Appointments

We will always try to offer you an appointment but due to high demand we currently have a waiting time of around 3 weeks for routine appointments.  This may be longer if you wish to book in with a specific GP.

Our reception team will ask you for details regarding your appointment, this is to ensure we are directing you to the most appropriate professional to deal with your care.  The more information you can give the receptionist the more helpful this will be.

Across East Lothian, there are a wide range of health, medical and care services that can be accessed by getting in touch directly with the most appropriate health professionals first time around. 

You can GO DIRECT ⇒ to a number of Primary Care services. 

Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult.

Urgent Appointments

If you have an urgent problem and cannot wait for a routine appointment, please tell the receptionist, who will attend to you promptly.

Please remember we are not an emergency service, if you feel your case is life threatening, please dial 999.

Practice Nurses

In a number of cases it might be worth considering an appointment with a practice nurse rather than a doctor. Practice nurses are qualified to deal with many ailments and you may be seen more quickly.

CTAC NURSES (Community Treatment and Care)

The CTAC nurses visit Dunbar Medical Practice on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.  if you require a dressing, ear syringing, B12 injections or hospital bloods please call 0131 446 4227 to arrange an appointment.

CWIC Mental Health (Care When it Counts)

The CWIC mental health team are experts in all mental health.  If you are seeking support or advice  for your mental health please call the team on 01620 642 963.

Pharmacy First

Pharmacists and their teams are experts in medicine and can help with minor health concerns.  In some cases it may be worth speaking to a pharmacist before a GP, the reception team can let you know if your problems is something that can be dealt with at the pharmacy.

Teaching

Our practice supports medical education and will occasionally provide opportunities for medical students to be present during surgery consultations, if you agree.

Cancellations

If you cannot attend an appointment for any reason please inform us as soon as possible in order for us to give the slot to someone else.

Home Visits

Whilst we encourage our patients to come to the surgery, where we have the proper equipment and facilities available, we do appreciate this is not always possible. In this respect, if you do need a home visit, you can help us by calling reception before 10:00.

You may only request a home visit if you are housebound or are too ill to visit the practice. Your GP will only visit you at home if they think that your medical condition requires it and will also decide how urgently a visit is needed. Please bear this in mind and be prepared to provide suitable details to enable the doctor to schedule house calls

You can also be visited at home by a community nurse if you are referred by your GP. You should also be visited at home by a health visitor if you have recently had a baby or if you are newly registered with a GP and have a child under five years.

Sickness Certificates

You do not require a doctor's sickness certificate for any illness lasting seven days or less. Your employer may however require you to complete a self-certification form (SC2) which is available from your employer or on the HMRC website.

Evidence that you are sick

Please note that sick lines can not be dated in the future and can take up to 3 days to process from the GP.

If you are sick for more than seven days, your employer can ask you to give them some form of medical evidence to support payment of SSP (statutory sick pay).

It is up to your employer to decide whether you are incapable of work. A medical certificate, now called a 'Statement of Fitness for Work’ (see below) from your doctor is strong evidence that you are sick and would normally be accepted, unless there is evidence to prove otherwise.

You could also provide evidence from someone who is not a medical practitioner, e.g. a dentist. Your employer will decide whether or not this evidence is acceptable. If your employer has any doubts, they may still ask for a medical certificate from your GP.

For more information see the DirectGov website (where this information was sourced)