The Finchampstead Surgery

Registration

In order to be seen by a clinician you must first register with the surgery as a patient. Please call in at reception and ask for a ‘new patient registration pack’.

Preferred GP

All patients are now officially registered as being on the list of The Finchampstead Surgery and not with an individual doctor. However, for the purpose of continuity of patient care the surgery does prefer to run an internal list for each doctor and this is referred to as a ‘preferred GP’. The surgery requests that patients remain with their preferred GP unless there are acceptable reasons why they wish to change. We also prefer to keep spouses, partners and any children/dependants or carers with the same doctor, so your GP has a holistic overview of your immediate families’ health. An individual’s right to confidentiality is always strictly adhered to and a doctor will not disclose your medical information with anyone else, including your spouse/partner, unless they have your specific written consent to do so. Very occasionally you may not be able to make an appointment with your ‘preferred GP’ for the time you have requested. It may therefore be necessary to offer you an appointment with one of the other doctors or a nurse instead. The allocation of your ‘preferred GP’ will be dependent on the current list sizes of the individual GP.

You have the right to express a preference of GP and if you wish to do so you should make this known in writing to the business manager. Every effort will be made to allocate patients to the GP of their choice. However, this may not always be possible but you may request an explanation for any decision taken.

New Patient Questionnaire and Basic Health Check

All newly registered patients are requested to complete a ‘new patient questionnaire’ which enquires about your past and current health. This helps us establish an immediate brief medical history for you before we receive your full medical records from your previous practice via Thames Valley Primary Care Agency (TVPCA), which can take up to several weeks.

We ask that new patients also make an appointment with a practice nurse to attend a ‘basic health check’. This applies for all patients, including children 5 and above, and helps us establish general health and lifestyle information about you.

Temporary Residents

If a visitor to your home needs to see a doctor, you may make arrangements for them to be seen at the surgery on a temporary basis. Temporary residents can be registered with the surgery for either up to 15 days or if they are staying longer up to three months but we would request they only register with the surgery at the time they need to make an appointment.

Change of Address or Personal Details

It is vital that we have your most up-to-date personal information. If you and/or your family have changed name, address or contact telephone number you must inform the surgery as soon as possible.

Moving residence outside the surgery area

Every general practice has a defined population that it provides primary care services to. If you move outside The Finchampstead Surgery area we will no longer be able to provide those services to you. You must inform the surgery of your change of address and register with your new local practice immediately. Your continuity of care may be affected if you do not re-register as certain services such as home visits, community nursing, dispensing and out of hours services are provided appropriate to where you live. Our receptionists will be happy to advise you as to whether your new address remains within the surgery boundary.

Proof of identity and address

We are required to request both proof of identity and proof of address for all newly registered patients. Suitable methods are a valid passport or photo driving licence along with a utility bill or bank/credit card statement in your name. We also retain the right to request proof of an individual’s address when we have been advised by the local health authorities that a patient remains on the practice list but the patient is believed to have moved out of the practice area.