Answers to common questions
Below are the most frequently asked questions that we get at the practice.
If you are not sure who you should be making an appointment with, click here.
Have you thought about going to your local pharmacy? They are no able to deal with a wide range of minor ailments and often no appointment is necessary.
How do I register at Islington Central Medical Centre?
You can register by completing the online form on this website. Click here.
Or you can visit the practice and complete the documentation in person. No ID is required, however please note we always recommend that you register at a practice in your borough if you require ongoing hospital or community care.
How do I make or cancel an appointment?
You can cancel your appointment by contacting the practice. You can also use the online apps.
How do I request a Sick (Med3 – Fit) note?
Please contact the practice.
Please do not make an appointment, someone will contact you back.
How do I request repeat medication?
If it is a medication that has not been issued recently, you will need to speak to a clinician in the first instance. This could be one of our Practice Based Pharmacists or Prescribing Nurse Practitioner.
You can also use our eConsult or Patient Access to make a request.
How do I request a home visit?
Please contact the practice as early as possible (before 8.30am ideally) if you feel you need to be seen at home. A clinician will contact you in the first instance to see if a home visit is required or not. Depending on the nature of your health concern, we may request that you have a video consultation instead.
How can I get my recent test/investigation results?
Please visit your medical record in the first instance using our online service.
Alternatively, you should contact reception and they will tell you if all is okay or if you need to book an appointment to discuss any follow up action or concerns with a clinician. Please allow at least a week before contacting us to allow the results to be sent to us.
How do I get medical help when you are closed?
Please contact the 111 service if non life threatening or call 999 or going to your nearest A&E if it is a medical emergency.
You can also call the practice telephone number an you will be diverted to the local Extended Access service operating until 8pm.
How do I update my address details?
It is important that we have your correct address in case we need to write to you.
You can update your address by using our online form.
How do I sign up for online access?
You ill need to provide the practice with photo ID and complete some paperwork before we can set you up on the system to access the online services. Please contact reception for more information or click here
How do I make a complaint?
How can I join the Islington Central Medical Centre Patient Participation Group (PPG)
Please contact the practice with your details and we will contact you when we have scheduled our next meeting.
For more information regarding our PPG group, click here.
How do I change my nominated pharmacy?
Please put your request in writing when ordering repeat medication, or discuss your change with a clinician when you have your appointment.
Please note, for your convenience, we also have a pharmacy on site.
What are your fees for Travel vaccinations?
Please visit our travel section page for more information on the service and what you need to do. Click here.
What are your fees for private medicals and letters?
Visit our Non NHS Charges page
All private work must be paid for in advance.
You can contact the practice and someone will get back to you. Please also note that our admin staff that deal with these types of requests only works on Tuesday’s, Wednesday’s and Thursday’s.
When are my child’s immunisations due?
Please visit the gov.uk website for more information. Click here
It is important that your child is vaccinating as per the latest schedule to protect him/her as they get older and are exposed to more bacteria and viruses in the community.
How do i chase up my Hospital appointment?
Please contact the hospital directly. The practice is unable to chase them on your behalf. Often they do not inform us of your appointments.
Where do I go to get my Blood’s (Phlebotomy Service) taken?
We will send you information on the online booking system, which will offer you a date, time and place. Please print off your forms before you attend your appointment and take it with you. You will not be seen without it. They are unable to print the forms on site for you. Alternatively, you can collect the form from Islington Central Medical Centre prior to your appointment.
How do I get additional help as a carer?
Firstly, please let us know that you are a carer for one of our registered patients so we can code your details on our system. You should also make sure that your own practice (if registered elsewhere) is aware.
Please contact the practice for any additional support you may require. We may then put you in touch with one of our local social prescribers that may be able to assist you.
What is Social Prescribing?
Many things affect our health and wellbeing – finances, social environment, what’s going on at home, to name a few.
For example, people may visit their GP because they may be feeling stressed about their work, money, or because they are lonely and isolated. The impact that these issues can have on our physical and mental wellbeing has been particularly clear as the nation responds to COVID-19.
But these problems cannot be fixed by medical staff.
That’s where social prescribing comes in. Social prescribing connects people to practical and emotional community support, through social prescribing link workers, who are based in GP practices and take referrals from all local agencies. Link workers have time to build trusting relationships, start with what matters to the person, create a shared plan and introduce people to community support.
It helps people get more control over their healthcare, to manage their needs and in a way that suits them. It can especially help people who:
– have one or more long-term condition
– need support with their mental health
– are lonely or isolated
– have complex social needs which affect their wellbeing.
Social prescribing links them to a range of activities that are typically provided by voluntary and community sector organisations, for example, volunteering, arts activities, group learning, gardening, befriending, cookery, healthy eating advice and a range of sports.
When social prescribing works well, people can be easily referred to social prescribing link workers from within their local area, for example, from the NHS – general practice, pharmacies, multi-disciplinary teams, hospital discharge teams – to fire service, police, job centres, social care services, housing associations and voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations. People can also refer themselves.
How do I let the practice/staff know that they are doing a great job?
Staff really appreciate when patients let them know that they are doing a good job, as they often only hear about the complaints. The best way to let us know that we are doing a good job is to leave an online comment by clicking on this link.
Can I still stay with the practice even though I have moved out of the area?
Depends on where you have moved to and if you have any conditions that we feel that we can not support locally. Please contact us for more information.
How do I get to see a regular GP or other clinician?
As a large practice we have a number of clinicians working for us. Unfortunately, they do not work everyday, otherwise they would face burn out due to the long hours that they have to work.
We appreciate that continuity is important for some patients, therefore we recommend that you see two regular GP’s rather than just the one. A schedule of the days that they work can be found on our staff page.
You can also try booking appointments in advance rather than leaving it to the day. Please note this will be subject to availability.