Practice Information

Patient Registration

Our practice covers approximately 146 square miles and, in addition to Richmond, encompasses many villages and hamlets spread over varied and often remote terrain. We welcome new patients and temporary residents and can see most patients by appointment at short notice.

You may register with this practice if you live within our practice area. To register, just ask at reception and you will be given a registration form to complete and a questionnaire about your medical history. Your registration is then immediate. It is important that you inform us of any changes to your name, address or telephone number.

We offer new patients, particularly those on repeat medications the opportunity of a new patient check with our practice nurse. The new patient check enables us to record medical information which may be of help if you need to see a doctor or nurse prior to our receiving your medical records from your previous doctor. The process of receiving your medical records from your previous doctor can take several weeks.

Please contact reception for further information.

Since 2015 all GP practices in England have had the choice to register new patients who live outside their practice area. The Friary Surgery decided not to partake in this decision and do not register patients who reside outside of their practice area. This decision was made due to capacity issues.

Catchment Area

We cover the following areas: West Layton, East Layton, Dalton, Melsonby, Ravensworth, Gayles, Kirby Hill, Hartfrd, Gilling West, Middleton Tyas, Hurst, Washfold, Helwith, Skelton, Marske, Skeeby, Moulton, Richmond, Hudswell, Brokes, Brompton On Swale, Fremington, Grinton, Marrick, Ellerton Abbey, Stainton, Downholme, Hipswell, Scoton, Tunstall.

Better Access

More routine primary care appointments have been made available to people living in our region. Patients registered at GP practices in Hambleton, Richmondshire and Whitby can pre-book a routine primary care appointment between 6:30pm and 8pm weekdays and weekends. This is not a walk-in service – please speak to a receptionist to book your appointment.

There are now appointments available for cervical screening, wound dressings, physiotherapy as well as HCA appointments for blood tests, and Nurse Practitioner Appointments telephone 01748 822306 to arrange an out of hours appointment.

Confidentiality & Medical Records

The practice complies with data protection act 2018 (GDPR) and access to medical records legislation. Identifiable information about you will be shared with others in the following circumstances:

To provide further medical treatment for you e.g. from district nurses and hospital services.

To help you get other services e.g. from the social work department. This requires your consent.
When we have a duty to others e.g. in child protection cases anonymised patient information will also be used at local and national level to help the Health Board and Government plan services e.g. for diabetic care.

We will always inform you of the reason why your information is being shared.

Reception and administration staff require access to your medical records in order to do their jobs. These members of staff are bound by the same rules of confidentiality as the medical staff.

Temporary Registration

If you are ill while away from home or if you are not registered with a doctor but need to see one you can receive emergency treatment from the local GP practice for 14 days. After 14 days you will need to register as a temporary or permanent patient.

You can be registered as a temporary patient for up to three months. This will allow you to be on the local practice and still remain a patient of your permanent GP. After three months you will have to re-register as a temporary patient or permanently register with that practice.

To register as a temporary patient simply contact the local practice you wish to use. Practices do not have to accept you as a temporary patient although they do have an obligation to offer emergency treatment. You cannot register as a temporary patient at a practice in the town or area where you are already registered.

Freedom of Information

Information about the General Practioners and the practice required for disclosure under this act can be made available to the public. All requests for such information should be made to the practice manager.

Practice Complaints Procedure

We make every effort to give the best service possible to everyone who attends our practice.

However, we are aware that things can go wrong resulting in a patient feeling that they have a genuine cause for complaint. If this is so, we would wish for the matter to be settled as quickly, and as amicably, as possible.

To pursue a complaint please contact the practice manager who will deal with your concerns appropriately. Further written information is available regarding the complaints procedure from reception.

Named Accountable GP for all Patients

All GP practices are now required to provide their patients with a ‘ named accountable GP’. The named accountable GP is required to take responsibility for the co-ordination of all appropriate services required under the contract and ensure that they are delivered to each of their patients where required (based on clinical judgement of the named accountable GP). All of our patients at the Friary Surgery, including children, now have a named GP who is responsible for their overall care.

Please note that this does NOT prevent you from seeing any GP of your choice in the practice as you have always been able to do, and you are unlikely to see any change in the way care is delivered to you by us.

Violence Policy

The NHS operate a zero tolerance policy with regard to violence and abuse and the practice has the right to remove violent patients from the list with immediate effect in order to safeguard practice staff, patients and other persons. Violence in this context includes actual or threatened physical violence or verbal abuse which leads to fear for a person’s safety. In this situation we will notify the patient in writing of their removal from the list and record in the patient’s medical records the fact of the removal and the circumstances leading to it.

GP Earnings

NHS England require that the net earnings of doctors engaged in the practice is publicised and the required disclosure is shown below. However, it should be noted that the prescribed method for calculating earnings is potentially misleading because it takes no account of how much time doctors spend working in the practice and should not be used to for any judgement about GP earnings, nor to make any comparisons with other practices.

The average earnings for GPs working in the Friary Surgery in the last financial year ending in2021/22 was £67,233 before taxation and National Insurance. This is for 3 part time GPs and 2 Locum GPs who worked in the practice for more than 6 months.