Whitstable Medical Practice and Patient Participation Group News Volume 4, Issue 2 December 2016 This newsletter is compiled by the Whitstable Medical Practice (WMP) Patient Participation Group (PPG). It can be viewed also at the WMP website www.whitstablemedicalpractice.co.uk via The Practice tab. Headlines Christmas and New Year Opening Hours - The Estuary View Minor Injuries Clinic will be open every day from 8am to 8pm. WMP sites will be closed for all other services from 24 th to 27 th December, and 31 st December to 2 nd January. If you are unfortunate enough to become unwell during these periods and the surgery is closed, please ring NHS 111 by simply dialling 111. (More information on page 5). Change of Practice Manager - Carolyn Nelson will retire on 31st December after 21 years service with the Practice. Her successor will be Adrian Young who she will support for a while on a part-time basis. We thank her for her great leadership, commitment and success, and wish her a very happy retirement. GP Special Interest services - Many WMP GPs have developed valuable additional special interests which often can avoid the need for immediate referral to a consultant. Please see Page 2 for further details. New General Practitioners (GPs) - Several new GPs have joined the Practice - details and brief CVs on Page 2. Encompass - please see the Patient Information Leaflet on Page 3. WaitLess App - WMP with the PPG have been assisting the development of this App for smart-phones, tablets and PCs. Its purpose is to help patients to find the most appropriate and fastest place for help with Minor Emergencies. More details on Page 4. More WMP GP and other Clinics information - can be seen on pages 5 & 6. HEALTH ON THE WEB: National Health Service www.nhs.uk NHS Direct: www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk 1
GP Special Interest Services WMP has many GPs with Special Interests (GPSIs). They are able to provide additional skilled services locally including: Cardiology Dementia Dermatology Diabetes Epilepsy Family Planning Mental Health Paediatrics Surgery in Primary Care Your GP can refer you to these GPSIs as appropriate. In many cases this will avoid the need to visit a consultant or specialist elsewhere. New General Practitioners WMP has been pleased to welcome the following new GPs to the Practice this year: Dr Alastair Headon Dr Headon is our newest partner and is based at Whitstable Health Centre. Dr Headon trained in Manchester and started work as a hospital doctor in Cornwall. He did his training as a GP in East Kent before joining Whitstable Medical Practice. He intends on training to be a GP with a special interest accreditation in Dementia. Dr David Gould Dr David Gould is a newly qualified GP from the local GP training scheme in East Kent. He spent the larger proportion of his training in paediatrics and elderly medicine. His current interests lie in paediatrics, medical ethics, education and palliative care. Dr Robert White Originally from the North East, Dr White trained in Leeds then London before working overseas in Nepal and New Zealand. On returning to the UK he worked in East Sussex before moving to Whitstable in August 2015. He has a specialist interest in Dermatology and also undertakes skin surgery. Dr Theo Bennett Dr Bennett was brought up in Hertfordshire but did her medical training in Birmingham. After a qualifying she worked in Berkshire before moving to East Kent in 2010 to complete her GP Training. She has been involved locally in Palliative care and has an interest in Family Planning. Dr Bennett has been with Whitstable Medical Practice since February 2016 but has recently returned from a period of maternity leave. Dr Sara Nasir Dr Nasir was born and brought up in Pakistan but moved to the UK in 2005 after completing her post-qualification hospital work. Dr Nasir undertook Medical House Officer jobs for couple of years in West Yorkshire before moving to East Kent to undertake her GP training in Whitstable which she completed In May 2016. Since then Dr Nasir has worked as a Salaried GP covering periods of maternity and paternity absence, but is now working four sessions a week for the Practice and looking forward to continuing to work in Whitstable. 2
Patient Information Leaflet: Your GP practice is in a partnership, with 14 medical practices across Whitstable, Canterbury, Faversham, Sandwich and Ash. They have come together as a Multi- speciality Community Provider (MCP) known as Encompass working together to provide services for 170,000 patients in their local communities. We are part of something called a vanguard programme, which means we have made a bid to NHS England for special funding to improve the health of local people by testing new models of care. Being a vanguard means we can speed up the changes to do things differently. We want to use our valuable resources wisely and continue to provide our patients with high quality, joined up services which meet the growing demands in the future. So how will this be different? Working together in partnership we will; Avoid duplication- share relevant aspects of your care record to avoid every service asking you for the same information, Use the funding we have wisely- working together, sharing information identify gaps in your care or helping to diagnose quicker, Keep you well at home to avoid going into hospital- by working together we can predict a decline in your health with out of hospital care through a community paramedic team. Have a directory of services available in the community- you may have a need for community support; with lifestyle changes, combating loneliness, dealing with bereavement, maintaining fitness etc. We will find something to support and help meet your requirements. Our Aspiration: is to bring NHS, Kent County Council, the Voluntary and Care Sectors together to provide high quality joined up services to tackle these issues. We will be asking you for; Yours views Ideas and Consent to share relevant aspects of your care between the named organisations mentioned. If you want to talk to us please contact.. Estuary View Medical centre Boorman Way Whitstable, CT5 3SE Tel: 01227 284300 3
Designed for patients with Minor Emergencies To help patients find the fastest way to get care To help patients find the quickest route to get there Available on your smart-phone or tablet for quick reference Geo locates you Provides automatic routing (traffic and travel options by foot, bus, train or car) Gives real time access to live waiting time information Designed by Patients for Patients Available soon Free for all patients Quick to download Fast to launch Easy to use 4
Out-of Hours GP Service For advice and medical problems that cannot wait until a surgery opens during normal working hours, patients should call NHS 111 by dialling 111. NHS 111 will provide a triage service and direct patients to the most appropriate service in the area. Estuary View Minor Injury Unit Additionally the nurse-led Estuary View Minor Injury Unit (with x-ray facility) is open from 8.00am to 8.00pm seven days a week to treat suspected broken bones, minor head injuries, minor burns, cuts, sprains and strains, bites and stings, minor allergic reactions, and the like. For Medical Emergencies such as heart attacks and strokes Call 999 Minor Illness Clinics WMP also offers appointments in Specialist Nurse-led minor illness clinics. The nurses are able to advise on and prescribe for: Emergency Contraception Chesty Coughs and Colds Sore Throats Ear Problems / Discharging Ears Skin Problems Sprains Stomach upsets Possible Urine Infections Hay Fever/allergies Deterioration of Asthma Test Results Please call the WMP surgery at which you are registered after 2pm. This will give doctors time to report on the results, and the Reception staff will have more time to deal with your request. Out-Patient Clinics This facility for coastal town patients is located at Estuary View Medical Centre on the top floor. It is run by the East Kent Hospitals University Foundation Trust (EKHUFT), not Whitstable Medical Practice. The Clinics Receptionists direct phone numbers are 01227 868765 and 01227 865501. 5
Contact Whitstable Medical Practice Telephone: Whitstable Health Centre 01227 284320 Chestfield Medical Centre 01227 795130 Estuary View Medical Centre 01227 284300 Website: www.whitstablemedicalpractice.co.uk Normal Opening Hours: Monday to Friday 8am to 6.30pm. (All Practice sites). Doctors Appointments Patients have the following options: You may book an appointment with a particular GP up to 2 weeks in advance. A large proportion of appointments can be booked on the day for conditions that need to be seen where a pre-booked appointment is not appropriate. Walk-in GP Surgeries These operate at each site from 8.00 a.m. to 11.00 a.m. each morning. This will be for one new health problem or deterioration of an existing problem where there has been a sudden onset of symptoms within the last few days. Please see further information in leaflets at the surgeries and on the WMP website. Telephone consultation Appointments are also offered for a telephone consultation with your doctor when a face to face consultation is not necessary (e.g. reporting back on an ongoing condition where examination is not necessary). The Practice will endeavour to book an appointment and for the doctor to phone you as near to this time as possible. Extended opening hours GP Surgeries If you are unable to attend a Doctors appointment during the normal working day WMP is open for pre-booked appointments at specific sites on: Mondays 6.30pm 7.30pm Tuesdays 7.00am 8.00am and 6.30pm 8.00pm Wednesdays 7.00am 8.00am Thursdays 7.00am 8.00am Please phone Reception to pre-book an appointment and details of which site it will be held. Note also that these surgeries are manned by Duty Doctors (GPs of the Practice) and that other services provided by the surgery during normal opening hours will not be available. Extended Hours Phlebotomy Clinics The Practice also provides Health Care Assistant pre-booked clinics for blood tests: Estuary View Medical Centre: Wednesday 7.00am 8.00am Whitstable Health Centre: Wednesday 7.00am 8.00am Chestfield Medical Centre: Thursday 7.00am 8.00am 6