The White Rose Surgery Newsletter

Transcription

1 1 The White Rose Surgery Newsletter Volume 2 issue 3 February 2014 STOP PRESS, NEW WEBSITE! Introduction Happy New Year to all our Patients! Surgery Target Day Please note that the surgery will be closed from 12:00 noon for staff training on the following Wednesdays: 12th February 19th March 9th April 21th May 18th June 16th July 17th September 15th October 19th November Inside this issue: Introduction 1 White Rose Gym 1 A day in the life of 2 Patient Survey The Results Surgery News 3 Choose Well 4 Patient Participation Group 2 4 Welcome to our 1st New Year edition of the newsletter. I am pleased to report that since our new website went live it is proving to be a great success. Take a tour of our new website and take advantage of our online appointment booking facility as well as ordering repeat prescriptions. You can read about all the additional services we provide such as ordering repeat prescriptions, receive general medical advice and information about the surgery and the doctors. Please check it out. The address is on the top of this letter. In this edition of the newsletter you can read about the results from our recent patient survey, booking appointments online through our website, read about our onsite gym as well as information on the range of services that we provide. We also have the increasingly popular series A day in the life of. where we look at the typical working day of one of our team. Today we will be looking at the very important job that the medical secretary provides in the surgery. We have also included a section on the gym and the benefits of taking regular exercise. White Rose Surgery Gym New Year, New You?? If you are wanting to shed those extra pounds you gained over the Christmas period or just want to get fit & ready for the spring why not try our fully equipped gym? Glenn is our gym instructor who offers guidance and advice on how to get in shape and keep fit. As one of only 2 doctor s surgeries in the Wakefield area with a fully equipped gym why not take advantage and join today, membership is free. When you join you will receive a free assessment and after your free initial assessment when you come back and pay for for your next session you will receive another session free in March. If you decide to stay then why not take advantage of our special monthly discount offer. Save money, for only 20/month you can use the facilities as many times as you like during the month. A session in the gym will cost only 2.30, this price includes all the professional help and guidance you will need to aid you on the path of well being. If you have any medical conditions you should see the GP first to see if you are fit and well enough to join. We look forward to seeing lots of new faces so come along and have a go!! Our opening hours are now:- Monday & Thursday: 8.15am to 6.45pm Tuesday/Wednesday/Friday: 8.15am to 2.45pm Gym Special Offer 5

2 PAGE 2 V OLUME 2 ISSUE 3 A Day In The Life of a..secretary 2 On the go from the time they arrive at 8am the working day for all our medical secretaries is a busy one. We have three Secretaries here at White Rose Surgery, all working at different times during the day. When we asked one of our medical secretaries to describe her working day she said it was the variety, variety and variety which made everyday so different and interesting. Our practice manager said that medical secretaries play a major part in the smooth running of the surgery and are the key link with the hospitals. Without their extensive knowledge we would be lost We all have a fairly good idea of what a secretary does but within the medical field the secretarial role is more specified to a particular field. One of our main jobs is typing the Doctors dictation, which includes referral letters and replies to insurance companies and the many outside agencies. We work on a one to one basis with the GP s i.e. managing diaries and work load, discussing referrals and choose and book appointments, sorting forms and other items that that the GP may need to look at and sign. Other tasks that we do on a daily basis are: Faxing important documents Photocopying Organising out patient appointments. Taking minutes from GP meetings Dealing with incoming post These bullet points are only a small portion of what we do each day. We are also available to speak to patients and to liaise with the Doctors regarding any queries you may have. We deal with a wide variety of patient queries, mainly via the telephone but also face to face and we are constantly liaising with the hospitals in the area, so our telephone line can be extremely busy. The secretaries office is always busy but Monday mornings and Friday afternoons tend to be the busiest. Throughout the day our secretaries also answer any telephone enquiries from patients and hospitals, this could be chasing a test result or making an urgent hospital appointment. Patient Survey During December we were handing out patient survey forms. We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has completed the survey form. We take all our patient s views seriously and as we wish to maintain a high standard of care, all our patients feedback and opinions are extremely valuable to us. The Results! 90% of patients said they would recommend the surgery to people moving into the area. 97% of patients had confidence in their GP to resolve their problem. 97% of patients found the receptionists to be very helpful. 22% of patients said they would the surgery to be open longer on Saturdays & all day Sunday 68% of patients made their appointments over the phone All the patients surveyed said the range of services offered was either excellent or good. 78% of patients described the facilities offered by the surgery as very good or excellent. The majority of patients surveyed said patient privacy at reception was poor. Comments were:- the service offered is excellent, I don t have to wait for a blood test, I can get one the same day the nurses are excellent, they know what they are doing and I don t have to keep coming back I moved from Little Lane, wish I had done it years ago At reception patients in the waiting room can hear what I am talking about I work during the week and can never seem to get an appointment on Saturday morning, I ll be glad when they open later Whilst the overall results demonstrated that good progress had been made with the practice scoring well on the majority of areas, there were areas highlighted that provide a point of focus for the practice over the coming months. The results have been discussed with the patient participation group and an action plan is being collated. A full report on the improvements and actions planned will be published on the website shortly.

3 PAGE 3 3 Surgery News New Team Members We are delighted that Dr Lucy Douglas has joined White Rose Surgery as a GP working Wednesdays. Dr Douglas has a special interest in Musculo Skeletal conditions. We will therefore be able to offer an additional 36 GP appointments. Surgery Redecoration The whole surgery will shortly be undergoing a total redecoration. We apologise for any inconvenience caused so please bear with us during this time. Care.Data Sharing Changes are happening to the way in which clinical data is collected, shared and analysed. Under the powers of the Health and Social Care Act 2012 the Health and Social Care Information Centre Stop Smoking Advice The surgery has a dedicated stop smoking advisor who is available to help and advise you on ways to quit smoking and improve your health. Many aids and products are available such as medication, patches and gum. Please speak with reception to make an appointment. Appointment News Additional 36 GP appointments now available on Wednesdays!!! More emergency appointments are available every day for patients following a telephone triage call from either the GP or an experienced nurse practitioner. Many conditions, symptoms and requests can be dealt with over the phone. We are one of only 2 surgeries in the Wakefield/Pontefract area to open Saturday mornings. These appointments are book on the day GP sessions from 9am to 11am. A practice nurse is also available from 9am to 12.30pm. Online Appointment Booking Save time, quick & easy to use and avoid busy phone lines. To access online appointment booking, just bring along some photo & address ID and ask our receptionists on how to register for EMIS ACCESS ONLINE. can, under certain circumstances, obtain personal confidential data from GP practices without seeking patient consent. One of the first initiatives using these powers is the Care.Data service. They intend to use information obtained from medical records to plan and improve health care services. Information such as your postcode and NHS number, but not your name, will be used to link your records in a secure system. Information which does not reveal your identity can then be used by others, such as researchers and those planning health services, to make sure that the NHS can provide the best care possible for everyone. Once registered you can start to use the system, easy to follow screens and prompts ensure it is simple for you to view, book or cancel appointments on-line whatever time of the day or night. Home Visits Home visits are strictly for people too ill to get to the surgery or for housebound patients. If you require a home visit please telephone reception before 10am if possible. A doctor or our experienced Nurse Prescriber may phone you back as it may be that your problem can be dealt with by telephone advice. Please remember that several patients can be seen in the practice in the time that it takes to make one home visit. There are also better facilities for examining and treating patients at the Surgery. Missed Appointments Missed appointments cost time and prevent other patients from seeing a GP, Nurse or other members of staff. Each month we have approx. 280 appointments where patients simply do no turn up for their appointment to see a GP, nurse or a health care assistant. How your information is used and shared is controlled by law and strict rules are in place to protect your privacy. Any patients who object to the use of their data for this purpose and do not wish to be a part of this information sharing scheme can opt out. If you wish to opt out please ask for a Care.Data Opt Out form from reception. Keep up to Date Do we have your up to date details If you have recently moved, changed your phone number or mobile number then please update your details by completing the form available at reception. We will shortly be launching our appointment reminder text service. If you wish to take advantage of this then please tick the consent box on the up to date details form. Please call us to cancel if you cannot make the appointment as this appointment can be given to somebody else. Diagnostic Services Our diagnostic service runs weekdays and includes blood tests, spirometry, ECGs, breath tests amongst other services. We have a successful in house minor surgery/ops clinic which runs approx every 2 weeks. This service is run by an experienced GP who has undertaken additional training in minor surgery and assisted by our nursing and health care assistants. Well Woman Clinic The well woman clinic is run by our highly trained, experienced practice nurse who has undertaken additional training in smears, swabs, and contraceptive procedures. The clinic is currently running every Friday, all day on an appointment basis. Smears are routinely carried out every 3 years for ages 24-49yrs and every 5 years for 50 to 64yrs. Other appointments are available on other days if needed.

4 Patient Participation Group Be Part of Our Patient Group Have your say.. At the White Rose Surgery we have a Patient Participation Group, which is a group of volunteer patients who are involved in making sure the surgeries provide the services its patients need. What are the benefits? Patients will have a forum to suggest positive ideas and voice concerns. Patients will have better understanding and knowledge of the practice staff Patients will benefit from improved communications with staff Our Patient Participation Group is evolving to meet local needs. Most commonly, we work with the practice staff and GPs to offer a patient perspective on the services that are provided. PPG s also help to improve communication, to encourage patients to take more responsibility for their health and provide practical support. The group meet on a regular basis so why don t you come along and have your say. Your opinions count and will be greatly appreciated. Over the last few months the group have already made a positive impact on a number of services. 4

5 5 White Rose Gym New Members Special Promotion Free 1 st Consultation & Induction Session