News
Enhanced Access to GP Appointments
General Practice is here for you longer, as routine appointments become available on evenings and weekends.
Preston North and East Primary Care Network will be increasing access to pre-bookable, routine appointments at evenings and weekends. Limited appointments are available Monday to Friday 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm and Saturdays 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.
Please contact reception for details and appointment availability.
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Patient Notice
Our new telephone number is: 01772 501070
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Message to our patients - update on the COVID-19 booster programme
The NHS and its partners are working extremely hard to roll out the COVID-19 booster vaccination programme to our communities.
All adults are eligible from Monday 13th December, and you will be able to book via the National Booking System from Wednesday 15th December.
Please do not contact the practice over any vaccination queries or try to book through the practice as this will stop patients with medical conditions being able to get through.
You can book your booster from 3 months from the date of second vaccines, and you can access the National Booking System too book the appointment from 2 months.
We are working at pace to increase the availability of our appointments so that there are plenty of options for people on the National Booking System. Some local vaccination services will also contact patients directly.
New appointments are added every day across our vaccination services. Further availability will come online from Wednesday 15th December.
We will be working will all our sites to take further steps to increase what they can offer again, including opening later and on more days.
All these appointments will be added to the National Booking System. We encourage everyone who is aged 18 and over, is yet to have their booster and who is approaching 3 months from your second vaccine to use the National Booking System to arrange your appointment when you are able to do so.
In terms of any planned appointments with Ribbleton Medical Centre, there are no changes at the current time, and everyone should attend your planned appointments as normal. If we need to make any changes, we will contact you directly.
Further information is available at:-
https://www.nhs.uk/book-coronavirus-vaccinationbooking
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Patient Information on Blood Tests
🩸 There is a global shortage of some equipment used for taking blood tests.
✅ Anyone who needs a test for urgent health problems will still get one. But where it’s safe to do so, your appointment may be rescheduled.
⌚️ Given the nature of the shortage, we cannot give an exact date for when the test will be rescheduled, but if your condition or symptoms require it, you will get a test.
⚠️ If your condition or symptoms change or get worse, please contact the NHS as you would normally.
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Raising a concern
If you are a staff member:
Following the 'freedom to speak up review' by Sir Robert Francis, it was recommended that all NHS organisations foster a culture of safety and learning in which the staff feel safe when raising concerns.
Practice staff can raise any concerns via the CCGs' Freedom to Speak up Guardian, Paul Richardson, who is the CCGs ' Vice Chair and Lay Member for Governance. Paul can be contacted by email to paul.richardson9@nhs.net. You can find out more about this role via the CCG [https://www.nhs.uk/documents/our-policies/organisational-policies/329-hr-29-freedom-to-speak-up-policy-v7-0/file].
Staff can raise concerns anonymously via the Care Quality Commission.
If you are a member of the public:
If your concern is about the care you have received or that of a loved one, we recommend that you should always speak directly to the practice about this in the first instance. However, if you feel that this is not possible or you do not wish to do so then you can raise a concern by contacting the CCGs' customer care team via email to csrccg.customercare@nhs.net or call 01772 214602 or 01772 214601 - Please note that calls to these numbers are recorded for training and monitoring purposes.
Alternatively, you can also contact the Care Quality Commission, the independent regulator for all adult health and care services in England.
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Rescue Packs - updated 24th March 2020
We have been made aware of some inaccurate information circulating (especially on social media) regarding special rescue packs of antibiotics and oral steroids for patients with pre-existing respiratory conditions such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (or even for those who do not have these conditions).
We would like to reassure you that patients who suffer with severe respiratory conditions already have these in place (along with the instructions how to use them). Oral steroids are powerful medicines and any decision to use them would need careful evaluation by a prescriber, usually a doctor or respiratory specialist nurse.
The current advice is please do not contact your GP practice for a rescue pack unless this is something that has been previously agreed and prescribed by your medical team. You should continue to manage your condition in the usual way and if you feel you have symptoms of COVID-19, go to https://111.nhs.uk/covid-19 before doing anything else.
We are aware of increasing requests for inhalers from patients who have not had them for a significant period of time. There is a risk of supply problems if inhalers are issued to people who do not currently need them. GP practices will need to review requests on an individual basis and will only prescribe where there is current clinical need for an inhaler. If your condition changes in future and your GP thinks you need an inhaler it will be prescribed for you at that point.
At the moment, inhaler prescriptions are also being limited to one of each type of inhaler in order to make sure that all patients who need one can get one.
You should continue to manage your conditions in the usual way and if you feel you have symptoms of COVID-19, go to https://111.nhs.uk/covid-19 or call 111 (online services should be used as a first choice) before doing anything else.
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Home
The doctors and staff here at Ribbleton Medical Centre in Preston are proud to offer the highest standard of patient-centered healthcare.
We are a GP training practice providing further training for junior doctors who are fully qualified and have had ample hospital experience that may wish to have a career in general practice. We also provide placements for medical students from the University of Manchester and Royal Preston Hospital. Both the practice and all doctors and medical students are thoroughly assessed by the North West Education Deanery before any placements.
We offer a wide variety of medical services including:
- Chronic disease monitoring
- Antenatal & postnatal care
- Minor surgery
- Childhood vaccinations
- Health checks
All patients are allocated a named GP but you are welcome to see any GP within the practice. Please ask at reception if you would like to know who your named GP is, you can also look on your medical card.
Our care navigators (formally known as medical receptionists) are fully trained in taking details of your medical problem to enable them to assess and book your appointment with the most appropriate clinician, which may not necessarily be a GP. All our practice staff are bound by patient confidentiality.
Your computerised medical records are linked to "The Summary Care Record" which gives a summary of your medical records to all authorised healthcare staff treating you anywhere in the NHS in England. To express your consent or dissent for this, please print off the form from the link below, fill it in and return it to the surgery. Please note you will need to fill in separate form for each family member. website/P81184/files/Summary Care Record.docx
To change your address, you can print off a change of address form via the link below. Once you have filled this in please return it to us at the surgery. Please note if you are out of our practice boundaries you will be sent a letter to advise you that you will be removed from our practice in 30 days and will need to find a new GP. website/P81184/files/Change_of_Address_Form.pdf
Have your say - leave us feedback on NHS Choices
Your views can help improve local GP and health services. Visit www.gp-patient.co.uk to find out more.
Opening Times
Opening Times
N.B. The telephone lines will be closed on a Saturday. Please note the surgery on a Saturday is NOT A WALK IN SURGERY.
Please note the surgery will be closed on the following Public holidays:
Monday 1st January: New Year's Day
Friday 29th March: Good Friday
Monday 1st April: Easter Monday
Monday 6th May: Early May bank holiday
Monday 27th May: Spring bank holiday
Monday 26th August: Summer bank holiday
Wednesday 25th December: Christmas Day
Thursday 26th December: Boxing Day
Increased access:
The surgery works with several local practices to provide greater access to appointments and can offer appointments up to 8pm Monday to Friday and on Saturday and Sunday AM.
Please be advised that availability is limited and will be by pre-booked appointment and urgent on the day only. Access may not always be provided at this surgery and you may need to travel to an alternative practice. If no appointment is available, you may be directed to alternative services such as 111.
These appointments will not be available to book online - therefore please speak to a member of our reception staff for further advice.