Enderley Road Medical Centre

OTHER INFORMATION

Patient Support Group

The Enderley Road Patients’ Association (ERPA) works in close partnership with the surgery. It was formally established in 2010, and was set-up to enhance the relationship between patients and professionals at this surgery; also to share best practice by networking with other Harrow patient participation groups. The Association publishes regular newsletters, promotes awareness of, and access to local health and community services, and organises presentations on important health issues.

All patients are automatically members of the Association. If you would like to receive information about our activities, please email your name and contact details to enderlypulse@gmail.com or leave a phone message on 07586 312305

SMS Text Messaging

The practice is able to send text messages for appointment reminders, healthcare advice and the availability of clinics. In order to use this service, please ensure that we have you current mobile telephone number.

Medical Research Council

The Medical Research Council is a government-funded organisation which supports high quality research with the aim of maintaining and promoting human health. The practice is a member of the Medical Research Council's General Practice Research Framework - a national group of general practices interested in research on many topics including prevention of heart disease, long-term use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT), low back pain, asthma, diabetes and assessment of elderly people.

If the practice takes part in a study we might like to pass your name, address and age, as recorded on our practice computer, to the Medical Research Council. If we do, the information will remain confidential and be used only to choose a sample of patients whom we would then contact to ask whether they would consider helping with some research. If we contacted you, you would be free to refuse to help without your medical care being affected. To choose the best sample it is important that we are able to pass everyone's details to the Medical Research Council. However, you are free to refuse permission for us to pass on your details and if you wish to do so please see one of the doctors. Thank you for all your help.

Private Referrals

Patients referred privately need to collect their referral letter from reception five days after the initial consultation. Patients are advised not to make their appointment until they have collected their letter.

Continuity of Care

With eleven doctors and three nurses working at the practice, some patients find some difficulty in deciding who to see. You may feel more comfortable with a certain doctor or want a woman doctor. Here are some thoughts you might wish to take into account which we hope you find useful:

• All the doctors and nurses have access to your medical record regardless of whoever has written them

• If you have preference for the gender of the doctor please tell the receptionist when making a booking

• Due to unavoidable circumstances, it may not always be possible to see the same doctor. But as your records and results can be viewed in surgery by all clinicians, your review can be carried out by any doctor in the practice. Please be assured that all relevant information will be available to them.

• If a doctor has arranged some tests or has asked to review you at a particular time, whenever possible, see the same doctor or ask for the doctor to cal you for a follow-up.

• The doctors and nurses have holidays and many of them do not work in the surgery every day as they have other commitments, so if you want to see a particular doctor, book a few days ahead

If you need to see a doctor on the same day, you may well be asked to see the duty doctor for a shorter appointment and you will not be given a choice of who you will see. If your problem can wait a day or two, you will have a wider choice of doctors and have some extra time.