Dr Wilson's talk
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Hello everybody. Welcome to this informal talk about the
University's Health Centre. My name is Dr Peter Wilson and I work at the Health
Centre here on the University campus. I'm going to be talking about the
services we provide, and also I'll try to explain a few things about the Health
Service here in Britain which you need to understand.
Well, I should start by just saying something about the
British Health Service that you may not be familiar with.
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The first thing you need to do is to register with a Health
Centre where you'll go anytime you need to see a doctor.
You'll then be on a doctor's list, which you need to be if you are living
here. So you should do this first.
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Q11
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What we call a Health Centre is really a small group of
family doctors who work together in the same building - it's also known as a
medical practice.
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Q12
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The University Health Centre is in fact one branch of a
practice called the Blackwell Health Centre. The branch here is the
largest with 6 doctors working here.
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Q13
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But if you prefer you can also go to the Blackwell Heath
clinic where there are 4 doctors available that you can see.
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Q14
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The Campus clinic is larger but uses an appointment system -
you have to make an appointment first. You won't have to wait long, but if it's
busy you may not be able to make an appointment until the afternoon.
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The Blackwell Heath clinic is smaller and doesn't have an
appointment system - you have to wait your turn to see a doctor. But if it's
not so busy then usually you won't have to wait long and you can see a doctor without
having to make an appointment first.
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Q15
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Anyway, you can go to either centre to register. If you
prefer to see a particular doctor you can specify this on the registration
form.
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For example, Dr Hilary Jones has a particular interest in women's
medicine, so female students might prefer to see her.
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Q16
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If you suffer from any problems with your muscles or back,
then Dr Charles Spencer has a special interest in this.
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And if you have any young children you might prefer to go to
see Dr Ann Walters at our Blackwell Heath centre who is particularly good with
young children.
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Q17
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If you are very sick, you can ask for a home visit, and if
it's an emergency you can phone at any time, day or night. Otherwise you have
to go to the clinic yourself.
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Surgeries are held from 9 am to 5.30 pm on weekdays, and 9 to
12.30 on Saturday. There is a late surgery until 7.30 pm on
Thursdays. There is no surgery on Sunday, which is reserved for
emergencies.
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Q18
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You are probably wondering how much this all costs. Well,
there is no charge for seeing a doctor - you can make an appointment
anytime to see one of our doctors at the Health Centre and it will not cost you
anything for the consultation.
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Q19
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However - and this is the last point I want to make - usually
when you see a doctor you'll be given a prescription for medicine which you
need to take. This prescription you will need to pay for, and the cost varies
with the medicine, but it's usually just a few pounds.
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In some situations, such as pregnancy, the
prescription is free. Now if you have any questions you would like to ask
me, there are a few minutes left for me to answer them.
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Q20
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