Millcroft Medical Centre’s Spring2017Patient Newsletter
March winds! Whilst we recover from Storm Doris, which couldn’t wait until the traditional windy month of March, I feel that it’s time to update everyone on what’s been going on.
In this issue:-
Merger news – a change for Millcroft Medical Centre
Other expected changes over the coming few months
Information to help you when you’re under the weather
Do you order your repeat prescription via your pharmacy? Important news
Half-day closure dates for 2017
Useful contact details
Merger news – a change for Millcroft
Background
I’m sure that everyone is aware of the tremendous pressure that the NHS is under and Primary Care (the service that we provide) is especially badly hit. Patient demand is rising all the time, there is increasing pressure on practices to open for longer hours and there is tremendous difficulty in recruiting GPs nationally. You’ll have seen all this in the news, and we here at Millcroft are not immune from those pressures. Whilst we might all prefer to keep things as they are, the simple fact is that we have to change to retain the services that we all value.
There is a general move for practices to work more closely together and to merge to make larger organisations that can provide a more flexible service to patients. We feel that, as a larger practice, we will be able to provide a wider mix of services to meet the needs of patients, without always relying on the doctors; at the moment doctors often consult with patients whose needs could be more appropriately met by other healthcare professionals. This means that the doctors’ time can be used for the patients who really need their care.We hope that, by relieving the pressure on GPs, it will make it easier to recruit new doctors and nurses.
So, what are we planning?
You may have heard about Millcroft Medical Centre and Delamere Practice coming together in June. This is a plan that we have been discussing for several months now and came about for the reasons outlined above. Delamere has suffered with the loss of 3 partners over the last couple of years, and recruitment has proved difficult. These difficulties could affect any practice, and, as a larger organisation, we would be more robust. We also felt that this was an excellent opportunity to introduce a mix of practitioners and services that will meet our patients’ needs more efficiently.
How will it affect patients?
The first thing to say is that there is much that won’t change. Neither practice is moving anywhere, so patients will still come to Eagle Bridge. The doctors and nurses who work permanently at Millcroft and indeed at Delamere will still be available as they have been, and the members of staff whom you are used to seeing at the front desk or speaking with on the ‘phone will still be part of the organisation. You will still be telephoning the same number to contact the practice as Millcroft’s number will not change.
You may see a change in the room in which you actually consult with your doctor or nurse as most of the doctors will work in the Millcroft area, whilst most of the nurses will work in what is currently the Delamere area. We also plan an “Urgent Care” suite in the current Delamere area for GP and Nurse urgent appointments. We will make sure that signs are very clear, and our Patient Participation Groups will help us with this when we do make the changes.
You will notice a wider range of services that our members of staff may suggest to help you:-
We will be able to use the services of an Advanced Nurse Practitioner who will be able to treat everyday illnesses like tonsillitis, ear and chest infections.
We will have a Clinical Pharmacist who will be able to deal with medication queries, help with changes in medication when people are discharged from hospital, and review repeat medication.
We will have a full-time Triage Nurse who will be able to help requests for urgent appointments.
There will be a Healthcare Assistant who will undertake some of the less involved work that the Practice Nurses currently undertake, allowing them to concentrate on work that does require their more specialised skills.
You may find yourself seeing doctors or nurses whom you’ve not previously encountered, particularly if you make your appointment at short notice. However you will still be able to see the doctor of your choice if they’re available, and indeed we want to try to improve continuity of care.
You will find that you will need to collect prescriptions, fit notes, forms etc from what is currently Delamere’s desk, and book in for and make appointments at Millcroft’s current desk. There will be some more check-in screens to help with checking-in. New patients will also register at Delamere’s desk and we will make this process more structured so the queuing is kept to a minimum. We hope that all this will streamline things a bit, and be more efficient for patients.
Finding out more
Watch out for information leaflets in the practice or on-line. We hope that members of our Patient Participation Group will come to the building from time to time and talk with patients. There will be a drop-in session on the ground floor of the building on the morning of Saturday May 13th between 8am and 11am. There’ll be some members of the team around to speak informally with patients who have questions about the plans.
Some other expected changes over the coming months
As part of NHS England’s plan to try to help Primary Care across the country to adapt to the pressures it is under, training is being provided for front-line staff to enable them to offer patients choices about how their health needs can best be met. National and local audits of appointments show that between a quarter and a third of GP appointments could have been dealt with in another way. This means that when you ring for an appointment, you will be asked about why you would like to see a doctor, in just the same way that you would if you rang 111 for advice, although in much less detail.
Please bear in mind that the staff you speak with will treat all information given confidentially, and that they are not here to stop you seeing a doctor if that’s what you need, simply to suggest the right service for your particular needs quickly as possible.Hopefully, by doing this, we will help to protect the doctors’ time for those patients who really do need the GP’s expertise.
The doctors are firmly behind this approach. They will be guiding and reviewing the development, and will be working closely with members of staff to ensure that the process works as intended. We really hope that, with doctors and staff working together, we can provide a more efficient service to our patients and meet their needs in the best way. You will notice that friends and family members registered at other practices in the area will also be seeing this change, as the training is being provided to staff across the area.
Another change will be the introduction of a new telephone system in the coming months. The telephone number you dial will be the same as you dial now, but this new arrangement will allow for a queuing system, which we hope will be welcome, and will also allow for calls to be directed appropriately. Many of you have been asking us why we don’t have this sort of system, so we hope that the change will be well-received.
Information to help you when you’re feeling under the weather
We all know that we feel unwell from time to time, but that, given time, we’ll recover without any medical help from the doctor. We’ve started to add some really useful fact sheets and links to our websitethat can help you work out whether your, or your child’s, illness has gone on for longer than usually anticipated, or whether your symptoms are more severe that you should expect. They’ll give you advice to help you recover as quickly as possible, and make useful suggestions about over-the-counter medicines. The fact-sheets and links have been checked by the doctors here at the surgery, and they are happy with the advice they contain.
Just check out the website ( and look at the new page (useful health info from your GP).
Over the coming months, we hope to launch a new website that will be easier to use, and will contain much more useful information.
Do you order your repeat medication via a local pharmacy? If so, read on!!
We are in the process of writing to all our patients who have repeat prescriptions about how they order their repeat prescriptions. Some patients order their medication via their local pharmacy, and we are asking these patients to take back responsibility for ordering their own medication.
If you have a monthly or weekly cassette or you have your medication delivered because you struggle to get to the pharmacy, we will still allow the pharmacy to order on your behalf, so please don’t worry about that. Otherwise, you will need to order your medication directly from the surgery rather than rely on the pharmacy to order on your behalf. You’ll still be able to collect your medication from the pharmacy – that won’t change.
We have written to all local pharmacies letting them know that, in line with most other surgeries in the area, we are taking this action.
So, what alternatives do you have when you come to order your repeat medication?
- By far the quickest and most convenient way is to order your medication on-line. You will need to register forEMIS Access. To do this, you have to complete a simple application form and bring it to the desk with your passport or driving licence if you have one. Other acceptable forms of identification are copies of bank statements, utility bills, rent books etc.
- You can drop in your repeat slip with the items you need ticked. There is a dedicated box at the end of the reception desk to save queuing, and there is also a letter box outside the building which is checked regularly.
- You can leave a clear message on our repeat prescription voicemail (01270 275198).
- You can send your request to us in the post.
Remember, whichever way you choose to order your repeat prescription, you must leave at least 2 full working days before trying to collect it – we need this time to get it through the different stages before it can be authorised by the doctor and be ready for collection by you or your pharmacy.
Some quick reminders
If you have a repeat prescription, try to order as many items as possible from your repeat list at the same time so that you, the pharmacist and the surgery, don’t have to handle requests several times a month.
If you’re ordering medication early because you’re going away on holiday, please note your slip, or tell us when you leave your telephone message or on-line request when you are going on holiday and returning – this helps the doctor.
Make a careful note of your appointment date and time, and cancel it if you don’t need it.Our cancellation voicemail is available 24 hours every day (01270 275199). We waste a lot of appointments by people not cancelling unwanted appointments.
Think about your pharmacist if you have a minor condition – they can often help with conditions like conjunctivitis, rashes, head-lice, hay fever, cystitis in women, sore throats etc.
Keep us updated with any changes in address or telephone number: we text reminders about appointments, so we need to make sure that you have given us the right number.
Use the repeat prescription voicemail (01270 275198) if you want to telephone your repeat medication requests – please don’t use the main number.
You can order your repeat prescriptions and make, check and cancel appointments on-line – register to use the service at reception.
Half-day closure dates for 2017
15th March (Weds) 19th July (Weds)
25th April (Tues)19th Sept (Tues)
23rd May (Tues)18th Oct (Weds)
22nd June (Thurs)23rd Nov (Thurs)
There are no half-day closures in August and December.
Useful contact information
Millcroft Medical Centre – appointments, enquiries etc - 01270 275200
Appointment cancellation voicemail (24 hours)-01270 275199
Repeat prescription ordering voicemail (24 hours)- 01270 275198
General medical advice about a problem that is not immediately life-threatening - 111
Website -