Which Healthcare Professional can best help with your problem?
Our Care Navigation Team can help direct you to the most appropriate service according to your needs.
The easiest way to access this and all our services is to complete an electronic consultation request or call us on 0345 337 1120.
Before requesting help from us, please see the comprehensive information on Who Do I See? This will help you decide what the best option is for your problem.
For real life-threatening emergencies such as those below – RING 999
- Chest pain (suspected heart attack)
- Suspected stroke
- Suspected meningitis
- Anaphylactic shock (severe allergy)
- Heavy bleeding or deep lacerations
- Fluctuating levels of consciousness or completely unconscious
- Difficulty breathing or stopped breathing with a change in colour
- New seizure, fit or uncontrollable shaking
For immediately serious conditions such as the following, GO TO your nearest Emergency Department (A&E) IMMEDIATELY – For our patients, this is usually at Dr Gray’s Hospital in Elgin
- A fever and lethargic (drowsy) child
- A feverish and floppy (unresponsive) infant
- Difficulty breathing
- Sudden, severe abdominal pain
- Accidental or intentional overdose of medication
- Trauma (including falls) and possible broken bones or road traffic accident
Patients who have a problem outwith the surgery opening hours that can’t wait until the surgery reopens should contact NHS24 by dialling 111.
Your appointment at the Practice
- Please make one appointment for each member of the family who needs to be seen
- We try to keep to time but please be patient if someone before you takes longer than planned
- Appointments are normally within fifteen-minute slots and this includes time for the clinician to write your notes after you have left the room. If you have a complex problem or more than one problem, please ask for a longer appointment.
- Please understand if your clinician only has time to deal with one or two of your problems in your allotted appointment time. They are still happy to see you and will ask you to rebook if there are outstanding issues. They try their hardest to keep to time for the next patient that is waiting to be seen after you.
- It is the Practice policy to allow patients to choose whichever doctor they wish to attend in the Practice. For an ongoing problem try to see the same doctor that has been dealing with you.
- Both Culbin Medical Practice and Varis Medical Practice are recognised Training Practices and usually have a fully qualified GP Specialist Trainee attached to the Practices for one year at a time. As part of the training, we may occasionally ask if you would agree to your consultation being video recorded. This is entirely optional and completely confidential.
- Both Culbin Medical Practice and Varis Medical Practice offer training for Aberdeen University Medical students. We may have Medical Students sitting in during surgeries. We will inform you of this on making an appointment and you can elect to be seen without a student present if desired.
Please help us
If you are not able to attend your appointment please let us know in time so that the time can be used for someone else. If you are late for an appointment you may be asked to re-book.
Here is a list of the different ways you can access your General Practitioner
GP Appointment
For many problems, booking in with a GP who knows you best in a traditional appointment is the best option. This can often save you time going over your story again with another GP. The GP that you have been seeing will also likely have an ongoing plan for you. This is called ‘continuity of care.’
Telephone and Video consultations
As well as face-to-face appointments, you can choose an appointment on the telephone or the video consulting service NHS Near Me. Physical examination is limited on the telephone and video service so please consider this before booking this type of appointment.
When you think it might be more urgent
Please submit an online medical consultation request for the Urgent Medical Problem Team giving us as much information about your problem as you can. You will get a same-day response usually by telephone or a time to attend the surgery for further assessment and examination.
If you cannot use the online service please call us on 0345 337 1120 and a member of the care navigation team will help you.
For urgent needs, the response is provided by any GP, Advanced Nurse Practitioner or the Forres Treatment and Care Hub team, depending on who is on duty and best able to deal with urgent needs. Particularly for ongoing problems, please only choose this option if you feel that it can’t wait for the GP who knows you best.
We do not have a system of ’emergency’ appointments that are released every morning at 8 am. We understand the panic that this kind of system causes and we do not feel that this is an appropriate way to provide care for our patients.
If we are closed and you feel it can’t wait, call 111.
Additional information
Can I bring someone to accompany me to the Appointment?
We are generally very happy for patients to bring with them a carer, relative or even a friend. This often helps, particularly when they know you well and it allows them to tell us any observations they would make about you, which can help us in undertaking our assessment. Ultimately this will lead us more quickly to make an accurate diagnosis and therefore help you more.
Also, having someone with you means they can prompt you to ask questions that you may have forgotten, and after the appointment they can help in reminding you what was discussed.
Occasionally we might ask for them to leave but this would be unusual.
If you require interpretation services please contact us in advance of you appointment and we will arrange this.
Chaperone Policy
We will always respect your privacy, dignity and your religious and cultural beliefs particularly when intimate examinations are advisable – these will only be carried out with your express agreement and you will be offered a chaperone to attend the examination if you so wish.
You may also request a chaperone when making the appointment or on arrival at the surgery (please let the receptionist know) or at any time during the consultation.
Giving Consent for Treatment
You have the right to accept or refuse treatment that is offered to you, and not to be given any physical examination or treatment unless you have given valid consent. If you do not have the capacity to do so, consent must be obtained from a person legally able to act on your behalf, or the treatment must be in your best interests.
Your valid consent (agreement to the course of action) is needed for the treatment that’s offered to you before any physical examinations or treatment can be given. If you haven’t given your consent, you can accept or refuse treatment that’s offered to you.
It’s important to be involved in decisions about your treatment and to be given information to help you choose the right treatment. When making treatment choices, you’ll often discuss the options with your doctor or another healthcare professional.
If you have a suspected infectious disease
Please inform reception if you suspect an infectious disease, as this will enable us to deal with it appropriately during your visit to protect you, other patients and staff.
Interpreter
If you require an interpreter to attend with you when you see your Doctor please notify the receptionist and this will be arranged.
Private Medical Examinations
Medical examinations for special purposes such as pre-employment, fitness to travel, elderly drivers, fitness to undertake sports etc, will require longer than a routine appointment.
These examinations do not form part of NHS Services, you will be charged for any such examination. Please check the fee chargeable when you require to arrange any such examination.