Brechin Health Services
 Community Update

15 July 2016

Welcome to the Brechin Health Services Community Update Bulletin.

We know that the services provided at Brechin Health Centre are valued by the communities in and around the area. We want to ensure everyone is informed and kept up to date with the progress of what the NHS Tayside teams and Angus Health and Social Care Partnership teams are providing at the health centre and our plans to do everything we can to keep providing a full range of health services in Brechin, including GP services. We will be issuing regular updates on the progress to local communities through the media and on our online and social media pages, to our patients and their families.

 What is the GP situation at Brechin Health Centre?

It is no secret that NHS Tayside is struggling to recruit doctors to work at the practice in Brechin Health Centre. NHS Tayside took over the management of the Brechin Medical Practice at the health centre last year, following the decision to dissolve the GP partnership. The decision to dissolve the partnership was difficult for the practice but they had struggled to recruit GPs, despite their best efforts.

Since October NHS Tayside has been trying to recruit more GPs to Brechin with little success. The issues facing the Brechin practice reflect the GP recruitment difficulties being experienced across the country. There are several GP vacancies across Tayside – in Dundee, Perth & Kinross and in Angus. This is not solely a Brechin issue and it means we have to find new ways of delivering care in all of our communities across Tayside, be that in a city, in smaller towns or in our more rural areas. These staffing shortage problems are even worse over the summer months and holiday period as it is more difficult to secure locum doctors due to the increased demands for them across the country.

However, we must make it clear that there are absolutely no plans to close Brechin Health Centre. It is an extremely important healthcare facility in Angus and NHS Tayside and Angus Health and Social Care Partnership are committed to providing a long-term future for health services in Brechin and at Brechin Health Centre.

 What is NHS Tayside doing about the shortage of GPs?

NHS Tayside will continue to actively recruit to GP vacancies at Brechin and is trying everything to bring GPs in to cover the Brechin practice in these challenging times, including asking neighbouring practices, asking other GPs in Tayside if they have capacity to take on additional shifts, working with locum agencies across the country and moving GPs from other parts of the service. However, despite these difficulties in getting doctor cover, it is clear that we must have plans in place to look after the healthcare needs of the population of Brechin.

We are facing a continual challenge to secure locum doctors to come and work at the practice and, no matter how hard we try to slot in other doctors from other parts of our service like out-of-hours, it is very likely that over the summer period there may be days when there is quite simply not enough GP cover at Brechin Health Centre.

Providing a safe and effective service is our priority and if there are not enough doctors – or even no doctors – available then this is when we need to put in place alternative plans to ensure everyone in Brechin can access appropriate healthcare services.

 What are these plans?

We have a number of plans which we can put in place to respond to the changing situation in Brechin. It is this daily changing situation which we need to adapt to in order that we provide high-quality healthcare for everyone. As members of the community, you would expect us to have these plans in place so we can best provide services in today’s changing circumstances.

The plan for the day-to-day running of the GP surgery is how the surgery is operating at the moment.

How it works:

• You telephone the surgery on the normal number 01356 624411 and you are clinically triaged by staff at the practice. Triage means sorting and it is a tried and tested way in which we can manage our patients’ health needs effectively.

• The receptionist will take basic information about what it is you need assistance with. For example, you may need a test result or you may have an acute healthcare issue that requires attention. Please provide any relevant information as this ensures we get the right person to call you back.

• Where required, a member of the clinical team will call you back and discuss your problem with you. If the matter can be dealt with by phone it will be, which we know is very helpful for many, particularly the working population.

• Should you need to be seen, the clinician will advise on next steps, which may include attendance at the surgery, at Minor Injury and Illness Unit, or the local community pharmacist.

• As normal, emergency calls should continue to be passed to Scottish Ambulance Service on 999.

 This is all about the GP cover, what about the other services in the health centre?

There are many health services provided at Brechin Health Centre by nursing staff and Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) and there is no change to how they are running. For your routine nurse and clinic appointments at Brechin Health Centre, please call 01356 624411 in the usual way.

Services provided at Brechin Health Centre:

Our practice nurses provide a comprehensive range of services including:

• Immunisation/vaccination

• Wound care

• Long term condition review

• Smear tests

• Warfarin clinic

• Electrocardiograms (ECGs) - a test to check your heart's rhythm and electrical activity

• Carers’ reviews

• Basic screening including blood pressure, taking blood etc

• Ear syringing

The physiotherapy-led MSK clinic runs four mornings per week. Next week the clinic is running on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday mornings. Patients can be assessed by advanced physiotherapy practitioners who will provide a short physiotherapy assessment and advice session with appropriate onward management. Conditions seen include any musculoskeletal problem e.g. neck or back pain, joint or muscular pain, sporting injuries, whiplash etc.

Next week we have strengthened pharmacy team support to the practice and they will be available all week from 9am until 5pm should you have any medicines-related enquiries.

District nurses and health visitors are based within the practice and provide all the normal range of services that they usually deliver. District nurses support the care of housebound patients and those with complex healthcare needs. Health visitors support care of babies and children.

Voluntary Action Angus provides social prescribing support in the waiting area to help signpost patients to a wide range of social support and service supports available in the area.

You can also go to the practice to drop off and collect prescriptions in the usual way.

What is happening with the Minor Injury and Illnesses Unit (MIIU)?

TO SUPPORT THE SERVICES PROVIDED FROM THE HEALTH CENTRE OVER THIS CHALLENGING TIME, FROM TUESDAY, 19 JULY, THE MIIU WILL MOVE FROM BRECHIN INFIRMARY NEXT DOOR TO BRECHIN HEALTH CENTRE.

It is anticipated that the MIIU will operate from Brechin Health Centre until the end of August.

Access to the MIIU will be through a separate entrance in the grounds of Brechin Infirmary to the upper level of the health centre. It can also be accessed through the main entrance to the health centre when the centre is open.

There are benefits in co-locating MIIU services and staff within the health centre and it means there will be a strengthened healthcare team over this challenging period for staffing.

The service is able to treat a wide range of minor injuries and arrange x-rays for suspected broken bones. The operating hours will remain the same when the MIIU moves to the health centre with the service open daily from 9.00am - 4.30pm.

To contact the MIIU, please call 01356 666076.

OTHER CLINICS AND SERVICES OPERATING FROM BRECHIN INFIRMARY ARE UNAFFECTED BY THIS MOVE AND WILL CONTINUE AS USUAL.

Are there any other places I can go to access healthcare support and advice?

• Your local community pharmacy can offer advice and treatment for minor illnesses such as sore throats, coughs, colds and upset stomachs. There are many over-the-counter medicines available without obtaining a prescription.

• As we have already stated, the Minor Illness and Injuries Unit is able to treat a wide range of minor injuries and arrange x-rays for suspected broken bones (open daily from 9.00am - 4.30pm). Remember that the MIIU is operating from Brechin Health Centre until the end of August.

• Opticians can provide advice for eye problems and refer you to hospital, if required.

• If you think you need to see a GP when your practice is closed, call NHS24 free for advice on 111.

• For general health information, visit NHS Inform www.nhsinform.co.uk or phone 0800 22 44 88 to speak to a health advisor (8am - 10pm everyday).

We need your support - and we want your feedback

We know that the situation in Brechin Health Centre is hard for members of the community but please know that the health centre team, doctors and nurses are doing everything they can to ensure we can keep delivering safe and effective health services in Brechin. We also want your feedback.

Ways to give feedback:
Contact the Feedback Team on 0800 027 5507 or email feedback.tayside@nhs.net

 Next steps

• We will keep the local communities in and around Brechin informed with regular updates. Next week we will issue another Community Bulletin with an update on the situation.

For all the latest updates issued on Brechin Health Centre you can visit our facebook page www.facebook.com/nhstayside or follow us on Twitter @nhstayside.