Tests and Results

Blood tests and most X-rays are performed at Lymington New Forest Hospital.

For blood tests your doctor or nurse will provide you with a request form which you should take to Lymington New Forest hospital. You do not need an appointment for this. When you arrive at the Pathology department just take a numbered ticket from the machine. If you have been asked to have fasting blood tests, please ensure that you have nothing to eat or drink except water for 14 hours before your blood test.

Opening times:
Monday to Thursday 08:00 – 16:45
Friday 08:00 – 13:00 and 14:00 – 16:30

X-rays are by appointment only – when your doctor refers you for an X-ray she/he will explain how to book your appointment.

Other specimens for testing must be brought to the surgery before 11.30am.
Results are usually available within a few days for blood tests, and one week for X-rays. Results for some tests may take longer.

Please note, results of tests organised by Hospital Doctors do not come to the surgery. For these results you will need to contact the relevant Hospital Doctor’s secretary or wait until your next appointment with them.
Please telephone after 10.00 am for results of all tests.

• For information on what your laboratory test results mean please visit Lab Tests Online

Telephone Information
Please ring after 10.00am for results of tests or other non-urgent enquiries

Sickness Certificates

If you are sick for less than six days you may be able to claim either "incapacity benefit" (if self employed or unemployed), or "statutory sick pay" (if you have worked for an employer long enough). Incapacity benefit can be claimed using form SC1 available from the JobCentre Plus and statutory sick pay using the form SC2 available either from your employer or the JobCentre Plus. JobCentre Plus Is located in Cannon Court, which is down the alley beside The Cancer Research shop towards the bottom of Lymington High Street.

Both these forms cover you until the seventh day of illness. If you are sick for seven days or more, you will have to be seen by the doctor to obtain a sickness certificate. Each subsequent certificate will need to be obtained by seeing a doctor until you return to work (although your GP may provide a certificate without seeing you if a hospital doctor has been treating you).

NB: Some employers insist on a "sick note" for illness lasting less than seven days. As this is not a statutory requirement, this is considered a private arrangement and as such there is a charge of £15 (sometimes the employer will reimburse this). If you are ill for 28 weeks or more continuously, you may be eligible for "invalidity benefits" or "severe disablement allowance".

Comments and Complaints

We aim to offer a high standard of service and medical care to our patients.

Should you have any complaint or comment on the service provided at Chawton House please speak to any member of the Practice team. Written complaints should be addressed to the Practice Manager.

Confidentiality

Any communication you make with any of the Chawton House staff is totally confidential. Your medical records are secure and will never be divulged without your consent.

We are here to look after you. If you have a problem, never hesitate to ask for help. We are always open to constructive suggestions.

Access to Medical Records

Whilst we are responsible for the proper maintenance of your Medical Record during your period of Registration with this practice, these records remain the property of the Health Authority.

Chawton House Surgery is registered under the Data Protection Act 1988. We are required under the Data Protection Act 1988 to maintain your personal medical records in a confidential manner and access to your records is therefore restricted to those persons deemed to be maintaining those records on behalf of the Department of Health and by those directly involved in your health care.

As a Training Practice we are occasionally called upon to facilitate research into clinical conditions and prevalence data. Only fully qualified medical staff undertakes such research and the data extracted is fully anonymised to ensure that no individual Data Subject can be identified.

As the patient (Data Subject) you have a right, subject to limitations under the law, to have access to your personal Medical Record. Enquiries about your medical history from such bodies as Insurance/Life assurance etc. are only permissible with your formal consent. You should be asked to give consent to such enquiries before your General Practitioner releases information.

If for any reason you wish to view your personal Medical Record you are required to make a formal request to the Practice Manager who will agree a date and time for you to visit the Practice and have access to those records. Whilst viewing your record you are at liberty to make any notes that you may feel appropriate. You will be allowed to ask for copies of any information that you have seen and you will be asked to pay a nominal sum for these copies.

It is not permissible under any circumstances to amend, delete or in any other way alter the records. If you believe that there is an error in your record, you must bring this to the attention of the Practice Manager who will ensure that your concerns are notified to your General Practitioner. The alleged error will be investigated and if the error is confirmed, the General Practitioner will amend your records accordingly.

Rights and Responsibilities of our Patients

Patients’ Rights:

• To be offered a Health Check when joining a doctor’s list
• To have appropriate drugs and medications prescribed
• To be offered a consultant referral if and when the GP feels it is necessary
• If 75years or over and not seen within the preceding 12 months, to be given a health check, if requested by the patient
• If between the ages of 16 and 75 years and not seen within the preceding 36 months, to be given a health check if requested by the patient
• To have access to personal health records, subject to the limits of the law
• To expect confidentiality from all NHS staff
• To be offered a choice of whether to be involved in Medical Student training

Responsibilities of our patients:

• To attend promptly for an appointment made with one of our Health Care Professionals
• To cancel an appointment in good time if you decide that it is no longer necessary
• To recognise that a Routine Appointment is for one person only. Please make separate appointments for each person to be seen
• To understand that a Routine Appointment is for 10 minutes only. Please ask for a longer appointment if the problem is complex or multiple

Violent or Abusive Behaviour

Our staff are encouraged to handle all enquiries in a friendly and helpful manner and wherever possible to avoid confrontation. We are aware that for many patients their attendance at a GP Surgery can be a stressful experience. We endeavour to provide a clean and relaxing environment so that patients can await their consultation with our clinician in comparative peace.

Occasionally patients may try to express their feelings of frustration or anger in a violent or abusive manner. Chawton House GPs, Nurses, Staff and other patients are not here to be the butt of unreasonable expressions of anger and this sort of behaviour will not be deemed acceptable under any circumstances.

If a patient persists in such behaviour and continues to act unreasonably in either a verbal or physically violent manner we are at liberty to take action that may result in the patient being removed permanently from the Practice list. We will, in extreme cases, enlist the assistance of the local Police to remove an offender and in this instance we will ask the Police to issue a crime reference number that will be reported to the New Forest Primary Care Trust.

Violent or abusive patients who have been identified to the Primary Care Trust in this manner may subsequently find it difficult to register for Medical Services with an alternative General Practice in the locality and may be referred to a special unit who deal specifically with violent or abusive patients.

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