Welcome to Aviemore!

Aviemore is one of Scotland's most popular holiday destinations and just now is once again bursting at the seams with holiday makers. Its an unfortunate fact of life that a small number of people on vacation will need to seek medical attention. Aviemore Medical Practice staff are very used to helping holiday makers needing medical assistance. We hope that you find the information on this page of use to you.

Surgery opening hours/making contact with us

The surgery is open Monday to Friday from 08.45 to 18.00 daily. From 08.00 to 08.45 calls are re-routed to our duty doctor.

Outwith these hours, medical provision is through our out of hours service. Click here for details.

If you do need to contact us for whatever reason, we advise you to do so by telephone and as early as possible after the surgery opens (08.45am). This will enable us to offer you the best possible options for assistance, especially if you feel you need a home visit. Our GPs are out and about on home visits between 11.30 and 1pm so if you need a home visit please call before 11am if possible.

Emergencies

In the event of a potentially life threatening emergency (such as chest pain, collapse, seizure etc) you should call the ambulance service as soon as possible by dialling 999. The ambulance service can ask for one of our medical team to attend as well if required. If you phone the surgery in such circumstances, it is likely our reception staff will advise you to call 999 or will do so on your behalf. There is no charge for calling the emergency services in the UK.

Common problems

Injuries

We provide a casualty service at our health centre and can deal with 95% injuries and urgent problems quickly and without the need to send you to hospital. Our X-ray department is open from 14.00 to 17.00 every day and all of our doctors are experienced in dealing with cuts, fractures, dislocated joints etc etc. Every winter, we deal with hundreds of injuries relating to skiing, snowboarding and sledging! More information here.

If you sustain an injury, please telephone us for advice and we will arrange for you to be seen as soon as possible.

Medication required

Every week, we deal with requests for re-supply of medication - either because it has been lost or insufficient supplies have been brought on holiday.

If you have proof of your NHS prescription with you, our chemist in Aviemore (Boots the Chemist) can issue a replacement prescription without the need to see a doctor.

Alternatively, we can provide replacement prescriptions in most situations. We prefer if you attend the surgery in person with written details of the medications - drug, dose and required amount. These details will then be passed to one of our doctors for processing. Normally we aim to have your prescription ready within a maximum of 4 hours. We recommend that you contact us as early as possible after the surgery opens (08.45 weekdays) so that we can process your request that same day.

Please note that if you require certain drugs including controlled medications, strong pain killers, benzodiazepines etc. our doctors will insist on making contact with your own doctor before issuing a prescription. Please bring contact details with you and expect a longer processing time. In these situations, we cannot guarantee that we will issue a prescription and our doctors' decision in such circumstances is final.

Out with normal working hours, the surgery will be closed and you will need to make contact through our out of hours service. You can do this by calling 01479 810258 - stay on the line and your call will be transferred.

Appointment required

If you need to see a doctor or nurse whilst on holiday, then we prefer you to phone us on 01479 810258. As with most medical practices, we would urge you to make contact with us as soon as possible on the day you feel you need attention if at all possible. The later in the day you contact us, the harder it is for us to offer you an appointment!

Telephone advice

An alternative to an appointment is to speak to our duty doctor. They can give you advice over the phone, issue prescriptions for minor ailments including uncomplicated infections or arrange an appointment or home visit if necessary. You can phone and speak to our duty doctor for medical advice every day between 9 and 9.30am and 2 and 2.30pm (2.30-3pm on a Monday). If the duty doctor is busy when you phone, we will take your number and he/she will call you back. Our duty doctor can be very busy at times, especially on Mondays and Fridays. Our receptionists will advise you if there is likely to be a delay in the doctor calling back.

Requests for home visits

If you require a home visit for you or a friend/family member, then please contact us as early as possible. We can see many more patients at the surgery in the time it takes for a doctor to complete one home visit. In addition, we have far more diagnostic equipment available at the surgery. As a result, we restrict home visits to those who genuinely need one for medical reasons. Home visits are carried out between 11.30 - 13.00 daily. In the afternoon, we only have one doctor available for home visits and these must be restricted to genuine emergencies. The duty doctor's decision in such circumstances is final.

Dental problems

We are unable (and untrained) to treat dental problems at our medical practice. You are advised to contact the Aviemore NHS dental practice on 01479 883142, Aviemore Dental Practice on 01479 810301 or else the NHS Highland Dental Helpline on 0845 644 2271.

Eye problems

We can assess all acute eye problems and injuries. You can also see our local optician, Mr Veen, who has his practice by the post office in Aviemore. His phone number is 01479 812777.

Sexual Health Clinic

We also run a specific confidential sexual health clinic between 4.30 and 6.00pm every Tuesday afternoon at the surgery. No appointment is required as it is a drop in clinic. Advice on sexual matters, contraception, infection screening and treatment can all be provided. As this is part of the NHS Highland sexual health service provision, you do not need to be a registered patient of our practice to attend.

Charges for medical services

In the event of a genuine medical emergencies, we provide care for free to everyone who requires it. Otherwise, care is provided for free to residents of the EEA and other countries with reciprocal agreements with the NHS. Proof of residence will be required. For all other situations, a private fee for attendance will be charged and our staff can advise you of the likely charges when you make contact with us. We will issue you with a receipt for your insurance company.