PMMC
Newsletter
Winter
2016
Booking an Appointment
We run a call back service and have done so since 2014. This means that when you ring in you will be asked for some details of your problem for that day. You can either specify a GP of your choice or you may be added to the Nurse Practitioners lists. You will then get a call back to discuss your problem and be offered an appointment if needed. You have the right to request a face to face appointment so please mention this to your GP if you would like one. You are able to book ahead some sessions with the GP’s, also with our Registrar’s and Trainee’s and these are available online to book through Patient Access. Our Nurses appointments are available to book up to 5 weeks in advance as are our Health Care Assistants. Please be advised that this telephone call back systems works to improve the level of access we can offer to our patients, so that we can try to limit your wait for an appointment. We do still have days where we become full to capacity for various reasons. On those days you may be offered a future appointment or alternative options to help you.
Our reception team are trained to ask questions about your condition to help the Clinical staff to evaluate and prioritise their clinics. They are not prying but just simply trying to ensure that you get the attention you need, at the right time by the right person. It is helpful to give us as much detail as you can, however if you do feel that your problem is personal or do not wish to let the team know that it perfectly acceptable.
There are a lot of community services that are available to help with minor conditions and may be more appropriate for you than waiting for a GP or Nurse Practitioner. The reception team are trained to help direct you to these services from the information that you give them. This may mean that they offer these alternative services rather than a GP appointment, but this would be only if it is suitable for your condition.
Nurse Practitioner
We currently have an Advanced Nurse Practitioner working with us two days a week called Susan Corden and a Nurse Practitioner called Maxene Ferguson. They manage call backs and face to face appointments. They are very experienced Clinicians and are able to prescribe. They are trained to manage most minor illness but are also extremely experienced in long term conditions and chronic disease management. If they feel that you may need to see a GP they will book it for you. Please be advised that you may be offered a call back/appointment with one of our Nurses and that they are more than capable of dealing with your medical needs.
Maxene and Sue work very closely with the GP’s and if they feel you need to see a GP rather than them they will arrange that for you. Advanced Nurses and Nurse Practitioners are increasingly becoming part of the core teams of General Practice. The GP’s have employed these nurses to join their multi disciplinary team to help to accommodate increasing patient access demands.
Nursing Department
As some of you may know our Health Care Assistant (HCA), Lynsey Collins has been off on Maternity leave having had her beautiful baby boy, Daniel. She will be returning to work mid January part time. We have a new permanent HCA called Gemma Roberts working with us alongside a maternity cover HCA named Lucy Dews. Both have fitted in really well with the team and are throwing themselves into practice life.
Practice Pharmacist
We have employed Jo Patel, a Clinical Pharmacist to work in the Practice 3 days a week. She has been here many years 1 day a week helping us ensure we are prescribing safely for our patients. She will be doing a lot of work in the background to help ease the pressure on the GP’s and to ensure that our prescribing standards are even higher. She will be available for booked clinics, if you have any queries or questions about your medication. She will also be helping the GP’s with their medicine management freeing them up to have more time with their patients. If you have any changes or questions with regards to your medication, prescription set up and ordering or would like to sit down and organise your medications better please ask at a reception to see her. She works on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Privacy at the desk
If you are in a queue at the desk, please would you respect the other patient’s privacy who are being dealt with. Please stand a distance away if you are able, thank you
DNA Appointments
If you are unable to attend for an appointment please can you get in touch with us to cancel and re arrange this. We average around 100 ‘did not attend’ appointments per month, which is a huge waste of GP/Nurse time that could be offered to someone in need. Please let us know, thanks.
Good Practice for Prescription Ordering
CHECK YOUR MEDICATION STOCK BEFORE ORDERING, DO NOT OVER ORDER OR STOCKPILE
Just a reminder for all patients please that for accuracy and capacity we do not accept telephone calls for prescription requests unless you are elderly or housebound.
You can either:
1. register with Online Patient Access
2. E-mail your request with full details to
3. Come in to the desk to order or post your order into the post box at the door or at the desk.
This is generally a 48 hour service but please make the script team aware if you have run out or are running low to ensure that you have your medication.
We do not routinely give Paracetamol on prescription Please do not order unnecessarily as this is a huge expense to your NHS.
Please make sure that you have enough medication to cover the Christmas and New Year Period.
Healthcare Monitor
We have a new healthcare monitor for patients to use in the front reception area. Please input your details on the touch screen so that the information may be stored in your records. You will also get a print out. Remember to sit quietly for 5-10 minutes before taking your BP. Ask the reception girls for help with this monitor. It’s a great way to monitor your weight and BP and to highlight to your GP any issues they may need to address with you. Come and give it a try!
Christmas and New Year Closures
Thursday 15th December – Closed afternoon only
Monday 26th December – Closed
Tuesday 27th December – Closed
Friday 30th December – Open as normal
Monday 2nd January – Closed
Tuesday 3rd January – Open as normal
Thanks as always for reading this, please feel free to e-mail or call me with any feedback, queries or for complaints please ask for the complaints procedure from the desk.
Helen Ryan - Practice Manager
We wish you a Happy and Healthy Christmas and New Year
From the PMMC team