Newsletter - Autumn 2023

 

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Campaigns and Events

Here's what is going in October:

Menopause Awareness Month Stoptober Black History Month
World Mental Health Day Cholesterol Awareness Month And many more!
     

For updates on what is happening this Autumn, follow us on our Facebook page.

 

Patient Access

At the practice, we are trialling a self-booking system. This is where we will text patients who are in need of any long-term condition reviews or blood tests to book an appointment via a text link. Please make sure your mobile number is up-to-date.

Did you know, you can also request prescriptions, see upcoming appointments and check symptoms via the NHS app. Visit the NHS website for more information on how to set up the app. The NHS app is the practice’s preferred app for patients to use.

Scan the QR Code for show you how to download the app.

Both these services make your life so much easier by only having to call the practice when absolutely necessary.

We offer pre-bookable appointments with an array of healthcare specialists and our Patient Navigators have been trained and tasked by the Clinicians to signpost patients accordingly to the most appropriate healthcare professional, which is not always a GP. To ensure appropriate signposting, our patients will be asked about their current symptoms.

On average our Patient Navigators handle around 350-450 calls each day. If your enquiry is routine, you may find calling between 3pm and 6pm will mean shorter wait times. We also offer an alternative: E-Consult can be used to enquiry about routine issues to save you waiting in a queue on the phone.

 

GP Patient Survey

Each year, there is a national effort to gain feedback for GP Practices across the country. We have had the results back from this and there are a number of things we would like to share. A lot of the results were positive compared to the national average, which is fantastic, but as with everything, there are areas where we can improve the patient experience.

  • 67% of patients surveyed said it was easy to get through on the phones compared to 50% nationally. When patients got through, 86% found our patient coordinators helpful.
  • Patients were satisfied with the appointment they were offered at the practice and had a good overall experience of making an appointment with GRMC, compared to patients nationally who were satisfied only 54% of the time.
  • 100% of patients had confidence and trust in their healthcare professional!
  • Overall, 81% described a positive experience with the practice compared to 71% nationally.

We will use these results at the practice to improve the patient experience further, overall, it was a positive result, so thank you to those that took part.

 

Day in the Life: GP

My day starts at 8.15am when I make a large cup of tea, settle down at my computer and check all my results. I also process all the medication requests that have come in overnight and have a look at my diary for the day.

The first patient is at 8.45am and is either a phone call or a face-to-face. We do a mixture of the two through the day, probably 80% face to face and 20% on the phone. Patient contact is still in the vast majority of what I do and enjoy as a GP. We pride ourselves on having a personal list and I know most of the patients I’ll see that day, which makes a big difference to how I understand their background, their illness and the ongoing plan for their care.

My morning surgery lasts until 12.15pm and then we have lunch together as a team and talk through difficult cases, problems or successes. This helps us to learn and to support each other.

The afternoon surgery is until 6.30pm, again with a mixture of face-to-face and telephone consult. We also do email consultations and can also communicate with patients via text these days.

At the end of the day, I finalise any reports and letters, including referrals off to the hospital. I make sure I have cleared all the medication requests and outstanding results. I have to ensure I’ve done all the admin tasks that have come to me during the day before I cycle home at around 7.30pm.

 

Go Sober for October

Thinking about going sober for October?

Here are some benefits of being sober:

  • Better sleep—alcohol interrupts REM sleep so you wake up groggy!
  • More energy—no surprise that the better sleep quality, the more energy you’ll have!
  • Happier life—the depressant properties of alcohol can continue to increase, causing depression instead of relaxation.
  • Better eating habits—no more late night kebabs, pizza orders at 1 in the morning
  • More cash!

For more information visit Go Sober.

 

NBT Maternity Service

Positive pregnancy test? Early contact with the maternity service is important. This is so that we can arrange your scan and screening tests at the correct time and offer you up to date pregnancy advice and support. Go to https://www.nbt.nhs.uk/maternity-services/pregnancy/antenatal-booking-self-refer-your-pregnancy. Please call 01174146946 if you have any difficulty accessing the page.

Published: Oct 3, 2023