Brechin Health Services
 Community Update

Issue 2, 20 July 2016

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.

Remember that all GP surgeries in Tayside will be closed for three days over the upcoming public holiday weekend. Brechin Health Centre will be closed from 6pm on Friday, 22 July until 8am on Tuesday, 26 July. Please see information below on how to access healthcare services when your GP practice is closed.

Service update – how the GP surgery is operating

As we outlined in last week’s update, we have plans 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:

• Please do not present in person at the health centre if you want to see a GP.

• Please call the practice on the normal number 01356 624411 with any general practice related enquiries, including if you want to be seen by a GP.

• You will then be triaged. Triage means assessing need and it is a tried and tested way in which we can manage our patients’ health needs effectively.

• Triaging all phone calls into the practice allows the practice staff to manage urgent demand and means more issues can be dealt with on a patient’s first phone call to practice. It also means people may not have to take time off work for issues that can be dealt with by phone.

• A receptionist will gather basic information to ensure the most appropriate clinical member of staff handles the request or will address any non-clinical requirements e.g. booking nurse appointments. 

• When the member of the clinical team calls the patient back, they may be able to handle the request on the phone, they may signpost the patient to a range of services, or invite them into the practice to be seen.

• The call back may come from an 0800 number, so please stay near your phone and be sure to answer calls from an 0800 number if you are awaiting a call back.

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

What other services operate 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 (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.

A pharmacy team supports the practice and 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.

Minor Injury and Illnesses Unit (MIIU) Update

On Tuesday, 19 July, the MIIU moved from Brechin Infirmary next door to Brechin Health Centre and is now operating as normal.

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

Access to the MIIU is 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.

What about other clinics running out of Brechin Infirmary?

Other clinics and services operating from Brechin Infirmary are unaffected by this move and will continue as usual.

Where else can I 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).

Patient 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.

The telephone triage system introduced last week allowed the practice to manage many more calls and avoided the long waits of the open access surgery. The practice team have worked extremely hard to test and tweak the processes based on patient feedback over the past few days and there has been some positive feedback.

“My partner had a call back from, and consultation with a GP within an hour of calling the centre last Friday, better than sitting in great pain and discomfort in an open access system for an hour at a time.”

“My father was unable to visit the surgery because he had recently been discharged from hospital. He was settling back at home very well when, over a period of three days, he became very unwell and so I called the surgery to request a visit from the doctor. An Advanced Nurse Practitioner (ANP) visited my father. When she arrived I think I offended her deeply by enquiring why she was visiting rather than the doctor as requested. Having said that, the difference the ANP made was tangible within a few hours and I could not fault the service that was provided. She was very thorough, very kind and pleasant with him, maintaining his dignity. I felt she dealt with the situation very well. She knew what was wrong with him and dealt with the problem straight away. We were very satisfied with the outcome.”

Ways to give feedback:

Speak to staff at the health centre.
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.

To read all the community updates issued on Brechin Health Centre you can visit our facebook page www.facebook.com/nhstayside or follow us on Twitter @nhstayside or visit the Brechin Health Centre website on www.brechinhealthcentre.co.uk