Surgery News

GP Personal lists

Back to the future!

We are returning to the pre-1990 model of GPs having their own personal lists.  We will divide our patient list amongst the GPs, and each GP will take responsibility for those patients' long term care.

You will shortly be receiving a text, email or phone call from us letting you know the name of the GP to whom we have allocated your care, and their usual days and place of work.

• For your routine, long-term medical care we would like you, where possible, to book with this GP.
• for urgent care on a day when your GP is either not working or working at the other branch, we will offer you an appropriate appointment with a different GP for that urgent consultation.

If you would prefer to be listed with a different GP, this is quick and easy for us to do.  We ask you not to ring or go straight into your branch to request this change as this would create unnecessary pressure on our patient services teams and telephone lines.  Simply mention it to the team next time you speak to us.  Or email us at pow.reception@nhs.net and tell us which GP's list you would like to change to.

What are the benefits of this change?

• Patients can see the same doctor most of the time.  This builds a relationship of trust between you and your GP and saves you both a little time when explaining ongoing problem.
• GPs can view letters, test results and complex medication queries mostly for their own patients.  They already know much of their patients' history so they can process queries more quickly and safely.
• Studies show that personal GP lists can reduce workload, save patients from unnecessary tests and hospital attendances and improve outcomes.

Why didn't we do this sooner?

NHS direction in the past encouraged practices to move away from personal lists.  Since our merger, our larger pool of GPs has made it possible to make the change back to personal lists with all the benefits outlined above.

Why are we making the change now?

We have a number of new GPs who have joined our team in the last year and several retirements, including Steve and Kathy Scott, so we need to balanced the workload between our new GP team and this is the best way of doing it.

Will I always see "my" GP?

Where possible, yes, subject to annual leave. We would encourage you to see your named GP to follow up on a referral, illness or procedure, or medication review.

How have we allocated the personal lists?

We are happy to retain any previous preference you have expressed to see a particular GP.  The remaining patients have been allocated according to which GPs most often work at each site.

I have an appointment booked with a different GP - what do I do?

Nothing.  We will not make changes to any appointments you have already booked.  All our GPs have access to your full notes, results and letters and this won't change with the personal list system so if you do need to see a different GP at any time you can do this.

Can I change my mind about which GP's personal list I am on?

Yes, you can switch to a different GP at any time if you decide this will work better for you.  However we would encourage patients to settle with one GP where possible, to get the benefits of continuity of care which the personal list system will offer.

Shingles Vaccination

The shingles vaccine is recommended for some older adults and people with a severely weakened immune system. From 1 September 2023, the vaccine programme is offered to the following groups:

• Healthy people aged 70-79 years who have not yet been vaccinated
• People aged 50 years and over with a severely weakened immune system such as those who have had an organ transplant, chemotherapy or HIV infection.
• Healthy people aged 60-70 years who will become eligible for the vaccine over the next 5 years, when they turn 65 or 70 years old. 

You can get shingles more than once, so it is important to get vaccinated even if you have had shingles before. 

Please contact the surgery if you think you may be eligible for the shingles vaccine, but you have not been contacted.

For more information please visit the following sites. 

NHS website

GOV.UK

Flu vaccinations

If you are eligible for a free NHS Flu Vaccination and have not yet had this, please contact our Patient Services Team to discuss getting your vaccination with us. 

RSV Vaccination (Respiratory Syncytial Virus)

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is an infectious disease of the airways and lungs with similar symptoms to a cold. From 1 September 2024, those who turn 75 and those age 75 to 79 are eligible. You can still get the vaccine up to the day before you turn 80. If you are eligible, you will receive an invitation when it is your turn. If you are not yet 75 the NHS will invite you for vaccination once you turn 75. You cannot have your RSV with your Flu vaccine as it is not recommended they be given together. 

We will be running clinics for each age group in turn, throughout the year, so please look out for your invitation to book. 

For more information please use the following:

RSV Vaccination Leaflet

GOV.UK