Care Navigation
Care Navigation is a tried and tested model of care that improves access to primary care services for patients and reduces GP pressures all in one.
It allows front line staff to provide patients with more information about local health and wellbeing services, both within and outside of primary care, in a safe, effective way. It is about offering patients choice and help to access the most appropriate service first which is not always the GP. It means that patients will find it easier to get a GP appointment when they need one.
Care navigators are receptionists and admin staff who have been given specialist training to help them direct patients to the right health professional first time.
For example, when a patient presents with symptoms that would be better dealt with by another service such as a pharmacist or optician, patients can be confidently offered these choices, allowing them to go straight to the service which best meets their health and wellbeing needs.
Why Care Navigation?
Sometimes though, the GP isn’t really the best person to see. Patients could be seen and treated quicker by a nurse or a pharmacist for example and in some cases, the GP practice might not be the right place at all for the query. That’s where care navigation comes in.
Care navigation supports practices and patients to make the best use of valuable NHS resources.
Five services are currently available for care navigators to signpost to and more will be added as this develops. These are:
- Minor Eye Treatment Service
- Health and Wellbeing
- Age UK
- Community Pharmacy
- Dental
Can another Healthcare Professional help?
Do you need to see the GP?
Sometimes the GP is not the most appropriate Healthcare Professional to deal with your ailment. Please see the information on see a Doctor or Healthcare Professional, which might help you decide whether a GP appointment is truly necessary or whether it might be better for you to see a Pharmacist, Optician, Dentist or other Healthcare Professional. You can even self-refer for some services without seeing your GP.
For real life-threatening emergencies such as those below – RING 999
- Chest pain (suspected heart attack)
- Suspected stroke
- Suspected meningitis
- Anaphylactic shock (severe allergy)
- Heavy bleeding or deep lacerations
- Fluctuating levels of consciousness or completely unconscious
- Difficulty breathing or stopped breathing with a change in colour
- New seizure, fit or uncontrollable shaking
For immediately serious conditions such as the following, GO TO Emergency Department (A&E) IMMEDIATELY
- A fever and lethargic (drowsy) child
- A feverish and floppy (unresponsive) infant
- Difficulty breathing
- Sudden, severe abdominal pain
- Accidental or intentional overdose of medication
- Trauma (including falls) and possible broken bones or road traffic accident
Your appointment at the Practice
- You can request an appointment by asking at the reception desk, *online, at either site or by the phone
- Please make one appointment for each member of the family who needs to be seen
- You may request to see a particular Doctor but this may involve a longer wait for the next available appointment
- We try to keep to time but please be patient if someone before you takes longer than planned
- Appointments are normally ten minute slots, so if you have a complicated problem, or more than one problem, please ask for a longer appointment
- It is Practice Policy to allow patients to choose whichever Doctor they wish to attend in the Practice
*This facility may not be always be available.
Appointments
Urgent
When you contact the surgery and ask for a same day or an urgent appointment, you will be asked for your telephone number and brief description of the reason for the appointment. You will then be called back by our Nurse Practitioner who will triage your request to find out how urgent your request is and who would be the best clinician for you to see.
Being Late
If you are late for an appointment by more than 10 minutes then it is up to the Doctor or Nurse if they will still see you or whether you have to make another appointment. This will be counted as a missed appointment without cancellation if the Doctor is unable to see you.
Please do not abuse the receptionist as they are only going on the Doctor or Nurse’s decision.
Telephone Advice
If you need to speak to a Healthcare Professional for medical advice you will be allocated a time slot during surgery hours when they will either contact you or you can ring back to speak to them. However, in emergencies there is someone available at all times.
Cancellations
We understand that sometimes you cannot make your appointment, you must contact us if this is the case to cancel your appointment . Patients who have failed to attend without informing the practice stop these appointments from being offered to other patients. Because of this the Practice has adopted the following policy:-
- If a patient fails to attend 3 appointments in one year without informing the Practice, a letter explaining the Practice Policy will be issued.
- If a patient fails to attend yet again, a further letter will be issued explaining that they may be asked to leave the Practice and who to contact regarding any queries
- If a patient continues to fail to attend without informing the Practice they will be removed from the Practice list and requested to register with another Practice.
There is an appeals process that is explained in any correspondence sent to you.
Additional information
If you have a suspected infectious disease
Please inform reception if you suspect an infectious disease, as this will enable us to deal with it appropriately during your visit to protect you, other patients and staff.
Giving Consent for Treatment
You have the right to accept or refuse treatment that is offered to you, and not to be given any physical examination or treatment unless you have given valid consent. If you do not have the capacity to do so, consent must be obtained from a person legally able to act on your behalf, or the treatment must be in your best interests.
Your valid consent (agreement to the course of action) is needed for the treatment that’s offered to you before any physical examinations or treatment can be given. If you haven’t given your consent, you can accept or refuse treatment that’s offered to you.
It’s important to be involved in decisions about your treatment and to be given information to help you choose the right treatment. When making treatment choices, you’ll often discuss the options with your doctor or another healthcare professional.