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Making a complaint about primary care services

How you make a complaint about primary care services in Northumberland is changing on 1 July 2023. By primary care services we mean GPs, dentists, opticians or pharmacy services.

There are two ways you can make a complaint:

• You can complain to the healthcare provider: this is the organisation where you received the NHS service, for example a GP surgery or dental surgery.
• You can complain to the commissioner of the service: this is the organisation that paid for the service or care you received.

After 1st July 2023 if you want to make a complaint about primary care services to the commissioner you will need to contact North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board instead of NHS England.

Read more about how to make a complaint >>

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COVID VACCINATIONS

PLEASE DON'T CALL US TO BOOK IN FOR THE VACCINATION

All patients will be contacted by the practice or we will give further information when to call.

We have up to the 2nd December to vaccinate all eligible patients and will start with the most vulnerable patients, ie housebound, those in care homes, those in high risk groups and then go down the age groups to 50.

Please be patient, we have 60% of our practice population eligible for the covid vaccine plus the flu vaccinations to administer while also running our normal service so we are going to be EXTREMELY busy.

We will keep you updated as time goes on.

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Ear Care and Ear Irrigation

Sarah Tyson is a registered nurse and runs a small business providing Ear Care and Ear Irrigation throughout this area. She runs sessions in Alnwick, Berwick and Wooler.

Alnwick - sessions run out of The Bonny Hoose Company on Market Street every Monday
Berwick - a session is run every Wednesday
Wooler - a session is run every second Thursday.

The cost of an appointment is £30 this is for both ears. Home visits can be arranged at a cost of £50

If you would like to find out more about this service please contact Sarah on 07368931179 or email sarahtysonhealthcare@outlook.com

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IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT APPOINTMENTS

We would like to reassure our patients that at no time since the start of the pandemic have we stopped seeing patients face to face, and continue to see patients daily in addition to our telephone consultations. By triaging we can see patients more promptly when the need arises. When all our appointments are taken for the day patients will be requested to ring back at 8.30 the following day or be given a telephone triage appointment in the future. Patients who deem their problem to be an emergency will have to provide details of their problem and this will be passed onto a GP who makes the decision of whether to ring the patient back or not, if calls are not returned by 6pm then the patient would need to ring the surgery back to secure a bookable slot.

We have reviewed and continue to monitor how we provide our services to enable us to meet patient demand and ensure a safe working practice for both patients and clinicians.

The demands post covid have meant that we have seen an increase in patient contacts up by 12% and this makes it impossible to return to our pre covid appointment model. Not only this, but we have seen that some of the changes to the way we provide our services have been advantageous and allow ease of access to some of our patients.

We now also have lots of other clinicians offering different services from our surgery they include Physiotherapists, Pharmacists, Health and Well-being Coaches to name but a few, by triaging patients we ensure that you are directed to the right service from the outset.

Sadly, we have also seen an increase in verbal aggression towards our staff which will not be tolerated, we will be monitoring calls closely as our team is working really had to try and deal with requests as quickly as possible. If aggressive or abusive behaviour is noted, we will be sending formal warnings to those involved.

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The Green Impact program

As a practice we are delighted to have joined the Green Impact program. We are actively taking steps to reduce our carbon footprint. The climate emergency is also a health emergency, and health care in the UK contributes 5.4% of the UK's carbon emissions.

We need to enhance the health of our current population without compromising the health of future generations, and this means operating within the sustainable boundaries of the planet.

Fortunately, most of the solutions for the planet also make our health better - for example eating a mainly plant-based diet, engaging in active travel and exercise in nature, avoiding smoking, reducing pollution etc all enhance our health and reduce our need for medications, with further benefits to the NHS, your health and the carbon footprint of healthcare.

Take a look at www.greenerpractice.co.uk to learn more about this.

The NHS have set two targets:

• For the emissions we control directly (the NHS Carbon Footprint), we will reach net zero by 2040, with an ambition to reach an 80% reduction by 2028 to 2032;
• For the emissions we can influence (our NHS Carbon Footprint Plus), we will reach net zero by 2045, with an ambition to reach an 80% reduction by 2036 to 2039.

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The Little Orange Book: Practical expert advice for parents and carers of under-fives

A really useful resource for parents and carers of children under five years with practical information about common childhood conditions is now available to view and download on the CCG website here. It covers everything from common minor ailments like teething, constipation and colds, through to more serious conditions like urinary tract infections, wheezy chests and meningitis. A traffic light system helps parents and carers decide what action to take when their child is sick, suggesting appropriate health services if further help or support is needed. Please tell your patients about it. It will help them get the help they need if they have young children.

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We are aware many patients are anxious about the change in guidance from July 19th, and whether they should be wearing a face mask or not.

We would like to commit to our continued efforts to safeguard our staff and patients and will asking for the continued use of masks in all environments at the Practice, including the waiting room, reception, clinical spaces and administrative spaces.

May we thank you in advance for your co-operation over this matter.

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COVID 19 Latest News

Vaccine Data Resolution Service (VDRS)
If as a member of the public you believe you have missing or incorrect COVID-19 vaccination data, please be advised to call 119 and ask the call agent to make a referral to the VDRS team on their behalf. The VDRS team will then call them back within 5 working days.

Go here for the latest detailed information from the government and other organisations.

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Local Help

There are local people who are more than happy to help with the vulnerable and at risk patients for medication deliveries. Some places are also helping out with other services.
Download more information about local services>>
Mental wellbeing and keeping safe >>
Local guidance and advice >>

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Covid Vaccinations 12-15 year olds

For children aged between 12-15years who have missed their FIRST vaccination at school and for any child aged 12-15 that are clinically at risk or live with someone who is immunocompromised (this will be for their 2nd dose), there will be a clinic on the 4th January at Berwick Swan Centre.

Please contact the surgery to make an appointment, they will be from 16.15 -17.10.

We are continuing to contact patients who are due their Covid Vaccine Booster.

Please can we ask that if you have an appointment booked and go elsewhere or can't make that day can you contact the surgery to CANCEL the appointment, we are getting an increasING NUMBER of DNAs.

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Annual general meeting for the practice equipment fund

Our annual general meeting for the practice equipment fund will be held on Wednesday the 28th of September at 6:30pm at Belford Medical Practice. Anyone who would like to attend is welcome, whether that be to attend to listen to the meeting or to join the charity.

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