Who should I see? – Holes Lane Surgery

Care navigation

The right care from the right person, first time

As a practice, we are very pleased to be moving forward with Care Navigation. When you call the surgery to book an appointment, you might notice our administration team will ask you certain questions about how we may be able to help you. Drs Cardwell, Chuka, Shard and Khandavalli and the wider clinical team have requested that staff now ask all patients for a brief indication of that their appointment is for.

This is because we have launched a new scheme called Care Navigation. This means our admin team has been trained to make sure they can assist you to find the best service for your needs, so you can receive the correct care, faster. Any information that you disclose with our team will remain completely confidential. As a result of this high-quality training, our team will be skilled in directing you to the most suitable clinician or service for your care.

Our admin team will in no way give clinical advice. Instead, this new system is about offering our patients the option to see more suitable health professionals in our surgery team, or even somewhere else within the community services, such as Podiatry, Dental Services, Minds Matter, Support Groups and Pharmacy. If these additional services can assist with your problem directly, you will often be quicker and may mean that you will not need to see a GP at all.

By working this way, it helps to free up time for GPs to care for patients with complex or serious health conditions that can only be managed by a doctor. More importantly, it means people are seen first by the clinician that is best placed to help you with your health needs.

We try to keep our GP appointments for patients with more serious health problems.

Before you book an appointment to see a doctor please consider whether an appointment with a practice nurse might be appropriate. They can help you with a wide range of medical problems.

Our receptionists can help you decide which is the right person for you to see.

Helping you choose

The choice is always the patient’s and is completely up to you if you wish to disclose information to our administration team.

Patients will never be refused an appointment with a GP, but we trust that the next time you contact our surgery and speak with our administration team that you will see the value of consulting with alternative healthcare professionals

Some of the links below may support you in assessing which care is best for your acute medical needs:

https://www.nhs.uk/pages/home.aspx

https://www.wuth.nhs.uk/news/latest-news/2018/02/parents-urged-to-think-pharmacy-first/

Does this mean I will not be able to see a GP when I need to?

No, if you do not wish to answer further questions about your needs or your reason for requesting an appointment to see a GP and don’t wish to explore other professionals, our care navigator will add your request to the doctor`s triage list who will make a clinical decision based on your concern. (Please be advised providing the care navigator with some information regarding your concerns helps the Drs to understand the urgency of your care)

Care Navigation encourages a patient to speak to someone other than their GP about their needs – how is their patient confidentiality protected?

All our staff at Holes Lane Surgery are bound by duty to protect your confidentiality and so each telephone discussion with a patient will be handled with the correct attention to confidentiality. Care Navigators will need to access your care record to document what advice or signposting has been given to you. Our Care Navigators will handle all conversations with our patients sensitively by ensuring they take place in a private space.

Is this ‘triage’ or ‘navigation’?

This new scheme is not triage, and the Care Navigator will not make any clinical decisions. Your conversation with our care navigators will usually involve some short, brief questions that look at other services that you may find helpful to support your overall well-being and lifestyle. You will always have the choice to see the GP.

What if the receptionist makes the wrong decision?

Our Care Navigators do not make clinical decisions. Based on the information that you contact the surgery with and are requesting support with, our admin team delivering Care Navigation can offer a choice of what is available. Patients can always choose whether to take up the offer that is provided or choose to see their GP if requested.

Please find outlined below the numbers/websites for services that our patients can self-refer into –

Bereavement counselling – 0808 808 1677 https://www.cruse.org.uk/get-support/

CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) – 01925 575904

John Holt cancer support (part of McMillian) – 01925240054

Crisis Team 24/7 – 01925 275309 Freephone: 0800 511508 Samaritans: 116 123

Victim Support (Its free confidential and available 24/7)- 0808 1689 111

Pathways to Recovery (Drug & Alcohol service) – 01925 415176. If it’s out of hours, please call 07919 558644 . You can also email warringtonsms@cgl.org.uk

Continence Team – 01925 946356

Minds Matter – 01925 575904 www.merseycare.nhs.uk/our-services/warrington/child-and-adolescent-mental-health-service

Self-care

If you have a cough, cold, headache or other minor ailment try treating yourself at home first. Find out more about treatments for common minor ailments.

Please remember that self-care for common conditions can help free up our GPs’ time, making it easier to get an appointment when you have a more serious condition.

Your pharmacist can help too

Pharmacists are highly trained health professionals and can give you confidential health advice for a range of common illnesses and complaints.

Don’t wait for a GP appointment for coughs, colds, aches and pains. Just call your local pharmacy a call or drop in – there’s no need to make an appointment.

Your pharmacists can also help you decide if you need to see a doctor or nurse.

Click here for more information about how pharmacies can help you.