Lordshill H/C
Newsletter
January 2017 Edition 5
We would like to wish all our patients a happy, healthy 2017.
Is this issue of our newsletter we would like to give patients an insight into the problems facing General Practice across the whole of the UK and information of what to expect if you make an emergency appointment?
I would like to say a special thank you to Dr M Wong from the Ivy Grove Surgery in Derbyshire, who has shared information he has written in this newsletter.
Debbie Charman
Practice Manager
Nosey Receptionists?
No not at all…………
“Why does the receptionist need to ask what’s wrong with me?’
It is not a case of the receptionist being nosey! Our Receptionists are valued members of the Practice team and the doctors here, as with many other practices, have requested that they should ask patients ‘why they need to be seen’.
Reception staff is trained to ask certain questions in order to ensure that you receive the most appropriate health professional and at the most appropriate time. Receptionists are asked to collect brief information from patients in order to:
· Help doctors prioritise house visits and phone calls
· Ensure that all patients receive the appropriate level of care
· Direct patients to see the nurse of other health professionals rather that a doctor where appropriate.
Reception staff, like all members of the team, is bound by confidentiality rules.
· Any information given by you is treated with the strictest confidence
· The practice would take any breach of confidentiality very seriously and deal with it accordingly
·
You can ask to speak to a receptionist in private away from the reception desk if you are in the waiting room
Therefore please do not be offended or angry when our receptionists ask for brief information before booking you an appointment with us. They are trying to ensure you get the best help. If however, you feel your issue is very private and you do not wish to say what this is then this will be respected.
Thank you for your support
Let’s be honest here……
Things are difficult in General Practice and we cannot hide it any longer, and no, it is not just us at Lordshill Health Centre, it is a national issue affecting practices all over the UK. You will have seen the Prime Minister’s manifesto to push towards 7 day working; Junior Doctors fighting for safe working practices: GP surgeries closing or merging and finally an admission from politicians that there is a crises in General Practice, and promises of funding.
That’s why you can’t get in…… Now, that’s why you cannot get an appointment: demand is not being matched by resources, funding or staffing; appointments are being used up more quickly than we can provide them, despite working flat out; our time is taken up with complex cases requiring repeated review and we also have lots of patients attending with conditions that would get better with self-care.
What does this mean for you as a patient?
It means difficulties getting an appointment, reduced satisfaction and more complaints. GPs are constantly firefighting rather than innovating. Quality and safety of care becomes at risk and there will be stressed, overworked and tired GPs who make mistakes, and burnt out demoralised staff that get sick.
What will happen in the future?
More practices will go bust, with the loss of the family GP, where long-term relationships are built on trust and caring. There will be large areas of the country without a GP, and there will be larger outfits run by non-doctor staff following money-saving protocols, meaning private providers could step in looking to make a quick profit.
Please know that we are doing our best
We know you’re struggling to get in to see us, but we are not being difficult; we are working as best we can to provide a quality service in a broken system. Practices around the UK are facing the same struggles. Just to confirm, we are not simply moaning or scaremongering but we provide this information because we feel we owe a duty to all our patients to tell the truth and explain the wider picture with General Practice.
What can you do to help?
Studies show that 23-40% of consultations with the doctor are unnecessary. Please try and self-care where appropriate, and please only book with us if you really need to. Do make yourself aware of what is happening in the NHS and General Practice in particular and above all, write to your MP to let them know of your concerns.
The reason for an emergency appointment?
Like many surgeries, we have a daily duty doctor who is on-call for emergencies. As you all know, as a service with limited resources, we cannot offer an endless supply of appointments and sure enough, these appointments do quickly run out. If you then ring us feeling you need an appointment for the same day, you are given an emergency appointment. An emergency appointment is for medical emergencies only. We class an emergency as a medical issue that cannot possibly wait until the next available appointment with any doctor. There are many reasons why we consider our duty doctor to be on for emergencies only, and not to act as an overspill for mopping up routine work. They are also on hand for any of the surgery staff to call upon should they need urgent advice or wish a patient assessed urgently there and then, they also deal with seriously abnormal test results that have been rung through from the laboratory that may mean patients needing immediate treatment or admission.
The duty doctor must prioritise all the urgent work that comes their way, from paperwork, results, admin, telephone and face to face consultations, so that patients are dealt with in order of medical need and not according to the time of their call. You may therefore find that there are delays before the duty doctor gets to you, or that you are subject to time constraints. Be assured that the duty doctor will always deal with any medical issues that need to be dealt with urgently, but they may also ask you to rebook routinely for other issues that are not as clinically urgent. This is necessary to ensure that we continue to provide a high quality, but above all, safe service.
We do appreciate the difficulties in getting an appointment and the frustration that this causes. However, whilst most people think they have a genuine medical emergency that needs to be dealt with as soon as possible, we do find that most patients have conditions that either can wait, or that another health care provider could have seen or where self-care would have been more appropriate.
Antibiotic Awareness
Antibiotics are important medicinesfor treating bacterial infections in both humans and animals.However, bacteria can adaptand find ways to survive the effects of an antibiotic.
This means antibiotics are losing their effectiveness at an increasing rate. The more we use antibiotics, the greater the chance bacteria will become resistant to them and they canno longerbeused to treatinfections. Antibiotic resistance is one of the most significant threats to patients' safety. It isdriven by overusing antibiotics and prescribing them inappropriately.
To slow down the development of antibiotic resistance, it is important to use antibiotics in the right way –to use the right drug, at the right dose, at the right time, for the right duration. Antibiotics should be taken as prescribed andnever saved for later or shared with others. Patient should not be offended if they are not given antibiotics. They will not be prescribed if the GP does not feel they are appropriate.
How can you help?
Antibiotic resistance is not somebody else’s problem. It is everybody’s problem.
You can help by not requesting them for minor self-limiting conditions–especially coughs and colds, which are likely to be caused by a virus, meaning antibiotics would be of no benefit.
If your doctor does prescribe antibiotics for you, make sure that you’ve discussed and understood how to take them correctly, and that you take all the prescribed pills, regardless of whether you still have symptoms. If you do not take the full prescribed dose, chances are that some of the bacteria will not be killed, and these are more likely to be resistant strains.
Can the Pharmacist help?
Every year, millions of us visit our GP with minor health problems that our local pharmacist could resolve.
It's estimated 50 million visits to the GP are made every year for minor ailments such as coughs and colds, mild eczema and athlete's foot. But by visiting your pharmacy instead, you could save yourself time and trouble. Instead of booking and waiting for a GP appointment, you can visit your local pharmacist any time–just walk in.
All pharmacists can recognise many common health complaints. They can give advice or, where appropriate, medicines that will help clear up the problem.
If your problem is more serious and needs the attention of a GP, your pharmacist will recognise this and advise you to see your GP instead.
What's more, many pharmacies are open in the evenings and on the weekends.
If everybody went to a pharmacist with common health problems, more time would be freed up for our GPs. This might make it easier to get a convenient appointment with your GP next time you need one.
So, if you have a common health problem, a trip to your local pharmacy is an option.
Your pharmacist may be able to help with:
· skin conditions, such as mild acne and mild eczema
· coughs and colds, including nasal congestion and sore throat
· minor cuts and bruises
· constipation and haemorrhoids (piles)
· hay fever and allergies
· aches and pains, such as headaches, earache and back pain
· indigestion, diarrhoea and threadworms
· period pain and thrush
· warts and verrucas, mouth ulcers and cold sores
· athlete's foot
· nappy rash and teething
Minor ailment services
some pharmacies run a minor ailment scheme, which means they can supply medicines for certain conditions on the NHS.
If your pharmacy runs a minor ailmentschemethat includeseczema, for example, it means your pharmacist can supply medicines for this condition and you'll only pay the standard prescription charge.
If you're exempt from paying prescription charges– because you're under 16 or over 60,for example,or you havea prescription prepayment certificate (PPC)–you won't pay for the medicine. Just ask at your local pharmacy.
And finally………
Please let us know what you think about the Newsletter or any other things in/around the Surgery. We welcome all feedback. If you have any comments, views or suggestions or funny stories to share with us please do so via
Out of Hours
Weekends, bank holidays and evenings HUB ACCESS – To help improve our access, we are now able to offer patients who need to be seen in the evening or at the weekend an appointment with a GP or HCA at a hub. The West hubs are at Aldermoor Surgery and Shirley Health Centre. All consultations are reported back via the computer system so patients clinical notes are kept up-to-date (consent will be required for this).
Appointments at the hub are booked via Lordshill Health Centre.
Please note this is NOT a walk-in-service
You can also attend: The Minor Injury Unit, Royal South Hants Hospital, Brintons Terrace, Southampton, SO14 0YG
Open every day from 8.00am to 10.00pm.
NO APPOINTMENT NEEDED
IN THE EVENT OF A MEDICAL EMERGENCY PLEASE DIAL 999
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