Welcome to the Website of Port Appin Medical Practice
2024/25 Public Holidays
Monday 6th May 2024
Friday 24th May 2024
Monday 15th July 2024
Monday 30th September 2024
Wednesday 25th December 2024
Thursday 26th December 2024
Wednesday 1st January 2025
Thursday 2nd January 2025
The Surgery may be closed between 1pm and 1.30pm daily for any meeting/training requirements - please avoid collection of prescriptions etc at this time. The phone will be answered but we would appreciate as few calls as possible during this time.
The surgery is open each day from 08.00 to 17.30 apart from some occasions, at the end of the day, when the GP may be on a house visit
However, the phone will be answered during these hours
News from Port Appin Surgery
Our new appointment system is going well with almost all “Phone Consultation” appointments being completed on the day of request. If a face to face appointment is deemed necessary this is often also offered on the same day, or any future day that is convenient. I know some people question the need for the initial phone consultation but we find it really does help us manage the workload efficiently, and often people are relieved to find they do not need to travel to the surgery as we can either resolve their issue remotely, or refer them on to a more appropriate service.
On Lismore we have adjusted the Thursday GP clinic, with the doctor now travelling over on the 9am ferry rather than 10am. This allows for the same time for appointments in the hall but also factors in home visits if needed. The Practice Nurse continues to provide a Monday clinic in the hall when needed to perform blood tests and other investigations
We continue to offer Pneumococcal Vaccine to anyone over 65, or with long term health problems, and Shingles Vaccine to those in their 70s. These are both “one off” vaccines so if you have ever had one you do not need another. If you wish either of these please let us know.
COVID
- Anyone who is housebound will have the vaccine administered at home by members of the Vaccination Team.
- We are now no longer able to supply LFT test kits.
- Anyone needing medical advice on covid symptoms should now phone the GP Practice during opening hours, rather than NHS24.
Accessing Emergency Medical Care on Lismore.
This seeks to clarify the systems in place which enable members of the public to access emergency care.
Firstly – what do we mean by an emergency?
This can mean different things to different people but a simple way to look at it is to firstly step back a bit and try to assess the situation calmly.
Then consider the following two simple questions
Do I think this person needs medical attention right away for a situation that I fear might be life threatening?
Do I think they probably need to be in hospital today?
Typical examples would be Chest Pain, Breathing difficulty, Collapse, signs of Stroke, Head injury causing loss of consciousness, Heavy bleeding not easily controlled by simple first aid measures.
Obviously people with no medical training may not be able to answer these questions accurately, but with a bit of common sense a reasonable assessment can be made.
I think it is an emergency -
The crucial point is that if the answer to either of these questions is Yes – the only correct next step is to phone 999 and speak to the Ambulance Service. They are more than happy to hear from you and can quickly help assess if the situation is as urgent as you think. If they decide it is not they will advise on a suitable alternative next step. There is no shame in this – better to contact them and ask, than to miss the chance to get urgent help when needed.
If Ambulance Control decide to send an ambulance this will almost certainly be a helicopter. They will contact the Fire and Rescue Service oncall firefighters to assist with the helicopter’s arrival and to provide First Aid in the meantime. Paramedics will travel on the helicopter and will fully assess the patient when they arrive. They may decide at this point that the situation can be managed at home and there is no need to take the patient to hospital. This is a normal part of their job and does not mean that the call was made in error.
What else to do –
Make sure that the phone number you gave Ambulance Control remains available. Do not use this phone to make any more calls. They will very likely call you back to update on helicopter arrival location and time. If they cannot get through to you this may cause a delay.
Reassure the patient and provide whatever first aid you can.
Prepare a bag for going to hospital. Overnight things, toiletries, phone charger and medication.
If a list of medication if available this will be helpful along with any information about the patient’s medical history.
What not to do
Do not phone the GP surgery in the first instance. If help from a GP is required the Ambulance Service will request this. Port Appin Surgery is a Response Centre for BASICS Scotland, which means that Ambulance Control will contact them and request GP assistance when they deem it necessary. It is unhelpful if members of the public call the surgery themselves and may lead to delays.
Do not attempt to contact SFRS on-call firefighters, or individual members of the crew yourself - if they are needed they will be contacted rapidly through the Scottish Ambulance Service. The Scottish Fire and Rescue service does not constitute a medical response, and may only attend at the request of and alongside the Scottish Ambulance Service/NHS Scotland.
There are no First Responders on the island and contacting individual firefighters makes for confusion, complication, and delays the best medical response, which must be co-ordinated by the Scottish Ambulance Service.
VACCINES
COVID BOOSTERS - these will be administered by the Health Board Vaccination team.
CHILDHOOD IMMUNISATIONS - these will be administered by the Health Board Vaccination team - contact number for appointments is:- Mrs Carla Potter, Administrator - 0779 039 3178
Contact by e mail - as we receive a lot of e mails from many sources this is not an appropriate way to initiate contact with the surgery, as there is a risk of your message being missed. Please phone first to arrange a consultation.
VIDEO CONSULTATIONS
These can now be done using the Attend Anywhere - NearMe system.
The service can be reached using a smart phone or any computer with a webcam and microphone
Only CHROME and Safari web browsers work (not Internet Explorer)
- phone first to arrange an appointment time
- close to your appointment time link in using the url below
- This takes you to a form to complete with your name and date of birth
- then you enter the Waiting Room and your presence can be seen at this end.
https://nhsattend.vc/gpnearme/PortAppinMP
Transport
Please follow link below for information on Appin Community Transport
Community Transport
We are now using only the "new" repeat prescription service which links directly to your medical record. If you have not registered for this service yet please contact us.
E Mail contact - the surgery e mail address is portappin.surgery@nhs.scot
(Site updated 15/04/2024)