Frequently Asked Questions
Here we have answered your most frequently asked questions regarding the PCN, GP practices and general healthcare.
Our primary care network comprises the group of GP practices working together and also with community and mental health groups, social care, local voluntary groups and others serving our local community. Our Primary care network is one of 1250 across the whole of England.
You can ask to see our social prescriber by contacting your practice reception team or you can be referred to them by anyone in the practice.
The Rother Valley South PCN Community Health Forum has proved an invaluable way for our community to interact with local health providers, as an extension to local Patient Participation Groups that are attached to each Practice.
We are a PCN led community group with regular chaired meetings, an agenda, minutes and arising actions. We have representation from local and regional health influencers as well as patients. Our main aim is to share ideas, good practice, and suggestions to help people in our area from both GP Practice and Community perspectives.
At our quarterly zoom meetings we encourage contributions from all and always welcome new members to join us please. If you have further interest, please contact organiser Tony Cowgill via email – tony.cowgill@nhs.net
We want to get you to the best practitioner for your problem. When you contact the practice for an appointment you will be asked in broad terms what the problem is. This will help us enormously to get you a review with the best practitioner for you. All our staff are embedded in our practice teams and have full access to the clinicians and records. For many issues the best practitioner to see may be our physio, pharmacist, physician associate or social prescribing practitioners.
If you specifically wish to see a GP you can always request this. However for many concerns the best practitioner to see may be one of our other practitioners including our physio, pharmacy and social prescribing practitioners for example.
There has been a shortage of GP’s for a number of years for various reasons. What we are able to do however is to try and train and embed colleagues from other professions whom have many skills and are successfully working in practices now.
You can access 111 via calling this number or also through their website and 111 online. They are really useful at assessing you and can then direct you to the most appropriate treatment and this may be self help, your pharmacy, accident and emergency or the GP practice.
For many conditions going to accident and emergency is the correct option. Examples of this are if you have had a sudden accident or if you are suddenly unwell and can’t access immediate treatment.
We do know that speaking to your normal GP can be difficult for a number of reasons. All our practices are trying to help this situation. However you can be reassured all communication is joined up and although you may see different faces at your practice, they are all highly trained and integrated completely in to your practice.
We have a novel and exciting scheme call the community pharmacy referral scheme. Many of our local pharmacies have highly trained pharmacists within them whom are able to support you with many symptoms that you may have. You may be signposted to a pharmacy for this service and receive prompt and appropriate care this way.
Over our 4 GP practices we have on average 6,714 appointments available with 4.5% of appointments wasted every week due to patients not turning up or not cancelling. We receive 8,500 telephone calls per week which is 20% more than what we have appointments available (this doesn’t take into account patients that book online or that are directly booked in by 111).
We try our best to see every patient on the same day, but sometimes it’s unfortunately not possible.