Matrix Medical Centre
10a Beacon Hill
CHATHAM
Kent
ME5 7JX
Telephone (01634) 406607
email: matrixmedicalcentre@nhs.net
The Surgery Operates a No-Smoking Policy
WELCOME
We welcome you to the Practice, and hope you find the information on this site useful. It sets out what you can expect from us, and in turn what we expect from you, so that we can work together to help you to look after your health in the best possible way.
ACCESSING OUR SERVICES
Practice Opening Times
| Monday to Friday | 8:00am – 6:30pm |
| The surgery is closed on Saturday and Sunday |
Doctors’ Surgeries (By Appointment)
| Monday to Friday | 9:00am – 10:30am and 3:00pm – 4:30pm |
Practice Nurse (By Appointment)
| Monday to Friday | Various times |
Midwife
| Based at Riverside Community Centre | Telephone (01634) 382108 |
Health Visitor
| Based at Parkwood Health Centre | Telephone (01634) 234400 |
PRACTICE DETAILS
This is a group practice with male and female doctors.
DISABLED PATIENTS
The surgery functions from a purpose-built medical building, and provides good access for the disabled. There is wheelchair access into the surgery, and we have a hearing loop for people with hearing aids. Toilet facilities for the disabled are also available.
PRACTICE AREA
This is an area within approximately a two-mile radius from Hempstead Village. The map shows the practice boundary (click here for a more detailed map):
TO REGISTER AS A PATIENT
If you wish to register as a patient, please speak to the receptionist for more information. New patients will be invited for a health check on joining the practice.
FREE HEALTH CHECKS
New patients will be invited for a health check with the Practice Nurse or Health Care Assistant on joining the practice. Established patients aged 16 to 74 that we have not seen within three years, or patients over 75 years of age that we have not seen within one year, can also request a health check.
USEFUL INFORMATION
The practice has numerous leaflets for patients. These are a source of information and advice about certain conditions, and also information and assistance from other organisations. They are available in the waiting room.
Also, see the Useful Websites link on the Homepage for many useful websites.
PRACTICE STAFF
| Lead GP | Dr A N Stacey (male) MRCS, LRCP, DRCOG, FP Cert, DFSRH, MDCH |
| Practice Manager | Mrs Emma Hassett |
| Practice Nurses | Mrs Kelly Middleditch RGN and Mrs Jacqueline Newman RGN |
| Health Care Assistant | Mrs Victoria Jackson |
ATTACHED STAFF
The following staff are employed by the Health Authority and are attached to the practice:
| District Nurses | Health Visitor |
| Midwife | Macmillan Nurses |
APPOINTMENTS AND ACCESSIBILTY
You can either book an appointment by coming in to the surgery and seeing the receptionist, or you can telephone 01634-406607.
You can also book appointments online, but initially you will need to come to the Surgery in person with some photographic ID to register for this service. We strongly encourage to do this so as to avoid the telephone bottleneck in the morning for appointments.
If there are no appointments available, the receptionist may need to obtain clinical information from you to pass to the doctor, so that the doctor can decide how best to deal with your request.
Doctor’s appointments are only booked up to a week in advance.
Your responsibilities to us are:
- To attend punctually for appointments.
- Not to request urgent appointments for routine matters.
- To be willing to accept telephone advice or a prescription if the doctor feels this is more appropriate than a face-to-face consultation.
- To cancel in good time if you are unable to attend, so that someone else can have your appointment.
- To be willing to attend elsewhere when there are no appointments available at the surgery and the doctor or nurse refers you there.
Persistent failure to attend appointments may result in your removal from the practice list. You will then be obliged to find another doctor.
WAITING TIMES
We would normally expect to see you within 30 minutes of your appointment time, and we will always try to keep you informed if we are running late, so that you can rebook your appointment if necessary.
Your responsibilities to us are:
- To observe the “one patient, one appointment” rule and not to ask for other family members to be treated at the same time.
- To attend punctually for appointments.
- Appointments are 10 minutes long. Please avoid coming with a “shopping list” of problems because it just causes delays for other people waiting to see the doctor.
WHEN THE SURGERY IS CLOSED
Please telephone the usual surgery number (01634-406607) and you will hear a message on the answering machine giving you giving you the details of who to contact if you need medical help.
Medical cover when we are closed is only for urgent medical matters that cannot wait until the next day’s surgery, but do not delay seeking medical help if you are genuinely concerned about your medical problem.
IF YOU MISS YOUR APPOINTMENT
Your appointment is 10 minutes long. If you do not attend on time, it will be noted on your medical record that you have not kept your appointment and you will be asked to rebook. However, if you feel your problem is very urgent, please give details to the receptionist, so she can inform the doctor. We hope that you can appreciate that it is not fair to make others late simply because you were late.
HOME VISITS
Telephone: 01634-406607
Because the doctor can see four patients in the time it takes to make one home visit, it is always better to be seen in the surgery where all our equipment and computer records are at hand. If your medical condition prevents you from attending the surgery, the doctor may decide to visit you at home. Try to give an indication of the problem to the receptionist so that we can assess the urgency. Always give the receptionist a contact telephone number, as the doctor may decide it is more appropriate to speak to you over the telephone rather than visit you.
Your responsibilities to us are:
- To please bear in mind that the Surgery is the preferred place to be seen, as this is where we have access to all our equipment, staff and computer records.
- Not to ask for a home visit because you have problems with transport or because you feel it is more convenient to be seen at home. We can only visit you on medical grounds. It is your responsibility to make your own way to the surgery if there is no medical reason preventing you from doing so.
- If you feel a home visit is necessary, please telephone before 10.00am if possible.
- If you think that an urgent home visit is required please make this clear to the receptionist when you call.
- To be willing to accept alternatives, such as telephone advice or a prescription if the doctor feels this is the most appropriate treatment in your case.
TELEPHONE ACCESS
Calls will be answered and dealt with by the receptionist as quickly as possible during working hours. Also, the doctor and nurse are happy to take telephone calls at the end of their surgeries, or you can leave a message with the receptionist and the doctor or nurse will call you back when they are free.
Your responsibilities to us are:
- To be patient and keep calls as brief as possible.
- To avoid calling at peak times (8.30 to 11.00am) for non-urgent matters.
- Wherever possible, to call after 4pm for non-urgent matters.
- Not to ask for repeat prescriptions by telephone except in cases of severe incapacity.
REPEAT PRESCRIPTIONS
You can make requests for repeat prescriptions in writing, in person, online via this website by clicking here, or by registering for the Patient Access app on your mobile phone (you will need to bring ID to Reception so we can give you the registration details you need). We need two working days to process your request. Please remember to always check that your prescription is correct before you leave the Chemist’s premises, otherwise mistakes cannot be rectified.
Your responsibilities to us are:
- Not to telephone us with requests, except in cases of severe incapacity.
- To use the computerised slip attached to your prescription for re-ordering, and only tick the items you require.
- Alternatively, if ordering online, to fill in all the information we ask for so that your request is clear.
- To recognise that, on occasions, you may be asked to attend for review with the doctor or nurse before your prescription is issued.
INVESTIGATIONS AND RESULTS
We will advise you of the usual length of time before we could expect the results of any investigations or tests. Any necessary treatment resulting from such tests will be made available at the earliest opportunity.
Your responsibilities to us are:
- If you asked to telephone for results, please call after 3.00pm.
- Results can only be given to the patient concerned, not a person ringing on their behalf, unless the patient is a minor and you are their parent/guardian, or unless the patient has given us permission to release information to a third party.
REFERRAL TO HOSPITAL
Sometimes we may need to refer you to a hospital consultant for specialist treatment. We will do our utmost to ensure that referral letters are sent promptly.
Your responsibilities to us are:
- To ensure that you turn up for your hospital appointment.
- If you cannot keep your hospital appointment, you should contact the hospital and cancel your appointment so that they can see someone else in your place.
MINOR ILLNESSES AND MINOR INJURIES
Many minor illnesses can be managed by you without coming to the surgery. Your Pharmacist is a good source of help in these situations, and their advice is free.
The Surgery is NOT equipped to deal with minor injuries. There is a Minor Injuries Unit at Sittingbourne Memorial Hospital, Bell Road, Sittingbourne, Kent, ME10 4DT, open every day from 9am until 9pm – Telephone: 01795-473547/418300. Alternatively, you can attend the Accident & Emergency Department at Medway Maritime Hospital, Windmill Road, Gillingham, Kent, ME7 5NY – Telephone: 01634-830000.
NHS 111 – Telephone: 111 (free from landlines and mobiles)
This is a free, telephone-based, Government-funded service independent from the surgery. You can obtain advice on a wide variety of problems, but the person you are speaking to will not have access to your medical records, so be prepared to supply this information if requested to do so.
NHS 111 is a service to help people access urgent local health services when they need them. Calls are free and answered by trained advisers who assess symptoms, give advice, arrange for patients to speak directly to a health professional if they need to, or send an ambulance if needed.
NHS 111 is for patients who:
- Need medical help fast but it’s not a 999 emergency
- Think they need to go to A&E or need another NHS urgent care service
- Don’t know who to call or don’t have a GP
- Don’t have a dentist – people who dial 111 and will be given the numbers of local dentists.
NURSING SERVICES
Our practice nurse and health care assistant provide regular monitoring for a number of conditions such as high blood pressure, asthma, diabetes, HRT, contraception, etc, as well as general nursing services such as cervical smears, ear syringing, etc. We also run a stop-smoking service. The practice nurse is also available for telephone advice at the times shown at the top of this page.
The district nurse is part of a team of nurses based at Parkwood Health Centre. She provides care for patients in their own home. We can refer housebound patients to this service.
MIDWIFE
Community Midwives are based at Castle team (Rochester/Strood/Hoo Peninsula): 01634 717755. All Saints team (Chatham/Walderslade/Lordswood): 01634 337470. Riverside team (Gillingham, St Marys Island, Rainham, Upchurch): 01634 382108. Swale team (Newington/Sittingbourne/Sheppey): 01795 879100. To book your pregnancy care you do not need a referral from your doctor. You can refer yourself to have your baby at Medway by simply completing the online referral form in the link below.
Go to www.medway.nhs.uk/services/maternity/self-referral-form.htm
HEALTH VISITOR
Our Health Visitor cares for all families with children younger than five years of age. She carries out developmental checks on pre-school children, and can advise on matters such as feeding, growth and development. You can contact her by telephoning Parkwood Health Centre on 01634-234400.
OTHER HEALTH PROFESSIONALS
Your doctor works closely with other health professionals, and may refer you to any of the following:
- Hospital specialist
- Physiotherapist
- Podiatrist
- Dietician
- Audiologist
- Counsellor
OTHER SERVICES
We provide the following additional services to our patients:
- maternity services
- child health
- minor surgery – for things such as warts, small skin lumps and certain joint injections
- cervical smears
- contraceptive services, including fitting subdermal implant contraceptive devices (Nexplanon – formerly known as Implanon)
- diabetic clinics
- asthma clinics
- blood pressure clinics
- menopause (HRT) clinics
- well person clinics
- travel and holiday vaccinations
- stop smoking help
TRAVEL VACCINATIONS
We can give some travel vaccinations. Please book at Reception to see our Practice nurse. The majority of travel vaccinations are not covered under the NHS and will need to be charged to you as a private service.
YOUR CONTACT DETAILS
We will keep an accurate record of your personal contact details.
Your responsibility to us is:
- To ensure that you keep us informed of any change of name, address or telephone number.
- You can amend your contact details online by clicking here.
NON-DISCRIMINATION
Patients should expect to be treated with respect and courtesy, and not to be discriminated against on the grounds of race, colour, ethnic or national origin, religious belief, political opinion or affiliation, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, age or disability.
Your responsibility to us is:
- To afford the same level of courtesy and respect to all members of our practice.
ABUSIVE / VIOLENT BEHAVIOUR
Verbal or physical abuse will not be tolerated. We have a zero tolerance policy, and will remove any patient from our list who adopts such behaviour.
COMPLAINTS
We operate a practice-based complaints procedure, which adheres to the NHS Complaints Procedure. If a problem does arise, please ask at Reception for a leaflet explaining this procedure.
We will review and monitor the services we provide to ensure that our commitment to high quality patient care remains constant. Your views are important to us, as is your co-operation in achieving these aims. Positive and negative feedback will help us to judge whether we are meeting these standards.
CHANGING DOCTOR
You have the right to register with a doctor of your choice, subject to acceptance by that doctor. If you leave the practice we will return your medical records as soon as they are requested by the Health Authority to pass to your new doctor.
HELP US TO HELP YOU
The care of our patients is fundamental to the service we provide, and it should be recognised that you also have a responsibility for your own wellbeing. We may prescribe treatments to aid a particular problem, and may make recommendations to effect changes or modifications in lifestyle.
Your responsibilities to us are:
- To comply with any treatment recommended or prescribed.
- To try to live as healthy a lifestyle as possible and ask for help and advice if necessary.
CONFIDENTIALITY AND ACCESS TO RECORDS
All staff in the practice are bound to maintain patient confidentiality. Any proven breach of confidentiality will be treated extremely seriously. Confidentiality also extends to family members, therefore information about you will not be divulged to a family member without your consent.
COMPUTER SYSTEM
Our computer is used to help both you and us by organising our repeat prescriptions and medical records systems, and in running screening and recall programmes. Most clinical information about you is now stored on computer at a remote, secure server. The use of this information is governed by the General Data Protection Regulation 2018 (GDPR).
HOW WE USE INFORMATION THAT WE HOLD ABOUT YOU
Please refer to the section GENERAL DATA PROTECTION REGULATION 2018 (GDPR).
PRIVATE FEES / PRIVATE PATIENTS
Not all the services we provide are available free on the NHS. Services that attract a fee include private medicals (for example, driving and employment medicals), certain certificates, letters and vaccinations. Please ask the receptionist for details of our current fees.
SUGGESTIONS
If you want to make any suggestions on how we can improve our services please share your ideas with any member of staff, or go to our online Feedback page.
OPEN DOOR POLICY
If you have any issues or concerns a senior member of staff is always available for a confidential chat.
PATIENT PARTICIPATION GROUP
We have an active Patient Participation Group that meets a few times a year, and is a forum where you can have an input into how we provide a service to you. If you are interested in taking part, you can either complete an application on our website, or just ask any member of staff.
FRIENDS AND FAMILY TEST
We are required to ask you what you think of the service we give you each time we see you. This feedback is anonymous, and we are required to send a monthly report to NHS England. You can go to our website and complete the Friends and Family Test, or you can complete a paper copy in the Surgery.
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT
We have produced a publication scheme under the Act which provides, on request, standard information about the use of NHS funding by the Practice. Should you require a copy please ask one of our reception staff.
NHS KENT AND MEDWAY CLINICAL COMMISSIONING GROUP
This is the local organisation responsible for administering and paying for the health care that we give you under the NHS. Their address is:
NHS Kent and Medway CCG
Kent House
81 Station Road
Ashford
Kent
TN23 1PP
Telephone: 01634 335095
email: kmccg.kentandmedway@nhs.net
Website: www.kentandmedwayccg.nhs.uk