New system is now up and running at Howden
Howden Medical Group Practice is launching a new consultation service to offer a more effective system for its patients.
And the new consultation service which starts on Monday, June 13 means patients will have access to more health professionals than ever before.
The new consultation service will allow you to access the most appropriate member of our team for your healthcare needs says practice manager Sharon Devine.
Where a doctor is the most appropriate clinician for your particular needs we will provide a choice of pre-bookable face-to-face appointments or telephone consultations.
These will be available up to two weeks in advance and are intended for more routine healthcare needs.
But for more urgent medical needs which cannot wait for a routine appointment, we will offer daily access to our Duty Team to support our routine service.
Dr Tim Barnes said: “Our team are very keen to provide high quality care but with increasingly more complex and challenging healthcare needs we realise that we need an extended team to deliver this.
“Doctors are now part of a widening team of primary healthcare professionals which includes practice nurses, nurse practitioners, paramedic practitioners, healthcare assistants,phlebotomists, pharmacists, and others who are all committed to sharing the responsibility of providing a good service.”
There may be many reasons why you may wish to contact us.
The main reason is generally to consult with a member of our clinical team.
We ask that you continue to contact us by telephone.This will ensure equal access for all our patients.
Should you not have access or not be able to use a telephone please contact us in person via our reception desk.
You may complete a consultation request form which you should return to a member of our administration team.
Alternatively you can use the telephone in our confidentiality booth to provide your details to a member of our team.
Then, this will help the team make the best use of resources and ensure we can deliver the best service possible.
Dr Barnes explained the reason for the change to the consultation system rather than solely relying on the phone consultation service currently in action.
He explained: “Currently we only have six doctors in post, whereas we would need eight or more for this system to work effectively. Unfortunately, there is a national shortage of doctors and there is little prospect of the practice being able to recruit enough new doctors in the near future.
“Feedback from our patients is telling us that some people prefer to pre-book a face-to-face consultation with a clinician and we also know some people will continue to prefer to consult over the telephone.”
The practice is also in the process of setting up a Patient Participation Group.
This will allow them to discuss together the service that the practice offers and how improvements can be made for the benefit of patients and the practice.
The aim is to work together to make sure patients and improving health are at the heart of everything the team does. Nursing Team/Doctor Team Telephone 01506 423800. Select Option 1 for routine appointments.
Our administration team will ask for a brief description of your medical problem. This will ensure that you are directed to the most suitable person to help you. You will be able to pre-book a face-to-face appointment or a telephone consultation. If you book a face-to-face appointment, you will be provided with a date and time to attend for your appointment. If you book a telephone consultation for a particular morning, we will make every effort to return your call within the morning session (8.30am to 1pm) or if you book a telephone consultation for an afternoon, we will return your call within the afternoon session (1.30pm to 5pm). Depending on demand, this could however, be later than the last session time that day. Urgent and /or Unscheduled Care:
Duty Team (Paramedic Practitioner/ Nurse Practitioner/Doctor)
Telephone 01506 423800. Please select Option 2 for urgent or unscheduled care. Our administration team will ask for a brief description of your medical problem. They will then ensure that you are directed to the most suitable person to help you. If your call is suitable for the Duty Team, a member of the team will call you back to start your consultation. Together you will discuss your problem and decide what is needed next. We will make every effort to return your call within the morning session (8.30am to 1pm) or if you book a telephone consultation in the afternoon, we will return your call within the afternoon session (1.30pm to 6pm).
Log on to the website for more practice news at www.howdenmedical.co.uk.
Our team members at Howden Medical Group Practice are very keen to provide high quality care