
GP Surgery
in County Durham:
Cestria Health Centre
Whitehill
Way - Chester le Street - County Durham - DH2 3DJ
Telephone
0191 3887771 - Fax 0191 3871803 –
e-mail: cestria.hc:virgin.net
Website http://freespace.virgin.net/cestria.hc
Your Doctors …..
Dr
Anne Sullivan MBBS DRCOG
London 1971
Dr
Chris Bennett MBBS MRCGP
DRCOG London 1973
Dr
Jane Bowman MB ChB
MRCGP DRCOG Newcastle 1979
Dr
James McMichael MB ChB
MRCGP Dundee 1981
Dr
Adam Douglas BSc MSc
MBBS MRCGP PGDipENT Newcastle 1992
Dr
Neil O’Brien BMS MB ChB
MRCGP PGDipCardiol Dundee 1998
Dr
Heather Forsyth MBBS DRCOG
MRCGP Newcastle 1999
and everyone at Cestria Health Centre extend you a warm welcome!
Appointments and Telephone Advice
House Calls and Evenings, Weekends and Bank
Holidays
Health Visitors and Children’s Health
Practice Boundaries and Summary of Important
Information
Cestria Health Centre is a group practice of six doctors and their
staff. We aim to do the best for our patients at all times. Most medical
problems and health issues can be dealt with by our experienced team “in
house”. Where referral is required, we use the NHS “Choose and Book” system to
offer a wide range of choices suitable for dealing with the particular problem,
and we always take patient’s preferences into account.
The doctors do not operate
personal lists and you are free to see the doctor of your choice. However, it
is best to see one doctor, throughout the duration of any one illness, if at
all possible.
Usually there will be a further one or two fully qualified doctors
training to specialise in General Practice, or other healthcare professionals,
working with us at any one time. Additionally we sometimes have undergraduate
medical students learning about General Practice who may be “sitting in” on
consultations. This is valuable educational experience for them, but if you
would prefer to be seen by the doctor alone, you simply need to let the
receptionist know.
If you live in our Practice area and would like to register with
us, please complete a registration form that is available from reception. You will be registering with the Practice
rather than an individual GP.
Access for disabled patients
The Health Centre has good access and facilities for the disabled.
The car park is large, with a number of reserved disabled spaces. We request
that disabled bays are not abused.
Please ensure that cars are not parked on access roads as this causes a
safety hazard.
The
Practice Manager organises
the day to day running of the Practice.
Receptionists help organise appointments,
repeat prescriptions, ambulance bookings and take requests for house calls.
Secretaries are the communication link
between the GPs and other health services and hospitals. Patients who have
already been referred for a hospital appointment will usually get a letter direct
from the hospital with the details of the appointment. If necessary the patient
may make further enquiries from the hospital department themselves, but our
secretaries will be happy to help if there are problems.
Practice
Nurse Team is made up
of nurses and a nurse practitioner, and trained health care assistants plus
specialist reception staff who deal with results and organising tests. The
nurses work both supporting the doctors and also independently. They are
available for advice 9-12am and 1-6pm, and manage minor injuries and dressings
as well having booked appointment surgeries for vaccinations, blood pressure
checks, cervical smears, family planning etc.
Community
Nurses specialise
in the care of people who need nursing in their own home. They also have a role
in health promotion and providing routine check-ups for the housebound.
Midwives help with care during and for 10
days after pregnancy.
Health
Visitors advise
about health and development in the under 5’s
Community
Mental Health Team is made up
of specialist nurses and supporting staff under the guidance of a Consultant
Psychiatrist. They act as a link between mentally ill patients at home and the
hospital psychiatric services.
Physiotherapists We have a team of
physiotherapists who provide treatment appointments most days.
Consultations are by appointment only except in emergency.
Routine Appointments
For a routine appointment, please call 3887771 between 8am and 6pm.
You will be offered a time for the next available surgery. A specifically named
doctor appointment may be further in the future than an “any doctor”
appointment due to individual doctor’s commitments. There are normally surgery
appointment times between 8.00am and 11.30am, and 2.00pm and 6.00pm each
weekday, and a limited number of pre-booked only appointments on Thursday
nights and Saturday mornings. You can
help us by being on time for your appointment or letting us know if you need to
cancel.
Weekday Urgent Appointments
If you have a problem which you feel must be dealt with the same
day, please telephone as soon as possible, ideally between 8.30am and 10am. If
no routine appointment is available, then you will either be given an
appointment to be seen that day as an urgent extra case, or the receptionist
will offer you the advice of the Telephone Advice Line (doctor or nurse
practitioner), depending on the nature of the problem. The doctor / nurse
giving telephone advice will discuss the problem with you and ensure that you
are offered appropriate medical help or advice.
Telephone Advice Line
A Telephone Advice Line doctor / nurse works every weekday between
9am and 10.30am and will return your call, normally within 30 minutes. Many
consultations are because patients need information, which can often be given
over the telephone. The person operating the advice line will be one of the
team from Cestria, not an outside agency, and they will be happy to provide
specific or general medical advice, and can prescribe if appropriate; patients
with an urgent medical problem will be seen within a time appropriate to the
problem (usually within 24 – 48 hours).
House Calls and Out of Hours Cover
House Calls
It is a great help to the doctors in planning the day ahead if
requests for house calls can be placed before 10am. Obviously requests for very
urgent calls can be made at any time.
House calls are necessary for the house bound or those too ill to
attend surgery. If you are in doubt about whether your condition requires a
house call, please ask to speak to one of the nurses or doctors, who will be
happy to advise.
It is commonly though that leaving the house with a cough or rash
or a temperature may be harmful, but this is not generally so, even in a child.
A more complete examination and any extra tests that may be necessary are more
easily carried out at the Health Centre.
It is helpful if you can give the receptionist some idea of the
symptoms to enable the doctor to judge the urgency of the call and if there is
any need for special equipment, drugs etc. If you feel that the information is
too personal, please ask to speak to the doctor directly.
Evenings, Weekends and Holidays
From September 2004 out-of-hours medical services are provided by
To access medical help out-of-hours:
If you have an urgent medical
problem, please contact the
Out-of-Hours Service on: 0191 215 1333
You can also get health advice 24
hours a day by calling
NHS-Direct on: 0845 4647
Alternatively, you can access the
above numbers by ringing
Cestria Health Centre Emergency
Line
when the surgery is closed on: 0191 388 3336
When you collect your prescription (if you are on regular long
term treatment), you will also receive a tear-off slip listing your name and
computer number, your repeat medications, and the planned review date for these
medications.
A repeat of your prescription may be obtained by any of the
methods listed below. Except in emergencies, the prescription will be ready for
collection from reception after 1pm the day following the request being made.
It is possible to have your prescription sent direct to some of the
Request Repeat Prescriptions By:
Telephone
387 1759 between
11am and 4pm, quoting your name and computer number (on the top right hand of
the repeat prescription list).
Leave your
ticked repeat prescription slip in one of the two the collection boxes, one is situated just
outside the surgery main door for out of hours use, and the other is just to
the left of the main reception counter.
Send a
stamped addressed envelope with your ticked repeat slip to the Health Centre. We will post
your prescription to you the next day. Remember to make allowances for postal
delays/Bank Holidays etc.
Notes
Prescriptions for up to 3 consecutive months in advance can be requested,
with your doctor’s agreement. Normally your doctor will need to review your
treatment with you at least annually.
Please order only the medications that you need, by ticking the
box to the right of that medication.
Please do not order any medications that you do not need.
Health Visitors and Children’s Health
Our Health Visitor team is happy to answer your questions
regarding young children’s health issues.
The Health Visitors are available for telephone calls:
0191
– 387 6551
If you have children under the age of 5, or a child of any age
with special problems, the Health Visitors would be grateful if you could
contact them as soon as possible after you register with the practice. An
appointment or home assessment can then be offered as appropriate.
Children’s Clinic times:
Thursday 2pm to 3pm (Health Visitor and GP)
Both booked appointments and un-booked slots with a GP or Nurse
Practitioner are available. The clinic is intended for children under 7 years
old. Reasons for attending range from treatment of minor children’s illness, to
general health concerns and development advice. We very much favour preventing
disease through immunisation, vaccinations are provided at the clinic between
1.30pm and 3pm.
Developmental checks for 8 week old babies are carried out by a GP
between 1.30 and 2pm on Thursdays.
Appointments will be sent out automatically when checks are due. Please inform the Health Visitors if you
think that your child may have missed out on either vaccination or
developmental checks.
Special Clinics and
Services (appointment required)
Ante-Natal Clinic (Tuesday 1pm to 4pm)
The Practice Midwives and a GP are present to provide care and
advice during pregnancy. Most antenatal
care is shared between the GP surgery and local hospital antenatal clinic. Post-natal exams are provided 6 weeks after
delivery.
Family Planning Clinic (Tue. 9-10.30am
& Thur. 5.30-7.30pm)
These clinics cover pill prescriptions, coil and cap fittings,
injections for contraception, post-coital contraception (“morning after pill”),
breast checks and sterilisation discussion and referral. We prefer our patients
to attend the Family Planning Clinic for all family planning matters including
provision of condoms. Post-natal examinations are often also performed at this
clinic.
Travel Advice Clinic
Our senior nurse provides comprehensive travel health advice using
a special computer program. You will be asked your travel plan details and will
receive a printed guidance sheet and, if you wish, vaccinations as
appropriate. We make a charge for this
service if the required advice is complex or if treatment is not covered by the
NHS.
Cervical Smears
All women between the ages of 25 and 65 are recommended to have a
cervical smear performed every 3 years until the age of 50, then every 5 years
until the age of 65. Please contact the
nurse receptionist for an appointment or advice regarding arranging a smear
test.
Asthma Clinic (Monday 2-5pm)
Held weekly for monitoring and managing asthma, by appointment.
Diabetic Clinic (Friday9-11.30am and 2-4pm)
This clinic is held most weeks, and is useful for monitoring and
as a “one stop” clinic for diabetes management. As well as the doctor and
nurses, there is also a specially trained Chiropodist for foot care, and on the
spot blood testing with immediate results to help decide if any changes in
medication are needed. Diabetic advice is available from the doctors and nurses
at any time during the week if needed.
Minor Surgery
Minor surgical procedures can often be undertaken in the surgery
by suitably trained and experienced GPs.
Physiotherapy
A team of physiotherapists work within the Health Centre to treat
back, joint and tendon problems. Our physiotherapists are highly qualified and
also operate a specialist joint and tendon injection clinic for appropriate
cases. Patients need to consult with a GP to be referred to the
physiotherapists.
Warfarin (Monday 12-1.30pm)
We have a specialist team who operate a warfarin monitoring
clinic. The clinic uses on the spot testing for instant readout, prescription
advice and also offers a home visiting service for the housebound.
Counsellor (various times)
A counsellor consults within the surgery to help with emotional
and psychological problems. Patients need to be referred by a GP.
|
Morning |
Early Afternoon |
Afternoon |
Evening |
|
|
Monday |
GP Surgeries |
GP Surgeries |
GP Surgeries |
---- |
|
Tuesday |
GP Surgeries |
GP Surgeries |
GP Surgeries |
---- |
|
Wednesday |
GP Surgeries |
GP Surgeries |
GP Surgeries |
---- |
|
Thursday |
GP Surgeries |
GP Surgeries |
GP Surgeries |
Family Planning and Pre-book only
appointments |
|
Friday |
GP Surgeries |
GP Surgeries |
GP Surgeries |
---- |
|
Saturday |
Pre-book only
appointments |
---- |
---- |
---- |
Practice Boundaries
and Summary of Important Information
We accept new patients from within the red bordered
area

Important Information and Contact Numbers
Routine Appointments / Enquiries (8:30am – 6pm) telephone 388 7771
Repeat Prescriptions (11am–4pm) telephone 387 1759
House Calls (8.30-10am where possible) telephone 388 3336
Emergencies / Out of Hours (consider 999 if appropriate) 388 3336
Health Visitors 387
6551
We respect your right to privacy and keep all your health
information confidential and secure. It
is important that the NHS keeps accurate and up-to-date records about your
health and treatment so that those treating you can give you the best possible
advice and care. This information is
only available to those involved in your care and you should never be asked for
personal medical information by anyone not involved in your care. You have a right to know what information we
hold about you. If you would like to see
your records, please call our Practice Manager.
Comments and Complaints
If you have any complaint or concern about the service that you
have received from the doctors or staff working for this Practice you are
entitled to ask for an explanation. We
operate an informal, in-house complaints procedure to deal with your
complaints. This procedure does not deal
with matters of legal liability or compensation. In some cases the in-house procedure is not
an appropriate form of investigation, in which case you will be referred to the
appropriate authority.
Your complaint should be addressed to the Practice Manager, Mrs
Denise Hunter, or alternatively you may ask for an appointment in order to
discuss your concerns. The Practice
Manager will explain the complaints procedure to you and will make sure your
concerns are dealt with promptly.
We are keen to continuously improve our service and would value
any comments or suggestions you wish to make.
It would be helpful if you could make your suggestion in writing and
leave it in the suggestion box at reception.
Mutual Respect and Standards of Behaviour
We aim to treat our patients courteously at all times and expect
our patients to treat our staff in a similarly respectful way. We take seriously any threatening, abusive or
violent behaviour against any of our staff or patients. If a patient is violent or abusive, they will
be warned to stop their behaviour. If
they persist, we may exercise our right to take action to have them removed,
immediately if necessary, from our list of patients.
Practice
Address
Cestria Health Centre
Whitehill Way
Chester le Street
County Durham
DH2 3DJ
Telephone (0191) 388 7771
Fax (0191) 387 1803
e-mail: cestria.hc@virgin.net
Website http://freespace.virgin.net/cestria.hc
The local NHS walk-in centre is situated at:
Newcastle Westgate NHS Walk-in Centre
Newcastle General Hospital
Westgate Road
Newcastle-upon-Tyne
NE4 6BE
NHS Direct can be contacted as follows:
Tel: 0845 46 47
or On-line at: www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk
(NHS Direct Online is a website providing high quality health information and
advice for the people of England.)
The local
Primary Care Trust is situated at:
County Durham Primary Care Trust
Durham University Science Park
John Snow House
Durham
DH1 3YG
Tel: (0191) 301 1300