We are working hard with our community NHS partners to make sure our patients get a timely, effective, safe service for their concern or condition. Our reception team have been upskilled to ask you about your concern in order to navigate you to the best NHS service for this. This may not be the doctor at the surgery, or it may be another member of staff at the surgery for example our mental health nurse. Examples below.
You call us with a new sore throat. The receptionist will check your details, take some information about your concern and note you do not have any other health conditions. This would trigger the receptionist to signpost you to the pharmacy first scheme (more information here: Pharmacy First: what you need to know – Department of Health and Social Care Media Centre (blog.gov.uk)). We have pharmacies participating in the scheme close to both East Park and Halton medical centres. If you are exempt from prescription charges and medication is needed for your concern, this will be provided by the pharmacist free of charge.
You call us with concerns about your mood, you ask for an appointment with the GP to talk about how you are feeling. Our reception team will signpost you within the surgery to an appointment with our Mental Health nurse who is specially trained to help with mood concerns.
You bring your teenage child to the surgery as they have a sore, red eye and blurry vision. Our reception team take some details and are able to signpost you directly to an eye specialist (with specialist equipment) to examine and care for your child. You do not need to see a GP at all. You will be provided with the necessary details in paper format or via text message.
Signposting patients and working with the wider NHS team is a priority identified by the government and it is NHS England’s directive that we do this. Please respect our reception staff who are working very hard in difficult circumstances to ensure everyone is seen by an appropriate professional. We appreciate you may think the GP is the person you need to see, but this isn’t always the case. By working with us, you can ensure you and your family are seen by the right healthcare professional at the right time.