Welcome to Orchard Medical Practice
We strive to provide the best service we can to our patients as we continue to go through challenging times with the Coronovirus. The demand for GP services has spiralled over recent months and this has been throughout GP practices in the country as you may have seen on the news.
We have continued to see face to face patients from the start of the Pandemic where it is clinically necessary to see. We are currently operating a telephone triage or video call service first as we are still having to adhere to Government guidelines with 2 metre distance in our waiting areas and so this obviously limits how many patients we can see face to face, but rest assured if the clinician feels you need to be seen they will ask you to come down to the practice at a safe time. We do expect patients to a wear masks or face covering to protect themselves, other patients and our staff. We do have masks available at our reception desk if you require one. Please do not attend the practice if you have coronavirus symptoms.
We thank our patients for helping us to provide the best care by using other services such as pharmacies, NHS 111https://111.nhs.uk/utm_source=nhsuk&utm_campaign=homepage
You may also wish to look at our self-help tab to the right.
For non-urgent requests you may wish to follow our new 'contact us on line' link below.
Should you require help outside of practice hours please either call NHS 111 or go to Primary Care 24 based at King's Mill.
Please also visit LIVE WELL for advice and tips on healthy eating/exercise/alcohol and a whole host of help and ideas to help you make the best choices about your physical health, mental health and wellbeing
Frequently Asked Questions:
What should I do if I need an urgent on-the-day appointment with a GP or a Nurse?
If you have symptoms you are worried about, it is important to contact us so we can find out more and make sure you are getting the care you need. We will arrange a telephone triage call first or a video call and if you need to be seen a face to face appointment will be offered. If there are no book on the day appointments left you can visit PC24 at Kings Mill Hospital. Alternatively, you can call NHS 111 for advice or visit NHS 111 online for coronavirus advice. In an emergency, call 999.
There are no appointments left on any day what are my options?
Unfortunately we can only safely triage and see a realistic number of patients per day, we will never meet the demand of the calls we have coming in to the practice. It is really important to use other methods of help when we are at capacity such as the ones mentioned above or the 'contact us on line' (see below) method - please remember though this is for non-urgent medical problems.
Why do I have to listen to the Coronovirus message on the phone lines?
We are under instruction to still have the Coronovirus message on our phone lines.
You Said We Did
We have listened to your feedback and suggestions over the last few weeks with regard to you preferring to be informed there are no more appointments available on the day rather than being held in the queue. You will now here Dr Mills stating when our calls are full rather than putting you in the call queue. Our receptionists are still available for any other patient queries or appointment bookings.
Why does the receptionist ask what is wrong with me?
It is not a case of the receptionists being nosey!
The reception staff are members of the practice team and it has been agreed they should ask patients ‘why they need to be seen’. Reception staff are trained to ask certain questions in order to ensure that you receive:
- The most appropriate medical care,
- From the most appropriate health professional,
- At the most appropriate time.
Receptionists are asked to collect brief
information from patients:
1. To help doctors prioritise house visits and phone calls
2. To ensure that all patients receive the appropriate level of care
3. To direct patients to see the nurse or other health professional rather than a doctor where appropriate.
In the last 6 months we now have new types of clinicians working with us such as pharmacists, paramedics, First Contact Physio's, Social Prescribers for example so it is important to direct your call to the most correct person.
What should I do if I need to order a repeat prescription?
We haven't taken repeat prescriptions over the phone for many years now. Ways in which you could order a repeat prescription are to sign up with your pharmacy -they may be able to order and deliver your prescription for you, please ask at your local pharmacy. You can also sign up to Systmonline to order your request (please see bottom of the page). If you have any queries over your prescription we do have a prescription helpline which is available between 11 am - 12 pm and again 2pm - 3pm Monday to Friday.
'NEW Contact us online'
You can contact us about a medical, administrative or prescription issue by clicking HERE. Answer a few short questions and we will get back to you within 3-4 working days. Please DO NOT use this online form for urgent or emergency requests. The submitted forms will only be read during working hours 9.00 am - 5.00 pm. The forms will not be read on the weekends (Saturdays and Sundays) or on bank holidays. They will not be read Monday-Friday between the hours of 5.00 pm - 9.00 am.
Please also note that if you ask for a specific time that you wish to be contacted, unfortunately we may not always be able to comply with this.
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Coronovirus Information
If you need help and advice regarding coronavirus symptoms please click here https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/symptoms/
For other Coronovirus information please go to the tab on the right for help on:
How to book your Covid Vaccination if you haven't had your first 2 vaccinations
Covid Booster Vaccinations
How to get your covid vaccination Status
How to get an Isolation Note
Post or Long Covid - where to get advice
- Guidance for people Previously Extremely Vulnerable from Covid 19 (Shielding)
Covid Research Study
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Cancer
Do you have Questions around Cancer? If so Sherwood Forest Hospital Trust in Partnership with Macmillan have opened a Macmillan Cancer Information and support Centre. Please use the link below for more information:
Sherwood Forest Hospitals (sfh-tr.nhs.uk)
Mental Health Awareness
Every Mind Matters has a range or tools to help you manage anxiety, boost your mood and sleep better. Click here https://www.nhs.uk/every-mind-matters/
Loneliness:
It’s ok to feel lonely, particularly at a time like this. Don’t suffer in silence, we can all help each other stay connected, visit https://letstalkloneliness.co.uk/ for advice and support.
Vulnerable groups and Volunteers - click below for help and information: Poster - Help and Volunteering
Help for Carers
Please click on below help for information available to you:
Carers Poster
Access to virtual support:
Current Research Studies
REGAIN - Have you been in hospital with COVID-19? The REGAIN study aims to find out which of two treatments is better for helping people recover after being in hospital with COVID-19, Please click on the link below which explains how to take part.
REGAIN
Germ Defence
We are letting you know about a very useful website called Germ Defence which was created by a team of doctors and scientists to give you advice that has been proven to reduce the spread of viruses in the home. It can help you plan how to protect yourself and members of your family from infection by COVID-19 and ‘flu.
It’s easy to use and only takes 10 minutes - just click on this link:
www.germdefence.org/index.html?src=C84051
(If this link does not open when you click on it, please copy and paste it into your web browser.)
Please pass details of the Germ Defence website to your friends and family.
There’s a button at the bottom of the Germ Defence website for sharing by social media.
If you’d like to know more:
Over 20,000 people previously took part in research about Germ Defence
People who followed the advice in Germ Defence had fewer and less severe illnesses - and so did the people they lived with
Results of the study were published in The Lancet medical journal
Defence has been updated with COVID-19 advice to help prevent a wave of COVID-19 and ‘flu this Autumn/Winter
Information about how the Germ Defence website is being evaluated is available here.
Covid-19 Research:
NEON Trial - Mental Health
Neon Trial
Shielding Letters- Frequently Asked Questions
We are currently getting a considerable amount of queries regarding the clinical risk letters which were sent out to patients. this link gives some answers to the some frequently asked questions Patient FAQ's
ORDERING AND COLLECTION OF PRESCRIPTIONS
Due to the current Coronavirus pandemic Orchard Medical Practice will be introducing a system called Electronic Repeat Dispensing for some patients. This process will allow you to order your repeat medication via your regular pharmacy, rather than through the practice. For more information on Electronic Repeat Dispensing please visit this link - https://psnc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/eRepeat-Dispensing-leaflet.pdf
To keep patients to a minimum coming down to the practice to order and collect prescriptions please sign up to a pharmacy of your choice so we can send your prescription directly to that pharmacy, they can also order your prescription too. This would be really helpful to you, the practice and the public.
Asthmatics
We have been made aware of some posts on social media saying that if you have a respiratory/lung condition, your GP will issue a rescue pack of steroids and antibiotics.
For people with asthma, it is not recommended as standard management. If someone's asthma is bad enough to consider steroids they should be assessed by a health care professional.
Further information can be found on https://www.asthma.org.uk/
Rescue packs may be part of the agreed management plan for some people with COPD. If you NORMALLY have a rescue pack to treat your lung condition its a good idea to check that you have one.
Please bear with us, your help and understanding is appreciated.
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Complete our latest Survey Click here
Try the new NHS App
If you’re a patient at our practice you can now use the new NHS App, a simple and secure way to access a range of NHS services on your smartphone or tablet.
You can use the NHS App to check your symptoms and get instant advice, book appointments, order repeat prescriptions, view your GP medical record and more.
If you already use Systmonline you can continue to use it. You can use the NHS App as well.
For more information go to www.nhs.uk/nhsapp'
And in other news at the practice ……….
Our new GP Registrars (Doctors in training to be GPs) this quarter are:
Dr Fatima Asif (female)
Dr Nonso (male)
CQC Report