MARKET PLACE SURGERY
Cattle Market Sandwich CT13 9ET
Tel: 01304 619790 Fax: 01304 610489
www.marketplacesurgery.co.uk
We also have a branch site in Eastry, located on the High Street,
adjacent to the village car park.
Eastry Surgery High Street Eastry Sandwich CT13 0HE
Tel: 01304 611608 Fax: 01304 611682
Information for Patients
At Market Place Surgery, we aim to treat all patients promptly,
courteously and in complete confidence. This leaflet is for both
existing patients and those considering registering with us. It tells
you about our services, how to access them and some general
information about how our practice operates. Meet the team:
The Partners
Dr Christopher J Healy MB BS Lond. 1982, DRCOG Lond. 1988
Dr Clare Birchall
MB BS Lond. 1981, DRCOG Lond. 1984
Dr Ben Drew
MBBS Newcastle 2006, MRCGP 2013
Associate GPs
Dr Peter Burrowes
Dr Denyer Kittle
MB BS Lond. 1975, MRCS LRCP Dobs RCOG
MB Bs Lond. 1986 MRCGP
Practice Manager
Carol Bore
Nursing Team
Gaye Spickett
Laura Monk
Rachel Lewis
Sue Young
SRN
RGN
RGN
SRN
Healthcare Assistants
Annette Harrison
Rebecca Watts
Smoking Cessation Adviser
Hazel Symonds
Opening Hours
The practice is open 8 am – 6.30 pm Monday to Friday.
Registering with the Practice
If you live within the practice boundary (please see map at the back
of this leaflet), and need to register with a GP, please complete a
registration and patient history form (available from reception and
can be printed from our website). This will provide us with the
necessary information to help us look after you until your records
arrive from your previous surgery.
It is not possible to register with a particular doctor as all
registrations are with the Practice. However, you may express a
preference to receive care from a particular GP. This request will
be held on your medical record and we will do our best to
accommodate your wishes.
When you register with the practice, you will be informed of your
named accountable GP. This s the doctor who is responsible for coordinating your care. Please note this does not mean you have to
see this GP every time you visit the surgery, you can still see any GP
of your choice.
If you change your address, telephone number, or other details,
please make sure you notify us of these changes. There’s a contact
form on the website for this purpose. If you move out of the
practice boundary, you will be asked to register with another GP
closer to your home.
Please note that we do not accept out of area registrations.
Appointments
All surgeries are by appointment only. These can be booked in
advance by telephoning the surgery. Appointment times vary but
usually begin at 9 am until midday, with afternoon surgeries
starting from 2.30 pm.
Before 8 am and after 6 pm you will be connected to the out of
hours service. They are able to deal with emergency calls until
practice staff take over again at 8 am each weekday morning.
Appointments are also available for patients who need to be seen
on the same day. These should be requested by telephoning at any
time from 8 am on the morning that you wish to be seen. You call
will then be triaged by the duty doctor to determine the best
course of action to help you.
It may not always be possible to see the doctor of your choice if
you telephone on the day you wish to have an appointment. If you
wish to see a particular doctor for a routine appointment, you
should contact us outside of the early morning rush and we will
offer you the next available appointment with that doctor. You
may be offered or request a telephone consultation with your
doctor if this is appropriate and you do not need an examination.
Home Visits
Home visits are carried out at the discretion of the doctor,
depending on the medical condition of the patient. If you are
medically unable to attend surgery, please telephone before 11 am
to request a visit.
Emergency Calls
If you have a medical emergency, please telephone the usual
surgery number.
When the surgery is closed (after 6.30 pm each weekday evening,
at weekends and Bank Holidays), please call NHS 111 to speak to a
fully trained adviser, who will assess your symptoms, give advice,
arrange for you to speak directly to a healthcare professional, or
arrange an ambulance if necessary.
Out of hours services are generally busy, so please think carefully
before asking to see a doctor and only do so if you genuinely
cannot wait until the surgery reopens.
In a genuine emergency you should call 999. Chest pains and/or
shortness of breath constitute an emergency.
Clinics and Services
New Patient Medical Checks
We offer all new patients the opportunity to make an appointment
for a medical when they register with the Practice. These are
carried out by the Practice Nurse.
Contraceptive Services
The Practice Nurses are fully trained in all aspects of family
planning and are available for advice.
Maternity Services
Ante-natal clinics are run by the Community Midwife, with a doctor
available when required. They take place on Wednesday mornings
in Sandwich.
Post-natal checks are carried out six weeks after delivery. The first
Well Baby check is done at approximately eight weeks, in
conjunction with the Practice Nurse. These clinics are held on
Monday afternoons in Sandwich – please book in advance.
Anticoagulation
The practice runs weekly anticoagulation monitoring clinics for
patients on warfarin. These are held on Monday at Eastry and
Wednesday and Friday at Sandwich. Please speak to your GP if you
are taking warfarin and would prefer to be monitored at the
Practice.
Diabetes
All patients with diabetes should see our Practice Nurse for regular
blood tests and lifestyle advice. The nurse is available on Monday
and Thursday afternoons.
Chiropody
Access is available to the NHS chiropody service for diabetic
patients or those with a clinical need. This service is based at Deal
Hospital. Please speak to your GP, the Nurse Practitioner or
Diabetic Nurse.
Heart Disease
All patients with heart disease should see our Practice Nurse for
regular blood tests and lifestyle advice. The nurse is available on
Wednesdays and Fridays.
Respiratory Disease
Patients with severe respiratory obstruction or asthma may see the
Practice Nurse for spirometry testing or an asthma check as
appropriate on any day.
Other Procedures
Wound dressings, leg ulcer care, blood tests, ear syringing and
travel vaccination advice are all available from the Practice Nurse.
Minor Operations
The doctors have a keen interest in procedures which can be
undertaken in the treatment room. Many ‘lumps and bumps’ can
be dealt with by freezing, or by excision under local anaesthetic –
Please make a routine appointment with your GP to discuss.
Smoking Cessation
The Practice has a fully trained smoking cessation adviser who can
offer help and advice when you are ready to stop.
Other Services Provided In House
Physiotherapy
Mrs Stephanie Healy provides physiotherapy clinics at both
surgeries. If you have a problem, please ask for an appointment
with your GP to discuss a referral.
Psychological Therapies
Access to NHS psychological therapies is available at both sites.
Clinics are held in Sandwich and Eastry. If you are struggling to
cope and feel that you would benefit from talking therapies, please
speak to your GP who will refer you into this service.
Ultrasound Scans
The Practice now offers appointments for ultrasound examinations
at Market Place Surgery. These are arranged by referral from your
GP and clinics are held alternate Wednesdays at Sandwich.
Some examinations will still need to be carried out in a hospital
setting, but your GP will discuss this with you when planning your
care.
Hearbase
Hearbase is an NHS hearing aid provider. They operate a clinic
from Market Place Surgery on alternate Wednesdays. Please speak
to the Practice Nurse regarding a referral.
Tests and X-Rays
If a doctor wishes to see you as a result of a test or x-ray, we will
contact you by telephone or letter to arrange the appointment.
Routine blood and urine tests take about a week for the result to
come back to the surgery, x-rays two weeks and cervical smears up
to 6 weeks. Please note – there is no point in contacting the
surgery any sooner than this after your test as we will not have
received the information. For test results, please contact us after
the early morning rush so we have time to investigate the
information you require.
Repeat Prescriptions
If your doctor has said that you may order a repeat prescription of
your medication without a review, please use the right hand side of
you prescription form to do this. You may now also request repeat
prescriptions electronically, either by registering for Patient Access,
or by email through our website – www.marketplacesurgery.co.uk.
It will be necessary for you to see your GP regularly to review any
medication you are taking. The date for this review is printed on
the right hand side of the form. If this date is due, please arrange a
routine appointment with your doctor in plenty of time for your
prescription to be issued and dispensed.
If you have regular blood tests in connection with your medication,
then please arrange an appointment for these in advance of your
review.
When requesting repeat prescriptions, please allow at least two
working days from the time you request the prescription to when
you collect it.
If you would prefer to collect the prescription directly from the
local pharmacy, please mark the request form accordingly.
Please note – we are unable to accept telephone
requests for repeat prescriptions.
Pre-payment and Exemption Certificates
You may feel you would benefit from pre-paying for your
prescriptions or you may be exempt from costs. If you are not sure
if you qualify for exemptions – please ask at reception, or contact
the telephone advice line on 0845 850 0030.
Patients with Particular Needs
Both our surgeries are accessible to patients using a wheelchair.
We can arrange interpretation and translation services in person or
by phone for patients who do not speak English. Please let us know
if you need this service when booking an appointment.
Carers
If you are a carer, please let us know so that we can refer you to
specialist carer agencies or social services for appropriate support.
Chaperones
The Practice is happy to provide a chaperone for patients if
requested. This may be one of our nursing team, or a trained
member of the reception team if no nurse is available.
Zero Tolerance
The Practice operates a zero tolerance policy with regard to
patients who are violent or aggressive to any of the doctors or staff
working from the surgery. This means that a patient may be
immediately removed from the Practice list should a situation
occur resulting in staff being physically or verbally threatened or
abused.
Patients’ Rights and Responsibilities
All patients have the right to full medical care and treatment as
described in this leaflet.
The practice expects that all patients will keep any appointments
which they make or give sufficient notice if they are forced to
cancel an appointment.
Access to Medical Records and Patient Information
All patients are entitled to have access to their medical records. If
you wish to see your notes, please put a request in writing to the
Practice Manager. Please note that copies of records may incur a
charge.
All information about you is strictly confidential. Information may
be shared with other healthcare professionals on a ‘need to know’
basis regarding your continuing care. We will always seek your
written consent before releasing information to third parties. All
information is managed in accordance with the Data Protection Act
1998, the Freedom of Information Act 2000, and the NHS Code of
Confidentiality. More information can be found in the leaflet –
‘Your Information – What You Need to Know’ – available from
Reception.
Complaints
The practice operates a complaints procedure approved by
Canterbury & Coastal and Ashford Clinical Commissioning Group. If
you wish to make a complaint, please ask to speak to the Practice
Manager. If you prefer, you may direct your complaint to the GP
Partner responsible for complaints. A copy of our complaints
procedure is available on request.
Other Contacts for Complaints
Canterbury & Coastal and Ashford CCG:
Pam Mills, Corporate Governance Support Officer, Canterbury &
Coastal and Ashford CCG, Ground Floor, Council Offices, Canterbury
CT1 1YW. Telephone 01227 795045 or email: pam.mills@nhs.net
The local Patient Advice & Liaison Service (PALS) can offer advice
and guidance on health services and can be contacted on 01227
812020.
Patient Participation Group
We have an active Patient Participation Group. Please visit the
website to find out more.
Suggestions and Comments
If you have any suggestions or comments, you can either submit
these in writing to the Practice Manager, or fill in the feedback
form on our website. We welcome your feedback.
Website
Our practice website contains a host of useful information and
health advice, with links to other services. Please take time to visit
at www.marketplacesurgery.co.uk
Other Local NHS Services

Health Help Now – http://kent.healthhelpnow-nhs.net/ for
advice and links to local services.

Call NHS 111 if you urgently need medical advice but it’s not
a life threatening situation. Available 24 hours a day, 365
days a year. It’s a free call from your mobile or landline.

Contact your local pharmacist for free health advice, and
you don’t need an appointment. Many pharmacies operate
extended hours on a rota basis.

Victoria Hospital, Deal - to see an experienced nurse for
treatment of minor injuries seven days a week, 8 am until
8 pm. You don’t need an appointment.
Your Local CCG
Market Place Surgery is in the area covered by Canterbury &
Coastal Commissioning Consortium (C4G).
C4G is responsible for ensuring you get all the services you need.
For details of all primary care services in this area go to:
http://www.canterburycoastalccg.nhs.uk/about-you/
Practice Boundary