PHARMACY FIRST SERVICE
From the 31st January 2024 Pharmacies across the country will provide advice and NHS funded treatments where clinically appropriate for seven common conditions. For more information please visit the NHS website - Information on Pharmacy first service.
TURTON EXTENDED HOURS SERVICE
From the 1st of October, there will be the facility to arrange appointments for evenings and weekends at different health centres. There will be appointments with GP's and Practice Nurses for various problems, and will be available for those patients who may find it difficult to get to the Surgery within the usual opening hours, such as people who work a long distance away, or people who are carers for other people or family members.
The hours of operation will be:
Monday to Friday - 6.30pm - 8.00pm
Saturdays - 9.00am to 5.00pm
Appointments will be offered at the following health centres:
Monday - Egerton and Dunscar Health Centre
Tuesday - Harwood Medical Centre
Wednesday - Egerton and Dunscar Health Centre
Thursday - The Oaks Practice
Friday - The Oaks Practice
Saturday - Harwood Medical Centre
Patients should be aware you may not see your usual GP or Practice Nurse, as clinicians work on a rota basis from different Practices. Please contact the Surgery if you would like to arrange one of these appointments.
Please note, if you need to amend or cancel any of these booked appointments, please call reception on 463232 before 6.30pm, or 01204 462050 after 6.30pm.
THESE SERVICES ARE BY APPOINTMENT ONLY AND ARE NOT FOR EMERGENCY OR WALK-IN TREATMENT. IF YOU REQUIRE URGENT MEDICAL CARE, PLEASE CALL EITHER 111 OR THE OUT OF HOURS SERVICE.
If you have any queries regarding this, please speak to reception staff who will be happy to provide more details.
PARKING EYE FOR HEALTH CENTRE CAR PARK
The new Parking Eye for the health centre car park is now up and running.
There are 2 "check in" machines in reception and one in the pharmacy, and you are asked to enter your car registration number upon entering the health centre or pharmacy.
We understand that some patients might find this inconvenient, but we are trying to ensure that the car park spaces are left available for patients and customers and are not abused by people who are not using these facilities.
Please note that any fines that are given out do not come from the Health Centre, and payments are not received by the Health Centre in any way. If you park and are not using the Health Centre or Pharmacy, a fine will automatically be issued by Parking Eye.
If you have any queries, please ask at reception for further information.
DON'T NEED IT? CANCEL IT!
In the month of February 2023, 54 appointments were wasted where an appointment was booked, but the patient did not attend and did not cancel to allow that appointment to be used by someone else. We can all agree that this is a huge waste of GP and Nurse time! How many patients are waiting to see a GP but have to wait because appointments are booked but then not being used?
At this present time, when appointments are in extremely high demand, it is important that if if you have an appointment but no longer require it, that you let us know so we can cancel this and offer it to another patient in need. When this occurs it means waiting times for appointments are pushed higher and higher, so if you really don't need your appointment, remember to cancel this so it can be offered to someone else.
Patients who repeatedly book appointments and then do not attend may be reviewed and removed from the Practice list.
FACE MASKS WITHIN THE HEALTH CENTRE - UPDATED
You may be aware that face coverings are no longer mandatory in clinical settings. We would, however, be grateful for your support in continuing to protect our vulnerable patients and staff. Some clinicians and staff members will continue to wear masks in clinical areas. There may be instances where the clinician would prefer you to wear a mask, eg. if attending with a respiratory illness, and it would be much appreciated if patients would do so.
It would also help to protect others, if you could continue to maintain social distancing whilst in the waiting room, and sit apart from others where possible. If you would prefer any member of staff to wear a mask, then please ask and they will oblige.
PATIENT CONTACT DETAILS
It is important that we have up-to-date contact details for you, so we can let you know about screenings, vaccinations and appointment reminders. If you have changed your mobile number or email address recently, you can add it to your NHS record by following the guidance about managing your NHS account. It is important we have your correct details, especially if you are awaiting a call back from the Doctor or Nurse regarding results or an appointment.
You may also receive a text or email from the NHS asking you to do this.
If you are unable to update your details online or through the NHS App, please get in touch with us and we’ll update your records for you.
NEW TELEPHONE SYSTEM
We have now introduced a new telephone system that will hopefully help with the demand for patients who are trying to get through to us. If all member of staff are on the phone, you will be placed in a queue and will be put through to the next available telephone once a line becomes free. Reception can see there are people waiting and will answer your call as soon as they become available.
We are still getting used to this system, so please bear with us at this very busy time.
SOCIAL MEDIA
It has come to our attention on more than one occasion that patients are taking to social media to comment on matters at the Practice. Whilst everyone is free to air their opinions on whatever platform they choose, making extremely offensive comments about staff members is completely unacceptable.
It is not possible to know everyone's beliefs but we would hope that people within our community would respect each other, including the staff that are here to help you. If you are unhappy with any aspect of our service, please let us know, so we know if we need to put something right. Action may be taken against anyone found to be making derogatory comments about our staff in the future.
WHY IS MY GP WORKING DIFFERENTLY?
GP Practices are open, but they are working differently to protect patients and staff. They have worked very hard to continue to provide a service throughout lockdown, and continue to deal with COVID and non-COVID issues. Waiting rooms are still limited on space so we cannot have lots of people waiting together, and we still have to comply with social distancing measures and infection control.
Below are two videos; the first which explain this process, and answer questions that a lot of patients may have. The second explains the pressure GP's are currently under, and how they feel about this. It also discusses how we can support them. The bottom video explains more about requesting an appointment via the online consultation form. Please take a few minutes to watch each video.
Video 1 Video 2
COVID vaccination certification
We are unable to issue this certificate at the practice.
Please see https://www.gov.uk/guidance/demonstrating-your-covid-19-vaccination-status-when-travelling-abroad for further information.
Proof of your vaccination status will be available on the NHS app. The NHS app can be downloaded from https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/nhs-app/id1388411277 for iPhone or https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nhs.online.nhsonline for android.
Alternatively, you can call the NHS helpline on 119 and ask for a letter to be posted to you. This must be at least 5 days after you have completed your course of vaccine, the latter may take up to 5 days to reach you.
Updated CQC Inspection - Our Practice is Outstanding!
On Wednesday 13th November 2019, we were visited by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) who carried out a further inspection of our Practice. Our previous overall result was that our Practice was 'Good', however, following their latest inspection we have been awarded an overall result of 'Outstanding'. This is obviously wonderful news, as the staff work very hard to ensure that we provide an excellent service to all our patients.
The report is available to view on the CQC website, or by following the link here. This will open in a new window.
Our Primary Care Navigators
We have 2 practitioners who have joined our team as a Primary Care Navigator. Debbie Leyden, who has taken on the role, works with 5 other practices in the Turton neighbourhood as well as ours. She is able to provide personalised support to the elderly, vulnerable and socially isolated within the community, and can signpost to services and activities and provide support in many different ways. If you, or someone you know, would benefit from this service, please contact the Surgery and we can provide you with further information. Whilst Debbie is primarily focussed on the older patient population, Jane McGrath works with patients aged under 65 and can support with claiming benefits, debt management and other social issues.
Self Check-In Machine
Our Practice has a touch screen self check-in machine, which is located on the wall straight in front of the entrance doors. Patients who are attending for appointments with our Doctor/Nurse can use this to 'check in' for your appointment, rather than standing in a queue at reception at busy times.
You will be asked to enter your date of birth and, if it is the first time of using, to confirm we have the correct contact details for you. Once you have done this you will be marked in, and you can take a seat in the waiting room. If we have further information for you, such as referral details or a message from the GP, a message will appear on the screen for you to attend the reception desk - in this case please come to the desk before finding a space to wait.
Please note that this is cleaned regularly, and there is hand sanitiser available next to the machine for patients to like to use this either before or after using this facility.
Please note this is only for appointments with our Doctors and Nurses, and is not for District Nurses/Treatment Room/Podiatry appointments.
Data Protection Privacy Notice for Patients
This privacy notice lets you know what happens to any personal data that you give to us, or any that we may collect from or about you. This privacy notice applies to personal information processed by or on behalf of the Practice.
You can view all pages containing this information at the bottom of the page, under Information Page 1, GDPR Privacy Notice.
If you need any further information on this, please contact us for further information.
DO YOU NEED AN URGENT APPOINTMENT?
We have a small number of morning and afternoon appointments that are available each day for urgent medical circumstances. If you feel you need an urgent appointment, please contact the Surgery and you will be placed in a 'triage' slot for the GP. This means that the Doctor will ring you first to discuss your problem, and if they need to see you, they will give you an appointment time to come to Surgery. We do not offer walk-in appointments, and anyone arriving in reception without an appointment will be placed on the triage call list and asked to wait for a call back.
All children under 12 who need an urgent appointment will be given a time to attend at the time of calling.
An urgent appointment is for a problem that has arisen suddenly and cannot wait to be dealt with, but is not urgent enough for A&E. Prescriptions requests, sick notes and vaccinations are not for emergency appointments.
If you request an emergency appointment this will be with the Doctor that is dealing with triage calls on the day and may not be with your choice of GP.
Before requesting a call from the GP, think if there is another service that may be more appropriate. You can speak to your local Pharmacist for coughs and colds, skin problems, information on medication and a wide range of other issues. They are well trained to give advice on a wide range of medications, and you may find that a trip to the Surgery may not be necessary.
Electronic Prescription Service
Our Surgery is set up for the Electronic Prescription Service (EPS)
EPS makes it possible for your prescriptions to be sent electronically to the pharmacy or dispenser of your choice, rather than needing to collect the paper prescription from the Surgery first. You may prefer to use a pharmacy that is close to work, where you do your shopping, or somewhere which is generally more convenient for you to get to.
Choosing a pharmacy, or dispensing appliance contractor, to process your EPS prescription is called nomination. You will need to visit the pharmacy you wish to nominate to use to register your details, but this can be changed at any time. You do not always need to use the same pharmacy. This means you will no longer have to collect a paper repeat prescription from your GP practice, and instead you can go straight to your nominated pharmacy or dispensing appliance contractor to pick up your medicines or medical appliances.
The process of ordering your medication remains the same, so if you order by fax or post, in person, online or through a pharmacy, you will still need to order your medication in plenty of time and allow 48 hours for this to be processed. However, you will then collect directly from your nominated pharmacy.
Patients who prefer to continue to use the paper prescription system may still do so, however, if you wish you change to EPS, please see your preferred pharmacy to arrange for this to be set up.
Prescription Requests
Requests for regular, repeat medication can be made either in person at reception, by using the request slip on your most prescription by ticking which medication you require, sending us a request via post, and by ordering online if you have registered to use Patient Services. All requests take 48 hours from the time of processing to be available for collection. This will take longer in the event of a bank holiday. Please check with reception if you are unsure when your request will be ready for collection.
PLEASE NOTE WE ARE NOT ABLE TO ACCEPT ANY REQUESTS FOR REPEAT MEDICATION OVER THE TELEPHONE.
Please plan ahead as much as possible, and leave enough time for a new order to be processed before your current supply of medication runs out. If you are unable to do this for any reason, please speak to reception first who will be able to advise you further. Any medication that can be bought over the counter will not be processed as an urgent request.
If you have spoken to the GP by telephone and they have arranged for a prescription to be ready for collection, please be aware this will not be available in reception immediately.
Patient Online Services - Access to your coded medical records
This practice now offers the facility for patients to view online, export or print detailed coded information held in their own records. Patients will be asked to provide at least two forms of identification, one of which must be photographic, and this should confirm name and date of birth.
This practice currently offers the following facilities for patients:
- to book, view, amend and print appointments online
- to order online, view and print a list of their repeat precriptions for drugs, medicines or appliances
- to view online, export or print summary information from their record, relating to medications, allergies, adverse reactions and any other items agreed between the practice and individual patients.
Every patient now has to be allocated a named accountable GP
If you would like to know who your named GP is, please ask at reception. PLEASE NOTE THIS WILL HAVE NO IMPACT WHATSOEVER ON WHO YOU ARE ABLE TO HAVE A CONSULTATION WITH. You will still have the choice to see any GP at the practice.
The Friends and Family Test
Have your say to improve your care.
We would like your feedback on the care or treatment we give you any time you visit your GP or have contact with the practice. It doesn't take long. You can tell us what is working and what we can improve. You can say what you think without giving your name and we will use the information to plan improvements to our services.
If you wish to complete a form electronically, a link can be found on
For more information please visit www.nhs.uk/friendsandfamily
Health Checks for people over 40
Have you had your blood pressure and cholesterol checked within the last 5 years? All patients who are 40 or over, and DO NOT have diabetes or heart disease and have not had a stroke are entitled to a health check with the nurse. Please make a convenient appointment with reception and let them know you need a blood pressure and cholesterol test. There is no need to fast before this test.
Our Advanced Nurse Practitioner
Our practice has an Advanced Nurse Practitioner, Joanne Shaw, who assists the Doctors in consulting patients. She is a highly qualified practitioner who will be able to help with, and write prescriptions for, a range of conditions such as chest problems, gynaecology problems, sore throats, coughs, colds, urinary infections, ear, eye and skin problems and many other areas. When patients request an appointment in future, they may be offered an appointment with the Advanced Nurse Practitioner as an alternative to seeing the Doctor if it is something they would like her to deal with.
Publication of GP Earnings 2022/23
All GP practices are required to declare the mean earnings for GPs working to deliver NHS services to patients at each practice.
The average pay for GPs working in Bromley Meadows Surgery in the last financial year was £39,542 before tax and National Insurance. This is for 1 full time GP and 2 part time GPs who worked in the practice for more than six months.