeing Workshops for Women
Anam Cara is a registered Scottish charity supporting woman whose aim is to improve their emotional well-being.
It is not a treatment for mental health nor a crisis service, they are there to support women and help them find a support system which works for them and their individual circumstance.
Anam Cara are holding free workshops for women in Dalkeith this Spring, visit the link below for more details.
House Visits
Please telephone the practice by 10am to request house visits.
If you phone later in the day then the doctor will telephone in the first instance. It will not always be possible to arrange a visit that day - the doctor will make an appropriate clinical decision.
Whenever possible, the doctor prefers to examine patients in the surgery as they have access to more equipment, so please consider whether it may be possible for the patient to be brought to the practice - we have a wheelchair that can be used where mobility is an issue.
Reminder - Please book GP appointments for days you are able to attend
While many problems can be dealt with over the phone, sometimes the doctor needs to see you in person and they arrange this on the same day as your phone call.
When you are booking appointments on the day or in advance, please consider whether you would be able to attend the practice that day if the doctor needs to see you. If you won't be able to, please book for a day when you can.
New NHS Lothian Health Screening Website
NHS Lothian provides screening for a variety of conditions:
Abdominal aortic aneurysm screening, Bowel screening, Breast screening, Cervical screening and Diabetic eye screening.
To learn more about what screening involves and why it is recommended, please visit the new Health Screening website.
New Appointment System From Monday 27th November
Our new appointment system will improve patient safety
On the day appointments will only be available for urgent care/assessment. We will have an increase in the number of appointments that can be booked in advance. You will always be directed to the most appropriate clinician or service. For full details please visit the link below
A friendly reminder regarding prescription requests
Please note that repeat prescription requests take two working days and special prescription requests take up to five working days. These are guidelines and are subject to change in the case of IT problems/sickness/absences.
You should also take into account that your local pharmacy requires time to dispense your prescription - check with them how long they will take.
See the link below for details on ordering your prescription.
NHS24 Online App
NHS24 have created an app that you install on your mobile telephone which allows you to find your nearest services and to assess your symptoms to find out what you should do next.
If you don't have access to a smart phone you can access this information by phoning 111 or visiting www.nhsinform.scot
The Find my Nearest function allows you to locate health and care services within your local area. You will be able to see how far away each service is, if it is open or closed and contact details for the service.
The chatbot functions allows you to get further advice on a variety of topics
NHS Lothian Text Messaging and Online Portal for Patients on Waiting Lists
The services are being rolled out across a range of specialties starting with Ophthalmology, Dermatology, Gynaecology, Colorectal General Surgery, Ear, Nose & Throat, Gastroenterology, General Surgery, Urology, Neurosurgery, Plastic Surgery and Rheumatology.
Patients who have been waiting for outpatient appointments will receive a text message from NHS Lothian asking them to log in to an online portal using a unique PIN and their date of birth. Please click on the link below for more details.
New Text Message Trial
We are going to trial texting patients with blood test results, medication review requests and other simple administrative messages such as letting you know when your fit note is ready to collect.
If you mainly use your landline number we will continue to contact you by phone. Please let us know if you do not wish us to text you. Please do not reply to any text messages you receive; if you have any questions regarding any text, please telephone us.
Paper prescription requests now accepted - telephone requests withdrawn other than for frail, elderly or housebound patients
You may now post your prescription request form through the letterbox at our reception desk, or post your request via Royal Mail to Strathesk Medical Practice, 109/111 High Street, Bonnyrigg, EH19 2ET.
In order to keep our phone lines as free as possible for patients requiring medical assistance, we now only accept telephone requests for prescriptions from frail, elderly or housebound patients. Please call after 10am if you are eligible.
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