Downlands Medical Centre 

Email: esxccg.downlandsmedicalcentre@nhs.net

Website: www.downlandsmedicalcentre.nhs.

 

N E W S L E T T E R 

Autumn COVID Special 2020

We know there has been a lot of discussion in the news over recent weeks about GPs providing face-to-face appointments. We want to explain some reasons why we have been offering a reduced number of face-to-face appointments. We also wanted to reassure patients that NHS Digital confirmed that in July over 50% of the 22.8 million appointments carried out were conducted face-to-face. Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, we have remained open to patients. We have offered appointments using new ways of working and new technology. We have worked hard to make sure we remained available to speak to, and to offer appointments to anyone who has needed them. We know that patients sometimes prefer to see a GP face-to-face, but there are reasons why we have offered additional online or telephone consultations, and government guidance has played a big part in this. It has remained the case that if we had needed to see a patient face-to-face, or felt it was important for their care, we have asked those patients to come in to see us.

The cleaning required between patients during the pandemic means that if all patients were to come into the surgery, we would not have been able to offer the same number of appointments because of the amount of time that cleaning between each patient takes. However, we will always see patients face-to-face who need to be seen. Changing PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) between each patient adds additional time to the end of each appointment. The difficulty in obtaining PPE has also meant that we have needed to be more cautious than normal about the way we use scarce resources. We continue to work hard daily to source the PPE that we need. We understand that some patients are reluctant to come and see us in the surgery as they are worried. We are making sure that social distancing is as good as it possibly can be and that we maintain a ‘COVID-secure’ environment. Some of the things we take into account when we are considering this are: the number of people in the waiting room, the number of people who pass each other in the corridors, and the toilet facilities that are available. Our staff are people too and some may have ethnicity or health issues that make them more vulnerable to the effects of Covid-19. As caring employers, we need to ensure that we keep our staff safe as well. We take necessary precautions to keep our staff and our patients safe. We have many elderly and vulnerable patients with health conditions that make them more vulnerable to coronavirus than most. We also know that there are young and healthy people who have been seriously affected by COVID-19, so it is not just the elderly or infirm we need to protect. Increasing the number of patients in the surgery would mean that we will increase the risk for everyone – particularly if some of those people had symptoms of COVID -19 and were unwell enough to need to be seen. For this reason, we will keep a balance of the types of appointments we have available.

There is nothing we would like to see more than a return to ‘normal life’ and the easy face-to-face care we have always provided, but at the moment offering fewer face-to-face appointments keeps patients safe and provides the maximum number of appointments we can. We are available to talk to, and we always want to hear from patients who need us. While we understand patients’ frustrations with the current situation, we hope you will continue to help and support us, as you have always supported the NHS, so that we can go on providing you with care and support in the coming weeks and months Whilst initial contact is via the telephone or electronically, you will be invited to attend the practice if you need a face-to-face consultation. We are offering appointments for blood tests, ECGs, ear micro-suction, post-natal checks and childhood immunisations, cervical smears and all regular vaccinations including seasonal flu, shingles and pneumococcal. Please call us to book an appointment for any of these procedures.

 

APPOINTMENT BOOKING OPTIONS  For all routine matters the following options are available:

  1. The reception staff have the ability to prebook the first four appointments for each day in advance with your Doctor, any locum doctors we have working with us or either of our Clinical Nurse Practitioners
  2. In addition, Dr Jadav offers his first four appointments on a Wednesday morning for office workers. In normal times, these were face-to-face appointments in the practice between 7.00—8.00am but at present, they are the first telephone calls of his morning surgery and can be prebooked in advance subject to availability.
  3. Likewise, Dr Tennant offers additional appointments on a Monday evening for office workers and whilst these are currently provided across the day, they are available to any patient but do get booked up in advance.
  4. We have access to “Extended Access Appointments” which are provided to all Eastbourne Surgeries by South Downs Health & Care Ltd/LIVI and are provided through Hampden Park Health Centre. These consultations are available across the day subject to availability.
  5. LIVI telephone/video consultations. This is a service that you register for via our website and will secure you a video consultation with a Doctor or other Health Professional.
  6. Engage Consultations—this is a service accessed again through our website for medical advice, which is available to our patients. We aim to respond to all general medical questions with 24 hours.
  7. 111 – The NHS 111 service is available 24 hours a day 365 days a year. This will provide medical advice and access to a GP service out of hours. During hours, 111 have the ability to divert a call back to your practice if they are unable to resolve your call and need a Clinician here to progress your care.