We are holding specific clinics for Flu vaccinations. We are also hoping to be able to offer COVID boosters (for those eligible) within these clinics, however this is subject to supply received and may not be possible. Appointments are pre booked.

the dates of these clinics are:

Under 65’s at risk category:

• Tuesday 3rd October 2023 6:15-7:45pm
• Tuesday 17th October 2023 6:15-7:45pm

Over 65’s:

• Saturday 21st October 2023 8:30am-4:30pm

You are eligible for flu if you are: 

• 65+
• In a clinical risk group
• Pregnant
• A frontline health or social care worker
• In long stay residential care
• Receiving carers allowance, or are a full time carer for someone who may be at risk
• Live with someone who has a weakened immune system

Please speak to a member of our team if you have any questions or if you would like to book an appointment.

From 1 September 2023, more people will be eligible for the shingles vaccine.

As well as people aged 70 to 79, you’ll be eligible:

• when you turn 65 (if you turned 65 before 1 September 2023, you’ll be eligible for the vaccine when you turn 70)
• if you’re aged 50 or over and have a severely weakened immune system

You will be contacted by the practice when you become eligible.

Shingles can occur at any age, but the risk and severity of shingles and its complications increase with age and are higher in individuals who have a severely weakened immune system.

Further information can be found on the NHS website;

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vaccinations/shingles-vaccination/

The next event in this series will focus on Making a Difference with Health Coaching and will take place on Tuesday 19^th September 1pm-2.30pm on
Microsoft Teams.

The event will share some examples of best practice taking place to improve the lives of people and communities. In addition to hearing from people with lived experience of health coaching and the impact this has had meant to them.
We’d welcome anyone to join who has lived experience of living with a long-term condition or those in a caring capacity, and people working in local communities and the health and care system wanting to learn more about working with people to create change.
 
To register for the Making a difference with Health Coaching webinar, please scan the QR code in the below graphic or follow the registration link- https://forms.office.com/e/kvsaNXBkL6

A  new system will launch on Monday the 3^rd of July. The aim is to reduce waiting times for routine appointments and ensuring that when you have an appointment it is with the right person and the clinician has all the appropriate information they need

The easiest way to request an appointment will be to use the NHS app or by clicking the link on the website (https://florey.accurx.com/p/B81036). You then fill in a short form, detailing your problem and any specific requirements you have.

If you prefer to phone the surgery our care navigators will be able to send a link directly to your mobile or go through the form with you on the phone.

This form is then reviewed by a doctor to assess the best way to help. If you submit your form before 4pm you will receive a response the same day (forms received after 4pm may not be processed until the next working day). If you have an urgent issue between 4pm and 6pm please call reception on 01759 302500 for advice

After the doctor has reviewed your form, you will be contacted by text or phone.

Urgent problems will be called directly by the doctor or offered an appointment that day with one of our clinicians.

For more routine problems the doctor will review your case and make sure all appropriate tests are arranged before your appointment to ensure you can make the most of your time with the doctor.

It may be more appropriate for you to have an appointment with another member of our team such as our physios, pharmacists, or specialist nurses, this can be booked directly, saving you the frustration of a long wait to see the doctor only to be told you need to see someone else instead.

Some things such as simple rashes and minor issues can be dealt with over the phone, the same day, without the need for an appointment, this will save you waiting and make sure you get the correct treatment as soon as possible.

We are making these changes to be more responsive to patient needs and ensure people receive the help they need as quickly as possible..

NHS England requires that the net earnings of doctors engaged in the practice is publicised, and the required disclosure is shown below.

However, it should be noted that the prescribed method for calculating earning is potentially misleading because it takes no account of how much time doctors spend working in the practice, and should not be used to form any judgment about GP earnings, nor to make any comparison with any other practice.

All GP practices are required to declare the mean earnings (e.g. average pay) for GPs working to deliver NHS services to patients at each practice, the required disclosure is shown below.

The average pay for GPs working in Pocklington Group Practice in the last financial year was £73,826 before tax and National Insurance. This is for 5 full time GP’s and 7 part time GP’s who worked in the practice for more than six months.

To cut down the amount of time patients have to wait for an appointment and to better target precious resources whilst ensuring patient safety Pocklington Group Practice will launch a new system from June 2023. However, the current online messaging and online consultations availability will change in April.

Why are we changing?

• It’s accessible – No app to download and no log in required
• It’s quick – With a short and simple set of questions, your message gets to the right member of staff quickly
• It’s easy – Patient feedback suggests over 80% of patients find the service ‘easy’ or ‘very easy’ to use
• It’s versatile – Where appropriate, you can attach an image to your request to you can receive the highest quality advice.

From 3rd April patients will be able to ask for help with a medical issue, ask about test results, re-order medication, and request online advice via the practice website.

If you have the NHS App you will also be directed to the website from the App. Once you have clicked on whichever service you require you will see a simple online form which will ask for information about your problem, symptoms and when the surgery can contact you. The form will be seen by a medical professional within 2 working days. You will receive a response via text (SMS) which could include advice or the ability to respond by selecting an appointment slot.

You’ll remember that texting was used extensively to communicate about flu clinics. You will still be able to telephone or walk into the practice and speak to a receptionist. The website access is additional to these services but the current online messaging and online triaging will be switched off. Patients are also asked not to email the practice directly with clinical requests.

If you would like to take a look at the new service before we go live, please watch this video, created by the developers, demonstrating the patient experience.

As always urgent requests for medical assistance should be made to 999, 101 or the surgery in person or on the phone. The system is not yet live but when it is this is what you will see when you access the site.

Patients often approach the surgery reception staff to ask why they are not answering the phones when people must be trying to get through.

The reason is simple. Incoming calls are not answered at the reception desk to protect patient confidentiality. It can be embarrassing for callers to think their most intimate details are being shared with a room full of waiting strangers.

Instead, all calls are answered either in the telephone room upstairs or behind closed doors at the back of reception where confidentiality is guaranteed.

You should be aware that Mondays are always very busy. This Monday our phone team took 522 calls. This resulted in our duty GPs speaking to 256 patients who stated that their call was medically urgent. This resulted in 72 of those patients being asked to attend the surgery for a face-to-face physical examination.

Please be assured that inbound calls are being answered as quickly as possible by our backroom staff even though you don’t see the phone ringing on the reception desk.

The Pocklington Group Practice Partners have recently reviewed the Practice patient list and have had to make a difficult decision to remove the Practice from the Out of Area scheme. The practice must provide a service to patients who live within its catchment area and the impact of additional housing in and around the Pocklington area has had a major impact upon patient demand and patient numbers. The decision to advise our out of area patients that we will require them to register with their local practice is not one made lightly, we do understand that patients do not want to move practice but we have an obligation to those who live within our catchment area.

Out of Area patients have been sent letters advising them of this decision and hence this gives them the opportunity to look for a local Practice and identify the best option to suit their needs for new registrations. A final 28-day notice letter will be sent to all out of area patients in due course to confirm the Practice removal from the Out Of Area scheme. This being the deadline for patients to register in their own locality.

We have advised some of the Practices with a large number of patients that we are doing this, to try and ensure a smooth transition.

We are receiving a large number of letters, emails and texts asking us to reconsider the individual position of some patients, unfortunately we cannot do this due to the Practice removal from the Out of Area scheme.

Regards,

Dr N Robinson & Partners

September will see the start of the Autumn COVID & Flu vaccination programme. From mid/late September, there will be an opportunity to receive both your flu and COVID vaccination. Please expect a text message or letter invite from either the Practice or Nimbuscare on behalf of Pocklington Group Practice. The 50-64 not clinically vulnerable will receive their communication from Nimbuscare as they will be delivering the bulk of this age group at Askham bar.  Our over 65s and clinically vulnerable 18-64 year olds will receive texts and letter invites from the practice. We will identify those who are housebound and contact them separately.

Our first clinic for the over 65s is planned for the 24^th September and the next clinic will be either the 8^th or 15^th October with Tuesday evenings also included. The clinics will be run as both flu and COVID. A frequently asked questions sheet is attached below along with a flu vaccine eligibility sheet.

Patients aged 50-64 years old not in an at risk category will receive invites to attend clinics from 15^th October, the earliest date you can be vaccinated.