Ten ways of making the most of your time with the staff at Falcon Medical Group
We want to make Falcon Medical Group as useful as possible to you.
It can be stressful coming to the surgery. Sometimes it feels there is not enough time. People often forget quite a lot of what has been said! And every now and again coming to health professionals may be harmful rather than helpful.
We want to work with you to avoid misunderstandings, mistakes and any harm. So here is a set of 10 tips for getting the most out of coming to our practice.
1. Choose the right person to see
There are many members in the team - over 25 at the last count and all doing different things with different skills and knowledge.
You can look on this website or ask the reception staff to help you decide which one is most useful to talk to in each circumstance.
The more information you give them, the better able they are to help you.
2. Doctors (and nurses) don't always know best
Sometimes you don't need us at all, you just need the information! Articles on the web can be very useful (but some can be misleading).
We carry a lot of information in leaflets and books. Don't forget to use NHS Direct. There are lots of helpful sources of information outside Falcon Medical Group as well such as the council, voluntary agencies, support groups etc. To start you off, check our links page.
The receptionists can often help you find what you need.
3. Choosing how to “talk” with us
We are very happy to see you face to face as in “the old days” but these days you can also book a time on the telephone with us or even email the practice. You can also now book online and access a number of resources here on our website.
4. Lists help!
We welcome lists of what you want to say or sort out. That way we can work with you to judge what it is most important to deal with in the time available.
Sometimes when the list is long, we will decide together what may have to wait for another time - or if someone else can help with any of the problems or questions on your list.
5. Double appointments
Very occasionally the clinician and you may decide that you need a bit more time because something is complicated. Please book a double appointment only if your nurse/doctor has asked you to. And please let us know in advance if you cannot make it or any other appointment.
6. Write it down
On average patients only remember a third of what is said each time they come to us. Writing things down doubles how much is remembered.
We will try and write things down but you can help - ask us to write things down or give you the leaflet; there is lots of information at our fingertips on the computer. Or write them down yourself either with us or immediately afterwards.
7. Bringing someone with you
If you want to bring someone else with you (partner, friend, carer or advocate) into your appointment then please do.
It is often helpful for us to meet and get the ideas and comments of other people who are important to you.
However, this is not an invitation for the other person to start saying “by the way doc, while I am here can you just examine my foot” etc.!
8. Patient knows best
It used to be doctor knows best didn't it? And you can be sure that all the staff at Falcon are very knowledgeable, but these days the healthiest people are often the people who are helping themselves to health and “know how”.
So, as well as giving you information when you want it, we will also encourage you to find out about your own health problems; manage your own chest complaints or diabetes, measure your own blood pressure, monitor your own depression or anxiety levels. It works best if we do it together.
9. I don't get it - if in doubt, ask
Sometimes we think we have explained something well but we have not!
Either we forgot to explain at all or you did not understand what on earth we were talking about. Please do not be embarrassed, just SAY you are still not quite sure what we are telling you and could we explain again. It saves lots of worry and misunderstanding.
Likewise when we send you copies of the letter we send to the hospital (or they send to you), let us know if anything is inaccurate or not understood.
10. Medications are not magic and require managing
Medications are often useful and important. There are pitfalls - side effects, disadvantages and misunderstandings.
There is NOT a pill for every ill and sometimes other approaches work better! Getting all this right is a joint effort. We will try and go over the advantages and disadvantages of using a medication with you before you start. Please ask if you are still confused.
Also let us know if you are taking other medications and alternative remedies or if you have stopped medication that we think you are taking. We don’t mind and it helps us understand and prescribe more effectively.