The Health Centre Team

Practice Manager :

Mrs Marguerite Riley

Reception and Dispensing Staff :

The staff of the Health Centre are there to help you. Please be patient when they are busy. Should you have Any queries or suggestions about non-medical aspects of your care, please ask to speak to the reception manager (Mrs L. Hewitt).

Practice Nurse :

Runs asthma, diabetes and blood pressure clinics in conjunction with the Partners. She also runs health checks on newly registered patients and assists with certain clinical procedures.

Health Visitors :

Are particularly interested in preventative care and offer advice on the health of mothers and babies, children, the elderly and the handicapped. They can be contacted 9.00-10.00 am weekdays on Copthorne 716581

Clinic and Community Nurses :

See patients on home visits.They also run clinics by appointment (9.00-12.00 am Monday to Friday; 4.30-5.45 pm Monday and Friday).

Community Midwife :

Undertakes maternity care with your Doctor. Messages may be left at the Health Centre (Copthorne 713031) or by telephoning East Grinstead 316411(8.30-9.30 am Tuesday to Friday)

Community Psychiatric Nurse :

Cares for Patients with emotional and psychological problems. Messages may be left at the Health Centre (Copthorne 713031) or by telephoning East Grinstead 326928.

This is a partially dispensing practice with the primary health care team housed under one roof at Crawley Down and with two outlying branch surgeries.The Practice covers the red border in the map below. Please inform us if you move house outside this area.We are not allowed to dispense for patients within the yellow circle.

Newly registering patients will be asked to make a registration appointment with the Doctor and Practice Nurse and will be offered a medical check-up

Medical students from St George's Hospital also visit twice a year as part of their medical training. They are assessed by the Practice as part of their medical qualification.

Please telephone between 2.00 - 4.00 pm on weekdays.

Routine blood tests take 4 days, urine tests 5 days and X-rays 7 - 10 days (excluding weekends)

Patients on regular medication may arrange to receive repeat prescriptions after discussion with their Doctor. 48 hours is normally required between order and receipt of medicines (if a dispensing patient) or a prescription (if a prescribing patient).

Either the medicine or prescription can then be collected from the Health Centre during general opening hours.

We are permitted to dispense for some of our patients at the Health Centre, Branch Surgeries and in patients' homes. (Click "Practice Area" to see the areas for which we can dispense)

Acute or repeat medicine prescribed during a consultation may be collected immediately after the consultation from the dispensary in the Health Centre.

For those patients for whom we are no longer permitted to dispense, repeat prescriptions may be ordered personally or by posting their request with a self-addressed envelope enclosed. Prescriptions can then be taken to any chemist chosen by the patient or, if requested, placed on a patients' delivery service run by local village people.

After hours emergency calls will be automatically transferred to the Doctor on call at the time. Please note that emergency cover is provided by a co-operative of local GPs, including ourselves, who are based at the Queen Victoria Hospital when on call. This co-operative is known as "SUSDOC" (Sussex Doctors on call).

Home Visits ( Copthorne 713031 )

If you are too ill to come to the surgery and require a visit on that day, please telephone reception before 10.00 am

Casualties

At Princess Royal, Crawley, East Surrey and East Grinstead hospitals. The latter is run by Nurse Practitioners & local GPs in rotation, ncluding ourselves.

Disabled Patients

The Health Centre has full disabled access and facilities.

Family Planning and Maternity Care

Child Health (Appt. through health visitor)

Routine immunisations take place on the first and third Wednesday each month. An infant and child development clinic is held weekly.

Disease prevention and monitoring clinics

Regular clinics to detect and monitor certain chronic diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure and asthma are run by the Practice Nurse and the Partners.

Travel Clinic and Yellow Fever Centre (Enquiries to Reception)

Private Medicals and Reports

Certain medicals, reports and forms are not covered by the NHS. These will be charged at the BMA recommended rate. Please ask at or telephone reception for details.

Minor Surgery

Cryotherapy and other minor operations are done by the Doctors in the surgery or at the Queen Victoria Hospital.