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Visit to a Doctor |
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The usual first point of contact with health services is your family doctor (GP). Medical advice can also be obtained from the Accident and Emergency Department of most hospitals. Advice on sexual health matters can be found in Hospital Genito-Urinary Medicine (GUM) clinics or family planning clinics in health or social service centres. There are also help lines available for some medical conditions. Don’t forget that your parents, grandparents or other family member may be able to help.
2. Will it be confidential? Yes - confidentiality
is a key point within all health professions. All members of the
team who have access to any medical information are strictly bound to
keep it confidential. The only exceptions to this rule are where
the doctor is placed in a position of being told of serious crime
where if he doesn't tell the police he will become guilty of withholding
information. Examples would be of murder or serious assault or
perhaps of child abuse where the abuser was in a position to keep on
offending, e.g. working with vulnerable children. 3. Can I see any doctor? All residents of
Great Britain and Northern Ireland should be registered with a named
GP. Most GPs work in group practices with other GPs and you will
be free to see any GP from that practice. If you are away from
home you can make an appointment to see any GP as a “temporary
resident” or for “immediately necessary treatment.” 4. How do I make an appointment? You can either
telephone a GP’s surgery (the number will be in the 'Yellow Pages',
under 'Doctors - Medical') or
call in person during normal working hours (usually between 9am and 5pm). The receptionist will ask for your name and address to help
locate your medical records. It is OK to ask if the doctor is male
or female and to express a choice if you want. If you have an
urgent problem say so in order to be seen soon (“urgent” to a doctor
means something that will seriously affect your health if left too
long). 5. Can I just talk to a doctor? Yes - most GPs have
time set aside for telephone calls. Usually this is either before
or after surgery hours – ask the receptionist when is a good time to
phone. 6. Who else can I
talk to? 7. Will the doctor think I’m silly? GPs see every type of
problem from the trivial to the life threatening. Any medical
problem that is a worry for you is relevant to your GP. GPs will
not be embarrassed by any personal details as they meet these problems
all the time. 8. But my friend/relative works at the doctor’s surgery … No one but you and the doctor need know exactly what goes on in the privacy of a consultation (a consultation is when you meet with a doctor in their office and talk to them about your health concern). Tell the GP that you have friends/relatives working in the surgery and ask that any record is discrete. Even if a doctor gives you a prescription for drugs for sexually transmitted diseases many of these are used for other medical conditions. 9. What if I have a medical problem at night/weekends? If your problem is an emergency which cannot wait until your own doctor opens then if you phone the surgery you should either have your call redirected or else hear an answer phone message giving instructions. The majority of GPs now work in “Out-of-hours Co-operatives” where a large number of GPs team together to provide emergency cover. Usually a telephonist will answer your phone-call who will then take brief details to allow a doctor to call you back. The doctor will either give advice over the telephone, offer to see you in the Out-of-Hours centre or if you are too sick to travel arrange that you are seen at home. 10. How can I find out more about the doctor? In all health centres
and local libraries there should be a directory of all GPs in the
area. This will list the GP’s year of qualification, where they
qualified, exams passed, areas of interest, opening hours and so on. 11. How is a GP trained? All doctors must complete a 4-6 year degree in medicine at university. They then work in hospitals as “housemen” for one year in a closely supervised role before being allowed onto the medical register. After this they work for a minimum of 2 years doing 6-month stints in medical specialities such as Accident & Emergency, paediatrics (children’s medicine), obstetrics (pregnancy), gynaecology (women’s health), surgery, dermatology (skins), ear nose & throat medicine amongst other things. Specialist GP
training is gained during a 1-2 year attachment to an accredited
training GP practice along with further specialised teaching.
After this period of around 10 years they then may become an accredited GP. |