We are continually looking to turn patient feedback into real improvements in the services we provide. We use it to focus on the things that matter most to our patients, carers and their families.
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions About Appointments
How do I book an appointment at Hall Green Health?
The easiest way to book an appointment is to fill out the online request form on our website. We aim to reply to all online requests within 1 working day, so the form should not be used for emergencies.
You can request an appointment by telephone however we receive a very high number of calls each day, meaning waiting times can be long. This is why we ask everyone who has web access to submit their requests online, leaving the phone lines for urgent problems and people who can’t use the internet.
Please include a good amount of detail in your request, as we will not be able to process it without.
What happens when I have requested an appointment?
All requests are reviewed by a clinician, who will decide one the best way to handle it, as well as how urgent the problem is. They will then offer one the following:
- An appointment with a GP or AHP (see below), either on the same day (for urgent problems), or in the next few days or weeks (for routine problems).
- Treatment or advice without the need for an appointment, for simple problems
- Advice to contact services such as the local pharmacy or urgent treatment centre
- Advice to attend A&E if your problem is an emergency or too serious to be managed by a GP
Why can’t I book an appointment directly online or through Patient Access?
All appointment requests must be reviewed before booking, to make sure they are managed and directed correctly, and that our appointments are given to those who need them most.
We aim to direct patients to the right place or person, first time around, and avoid waste of expert clinician time. We feel the current system for booking appointments is the best way to do this.
Why can I not request an appointment in person at the front desk?
As above, all requests must be reviewed by a clinician. If our front desk staff took appointment requests, they would have to leave the desk to talk to the clinician each time, leading to long queues in the reception area for people who already have appointments or other queries.
Why have I not been booked an appointment on the same day?
The clinician reviewing your request will decide whether it needs to be seen urgently or can safely wait for a number of days or weeks. By booking less urgent problems on future days, we can keep a safe number of on-the-day appointments for people who need urgent assessment.
Why don’t you have more appointments to offer?
There is currently a national shortage of GPs, which has gotten worse due to the recent pandemic. Hall Green Health is a GP surgery and not a walk-in centre or A&E department; when we are full, we are not able to see any more patients. If we did, our clinicians would not have enough time to fully assess and manage each patient, which would not be safe.
Why has my appointment not been booked with a GP?
To provide the best possible service for our patients, the Partners of Hall Green Health have appointed the following Additional Healthcare Professionals (AHPs) to support us:
- paramedics
- physician associates
- advanced nurse practitioners
- clinical nurse specialists
- a mental health practitioner
- a first contact physiotherapist
Each of these clinicians are important members of our team and have valuable skills and knowledge that may equally or better suit your needs than a GP. If needed, they always have access to supervision and advice from the on-call GP.
We use the skills of our extended clinical team appropriately so that our GP appointments are available for problems that cannot be managed by anybody else.
I have been booked a telephone consultation, why can’t I see my GP face to face?
A lot of problems can be assessed over the phone, as specific symptoms often can tell us enough about what’s happening to make a diagnosis or suggest further tests. The person reviewing your appointment request can assess whether your problem might need to be managed in person if so, book a face-to-face appointment straight away.
If you have a telephone consultation and the clinician feels they need to see you in person after hearing your symptoms, they can also book this themselves.
By offering telephone and video consultations, we can give our patients a way to receive care that is easier for them as it doesn’t require the time, effort or cost of coming to us in person. It also avoids having lots of people sitting in the waiting room at once, in turn avoiding the spread of infectious diseases to our vulnerable patients and staff members.
Frequently Asked Questions About Prescribed Medication
How do I request a repeat medication?
If you have registered for online access, you can request your medication by ticking the required item on the medication screen.
If you have not registered for online access, you will need to tick what you want on your repeat prescription slip and bring the slip into the surgery.
If you do not have a repeat slip, then you will need to come to the surgery and a member of the team will print one off for you.
In exceptional circumstances, for example if you are completely housebound, have no online access and no family members to act on your behalf, we may authorise your specified community pharmacist to request on your behalf.
How quickly can I expect my prescription to be ready?
Hall Green Health will be able to sort out your repeat prescription request within 2 working days of the request provided that:
- The medication is on your repeat list
- The request is before the review date
If this is not the case then you should not expect your request to be dealt with within 2 working days.
This delay is to ensure safe prescribing of medicines for you.
What about medication not on the repeat list?
You may need to allow at least one week for medication to be available.
Why does it take longer to obtain medication not already on my repeat list?
(i) If you have never had it from this surgery before
- The request will go to your doctor
- Your doctor may not be available every working day
- The doctor will review your records and decide whether they are happy to prescribe it or if they wish to see you
- If the doctor wishes to see you, a receptionist will contact you and ask you to book an appointment
(ii) There is a hospital letter recommending that you have the medication
In most case the doctor will be happy to issue the prescription without you needing to be seen provided that the letter indicates the diagnosis and the reason why the drug is needed is clear in the letter.
There will be a delay if:
- The letter has not yet arrived at the practice
- The letter is unclear and the doctor needs to confirm the diagnosis or the reasons for the prescription with the specialist
- The drugs we are being asked to prescribe require monitoring eg blood tests
- The drugs we are being asked to prescribe are not usually prescribed by GPs and should be prescribed by the specialist
- The drugs we are being asked to prescribe require a signed agreement between the GP and the specialist
(iii) Drugs you have had from HGH in the past but they are not currently on your repeat list
The doctor may be happy to issue the prescription without you needing to be seen. This is likely to be the case if you were recently started on the medication and the doctor wanted to make sure it was suiting you before moving it to your repeat list.
The doctor will consider the type of medication, the number of times you have had it in the past and when you were last seen in relation to that problem.
The doctor will make a judgement on whether it is safe to prescribe the requested drug for you.
The doctor may feel that you need a blood test or an assessment to ensure your safety. The doctor may issue the prescription but request that you attend for further tests or assessment. It is important for your safety that you follow the advice given.
The doctor may not be happy to prescribe the drug again without you being seen. In this case, you will be asked to book an appointment.
(iv) Specialist Drugs
These are drugs that you are being prescribed by the specialist.
We have added them to your repeat medication so that the list shows all the drugs you are receiving regularly – this is for safety to make sure everyone is aware that you are taking a drug not being prescribed by the practice.
We will not prescribe these drugs even though they may appear on your repeat list.
These drugs are listed under the ‘Hospital’ heading on your repeat list if you are viewing them online and will not appear on your repeat medication slip.
You should continue to request this medication from your specialist unless advised otherwise after an appointment at HGH.
What happens if my request is made after the review date?
The request will be passed to your doctor as a prescription query.
The doctor will review your records and decide if they are happy to issue the prescription or not.
Possible outcomes
(i) Prescription issued and review date altered
The doctor is happy that you have had all the necessary issues discussed or checked and it is safe for you to have a further prescription without being seen.
(ii) Prescription issued but review date not altered.
The doctor is happy to give you the prescription but needs to make sure that certain things are done before the next prescription request. The doctor may be waiting for a result or a hospital letter to come back. You may have a note on your repeat slip or be contacted by telephone or letter asking you to book a blood test or bring a urine sample or book for a review with a doctor, nurse or our clinical pharmacist. You must follow the request if you want the review date to be altered with your next prescription request.
(iii) Prescription not issued and review date not altered
This should only occur as a last resort.
For your safety, your doctor feels that you need to be seen before it is possible for a further prescription to be issued.
This is usually the case where advice for a review or a test to be done has not been followed.
Why have I not been given my usual quantity of medication?
Usually, we will only reduce the quantity of medication being issued if we have concerns regarding safe prescribing.
This is often a last resort after repeated failure to respond to requests to have appropriate monitoring or assessments.
Once you have had the necessary check as requested (communicated with your prescription via a message to you and/or your community pharmacist, or via a telephone call or letter from the surgery) then the quantity will be restored to the usual quantity if deemed appropriate following the review.
My hospital consultant has recommended medication – how do I get this on prescription?
All such requests are not urgent as if your specialist felt you needed to start the medication immediately, they would have prescribed it at the hospital from the hospital pharmacy or given you a hospital prescription to take to a community pharmacy.
If you have been given a hand written note to hand in then the medication will be issued after the doctor has ensured it is appropriate for us to prescribe the recommended medications
(See question 4)
If you have been started on medication by the specialist and advised to obtain further repeats of it from your GP, then you will need to request the medication from the surgery if you are happy to continue with it.
(Also see question 4)
Why has my medication request been rejected?
There are a number of reasons why a request may be rejected.
Repeated failure to respond to requests for a review
Item being requested too early – this can indicate over use of the prescribed medication or item
Item not requested for several months when should have been requested more regularly
Request is inappropriate eg antibiotics or medication documented as causing side effects in the past
Usually the doctor will have given a reason why the request has been rejected.
Can I request medication that is not currently on my repeat list?
You can make a request but it will take longer than 2 working days to process the request.
There is no guarantee that the medication will be issued – your safety is our priority.
For all items not on your repeat list, please give a reason for your request.
This reduces the risk of your request being rejected and possibly increases the chance that the doctor will be happy to issue the requested medication.
How will I know if I need a test or review to avoid a delay in getting my prescription?
Our clinical pharmacist or your doctor will indicate if you need anything.
Examples of messages with your repeat prescription are:
- Please book a blood test with the HCA
- Please see HCA for BP check
- Please book with nurse for asthma review.
- Please book medication review with clinical pharmacist
How can I book a medication review?
Your medication review date is a guide for your doctor to review your records – it does not mean that you must book a review.
If you need to book a review, your doctor will have sent a message with your repeat prescription.
If your review date is up, please check your repeat prescription slip (given to you by the community pharmacist when you collect your medication) or ask your community pharmacist if there was any message from the surgery with your prescription.
If you have received a message then please show this to the receptionist or if booking online, please indicate this in the slot booking notes.
If you have not been asked to book but would like to have a review then please book a telephone consultation with our clinical pharmacist(s). If you need to have a face to face appointment, our clinical pharmacist will arrange this after speaking to you and reviewing your medical record.
What do the numbers in brackets mean below the medication name and after the last issue date?
This represents the number of repeats your doctor feels is appropriate up until their next review
For example (2/6) means that 6 repeats of the medication have been authorised by your doctor and you have already used 2. Once you have used up all 6, you can still request the item but it will be passed as a query to the doctor and may therefore take longer than 2 working days to be available and you may receive a message requesting that you book a review.
If your intention is to make a formal complaint, we request that formal complaints are made in writing and submitted either by post or in person. This is to ensure that we can prioritise your concerns appropriately.
If you would like an appointment, please click here. Please note that you will need to set up an account. If you have a prescription query, please click here.
Giving Feedback
Making a complaint
We aim to provide you with the best possible medical service. At times you may feel that we have not achieved this and want to make your feelings known. Most problems can be sorted out quickly and easily, often at the time they arise with the person concerned and this may be the approach you try first.
Where you are not able to resolve your complaint in this way and wish to make a formal complaint you should do so, preferably in writing, as soon as possible after the event and ideally within a few days as this helps us to establish what happened more easily.
The period for making a complaint is normally:
- 12 months from the date on which the event which is the subject of the complaint occurred
- 12 months from the date on which the event which is the subject of the complaint comes to the complainant’s notice
If you are a registered patient, you can complain about your own care.
Complaints can be sent in writing to:
Hall Green Health, Stratford Road
979 Stratford Road
Hall Green
Birmingham
B28 8BG
More information can be found in our full Complaints Policy document.
Complaining on behalf of someone else
We keep to the strict rules of medical and personal confidentiality.
If you wish to make a complaint but are not the patient involved, we will require the written consent of the patient. This is to confirm that they are unhappy with their treatment and that we can deal with someone else about it.
Please ask at reception for a complaints form which includes a statement of authority that the patient can sign. Where the patient is incapable of providing consent due to illness or accident, it may still be possible to deal with the complaint. Please provide the precise details of the circumstances which prevent this in your covering letter. Please note that we are unable to discuss any issue relating to someone else without their express permission, which must be in writing, unless the above circumstances apply.
Confidentiality
All complaints must be treated in the strictest confidence.
Where the investigation of the complaint requires consideration of the patient’s medical records, the practice manager must inform the patient or person acting on his or her behalf if the investigation will involve disclosure of information contained in those records to a person other than the practice or an employee of the practice.
The surgery must keep a record of all complaints and copies of all correspondence relating to complaints but such records must be kept separate from the patient’s medical records.
The surgery has an annual review of complaints received within the year and the learning issues or changes to procedures which have arisen are documented.