GT Reading — Test 14

Reading passage

TEXT Text A — Millbrook Community Clinic — Opening Notice Millbrook Community Clinic opened its doors last spring on the corner of Fenwick Road and Alder Lane, a five-minute walk from the town's main bus interchange. It was set up by local doctors who wanted routine health care closer to families living on the north side of the river, where the nearest surgery had previously been three miles away. The single-storey building is fully step-free, and a ramp runs alongside the main entrance for visitors who use wheelchairs or push prams. Reception is staffed from 8 a.m. until 6.30 p.m. on weekdays. Please note that the clinic does not deal with emergencies; anyone with a life-threatening condition should telephone 999 or attend the accident and emergency department at St Cuthbert's Hospital. For urgent but non-serious matters outside our hours, the regional out-of-hours line can be reached on 111. To register as a new patient, bring one form of photographic identification and a recent letter showing your home address, such as a utility bill dated within the last three months. Registration forms may also be downloaded from our website. Children under sixteen must be registered by a parent or guardian. There is no charge to join, and you need not live within a fixed boundary to become a patient here. ———————————— TEXT Text B — Booking and Cancelling Appointments — Information Leaflet Appointments at Millbrook can be booked in three ways. The quickest is through our online portal, which lets you choose a date and time that suits you and is available around the clock. Alternatively, you may telephone the booking line on 01743 556 200 between 8 a.m. and 11 a.m., which is when most same-day slots are released. Finally, you are welcome to call in at reception and speak to a member of staff face to face. Each standard appointment lasts ten minutes and is intended to cover a single concern. If you think you will need longer, or wish to discuss more than one problem, please ask for a double appointment when you book. Patients who need an interpreter should mention this at the time of booking so that one can be arranged without extra cost. We ask that you cancel any appointment you can no longer attend, giving at least four hours' notice where possible. This frees the slot for someone else. Repeated missed appointments without warning may be reviewed by the practice manager. Home visits are reserved for patients who are genuinely housebound; a request for one should be made before 10 a.m. so that the visiting rota can be planned. Test results are not given out over the telephone before midday. ———————————— TEXT Text C — Clinic Services and Weekly Timetable Beyond ordinary consultations with a doctor, Millbrook runs a number of specialist sessions during the week. The nurse-led travel clinic operates on Monday afternoons and can advise on vaccinations for trips abroad; you should book at least six weeks before you fly, as some courses take time to complete. On Tuesday mornings there is a baby weighing and immunisation session, which does not require an appointment. The stop-smoking service meets every Wednesday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., and no referral from a doctor is needed to attend. Blood tests are carried out on Thursday and Friday mornings only, strictly by appointment; please arrive having eaten normally unless you have been asked to fast. A minor injuries clinic, for sprains, small cuts and suspected simple fractures, is held on Saturday between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. A qualified pharmacist is on site every weekday and can review your regular medicines and answer questions about side effects, though she cannot issue new prescriptions herself. Free blood-pressure checks are available from the machine in the waiting area at any time the clinic is open. The clinic closes on all public holidays. Over the two weeks spanning Christmas and the New Year it runs a reduced timetable, with details posted on the noticeboard each December.