Newsletter No.2 Spring 2007
The Patient Group has now held three meetings since our launch at the flu session in November and two joint meetings with representatives of the Surgery staff. The second of these was to discuss the results of the recent NHS patient survey. Overall most patients seem generally satisfied but a couple of points have been identified that the Practice are very happy to look into.
Suggestion Box
Thanks to everyone who has filled in the forms with ideas and suggestions for improvements. More news on suggestions in the next newsletter.
Making an Appointment
Appointments (01452 840555) and General Enquiries (01452 840228) The heaviest load on the Surgery’s telephone system is Monday mornings between 8.30am and 11am and the day after Bank Holidays. So if your call is not urgent, by calling outside these times you will very likely get through much quicker. Try it and let the Patients’ Group know!
At the moment the appointments line enables one caller to be held ‘waiting’ - the caller is advised of this and is answered next. The Practice endeavours to provide a routine appointment within 48 hours for a doctor and 24 hours for a nurse. Urgent requests are always fitted in on a daily basis either during the morning surgery or with the on-call doctor towards the end of the day.
Routine appointments are scheduled for 10 minutes. Don’t waste it! Be concise.
Dispensary (01452 840688) is open from 8.30am - 1pm and 2pm - 6pm. The telephone lines are open from 8.30am - 11.30am and 3pm-4pm, weekdays only, for dispensing queries. You can order your repeat prescriptions in person, by post or fax and on the website (www.stauntonsurgery.co.uk). Repeats should not be requested by telephone.
Contacting the Doctor by telephone (01452 840228) Monday to Friday between 10.30am and 10.50am. It is helpful if you can give the receptionist some basic information so that the doctor can get your notes in front of him by the time he talks to you.
Urgent Appointments are dealt with on some days of the week by our Nurse Practitioner, Rachel Jacques. She has a great deal of experience in dealing with acute medical conditions and is qualified to prescribe appropriate medicines. She passes problems that are outside her scope onto the doctors.
(Don’t forget that the lines are closed 12 noon - 1pm for staff training)
Out of Hours Care
Following the Dept of Health’s changes to the General Practice Contract, GPs are no longer responsible for 24 hour patient care. Since January 1st 2005 all out of hours services are provided by the Gloucestershire Primary Care Trust (PCT). Should you have any comments about the service please write to the Gloucestershire PCT at Unit 14 Highnam Business Centre, Highnam GL2 8DN
Contact numbers:
weekdays 6.30pm - 8am - 08454 220 220
Weekends and Bank Holidays - 24 Hours - 08454 220 220
At all other times ring the surgery on 01452 840 228
Minor Injuries
The Practice is no longer contracted by the PCT to deal with minor injuries. The PCT has opened centres at Gloucester A&E (01452 528555), Tewkesbury A&E (01684 293303) and The Dilke, Cinderford (01594 598100) for this purpose. The most convenient for our patients being at Gloucester and Tewkesbury.
Emergency Situations
The surgery is no longer equipped to provide an emergency service. If very urgent treatment is required this should be sought from your local A&E department. Please ring 01452 840 228 when the surgery is open, staff will advise you. At other times you will be directed to the Out of Hours Service
In cases of chest pain/stroke and collapse the guidelines from the British Heart Foundation recommend calling an emergency ambulance by dialing 999. In such cases it advises that the shortest time taken to get into hospital is the most important factor in patient treatment/recovery.
This Practice wholeheartedly supports this action.
Telephone Numbers
Staunton Surgery -
General Enquiries 01452 840228
Appointments 01452 840555
Dispensary 01452 840688
Gloucester Hospital 01452 528555
Tewkesbury Hospital 01684 293303
The Dilke 01594 598100
Gloucestershire PCT 01452 389400
Community Nursing Team 01452 840 680
NHS Direct (for general 24hr medical advice) 08 45 46 47
Gloucestershire Social Services
: Adults 01452 426 868
: Children & Families 01452 426 565
Gloucestershire Social Services (Forest) 01594 820550
Malvern Social Services 01684 892211
Gloucestershire Age Concern 01542 422660
Malvern & District Age Concern 01684 560666
Gloucestershire Citizens’ Advice Bureau 01452 528017
Malvern Citizens’ Advice Bureau 01684 563611
Local Police - non emergency 0845 090 1234
NHS Survey results
Staunton & Corse Surgery Patient Survey Three Year Comparison
| ASPECT REVIEWED | %RATING FOR GOOD TO EXCELLENT | ||
| 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | |
| RECEPTION TEAM | 80 | 83 | 93 |
| OPENING HOURS | 65 | 69 | 70 |
| LEAD TIME TO ROUTINE APPOINTMENT WITH DOCTOR OF CHOICE | 24 | 34 | 40 FAIR30%+ |
| LEAD TIME TO ROUTINE APPOINTMENT WITH ANY DOCTOR | 39 | 44 | 60 FAIR 30%+ |
| WAITING TIMES | 50 | 70 | 70 |
| TELEPHONING THE SURGERY | 53 | 64 | 62 |
| TELEPHONING THE DOCTOR FOR ADVICE | 33 | 33 | 52 50% NOT KNOWN |
| CLINICAL CARE | CONSISTENTLY HIGH SCORES RANGING FROM 80-95% | ||
| NURSES | 89 | 91 | 97 |
| OVERALL SATISFACTION/TOTALLY TO FAIRLY | 89 | 91 | MEASURE DELETED BY DEPT OF HEALTH 2006 |
2006 SURVEY APPOINTMENTS DATA REVEALS:
ACCESS TO DOCTORS - MAJORITY OF PATIENTS SEEN AS FOLLOWS:
ROUTINE WITH ANY DOCTOR 1 - 3 DAYS
ROUTINE WITH SPECIFIC DOCTOR 3 - 5 DAYS
Action Points
The survey results, comments in the suggestion box and the Patients’ Group’s discussion with surgery staff have prompted the following actions:
- The Practice will review the telephone system and ‘on hold’ arrangements
- The Practice will review the appointment system and access to doctors.
Patients’ Group - who’s who?
Sheila Golightly - Group Leader/Community Rep for Staunton & Corse, Castlemorton
Elizabeth Wilkins - Newsletter Editor
Jane Morton - Minutes Secretary, Staunton
Sue Wrighton - Community Rep for Staunton & Corse, Ashleworth
Bob Crockett - Group Member, Corse Lawn
Sandra Furst - Group Member - Ashleworth
Sheila Millichap - Group Member, Corse
Sarah Smith - Group Member , Ashleworth
We are currently looking for more volunteers (especially a few more men!) from other areas within the practice boundaries, so if anyone is interested, please leave your name and phone number in the Suggestions Box.
Profile - Nurse Practitioner, Rachel Jacques
The Doctors thought you might like to know more about Rachel and the job of Nurse Practitioner. The following is a summary of what Rachel has written for us:
My nursing career started some 36 years ago. After qualifying as an SRN at Cheltenham General Hospital I worked as a Staff Nurse covering everything from children to theatre work and Elderly Care. I continued my training to gain an Ophthalmic Diploma at the Oxford Eye Hospital and then went on to train as a midwife at the John Radcliffe Hospital for eighteen months. I returned to Cheltenham as a District Nurse/Midwife for the next 17 years but didn’t remain in the role of midwife for long with the demise of joint posts. So after further study I was also awarded the District Nurse Certificate.
During this time I started Guiding and was approached to become a First Aid Tester so I qualified in that too! I soon became a St John First Aid trainer for Girl-guiding in Gloucestershire. Word spread to the National Activity and Training Centres so I was soon leading training at these Centres too. This led onto advisory work at the London Headquarters which meant I needed an Asthma and Teaching qualification. To give me time to study I worked part time as an Agency Nurse.
After this I started as a Practice Nurse working from Branch Surgeries without a GP, hence the start of the GP emergency consultations. I have since trained for the initial ‘Nurse Prescribing’ that was introduced for District Nurses and the Independent Nurse Prescribing course at university in Oxford. I did another year of training to obtain the Chronic respiratory Diploma when running an independent Asthma Clinic.
Four years ago I started work at Staunton Surgery and my time is divided between general practice nursing (including my chest clinic), emergency appointments and a clinic for Hartpury College students. I also run a nurse led Respiratory Clinic in Oxford and incorporate training of medical students one day a week.
My work for Girl-guiding UK has gone from strength to strength, Last year saw my up-dated publication for the First Aid Course for Guiders and I am currently working on the Trainers’ Training for this course. In Gloucestershire I am responsible for First Aid Training and also Risk Assessment and Safe from Harm (child protection work). In my spare time I look after my father, the home and garden and enjoy swimming at the Lido for five months of the year, which can be very refreshing at times!
Because of lack of space we have had to summarise Rachel’s profile but the full profile can be found on the surgery website.
GP Registrars
A registrar doctor is an experienced doctor who has previously worked in the hospital environment and is seeking to develop a career in General Practice. They usually spend a year with us as a major part of their training. This year we said goodbye to Mungo Chambers and in his place we welcome Ian Cameron who will be with us until February 2008.
Dr Ian Cameron MB ChB (Sheffield 1992) MSc (Environmental Epidemiology) DTMH DME
I joined the practice in February. I’ve previously worked in emergency medicine in the UK and Australia and in public health, particularly researching environmental influences on health. I was a ship’s doctor for Greenpeace for two years including work in the Amazon and Antarctica. I enjoy running, cycling and teaching my three year old son to swim.