Help Your Practice To Help You

GP Practices can be busy places and our staff try very hard to provide the best service for our patients. In return we ask that patients try to use services appropriately and considerately. Please watch this short video for information about how all GP surgeries are now operating. this contains very important information about what your GP surgery can do for you

Please notify the practice immediately if you change your address and/or telephone or mobile phone number.

Please consider that the GP practice may not be the best place for you to be seen regarding your particular problem:

• If you have a foot problem, you can self refer to Podiatry by telephoning: 0141 347 8909 Monday – Friday 8am-8pm, on Saturday 9am-1pm or by emailing AHP.Appointments@ggc.scot.nhs.uk
• You can self refer to physiotherapy at Johnstone Health Centre

• • GP Practitioner
  • Vomiting
  • Ear pain
  • Sore Belly
  • Backache
• • Pharmacist
  • Cough, cold & sore throat
  • Indigestion
  • Diarrhoea/Constipation
  • Aches & pains
• • Dentist
  • Tooth pain
  • Swelling to your mouth
  • Painful or bleeding gums
  • Advice on oral hygiene
• • Optometrist
  • Blurred vision
  • Irritated eyes – sticky or red eye
  • Sudden change in vision
• • Minor Injuries Unit
  • Cuts and minor burns
  • Sprains and strains
  • Broken bones and fractures
• • 999 or A&E
  • Suspected heart attacks
  • Breathing difficulties
  • Severe bleeding

• NHS 24
• When your GP and local pharmacy are closed, and you are too ill to wait for them to re-open, call 111.

Minor injuries

• Minor Injuries Units can assess and treat cuts, wounds, bruising, minor burns and scalds, sprains, minor broken bones (in legs below the knee or arms below the shoulder), insect or animal bites, tetanus immunisations, minor head injuries (where there has been no loss of consciousness, vomiting, headache, nausea, visual disturbance or dizziness), removal of foreign bodies from eyes, noses or ears, nose injuries (including broken noses), removal of rings, ear-rings and studs.
  • children under the age of one with a minor injury should be taken to Royal Alexandra Hospital, Corsebar Road, Paisley, PA2 9PN; and children aged one to five with minor injuries should be taken either to the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley, Inverclyde Royal Hospital Larkfield Road, Greenock, PA16 OXN, or the Vale of Leven Minor Injury Unit.
  • young people aged 5-15 should go to the nearest Minor Injury Unit – located within the Emergency Department of Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley and Inverclyde Royal Hospital in Greenock (9am-9pm every day of the year). There is also a Minor Injury Unit at the Vale of Leven Hospital (8am-9pm every day of the year)
  • Adults – New Stobhill Hospital (133 Balornock Road, Glasgow, G21 3UW. MIU is open from 9am – 9pm Monday – Sunday, Tel: 0141 355 1536); New Victoria Hospital (Grange Road, Glasgow G42 9LE. MIU is open from 9am – 9pm Monday – Sunday, Tel: 0141 347 8474). Royal Alexandra Hospital (within the Emergency Department); Vale of Leven Hospital, Main Street, Alexandria, G83 OUA. MIU is open from 8am – 9pm Monday – Sunday, Tel: 01389 817345

• Emergency Departments – for accidents or serious emergencies, go to the nearest Emergency Department or call 999.

24 hour Accident and Emergency Departments are located within:

• • Royal Alexandra Hospital (Paisley)
  • Inverclyde Royal Hospital (Greenock)
  • Glasgow Royal Infirmary, 84 Castle Street, Glasgow, G4 OSF – Tel: 0141 211 5608
  • Inverclyde Royal Hospital, Larkfield Road, Greenock, PA16 OXN – Tel: 01475 504351
  • Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, 1345 Govan Road, Glasgow G51 4TF – Tel: 0141 452 28

Making an appointment 

• If you wish to see the GP or other healthcare professional about your medical condition, you will need to make an appointment. We do not offer a “walk-in” service and patients without an appointment will not be seen.
• Our highly trained reception team may arrange for you to see a health professional other than the GP, if this is the most appropriate clinician to deal with your particular problem.
• If you have a preference for either a male or a female GP please check with the practice before you register as we may not have both male and female GPs working in the practice.
• If more than one member of your family needs to see the doctor or other health care professional, please book one appointment per patient.
• If you have to discuss a complex medical issue please let the receptionist know so a suitable length of appointment can be arranged.

Interpreting services

• An interpreting service is available and the practice can arrange for an interpreter who may work either face-to-face or by telephone.
• If you need to use the interpreting service please ensure you ask the receptionist to arrange this when making an appointment.
• If someone else is contacting the practice on your behalf, please remind them to ask the receptionist to book an interpreter.

Arriving late or missed appointments

• If you have an appointment please attend at the time stated, and if you are not able to attend please let the practice know in advance, so the appointment can be used by someone else who needs it.
• If you arrive more than 5 minutes late for your appointment you will not be seen. If you arrive less than 5 minutes late it will be up to the discretion of the Nurse or GP as to whether you can be seen or not.
• If you do not attend appointments which have been made for you, the practice reserves the right to deregister you. This means that you would stop being a patient of Riveriew Medical Centre and would need to register with another practice for any future medical care.

Prescriptions and referrals

• If your GP thinks that you need to be seen by a specialist doctor or other health care professional, they will make a referral for you. You cannot make an appointment to see an NHS hospital specialist without a referral from your GP.
• If you need medication or other items on prescription then the GP can provide this. You will need to take the prescription to a pharmacy, which will supply the item(s) for you. Most items are available free of charge on prescription but some items require to be prescribed using a private prescription, for which there is a fee payable at the chemist.