Registration

Please register with your local Medical Centre as soon as possible after your arrival in BFG. You will be asked to complete a questionnaire regarding your health and past medical history, and this information may be all we have available for several weeks until your medical notes arrive.

Any information recorded will be treated in confidence. If you have any ongoing medical conditions or you are on regular medication, it is wise for you to make an appointment to see a doctor as soon as possible.

If you are on the move, please remember to deregister at your local medical centre. This is particularly important for patients with on-going health needs, to ensure continuity of care.

You should deregister in writing (for the whole family, if appropriate) 4 to 6 weeks before you are due to move. The Medical Centre will then arrange for your medical records to be sent to a central archive centre, from which your new surgery can retrieve them.

Families and civilian personnel moving back to the UK can register at any General Practitioner (GP) surgery; provided they live within the catchment area of the surgery and the surgery has vacancies for new patients. Lists of NHS GP surgeries are available via www.nhs.uk or by calling NHS Direct on 0845 4647 (UK number). To register at their new GP surgery, patients will be asked to complete a form stating their name and address, date of birth and NHS number. If you do not know your NHS Number, please ask the medical centre before you leave.

Booking Your Appointment

Appointments may be made by telephone or booking in person.
 
If you are feeling unwell, call first thing in the morning and give your name, address and a telephone number where you can be reached. The triage nurse will call you to assess your condition over the phone and decide the best course of action. If you are military, there is a daily sick parade from 08.00. Depending on your medical condition, the triage nurse will give you advice over the phone, book an appointment with the duty doctor or recommend an emergency transfer to the hospital.     

An appointment is approximately 10-15 minutes long. If you require more time to discuss your case please request a double appointment and make a separate appointment for each person requiring to see the doctor.

It is important when booking an appointment to make clear if you wish to discuss more than one problem or want to have more than one family member seen so that the appropriate period of time can be made available i.e. a double of triple appointment may be required.

Failure to attend

If you are not able to keep your appointment, we kindly request that you cancel it. This will enable us to allocate the appointment slot to someone else.

Children

Children under 16 should normally be accompanied by a parent, particularly if any procedures are required or prescriptions are to be dispensed. Please note, however that children under the age of 16 do have the right to confidential advice if this is required.

Transport

Garrison welfare transport to the Medical Centre from Quarter areas is available each working day; Timetables are available from your unit families’ office and Medical Centre reception.

Dispensary

Currently each Medical Centre has a collocated dispensary.
Opening times may vary but typical opening hours are between 08.30 and 17.00 (closed at lunchtime).
A normal prescription will take around 20 mins to dispense.

Repeat Prescriptions
Please ensure you order repeat prescriptions in plenty of time.
Repeat prescriptions must be initiated by a doctor usually during a routine appointment. Thereafter, you may order your repeat prescription by contacting the dispensary staff during normal working hours. Please allow 2 working days for your prescription to be processed.

Disposal of unwanted medicines