THE PRACTICE
Our Practice
Balance Street Health Centre is a long established GP group practice situated in Uttoxeter and covers a wide rural area from the town centre and surrounding villages. Our large Health Centre aims to provide an integrated Community Health Service for the people of Uttoxeter - all from under one roof.
At Balance Street Health Centre we believe in the traditional values of family medicine and operate a personal list system.
This means that one named Doctor looks after whole households in order to develop an on-going Doctor/patient relationship to build trust and understanding.
The Health Centre DOES NOT have its own patient car park. There is, however, ample parking in the adjacent council car park and space available for disabled patients at the front of the building. A ramp and lift are also available for patients to allow easy access to all floors.
Patients are reminded that Balance Street Health Centre and the surrounding site is a NO SMOKING ZONE.
Appointments
For your convenience all consultations with doctors and nurses are by appointment only.
Appointments can be made in person between 8.00 am and 6.30 pm Monday to Friday or by telephoning the surgery on 01889 562145 Monday to Friday 8:00 am to 6:30 pm.
We can usually offer patients an appointment with their own Doctor within 24 hours. However, if your Doctor is unavailable, you may be offered an appointment with an alternative Doctor.
When booking an appointment you may be asked about the kind of problem or symptoms you have. This enables us to offer you the most appropriate help or appointment. All such discussions remain strictly confidential.
Please make one appointment for each member of the family if they need to be seen or discussed.
If you have access to the internet, you can now go online to book an appointment using the following link: https://access.e-mis.co.uk
This service is available 24 hours a day and can be accessed through any computer, whether at home or at work. EMIS Access uses the highest internet security measures to ensure all patient information is safe and secure. It is designed to be easy to use, simply log in and you can view, book or cancel appointments. To register for online appointment booking, ask at reception for your unique login ID and pin number.
Please note - The internet booking facility is maintained by EMIS, our computer system supplier. From time to time they do experience problems with the site and you may be unable to log-in. If this occurs, please try again at a later time. If you continually experience problems, please contact the practice
If you cannot attend for an appointment or no longer need to be seen please contact the surgery to cancel so we can offer the appointment to another patient
Telephone Advice
Occasionally you may feel that an appointment is not necessary and you could discuss your problem or medication over the telephone. If you wish to speak to your Doctor, please contact the surgery and a message will be left with your Doctor to contact you. The receptionist may ask for details of your call but this is to assist the Doctor and will remain strictly confidential.
Telephone: 01889 562145
Alternatively you can contact NHS Direct on 0845 4647
NHS Direct is a confidential 24-hour telephone helpline staff by expert nurses.
Home Visits
We are able to provide a much better quality of care at the surgery than in your own home. Doctors can see approximately five patients in the surgery in the time it takes to visit one patient at home. It is for these reasons that we would ask all patients to attend the surgery whenever possible. East Staffs run a mobility Link Service offering door to door transport at reasonable rates. Tel: 01283 544320
If a home visit is needed, the request should be made, before 12:00 noon by telephoning the surgery on 01889 562145.
How To Register
Anyone living in our practice area can apply to register with us. It is helpful if you can bring your medical card when you register.
Prior to registration, you will be asked to complete a New Patient Questionnaire giving details of past history, current medication, family history etc. This acts as a useful source of information until permanent records arrive from your previous GP.
You will also be requested to use our blood pressure machine and height/weight machine which are both located in a private area of our waiting room. These details will be added to your records following your registration.
Parents/Guardians will be required to complete a Vaccination and Immunisation Record form for all children less than 5 years of age
Practice Dispensary
Patients who live more than one mile away from a pharmacy are able to use our in-house dispensary between 8:30 am and 6:30 pm to collect their medication.
If you wish to contact our dispensary, please do so in the afternoon on 01889 568855.
Free Delivery Service
The dispensary provides a free home delivery service for patients who have difficulty attending the surgery to collect medication.
The delivery service is available on the following days:
| Monday | Bramshall |
| Tuesday | Kingstone |
| Wednesday | Stramshall |
| Thursday | Marchington / Draycott / Doveridge |
| Friday | Rocester / Denstone |
We deliver to patients living in Uttoxeter and Checkley daily (except Tuesday)
Please telephone our dispensary directly to arrange this service on 01889 568855.
Please provide one week's notice to ensure the prescription is processed. Someone must be available at the delivery address to receive the medication.
Repeat Prescriptions & Re-Ordering Service
If you are taking repeat medications, you will be given a counterfoil with your medication details on. Please tick the items you require and place the counterfoil in the box provided, or post it to us including a stamped addressed envelope if you wish us to post it back to you. Due to the numbers involved, repeat prescription requests cannot be taken over the telephone.
Alternatively you can order your repeat medication online using the link below. This service is available 24 hours a day and can be accessed through any computer, whether at home or at work.
https://access.e-mis.co.uk
EMIS Access uses the highest internet security measures to ensure all patient information is safe and secure. It is designed to be easy to use, simply log in and you can view, book or cancel appointments. To register for online appointment booking, ask at reception for your unique login ID and pin number.
Please note - The internet ordering facility is maintained by EMIS, our computer system supplier. From time to time they do experience problems with the site and you may be unable to log-in.
If this occurs, please try again at a later time. If you continually experience problems, please contact the Health Centre.
Please allow 2 working days to process prescriptions. Medications are issued for one month in accordance with Government guidelines.
Your doctor could ask to see you face to face at least once every 12 months for a medication review. Failure to attend for a medication review may result in medications being withheld temporarily.
If you find it difficult to attend the surgery to order your repeat prescription and then again to collect your medication, why not sign up to our repeat prescription re-ordering service? The dispensary staff will automatically re-order your repeat prescription and provide you with a date your medication will be ready to collect. Please ask our dispensary staff for further details.
Laboratory Specimens
All specimens, such as urine, must be handed in at reception by 11:00 am weekdays in order to link with the hospital courier. Please ensure your full name and date of birth is clearly written on the sample bottle.
Test Results
You may be asked to telephone the surgery for your test results. If so, please call between 2:00 pm and 4:00 pm.
Doctors read all test results when they arrive at the surgery and make recommendations, which the receptionist can pass onto you.
You do not, therefore, have to speak to your Doctor unless they have specifically requested you do.
In order to maintain confidentiality, results of investigations will only be given to the patient themselves or to the parents/guardians of minors, unless it has been agreed with the Doctor that the results can be given to a third party.
Please note that not all results can be given over the telephone. Depending on the complexity of the test, you may be advised to speak to the nurse or doctor as appropriate.
If you receive a letter requesting you come in and discuss your results please do not be alarmed; it is a system we use to ensure certain results are discussed face to face. It may be that we need more information or need to alter medication.
