Doctors
Doctors spend an average of 8-10 minutes with each patient. Once you’ve got an appointment, plan ahead to make sure you cover everything you want to discuss. Before you see the GP, write a list of problems, starting with the most important. List your symptoms, so you don’t forget them. Write down when they started and what makes them better or worse during a 24-hour period. If you have a complicated problem, ask for a longer appointment when you book.
Advanced Nurse Practitioner
An Advanced Nurse Practitioner is a qualified Registered General Nurse who has also undertaken an accredited RCN Nurse Practitioner Bachelor of Science honours degree or a Masters degree, in Primary Care. She is able to physically examine, diagnose, assess, treat, refer, prescribe, order and interpret tests. Patients are seen with undifferentiated and undiagnosed illnesses. Once they have passed a Non Medical Independent Prescribing Course, Advanced Nurse Practitioners are able to prescribe medicines.
Patients may choose to see the Nurse Practitioner instead of a Doctor for acute minor illness health problems, including: Headache and neck pain. Eye, ear, nose and throat problems. Respiratory problems, including shortness of breath, cough, chest infections tonsillitis and sore throats. Skin and nail problems, rashes, eczema, and dermatitis. Cardiovascular problems such as high blood pressure chest pain and palpitations. Muscular skeletal problems, such as sprains strains, knee ankle, back shoulder problems. Abdominal problems such as indigestion, constipation abdominal pain. Urinary frequency and urinary tract infections. Advice about contraception methods, period problems and HRT.
The Nurse Practitioner may refer patients back to either the Practice Nurse or GP for further advice or if necessary to an outside agency such as Physiotherapy Dermatology or Gynaecology. However if patients have been consulting a GP about an ongoing problem, it is often better to continue to see them if referral is needed.
Practice Nurse
In a number of cases it might be worth considering an appointment with a practice nurse rather than a doctor. Practice nurses are qualified and registered nurses. They can help with health issues such as family planning, healthy living advice, blood pressure checks and dressings. The practice nurses run clinics for long-term health conditions such as asthma or diabetes, minor ailment clinics and carry out cervical smears.
Practice Manager
The practice manager looks after the day to day running of the practice such as making sure that the right systems are in place to provide high quality patient care, human resources, finance, patient safety, premises, equipment and information technology. The practice manager supports the GPs and other medical professionals in delivering patient services and also helps to develop extended services to enhance patient care. The Practice Manager also assists with the running of the Patient Group meetings.
Patient Services Manager
The role of Patient Services Manager is very varied, but has primary responsibility of overseeing the comments, compliments and complaints processes to determine what is working well and what should be improved to increase patient satisfaction. Our Patient Services Manager provides support to the Practice Manager to ensure the surgery is running effectively at all times. Other duties include supporting the Reception team with patient queries, booking appointments, dealing with repeat prescription requests and maintaining the website. If you have any feedback about the services received, you are welcome to contact to Lorna on lorna.palmer2@nhs.net
Reception and Administration team
Our Reception and Administration team consists of Medical Receptionists, a Data Clerk, Prescription Clerk and Medical Secretary.
Receptionists provide an important link for patients at the practice and are your initial contact point for general enquiries. They can provide basic information on services and results and direct you to the right person depending on your health issue or query. Receptionists make most of the patient appointments with the GPs and nurses. They also perform other important tasks such as issuing repeat prescriptions and dealing with prescription enquiries, dealing with patient records, carrying out secretarial functions, typing letters and making referrals to the hospitals using the Choose and Book system, other referrals and letters, medical reports etc.
The Receptionists carry out a very busy, demanding and important role within the practice and you are asked to treat them with the courtesy and respect they deserve.
