| Latest
News dated 1st July 2010 |
Wasted
Appointments:
In June, 221 appointment slots were lost because
patients missed them without letting us know. 73 of these were for
appointments with doctors and 148 were for appointments with nurses or
other staff. Missing appointments
without letting us know beforehand affects everyone. It means we are
able to see fewer patients and the waiting time for appointments is
longer.
If you know you are
not going to attend an appointment please tell us as soon as possible.
The telephone service for cancelling an appointment, on
01249 812141, then Option 4 from the menu, is available day and night, including
weekends and Public Holidays.
Due to the number of wasted appointments through patients failing to attend without informing us, it has become necessary to implement the following
policy:-
If you repeatedly fail to attend
appointments without informing us in advance, you may be removed from this practice list and will have to find an alternative doctor.
Extended
Opening Hours:
As
a result of patient feedback, we operate extended opening hours as follows:-
One Saturday a month from 9.00am
to 10.30am,
Mondays and Tuesdays from 6.30pm
to 8.00pm,
(although
on the Monday following a Saturday opening we will not be open in the
evening).
If
it would be more convenient for you to visit the doctor during these times
please use the
APPOINTMENTS
PAGE here on the web if you're registered for
EMIS Access; or ask at reception; or contact our appointments line on 01249
812141, then Option 1 from the menu, to
book an appointment.
Please note that you will
NOT BE SEEN by a doctor during these times if you do not have an
appointment made in advance.
You will
NOT be able to telephone the surgery during these extended opening times; the
Out of Hours service will deal with ALL telephone calls and visit
requests as they do now.
Mobile
Phone Numbers for Appointment Reminders:
We have implemented a
system where appointment reminders are now sent as a text to your mobile phone, at
no cost to you.
This will, hopefully,
reduce the number of patients who fail to turn up for appointments without
cancelling them in advance, thus wasting valuable doctors’ or nurses’
time.
Do we have your mobile
number on our records, or might the number we have be out of date?
Please speak to the
receptionist, a doctor or nurse, while you are at the surgery to give them
your current mobile number.
If you don’t want to
receive appointment reminder texts, please let
us know and we will opt you
out of the service.
Book
Your Next Routine Doctor's Appointment Online:
Northlands
Surgery offers EMIS Access, a secure online system that is integrated with
our practice appointments system.
Through
EMIS Access you can book a routine doctor's appointment or cancel any
appointment on-line.
If
you wish to use EMIS Access you must first read the EMIS Access
Information Sheet, then apply for an EMIS Access Account using the
Application Form.
The
APPOINTMENTS
PAGE here on the
web has links to the information sheets and application forms, or they are
available from reception.
Calling all Carers:
Northlands
Surgery wishes to establish a register of carers and invites all patients
who are caring for someone to enrol.
As a carer,
you may feel you need some help and support for yourself.
This
information is also helpful to enable the surgery to plan our services.
You may
have been caring for the person in their home, your home or elsewhere,
regularly helping them with everyday tasks or giving them assistance and
support which they need.
Perhaps you
see it as part of your life, or duty, to care for your mum or dad,
partner, child or friend, but there may be times when you need
information, advice or some extra help.
When you are a carer, it is often difficult to have a real break
because someone depends on you to look after them.
You can get tired and run down and your health may suffer.
Telling
your doctor can help him or her to support you and make sure you get the
right sort of care.
Carers
themselves have felt that it is important that doctors recognise and value
the work they do as carers.
We are
trying to trace all those patients who are carers and set up a Carers’
Register. This will mean that
your caring role is recognised by the practice and steps are taken to
support you.
If you wish
your name to be included in the practice carers’ register, please tell us at
reception the next time you visit; telephone us, preferably in the early
afternoon when the lines are quieter; or use our
CONTACT US
form, here on
the web.
As
a carer, you are also entitled to a flu vaccination each year, so please
ask about booking an appointment.
