Practice Newsletter: April 2025

 

Our Appointment System - How to Book an Appointment

The completed form will be processed by our trained care navigation team and you will be contacted with the outcome.

This could be a link sent to your phone to book an appointment, a direct telephone call, self-care advice, or navigation to a service that is more appropriate to help and support you. 

If your request is deemed clinically appropriate for a GP appointment, this will be categorised under three levels of urgency:

  1. Same day
  2. Within 3 working days
  3. Within 10 working days
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If you do not have a phone or you are less able to use the online form, please contact the Practice and inform staff who will be willing to support you in completing the online form.

  • If you require an appointment outside the surgery’s opening hours please contact 111 or visit NHS 111 online.
  • Please do not queue outside the surgery before 8am to gain an appointment as one will not be offered.
  • Please do not attend the surgery to book an appointment, request a prescription or for routine enquiries.

Instead, please send your request through our online form.

Please be aware that the Care Navigators will need to ask you a series of questions from a set template provided for this purpose. This is to ensure you are booked with the most appropriately clinician.

Your support and cooperation is appreciated.

 

Zero Tolerance

We are here to help you and our aim is to be polite and helpful at all times.

However, shouting at, and being aggressive towards Practice staff and other patients will not be tolerated under any circumstances. We will report any case of verbal or physical abuse to the police and offenders will be removed from our practice list. 

 

Facts and Figures

Here are some facts and figures about our activities in March:

  • 4660 incoming calls
  • 4001 calls answered (85.9%)
  • 1038 telephone appointments
  • 8592 appointments offered
  • 651 Blood tests
  • 3083 prescriptions issued
  • 57 Home Visits
  • Friends and Family Test: 99.1% of patients surveyed rated our services as very good or good.
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Staff News

We welcome Dr David Breen who returned to us as a permanent GP having trained with us. Also Drs Jennifer Marin, Tara Finn and Ali Ahsan.

We said goodbye to Dr Juliet Grenham and Dr Iqbal Aniq at the end of March. 

 
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Requesting a Repeat Prescription

  • You can request your repeat prescriptions online. It is quick, easy and secure. In order to do this, go to our website.
  • Repeat prescriptions take 48 hours to process. This is two working days not including the weekend or bank holidays.
  • Requests that are not on repeat i.e. past medications, hospital letters or hospital prescriptions which are ticked non-urgent etc.
  • will take longer to process (possibly up to 3-4 working days) as the doctor needs to look at these and may need to refer to your medical history.
  • Hospital prescriptions which are ticked as urgent or for collection at the hospital should be taken to the hospital pharmacy for dispensing.
  • If requesting past medication (which will take longer than 2 working days to process) please state clearly on the request why you are asking for it. We deal with over 100 requests daily so please help us to make this process run as smoothly as possible.
  • You are required to have regular blood tests for some medications. Your prescription might be delayed if your blood tests are not up to date
  • If you have regular repeat prescriptions which do not change, please ask for repeat dispensing.
 

Wasted Appointments

If you were not able to get the appointment you wanted in March, that could be that of the 8592 appointments we offered, 306 (3.56%) people who booked, did not show up and failed to cancel.

It is important that you cancel if you are unable to attend your GP or nurse appointment. We have made it very easy for you to cancel your appointments.

You can cancel by calling the surgery and, when prompted, enter your date of birth or by following the prompt on our reminder text. We are only able to offer your unwanted appointment if you cancel.

 

Are You a Carer?

If you help look after a family member, friend or neighbour who through illness, disability or frailty cannot manage without you then you are a Carer and we would like to help.

You can speak to any of our receptionists or, contact us online for information.

 

Cancer Screening

Have you received a letter inviting you for Bowel, Smear or Breast Cancer Screening? Do not ignore it. Please call the number stated on your invite letter.

Alternatively, contact the surgery by phone or email for further advice

 

Practice Closure

We will close for staff training on Wednesday 1 April 2025 at 12pm and reopen at 8am on Thursday 2 April.

If you need urgent medical assistance which cannot wait until the surgery reopens, please contact SELDOC who will be providing GP cover on 07483 155 397. For chest pain or collapse please dial 999.

Regards,
Antonia 

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Published: Apr 2, 2025