Firstly, I would like to say thank you to all of our patients for both your understanding and for the support that you have all shown us at the practice since March of this year. We have been listening to the feedback that you have shared with us and our Patient Participation Group (PPG) over the last few months. We now realise that despite our belief we are keeping everyone informed of changes to how we are working with newspaper articles, SMS messages, website updates and lengthy phone messages, there are still patients who feel they are struggling to know how they can access our services. We therefore thought that placing an article in the local magazines would reach a wider audience and particularly help those patients who are unable to access our website for information.
GP Appointments – In keeping with Public Health England and NHS England guidance, we are running a telephone first appointment system. What does this mean in reality I hear you ask? If you are unwell or worried about your health and feel you need to see a doctor please contact the practice by phone. Alternatively you can complete the e-Consult form via our website. Your appointment will initially be booked as a telephone appointment and the doctor will call you to discuss your concerns. If, during the course of your conversation they think you should be seen in person, they will arrange for you to come in for a face to face appointment.
e-Consult is a recent addition to our service provision and allows patients to submit their symptoms or requests to their own GP electronically avoiding the need to call the practice. It offers around the clock NHS selfhelp information, signposting to services, and a symptom checker.
We can’t stress enough, that we are still here and seeing patients. Please don’t think we are too busy for you or you don’t want to bother us at this busy time. If you are unwell or worried about your health get in touch!
Our aim with having doors closed and first contact by phone or e-consult is us being very careful to ensure as much as is possible our sites remain safe for patients that need to be seen, and we are managing the more routine care issues via telephone and video consultations.
Nursing Team – our nursing team are continuing to see patients, as they have been throughout this pandemic. To allow for the additional use of PPE and reduce the number of patients in our waiting room areas at any one time, we have adjusted appointment lengths. The Practice Nurses and Chronic Disease nurses focus is on essential care, such as smears, childhood immunisations and chronic disease management (diabetes, Asthma and COPD). Our Health Care Assistants continue to support those patients needing INR monitoring, ECGs, dressings and supporting our flu vaccination program.
We are this month trialling the opening up of on-line booking for our phlebotomist’s blood test appointment, these are for blood test requests by your GP and cervical smears with a nurse, for which patients will receive a letter advising them how to book these.
Telephones – To help us support our most vulnerable patients, we are asking that for an hour between 10am and 11am each morning the phone lines are kept as free as possible to enable patients in this category to make contact with us more easily.
Volunteers – I think you would all agree with us that the volunteers in the local community did a phenomenal job of supporting our most vulnerable patient during lockdown. We will be working together with the volunteer organisers to see how together we can continue to support everybody.
Keep safe and remember the Practice is here for you!!!