Wateringbury and Larkfield Surgery Newsletter 

Launch of the Newsletter

I would like to welcome to the new Wateringbury and Larkfield Surgery Newsletter where I aim to keep our patients up to date with practice developments and changes and introduction of new services. 

The Newsletter needs to be relevant and interesting so I would welcome any suggestion or items you would like to see included, please feel free to speak to me or any of the Reception team with your ideas

Nikki Howe — Assistant Practice Manager/Publisher Practice Newsletter

Retirement

Dr Peter Bruck will be retiring his last working day Wednesday 26 April 2023.Maggie, Dispenser will also be retiring her last working day Friday 26 May 2023.(position is advertised on NHS jobs website). 

The Practice Doctors and staff would like to wish them both a long, happy and healthy retirement.

Congratulations

Kerry, Dispensary Manager is expecting her second baby in mid-August, she will be taking maternity leave from the beginning of August. 

Nursing Team

We are currently advertising for a Phlebotomist to work Friday mornings alternating between Wateringbury and Larkfield sites.

Reception Staff

We will be recruiting another Receptionist to join our already busy team, to apply for the position please visit NHS job website 

Accessing Appointments    

Accurx Triage
The Practice is trying to help patients gain access to appointments and so introduced an online triage system named Accurx Triage. This is to ensure patients get the advice they need at the right time from the right person the first time they contact the surgery. 

To make a request for on the day urgent, non-urgent, medical requests and all admin queries the triage form will need to be completed via this link

If you do not have access to the internet or struggle to complete forms please call the practice and one of the Reception team will do this on your behalf.

It will not mean that by using the triage system you will not be able to see a GP, it is a preliminary way of   collecting information to ensure you are seen by the right person not a way of deflecting medical issues that need contact with a GP.

There is a Duty Doctor working every day to deal with urgent on the day requests, however if the enquiry is not medically urgent the Doctor will attend to the query within 48 hours. 

The triage system will mean that patients will receive an appointment or advice from the right person within the right time period.  There are a number of different practitioners working alongside the GPs these include First contact Physiotherapists, Social Prescribers and Practice Pharmacists.

It will still be possible for patients to book a routine  appointment with a clinician by completing an Accurx triage form of if you prefer calling the practice,

The practice is of course interested in any comments or concerns that patients may have.  Please speak to a member of the practice team who will pass the information onto the management team. 

Malling Primary Care Network

Wateringbury and Larkfield practices are part of a PCN,  group of practices working together to provide the best healthcare possible for the practices population areas.  Malling PCN is made up of Wateringbury, West Malling Group, Snodland, Thornhills and Phoenix practices. In this Newsletter I will introduce you to members of the PCN  team and their roles.

Introducing Ruth Wood Health Inequalities Lead

My name is Ruth and I have been in post as the Health Inequalities Lead since the start of 2022. Prior to this role, I worked on the COVID Vaccination programme and as a Social Prescriber, working with and supporting the clinical teams to assess patients as a whole. 

It is really important to me that each patient gets the right help and support for them, which takes into consideration not only their physical health but their mental health, wellbeing and social circumstances. This approach has helped me to mobilize the PCN health inequalities work and begin to identify and target groups within our patient population that experience unequal access to healthcare. So far this has involved providing health checks in the PCN ambulance out in the community and working closely with patients, surgery teams, the PPG's and our community partners to provide healthcare in new and innovative ways. I am really excited to see this work progress as we complete more of it so that we can target health promotion and disease prevention on a wider scale.

Would  you like to help  improve your GP Practice services?

Join your PPG Today 

Please complete this online form or speak to a member of Practice team. 

Published: Mar 6, 2023