Newsletter May 2024

NHS App - have you signed up yet?

Owned and run by the NHS, the NHS App is a simple and secure way to access a range of NHS services on your smartphone or tablet. You can use the NHS App to:

• order repeat prescriptions - see your available medicines, request a new repeat prescription and choose a pharmacy for your prescriptions to be sent to
• view your medical record - securely access your GP medical record, to see information like your allergies and your test results and clinical letters.
• get advice about coronavirus – get information about coronavirus and find out what to do if you think you have it
• check your symptoms - search trusted NHS information and advice on hundreds of conditions and treatments, and get instant advice or medical help near you

Anima Update

Since launching Anima on Monday 4th March, we have received:

• 6273 Medical Requests
• 928 Admin Requests
• 9664 Anima Registrations

Common Patient Queries

Q: Why do I have to answer so many questions when I submit a medical request?

A: Anima follows the NICE guidelines concerning questions for symptoms. Although it may take time to answer the questions, by providing this information, the GP is able to assess what the patient needs and quickly provide the relevant appointment or advice. However, following our feedback, Anima are currently working on making the questions smarter, so there will be fewer that need to be answered. Improvements concerning this are due to be released over the coming months.

Q: How do I see my test results or request a repeat prescription?

A: We recommend that patients use the NHS App to view their test results and to order repeat prescriptions. If patients do not wish to download an app, they can request their test results via Anima by submitting an Admin request. Patients can request a repeat prescription either via their pharmacy or using our online form.

Q: What do I do if I don't have a smart phone or online access?

A: Patients can continue to access the practice in the normal way, by phoning or attending Reception, who will log your issue on your behalf. Reception will then call you back to inform you of the outcome of your request and book you in for an appointment if needed.

Q: Why does Anima close at 4pm?

A: Anima is open to take medical requests between 7am and 4pm, Monday to Friday. The system closes at 4pm to allow time for the GPs to assess and respond to all urgent medical queries before the surgery closes at 6.30pm. We are closely monitoring the volume of daily requests that are being received and are talking to Anima about developing the system so that non-urgent medical requests can continue to be submitted after 4pm. We will update patients on this as soon as possible.

Following feedback and development, Anima is now open to take admin requests 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We aim to respond to all admin requests within two working days. 

How to Get Help

See further information about Anima and to view some helpful videos on how to get started. If you need extra support, please head to Anima’s Support Centre. Alternatively, please ask our reception team, who will be happy to help.

anima

Submit a medical or admin request online and get the help you need - without waiting for an appointment.

Submit a request

Get your Blood Pressure checked

The only way to know if you have high blood pressure is to get a test. You can get a free blood pressure test at a local pharmacy, if you are aged over 40 and live in England. 

A pharmacist, or member of the pharmacy team, will wrap a blood pressure cuff around your upper arm to measure your blood pressure. They will then share the result with you. Depending on the result, they might:

• give you advice to support healthy living
• give you a blood pressure monitor to take home with you and return later
• advise you to see a GP.

Your GP health record will be updated with your result. Search for a local pharmacy that offers free blood pressure checks.

DNA Rates - April 2024

In April, we offered 5566 appointments, of which 7.3% were DNA'd (Did Not Attend). By clinician type, this breaks down as:

If these patients had let us know that they were unable to attend their appointment, we would have been able to offer and rebook these appointments for other patients who needed them.  

If you are unable to attend, please cancel your appointment 24 hours in advance either by phone or online via your Anima account - thank you.

PPG News

To have a greater impact towards improving patient experience, we need more patients to become active members of the Patient Participation Group. It is open and free to all adult members of the Practice and provides a forum for discussion about all aspects of the work of the Practice. 

The Group meets four times a year and we have at least one open meeting where we usually invite an outside speaker.

This is a really important way to contribute to the work of the Practice and to seek changes. So we urge you to consider joining us by completing the very short form on the website. 

Type 2 Diabetes Group Consultations

The way we support our patients with Type 2 diabetes is changing. Diabetes is a complicated condition that means that people with it have a lot to learn and think about in order to make sure it is well controlled. 

What are Group Consultations?

Group consultations are 1:1 appointments carried out in a group setting, where you will review your diabetes progress and management plan with a GP or specialist Advanced Practitioner. This enables you to connect with your healthcare team, as well as meeting other people who are living with diabetes. These consultations are run as group sessions to allow you to spend more time with your healthcare team and discuss things that matter to you. The group are then able to support each other and share ideas on managing diabetes.

Why should I Attend?

• People who attend group consultations benefit from having more time with their clinicians and learning from other patients
• They report feeling less alone in managing their diabetes, and inspired to sustain healthy lifestyle changes
• Research shows that people who attend group consultations achieve greater improvement in their weight management, blood pressure and blood sugar control, compared with those who attend traditional 1:1 appointments
• 85% of patients report that they would recommend group consultations to their family or friends.

Will my Personal Information be kept Private?

Yes! Each patient attending group consultations will be asked to sign an agreement which prohibits them from sharing information about any group member with anyone outside of the group. You can also always ask for a private discussion with the clinician if needed.

When will Group Consultations start?

We are aiming to start group consultations in June/July 2024 and will be contacting our first cohort of Type 2 diabetes patients in the next few weeks.

Published: May 1, 2024