Chapelizod Medical Centre
Vaccination Information
January 2022: We have now finished our involvement in this phase of the booster programme. If you require a covid booster please visit the HSE website for your options: https://www2.hse.ie/screening-and-vaccinations/covid-19-vaccine/get-the-vaccine/booster-booking/
Flu vaccine: We are running weekly flu vaccine clinics for all patients aged >50 and other eligible groups. Please ring reception to book in for the regular flu vaccine. Children’s flu vaccines are also available.
** SYMPTOMATIC COVID-19 Testing Form***
If you only require a test, please be aware you can now arrange your own test for covid 19 on the HSE website: https://covid19test.healthservice.ie/hse-self-referral/.
If you have mild symptoms of covid 19 and wish to speak to a GP, we are now asking patients to fill out the following questionnaire to help us assess you more efficiently. Please note you must already be a registered member of the practice to complete this form. If you have moderate or severe symptoms please contact your GP/ out of hours or emergency services immediately. Disclaimer: These online form submissions are only checked Monday to Friday during business hours (*Xmas opening hours 9-3pm). If you require weekend or evening testing out of hours please contact Dubdoc on 01 4545607.
After referral, your GP does not know when your test will take place. It may take several days. Please do not contact your GP for COVID-19 test results. Following your test you will be contacted by the testing system by text if your test is negative. If positive you will be contacted by public health for contact tracing. You may be waiting a number of days for your test result. Please do not make multiple calls to the practice and keep the phone lines available for patients who are seeking help with symptoms. Remember- if you have symptoms self isolate, don’t wait for a test result. If your symptoms are deteriorating please contact your GP/ out of hours or emergency services.
For close contacts of confirmed cases of COVID19, please isolate and await contact from the HSE contact tracing service.
** SYMPTOMATIC COVID-19 Testing Form***
NOVEMBER 2021:
CHAPELIZOD MEDICAL CENTRE HAS A ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY FOR VERBAL OR PHYSICAL ABUSE DIRECTED AT OUR STAFF. ANYONE FOUND TO BE ENGAGING IN ABUSIVE OR AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOUR TOWARDS STAFF, EITHER IN PERSON OR ON THE PHONE, WILL BE ASKED TO LEAVE THE PRACTICE.
WE ARE EXPERIENCING AN UNPRECEDENTED NUMBER OF PHONE CALLS AT THIS TIME. PLEASE HAVE PATIENCE, OUR STAFF ARE WORKING AS HARD AS THEY CAN.
FEES:
April 2022: Our fees are changing from 1st May 2022. These changes will be published on our website
One Problem Per Consultation policy
We have a ‘One Problem Per Consultation’ policy
We kindly ask that all patients try and stick to our ‘One Problem Per Consultation’ policy. The main reason for this request is for clinical safety.
We know that getting an appointment with the doctor is sometimes difficult and that some patients ‘save’ their problems and present them to the doctor at the same time, with or without a list. We also know that the clinician may run late. All of this increases the tendency for patients to present multiple problems to their doctor at one consultation.
Each appointment is only 10 minutes long. Ten minutes really is not a lot of time, even for just one problem, e.g., 1 minute to get to doctor’s room and sit down, 3 minutes to tell a history, 3-4 minutes to perform a targeted examination, 2 minutes to explain, advise and treat. There is no time left of the ten minutes to write up notes, fill out forms, dictate referrals or speak to other team members for advice.
Presenting the clinician with multiple problems means that there is a real increased risk that mistakes will be made and things to be missed as the clinician may be inclined to rush, particularly if other patients are waiting.
One of Primary Care’s main purposes is to detect serious disease early. Presenting multiple problems to the clinician, not all of which may be serious, increases the difficulty of this task – it is like finding the ‘needle in a haystack’.
Doctors cannot see huge numbers of patients with multiple problems and continue to practice safely and effectively. A stressed doctor will struggle to be a good and safe doctor.
We do consider that GP appointments are a limited resource and we would kindly ask that such a service be used with care and consideration.
Therefore please do not be offended if the doctor asks you to rebook for your other problems. We are working in your best interests in order to keep you safe.
We would always encourage patients to book double appointments if there are multiple problems that need discussing.