Stannary Surgery Text Only Site.

Essential Information

Going into Hospital
For urgent admission, the doctor will arrange for transport. This is usually an ambulance, although a family or friend’s car may be appropriate. Apart from basic toiletries, please remember to take a little money for shopping etc. and also a pen and paper, as this is often forgotten.

See below for arranged admissions.

Hospital Transport
If you are elderly, disabled or are unable to get to the hospital under your own steam, you may be entitled to free transport.

TRIP is an established charity working in the area and they work in conjunction with The Westcountry Ambulance Service and Voluntary Car Services.

To book transport patients must call 08450 539100 (for an ambulance) or 01822 617525 (for a car) at least 48 hours in advance. The lines are open between 9 and 5 Monday to Friday and 9 until 1 on Saturdays. There is a criteria that must be met before transport can be allocated and for the car service there is a flat charge per journey. For more information call the number above.

Plymouth Heartbeat is a registered charity that has a courtesy car available to take cardiac patients to hospital appointments and to take them home again, anywhere in Devon and Cornwall.  All voluntary drivers are trained in CPR, basic life support and defibrillation.  If you would like to make a donation towards petrol that would be greatly received but in any event a thank you is good enough.  If you have a cardiac illness and would like to use this service they can be contaced on 01752 658083 or 01752 789508.  Please note this is a service for patient with a cardiac illness only.

Things that need to be done when there is a death
If someone dies at home you must call your doctor who will certify the death. Unless the doctor decides to refer the matter to the Coroner, he or she will prepare a Medical Certificate within the next day or so.

This certificate must be taken to the local Registrar of Births or Deaths within five days of the death. Your funeral director will give you the Registrar’s address and opening hours and will explain what you have to do when you get there.

The Registrar will require personal details of the deceased such as their date and place of birth and death, a marriage certificate if this applies, and will want to know whether they were receiving a pension or any welfare benefits. The Registrar will then issue the death certificate and the notification of disposal which should be given to the funeral director.

You will also need more than one copy of the death certificate, probably as many as five altogether. You will need a copy for the Will, for any pension claims, insurance policies and investments.

Sudden Death
If the death is sudden or unexpected your doctor has a duty to tell the police. They will report it to the coroner who may call for a post-mortem and may arrange for an inquest, which is a public inquiry to find out the cause of death. You should not be alarmed by this. In most cases it is merely a technicality.

There are many trained people who can help you to get through this, such as counsellors, nurses and of course your doctor, who will be involved initially.

There are various groups whom it may be useful to contact in the long term such as:

CRUSE - Available for advice and support.
Telephone 01752 408134

Traumatic Loss and Bereavement Service. Available for advice and support. Telephone 01752 223332

Bereavement Advice
Bereavement is a distressing but common experience. Sooner or later most of us will suffer the death of someone we love.

Grieving takes place after any sort of loss e.g. a divorce, but most powerfully after the death of a loved one. Feelings experienced over a period of time range from emotional to physical effects such as :

Stunned
Numbness
Yearning
Anger
Guilt/blame
Avoiding people
Depression/anxiety
Loss of appetite/weight
Poor sleep pattern
Acceptance

Various stages of mourning often overlap and show themselves in different ways - we are all individuals.

Legislation

This practice operates in compliance with:

The Freedom of Information Act 2000

The Data Protection Act 1998

If you require further information about these Acts please enquire at the reception desk or arrange to speak with the Practice Manager.

Access to your medical records
If you wish to have access to your medical records please either ask your General Practitioner or speak to the Office Manager.

Complaints
If you have a particular complaint that you wish to bring to our attention, please speak to the Office Manager in the first instance and she will do her utmost to resolve your complaint. She will immediately arrange a preliminary discussion with you to resolve the matter if possible.

If a further investigation is required, that involves other clinicians or staff within the Practice, this will be conducted within a week and you will be invited to attend a follow up meeting as required to inform you of the outcome.

If your complaint is still unresolved to your satisfaction, he will refer you to the appropriate authority within the South Hams and West Devon Primary Care Trust.

Comments & Plaudits
We are always keen to hear your views as to how the service could be enhanced even further. If you have any ideas or suggestions that you would like to raise please contact the Office Manager in the first instance. Many of our patients feel inspired to send letters of commendation to the Practice and these are always warmly received too as they help to confirm that we are delivering the level of service that we aspire to.

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November 2009