Trinity Medical Centre

GENERAL INFORMATION

Primary Care Trust

South Tyneside NHS Primary Care Trust is responsible for the provision of primary health care in the area. The Trust can be contacted at:

Sunderland Teaching Primary Care Trust
Pemberton House
Colima Avenue
Sunderland Enterprise Park
Sunderland SR5 3XB

Telephone: 0191 529 7000

Patient And Public Involment

The Department of Health actively encourage practices to have Patient Forums in order to help the practice to deliver services around the needs of the patients. A Patient Forum is a partnership between teh practice and its patients which in turn provide the opportunity to have open and ongoing dialogue about practice services. This means that the views and experience of the patients who use the services can be taken into consideration when either planning/developing a new service or improving an existing service. A Patient Involvement Group will be used for:

• Developing a partnership with our patients about practice plans and services
  
  
• Discovering what patients think about the services we provide
  
  
• Getting the views of patients on practice priorities and how best to use our funds
  
  
• A sounding board on which to test any ideas or plans we may have
  
  
• Use as a forum to evaluate the quality of care provided for example access, diabetic services, palliative care etc
  
  
• Sharing of knowledge between professionals and patients
  
  
• Giving patients the opportunity to ask questions
  
  
• The opportunity to put forward ideas on how to improve services
  
  
• Giving patients the opportunity to suggest new services

We have an excellent Patient Involvement Group and we are always looking for a good representation of our practice population which will reflect age, gender, ethnicity, health care needs and social situations. You don't need to have experience or qualifications to be a member of our forum - all we ask is that you use the service. We are a friendly group.

If you use the service, then you have something valuable to offer by being part of a patient forum. Simply contact the practice and we will do the rest.

Ambulance Bookings

Ambulance transport to hospital is for those patients who are unable to make the journey by any other means - often the elderly, ill or infirm. Please ring the surgery after 12 noon to make ambulance bookings giving as much notice as you can.

Charges

Charges may be made for services to patients which are not available on the NHS such as certain travel vaccinations, private medical certificates, private insurance claim forms and various types of medical examinations. The current charges are displayed at the surgery and these are based on the BMA recommendations.