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Transferring
services from Wymans Brook Branch Surgery to Yorkleigh Surgery (93 St
Georges Road, Cheltenham) 15
NOVEMBER 2002 - 15 JANUARY 2003 Please
click here if you wish to download the pdf version of this document CONTENTS How
to give your views (feedback) Annex
1: Patients registered with Wymans Brook Branch Surgery
THE
CONSULTATION DOCUMENT
INTRODUCTION - WHAT IS THIS CONSULTATION ABOUT? The practice have continuously changed and modernised services for their patients. For example, they have introduced a nurse triage system which means that patients can be assessed by a nurse first to see whether they need to see a doctor or whether they can be seen by one of the nursing staff. The practice are also involved in the development of a multi-disciplinary substance misuse service at Hesters Way Healthy Living Centre. The practice is proposing to transfer all services from Wymans Brook Branch Surgery to their main Yorkleigh Surgery. The reasons for this proposal include falling demand for Wymans Brook Surgery, concerns about physical access for patients and concerns about the quality of healthcare that is currently provided at the branch surgery. The relocation of services from Wymans Brook Branch Surgery will help to improve the health services at Yorkleigh Surgery to meet the health needs of all registered patients with the practice. If a GP practice wishes to change the type of service they provide to patients, the local Primary Care Trust must consult local people and their patients. The consultation period lasts for 8 weeks and local residents and patients are invited to give their views on the changes set out in this consultation document. This consultation will run from 15 November 2002 until 15 January 2002. The Community Health Council, the local independent advice service for patients will also find out the views of local people. All patients registered at Wymans Brook Branch Surgery will be contacted during the consultation period so that they can give their views. Leaflets have been sent to all patients registered with branch surgery, giving a brief summary of the consultation and how to get a copy of the full document. The document, feedback form and leaflet are also available on the Primary Care Trust's website at www.chelttewkpct.org.uk Once
the consultation period finishes, the Cheltenham and Tewkesbury Primary
Care Trust (which brings together all GP practices in the area) will
review the feedback given during the consultation and make the decision
to approve or reject the proposal. The Primary Care Trust has a particular
responsibility to make sure that the health needs of all local residents
are met and this will be one of the factors that it considers when it
makes the decision to approve or reject the proposal. The decision is
likely to be made at the March public Board meeting. Details of this
meeting and the Board agenda can be found at www.chelttewkpct.org.uk
or by phoning the PCT office on 01242 548800.
Wymans Brook Surgery was originally opened in the early 1970s when the housing estate was still under construction. The surgery opened in temporary accommodation at the St Nicholas Church Hall, and then moved to the existing premises, a flat above the shops at Wymans Brook. The
surgery is a branch of Yorkleigh Surgery, 93 St George's Rd, Cheltenham.
It is run by Dr McMinn & Partners.
WHO IS REGISTERED WITH THE WYMANS BROOK BRANCH SURGERY? The Wymans Brook Surgery population profile and age structure is included at Annex 1. This shows that 8% (or 54 patients) are over 75 years old. 14% (or 91 patients) are under 15 years old. There are approximately 650 people registered at the Wymans Brook surgery, which is part of the Prestbury ward and a small part of the St Peters ward. This figure was originally 1000. There have been no new babies registered at Wymans Brook since 2000. Annex
2 and 2a show that patients registered with both the Wymans Brook Branch
Surgery and the main Yorkleigh Surgery come from a number of wards in
the Cheltenham and Tewkesbury area. WHAT SERVICES ARE AVAILABLE NOW? As services have been developed at the main Yorkleigh Surgery and as demand for services at Wymans Brook has declined over the last four years, the practice has withdrawn some services from the Wymans Brook Branch Surgery in the past two years. Currently the branch surgery is open and staffed by a receptionist four days a week from 11.00am - 1.00pm. The surgery offers four clinical sessions per week; three doctor led sessions and one led by a practice nurse. The surgery opens only at lunchtime with doctors offering up to eight appointments per surgery session. The practice has recently developed a repeat prescription service with the local pharmacist Mr N.R.Bailey, which has proved popular with all the surgery's patients living in the Wymans Brook area, not just those registered at the branch surgery. This means that patients can request repeat prescriptions whenever the chemist is open, even on Saturdays, without having to visit the Surgery. It
is possible to make an appointment at the branch surgery by phoning
the branch surgery during opening hours or at the main surgery. Patients
with their records held at Wymans Brook can also be seen at the main
surgery. However, all other registered patients are seen at the main
site only and are not offered Wymans Brook as an option for an appointment.
WHY
IS THE PRACTICE CONSIDERING MOVING ITS SERVICES FROM WYMANS BROOK TO
THE MAIN YORKLEIGH SURGERY? CLINICAL
SAFETY OF PATIENTS AT WYMANS BROOK SURGERY
Annex 3 shows the assessment of disabled access at Wymans Brook Branch Surgery carried out by the Estates Department at Cheltenham and Tewkesbury Primary Care Trust. When the Disability Discrimination Act comes into force in 2004, all doctors' surgeries must provide adequate access for disabled patients. The report states that there is no practical way that this problem can be improved at the Wymans Brook Branch Surgery, as it would be costly and the practice do not own the Branch Surgery. Should
the ambulance service need to collect a patient from the branch surgery,
access via the steps would be an acute safety issue.
LOW NUMBERS OF NEW PATIENTS REGISTERING AT WYMANS BROOK Today
there are regular established bus routes in and around the Wymans Brook
area. A greater proportion of the population also have cars. This means
that with a more mobile population, patients are at liberty to register
with a GP practice of their choice, rather than choosing the nearest
surgery.
FALLING DEMAND FOR SERVICES LACK
OF ACCESS TO MEDICAL TESTS POOR
COMPUTER CONNECTIONS The
practice believes that the large financial investment needed to bring
the branch surgery up to acceptable standards for IT connections would
be far better used to provide more modern and flexible patient care
at the main surgery. This is explained in more detail in the next section.
IMPROVING CHOICE, FLEXIBILITY AND ACCESS One
of the key areas for change would be to offer more appointments each
day, particularly in the mornings when demand is at its highest. This
should improve choice for patients and offer more flexible appointment
times. Patients would also have a greater range of clinics with both
nursing and doctor input. Currently at the nursing clinics at Wymans
Brook, if a patient needs to see a doctor, they have to make another
appointment. By combining nurse and doctor clinics at Yorkleigh Surgery,
if patients do need to see a doctor, they can do so without having to
make another appointment. OFFERING
HOME VISITS FOR VULNERABLE PATIENTS PROVIDING
MORE NURSING SERVICES DEVELOPING
NURSE TRIAGE
PROVIDING
A REPEAT PRESCRIPTION SERVICE
Physical access to the branch surgery is a serious problem, and will mean that the practice will not be able to comply with the Disability Discrimination Act when it is required to do so in 2004. The
practice believes that the significant financial investment needed to
bring the branch surgery up to acceptable standards both for IT connections
and physical access would be far better used to develop health services
for all patients registered with the practice, at the main surgery.
The practice would be able to offer a wider range of services and clinics
to patients. This includes a wider choice of appointment times, more
nursing services and specialist clinics for patients with chronic conditions.
FEEDBACK
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