Reply to THIS thread
Start a NEW Talkback Thread
Talkback Home

Direct to your Doctor - Jane May (27th Feb 2017 - 15:23:19) LIPHOOK VILLAGE SURGERY Part of the Swan Medical Group Direct to your Doctor New Service Following the successful introduction of our new Doctor Triage Service which was for urgent daily medical care, we are delighted to advise you that this is going to be broadened and extended across all GP clinics at Liphook Village Surgery in April 2017. By introducing direct access to your doctor, we will be able to effectively prioritise urgent care and, at the same time, manage routine care of our patients more effectively. Key points to remember about the service Direct to Doctor: 1. There is no need to telephone at 8am – you can call at a time that suits you and request that your GP returns your call to discuss your medical care, whether it be an urgent or routine matter. If you have any particular time constraints to receive a call back, please give this information to the receptionist. A member of the reception team may ask for an indication of why you are requesting a call to aid the GP 2. Your GP will return your telephone call the same day and will discuss your care with you – where necessary booking an appointment with the most appropriate clinician and at a time as convenient to you as possible. 3. If you need urgent care that day and your GP is not on duty, then another GP will telephone you and follow step 2 above. 4. If your GP wants to follow up on your care or to arrange blood tests for example, they will arrange times for this with you whilst you are speaking to them. Urgent Care Contact reception, where possible giving an indication of symptoms or why you are requesting a call, and book a telephone call with your GP. Your GP may be able to help over the phone or may ask you to come in to see them or our Rapid Access Nurse. Alternatively, you may be directed by the reception team to speak with the Rapid Access Nurse for Minor Illnesses (such as sore throats, bumps and rashes) to ensure effective care as rapidly as possible for all our patients.   Routine Care Contact reception and book a telephone call that day with your GP to discuss a plan for follow up. This plan may involve follow up with the GP or possibly by a member of the nursing team. For routine care, you should telephone on a day you know they routinely work. Benefits of new system • Better acute access to your GP or to our Rapid Access nurse led team, ie for those who need medical attention that day. Those that need care more quickly are able to be seen more quickly. • Better access to GP’s and nurses for ongoing care by unblocking problems arising from overwhelming demand for appointments. • Better patient care and better patient outcomes by more swift attention. • Improved patient satisfaction. • More efficient use of everyone’s time. Appointment Types Commuter Clinics Each week there are 3 clinics that run between 6:30 pm and 7:30 pm for patients who find it more difficult to access services in the day. Direct to Doctor Clinics Daily clinics with your GP (or in their absence another GP). The GP will return your call and may be able to help over the phone, or may arrange for you to come in to see them or one of the rapid access team. This service covers routine and urgent care. Home visit For patients who are so unwell they are unable to come to the surgery, or if they are housebound, then a doctor will make a home visit. For this, it is best if the patient calls as early in the day as possible and also makes it very clear to the reception team that they are requesting a home visit. Home visits are usually done between morning and afternoon surgery. Rapid Access Nurse Clinics Designed for patients requiring urgent medical care that day. They will be telephoned by the Rapid Access Nurse (or a Doctor) and an appropriate management plan agreed using the rapid access clinic. It may involve telephone advice or an appointment with the Rapid Access Nurse. Ideal for minor illnesses, bumps and as part of an urgent care plan. Practice Nurse Clinics Available to book up to 12 weeks in advance, appointments with the Practice Nurse will be for baby immunisations, travel immunisations, complex wound care and other nursing needs. Healthcare Assistant Clinics Available to book up to 12 weeks in advance, these clinics cover phlebotomy services, simple wound care, clip removal, ECG;s ear syringing, blood pressure monitoring and so on.   Your GP Day’s your GP is at Liphook Village Surgery in Clinic Dr Sylvester All day Monday, all day Tuesday, Wednesday afternoon and all day Friday Dr Hobbs All day Monday, Tuesday afternoon, all day Thursday Dr Ford All day Tuesday, all day Friday Dr McCreadie All day Wednesday and Thursday morning Dr Heaton All day Monday, Wednesday and Thursday morning There are a few important points to note: If you visit the surgery in person to book an appointment for yourself or someone else, the receptionist will only be able to book a telephone call to you or the person you have come in about. You will, however, get the same high standard of care as everyone else. Direct to your Doctor is not about preventing you from seeing the doctor. It is about putting patients directly in touch with their doctor at the first possible opportunity, in order to deal with their clinical needs in the most effective way and according to clinical priority. This is why it is always helpful if you are able to give some information to the receptionist – they capture that information for the GP to aid the GP providing appropriate, timely care for all patients. With Direct to your Doctor, you get to speak with the doctor on the day you telephone the practice, rather than having to wait possibly a number of weeks to see your doctor face to face. You therefore have the reassurance of speaking with a clinician the same day you phone the practice. Direct to your Doctor is not about diagnosing over the phone and will not put the patient at risk in any way. Your doctor may offer you telephone advice, adjust your medication on the basis of a telephone consultation, or offer you a prescription following discussion of your symptoms. However, your doctor will only do this where it is clinically safe to do so, based on the symptoms or condition that you have and with the benefit of full access to your clinical notes and medical history. There may be a small number of patients who cannot cope with the telephone and your GP will make special arrangements for you. Direct to your Doctor is about dealing with your healthcare needs more quickly, effectively and delivering to a higher standard of patient care. By using Direct to your Doctor, GPs can ensure that patients who need to be seen more quickly are seen more quickly. GPs can also speed up the care pathway for any patient requiring tests prior to a face to face appointment, for those requiring review of medication or a pre-existing condition or for those with a straightforward diagnosis for which a prescription can be raised following a telephone consultation. You can still book an appointment to see a GP via Patient.co.uk although we anticipate that most patients, once they get used to the new system, will find it more responsive to their needs. We will also still run our commuter clinics in the evenings for patients who cannot make appointments or telephone calls during the normal working day. In addition, commuters will be able to access routine appointments on a Saturday morning or early morning at our Petersfield surgery.

Re: Direct to your Doctor - Janet (27th Feb 2017 - 19:01:43) Have I got this right? Are you saying that it is no longer possible to phone or go to the surgery in person, in order to make an appointment for a face to face consultation with a Dr?

Re: Direct to your Doctor - Keith (28th Feb 2017 - 07:54:11) Yes Janet, that is correct I am a patient at the Swan Surgery in Petersfield and they have been running this way for months now. Although at first it can feel a little strange, it really does work (at least it does there and since the two surgeries are now in partnership I would guess/hope that best practice is being shared). Several times, this system has saved me a trip to the surgery, as the doctor has been able to advise me/issue a prescription direct to the chemist for me to pick up. When a physical appointment has been necessary as a result of the phone call, they have almost always been the same day, never more than two days later at most (and that was only on one occassion) all the rest have been same day or next day. The other plus if a physical appointment is necessary is that they can run for 15-20 minutes instead of the usual 10, so everything feels less hurried and there is more time for the doctor to check all of your symptoms. Maybe I've been lucky, but if someone said now they were going back to the old way of doing things, I for one would be protesting to say keep the new doctor callback system - Try it - it works! I should add that I have no connection with Swan Surgery other than being a patient there for the last 15 years

Re: Direct to your Doctor - bill smith (28th Feb 2017 - 10:04:43) To be honest im surpised anyone goes there... I called this morning and to say the lady who answered was unhelpful is and understatement..... Most people dread the doctors and she only makes it worse... Maybe some telephone traning and a book on empathy might do the trick..... Costs nothing to be nice........... Think about it next person you speak to ......

Re: Direct to your Doctor - Clare (28th Feb 2017 - 20:19:10) I thought my GP was Dr Bashforth ......he's not on the list! I guess it is about 4 years since I've been so things may have changed!!

Reply to THIS thread
Talkback Home