What to Expect
St Erme Medical supplements the services provided by the NHS providing time with experienced doctors, continuity of care and management options that are evidence based and supported by guidance. In addition to problem based consultations we can offer medicals for insurance, visa and other purposes.
Health reviews for all and specialist advice in the field of women’s health. As leaders in our field we can offer advice to all women, even those with highly complex histories. Those patients who see us in person will be able to park and consult in an environment that is relaxed and welcoming.
How we work
When you book with us for the first time the receptionist will take details of your name, date of birth and where you live. You will be asked for an email address and contact phone number. A mobile number enables us to send you a SMS reminder of your appointment. Whenever possible, we will communicate by email. Please check your spam/junk folder. We will ask which NHS GP surgery you are registered with but will not communicate with them unless you ask us to. Finally, you will receive an invoice.
Additional Info
If you are entitled to NHS services and are registered with an NHS GP we would ask you to remain registered as urgent and out of hours care, maternity and cancer services are provided by them. St Erme Medical provides an option to supplement these services. We will provide an opinion and advice to our patients but cannot instruct the NHS. Our opinion may be accepted but it will depend on circumstances.
We have an agreement with the NHS in Cornwall for patients entitled to NHS services: if they meet the criteria for rapid access to possible cancer pathways then we can now make the referral. This saves having to go back to the NHS GP. This agreement has not yet been extended to other areas and is work in progress.
St Erme Medical is independent in many respects. We choose our pathology laboratory and support services, ensuring that they meet our high standards. We do not have access to NHS (or any other) medical records.
We adhere to the same regulations and follow guidance as does the NHS and are inspected by the care quality commission in the same way.
If we provide a prescription, you will pay the cost and dispensing fee to the pharmacy. This is not covered by prepayment or exemption certificates provided by the NHS. You can choose your local pharmacy or Pharmacierge who are a London based company who only dispense privately. They can do this for anyone in the UK as we email the prescription and they arrange delivery,
If we refer for investigation, a consultant opinion or more specialist treatment it will be within the independent sector.
Most medical insurance policies in the UK are written to cover secondary care hospital treatent and not GP led primary care. This is starting to change.
Your policy may cover our services but please check with the company first. If they have provided a written agreement to cover cost then we can invoice directly.
We will allow you much more time than the NHS and can therefore take more factors into consideration. You will be listened to, respected as an individual and treated as a whole person. The Doctor will give you an opinion based on their assessment of you, their knowledge and experience, and informed by evidence and national guidance. We work as a team and may discuss your problem between us to be sure that we are offering the best advice.
We will not provide sickness certification for conditions we have not treated. We do not prescribe opiates. We cannot offer maternity care or home visits due to insurance limitations. St Erme Medical does not provide emergency, out of hours or cancer care but the NHS does.
In the event of an emergency in the UK, call 111 or 999.
