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Patient Notice – Changes to Appointment Booking process.
We are following government directive the Primary Care Recovery Plan which aims to “end the 8am scramble for appointments “ which you may have read about in the media.
From the 1st of July we will be adopting a new Care Navigation Tool. All patients who contact the practice via telephone, online consultation or in person at the front desk will be asked for the reason for the appointment. The Patient Advisor will then use the new Care Navigation Tool to determine the correct pathway for the patient.
This can include but not restricted to:
Appointment with either a GP, ANP or Practice Nurse.
Appointment with another healthcare professional i.e. first contact physiotherapist
Referral to the new community Pharmacy First Service
Direction to self-help/over-the-counter medication
Contact details for other services i.e. emergency eye care service.
Direction to walk-in or NHS 111 where appropriate
Please beware this may not result in the outcome you would have chosen.
We expect our patients to support our Patient Advisors when being asked these questions and with the pathway suggested.
There are numerous Patient Advisors answering the phones and from the 1st July the phone system will offer the patient a call back feature which will keep the patients place in the queue while allowing them to hang up and get on with their day. The system will ring the patient back when they get to caller position one.
However, there is only one Patient Advisor on the front desk who will also be following this pathway, so we expect significant delays for those patients attending the surgery in person looking to secure an appointment.
In addition, we will also have our new online consultation tool Systmconnect which will be available via our website www.penkethhealthcentre.co.uk . This will replace the current Patchs system, it is easier to use, has no need for an account and feeds directly into your patient record.
Important Notice to Patients
Our team have been working closely with Warrington's Medicines Management Team to join the number of Practices swapping to Patient Led Ordering. Patient Lead Ordering means that patients must order their own medication directly from their GP practice, unless identified as vulnerable. The reason for this change is to improve patient safety, reduce waste and cost. We will be supporting you to utilise this service from 26th February 2024, our main objective , as always, is that patients are not left without medication.
Please note that if you use an APP or online services to request your medication this will remain unaffected.
Please read the information in this link regarding the recent updated news that NHS Digital will be uploading PSEUDONYMISED data to plan future services:
The Practice is open between the hours of 08:00 - 18:30, Monday to Friday
Patients can continue to access the practice via telephone, video calls, Online Consultation Tool, or face to face, depending what is most appropriate.
Alternatively, visit the local pharmacy for clinical advice on minor health concerns.
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(Site updated 05/07/2024)