Walk-In Services Access to services at The Junction Health Centre is changing www.wandsworthccg.nhs.uk
New national standards for urgent care The NHS nationally has decided to standardise urgent care facilities across the country. There are currently a lot of different types of urgent care services, including the walk-in model which is in place at The Junction Health Centre. The idea is to help make it easier for people to see a GP by making it less confusing, so people know what to expect. From 2020, urgent care facilities not based at an A&E department must meet a set of standards to be renamed Urgent Treatment Centres. NHS commissioners have been reviewing urgent care facilities locally and looking at whether they meet the new standards - or whether changes are required. As well as the walk-in service, we already have a GP hub service at The Junction Health Centre which means GP appointments are available in the evenings and at weekends to patients registered with a Wandsworth GP. The Junction Health Centre is one of three locations across Wandsworth providing this new service, which is open between 6.30pm and 8pm Monday to Friday and 8am and 8pm every Saturday and Sunday - including public holidays. We ve also created more appointments across all GP practices so registered patients can see their GP within four hours between 8am and 6.30pm Monday to Friday, when clinically appropriate.
What would services look like under the proposals? We know that patients currently being seen at The Junction walk-in service are going there to receive primary care treatment for minor illnesses and conditions - rather than urgent care. We are therefore proposing to use the capacity in the current walk-in service to increase the number of appointments available through the GP hub service. We think this change would improve care for the following reasons: When you use the hub service, the GP you see has access to your medical records. This means they know about your previous health conditions so can offer you the best advice and treatment for your needs. The hub service is also joined up with other GP practices in Wandsworth so if you need further treatment your GP practice will know all the details so they can support you better. GP hub appointments are not just for urgent medical appointments so the service allows patients to see a GP in the evening and at weekends for more routine check-ups too. How we would support the change When people who aren t registered with a GP come in for an appointment at the hub, we are able to support them to register with a practice near to where they live should they choose to. This allows people to access all the benefits of being registered including being sent reminders when tests or routine treatments are due. Appointments with the GP hub are booked in advance, so the amount of time patients have to wait to be seen should be lower. The key difference between the GP hub service and the current walk-in service is that patients must book an appointment before attending and live in Wandsworth or be registered with a GP practice in Wandsworth. Appointments would be booked in the same way as they are currently, through your regular GP or by calling NHS 111 either in advance or on the day. We know that if access to services at The Junction Health Centre was to change, it would take time for all patients to become aware - and people may continue to attend without booking an appointment for some time. To support patients, in particular those who live in or outside of the borough and who may or may not be registered with a GP, we are proposing a six-month transition period. During this period additional arrangements would be in place: For patients turning up to walk-in, they would be able to book an appointment with the receptionist to be seen on the same day, if necessary via a temporary registration Patients would also be supported to register with their local GP practice if they choose to All patients, including those resident outside Wandsworth, would be able to book appointments via NHS 111 between 8am and 8pm seven days a week - including public holidays We would make sure there is information at The Junction Health Centre informing patients about the additional appointments and change in access
Get involved We are gathering views from patients and stakeholders to inform our decision and we want to hear from you. You can give your views by: Filling in our survey in this leaflet and returning it to us Emailing us: WandsworthCCG.GetInvolved@swlondon.nhs.uk Writing to us at: Freepost WSMS Contacting us so that we can visit your group For more information on the review and the CCG, go to www.wandsworthccg.nhs.uk Healthwatch Wandsworth Healthwatch Wandsworth is the independent local champion for people who use health and social care services in Wandsworth. We want to hear from you so that we can ensure those who have the power to make change happen hear what local people have to say and take action on what they think. If you would like to get involved and have your say about services across Wandsworth you can: Share your good & bad experiences of health and care services with us in confidence Get help finding the health and social care services or support that you need Join us for free and become a member to hear about getting involved in our events and our work Contact us by phone on 020 8516 7767 or email information@healthwatchwandsworth.co.uk
Have your say We hope you found our leaflet helpful. We are collecting your feedback about our proposed change in access to services at the Junction Health Centre, as well as the support we are proposing to put in place during the transition period. Please fill in and return this questionnaire to us. Our proposal benefits and how to increase these 1) Do you think there will be any benefits or positive impacts resulting from this change in access to primary care services on the Junction Health Centre site? These might be: Benefits for you or for the people you care for or speak to Benefits for people in Wandsworth Benefits for the NHS more generally Our proposal drawbacks or negative impacts and how to minimise these 2) Do you think there will be any drawbacks or negative impacts resulting from this change in access to primary care services on the Junction Health Centre site? These might be: Drawbacks for you or for the people you care for or speak to Drawbacks for people in Wandsworth Drawbacks for the NHS more generally 2a) If you have identified any drawbacks or negative impacts in these proposals, what actions could we take to minimise these? Transition period We have proposed a number of actions we will take to ensure people are supported to understand how to access primary care services on the site in future. 3) Do you think there are any actions that we have missed? 4) How can we best communicate the change in access to primary care services on the site to local people? Notices in GP practices Using local NHS websites Using other websites (please say which) Using social media (e.g. Twitter) Using local press and magazines (please say which) Using Wandsworth community newsletters and bulletins (please say which) Other (please specify) 5) What do you think we need to do to increase understanding and use of GP surgeries and the GP hub service in Wandsworth? About you 6) Do you live in the borough of Wandsworth? 7) Please enter your postcode 8) Are you filling in this survey as a Wandsworth resident or patient Resident or patient in another borough Community organisation working in Wandsworth* Other (please specify) *If you are responding for a community organisation in Wandsworth we d like to know which groups of people, covered by equalities legislation, you represent or work with
9) Does your group or organisation MAINLY work with or represent the interests of people who share any of these protected characteristics? Age Disability (including physical, sensory impairment, learning difficulties or long-term mental health concern) Gender Gender re-assignment Pregnancy and maternity Race (including ethnic or national origin, language) Religion or belief (including none) Sexual orientation Marriage or civil partnership Carers Socio-economically disadvantaged people Other vulnerable groups (e.g. homeless, sex workers, substance misuse) 10) Are you currently registered with a GP? 10a) How could the local NHS make it easier for you to register with a GP? 11) Your ethnicity - please tick one box White British Irish Irish traveller Portuguese Polish Greek/Greek Cypriot Turkish Turkish Cypriot Kurdish Gypsy/Roma European - other African Caribbean Black British Black other - Indian Other (please specify) - Pakistani - Bangladeshi - East African Asian -other Chinese Arab Latin American Mixed - white and black African Mixed - white and black Caribbean Mixed - white and Asian Mixed - other 12) Your sex please tick the box that best describes you Male Female Other 13) Religion or belief please tick the box that best describes you Christian Muslim Jewish Buddhist Hindu Other (please specify): Sikh Rastafarian Jain No religion Prefer not to say 14) Sexual orientation please tick the box that best describes your sexual orientation Heterosexual Bisexual Gay Lesbian Prefer not to say 15) Do you have or care for any children under the age of 5? 16) Your age please tick one box Under 16 16-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-69 70-79 80+ 17) Do you have any of the following conditions that have lasted or are expected to last for at least 12 months? please tick all that apply Deafness or partial loss of hearing Blindness or partial loss of sight Learning disability Developmental disorder Mental ill health Long term illness or condition Physical disability Other disabilities No disability 18) Are you a carer for a family member or friend?