APPOINTMENTS

We run a telephone triage system called “Direct to Doctor”, we have introduced this to provide a much more responsive system and a better quality service to all our patients.

means that instead of phoning the practice or coming down to the surgery and having a receptionist book a GP appointment for you, our doctors will speak with the patient first on the telephone and then book an appointment according to the clinical need. When your doctor assesses that you need to be seen quickly they can schedule you an appointment the very same day or, if it is a routine matter that can wait a few days, they will give you an appointment within that timeframe. Alternatively there will be times when they can help you without the need for you to be seen in person which will save you the trouble of coming down to the surgery.

Direct to  Doctor – How does it work for you the patient?(Please also see the video at the top of this page)

From the patient’s point of view it is really simple:

1. Phone your GP Surgery before 12pm on the day you would like to speak to the Doctor (No need to rush you do not have to ring at 08:00am).
2. There is no advantage in coming to the surgery, you will be given a telephone call slot alongside all the others who have phoned in.
3. Give your telephone contact details to the receptionist and arrange a convenient timeframe to be called back by your GP.
4. You will be asked some simple questions to help determine if it is an ‘urgent matter’ or if it is a ‘routine’ matter. This will really help your Doctor prioritise the calls.
5. Speak directly to your doctor, usually within two hours of calling the surgery, if they are working that day.
6. Our clinicians will try and call all patients twice as a minimum on the telephone number provided, if you have been unable to answer your telephone please do call us back so we can try again at a  more convenient time.

If you are unsure who your named GP is, please ask reception.

If you wish to change your named accountable GP, please inform us and we will make every effort to accommodate your request.

Due to operational difficulties and staff shortages, we have taken the difficult decision to temporarily stop our extended hours clinics until further notice, this includes:

Swan Surgery: · Tuesday 7-8am · Friday 7-8am · Saturday 8-11am

Liphook Village Surgery: · Tuesday 18.30-19.30

We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Each morning and afternoon one GP acts as Duty Doctor. This means that they take responsibility for any urgent medical attention needed for a patient where their own GP is not in clinic or if their own GP is unable to safely take on care of any more patients that day./p>

Annual reviews and on-going support is available from our nursing team. Whilst you will be invited for an annual review if you have asthma, on a day to day basis you will need to manage your condition and contact the nurse or doctor if you experience difficulties.

As part of the NHS public health campaign, appointments for immunisation are offered to babies and children. These are run several times each week by the nursing team.

The nursing team perform cervical smears and patients are recalled via the national cervical screening recall programme. You will receive an invitation for a smear test and if you wish to opt out of this programme then please write to the Practice Manager.

Patients with COPD will be offered an annual review which may include a spirometry test. On an on-going basis, you will need to manage your condition and support is available from the nursing team or GP if you need it.

If you are someone living with diabetes you will require regular monitoring and occasionally additional support to help care for yourself.

You will receive a letter inviting you to attend for this review in the month of your birthday. This initial review will be performed by our trained Health Care Assistants who will liaise with our Diabetes Specialist Nurses and your GP to ensure you receive the best care. Our service offers one to one personalised care both face to face, by telephone or email and some group sessions, both real and virtual to enable individuals with diabetes to take responsibility for their day to day needs and provide you with the opportunity to discuss your condition.

Patients who also attend hospital specialist diabetes services will receive an invitation to attend the surgery to complete their annual diabetes review.

Below are some links that you may find helpful:

• https://www.diabetes.org.uk/
• https://www.diabetes.co.uk/lowcarb/
• https://www.drwf.org.uk/
• https://www.drwf.org.uk/news-and-events/news/solent-diabetes-association-celebrate-nine-years-supporting-people-diabetes

Why do I need the checks?

• https://www.diabetes.org.uk/Guide-to-diabetes/Monitoring/15-healthcare-essentials/

What do my results mean?

• www.diabetes.org.uk/Guide-to-diabetes/Monitoring/Testing
• https://diabetestimes.co.uk/new-tool-to-boost-referrals-to-diabetes-education-programmes/
• https://diabetestimes.co.uk/sugar-infographics-now-available-to-download/

Our nursing team is able to perform ECG’s. You will need to be referred by your GP for this procedure.

We offer a number of different options for family planning, including the insertion and removal of coils or implants. We are also able to test for chlamydia or refer patients on to sexual health clinics. Patients can access local sexual health clinics (called genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinics directly, without seeing a GP first. For information about your nearest clinic, please search www.nhs.uk or contact our reception team.

As part of the national programme for early detection of any medical problems in apparently healthy individuals, we perform health checks to patients who are aged between 40 and 75. Patients are invited to attend a health check with our nursing team every 5 years. In addition to this, you may come to see the nursing team for dietary advice at any time.

Patients with hypertension are regularly monitored to ensure their condition is being well managed. In addition to this, we are able to monitor blood pressure over 24 hours if clinical staff feels this is appropriate.

These clinics are for people with long term "chronic" conditions and are run by our multi-skilled team of Health Care Assistants and Nurses. Examples of chronic diseases we manage are:

• Diabetes
• Pre Diabetes
• Asthma
• COPD
• High blood pressure
• Heart Disease

Once a person has been diagnosed with a chronic condition, they are included on a register and will be invited yearly for review of their condition/s. This review maybe done virtually by remote monitoring, using emails, texts, video consultations, group sessions or face to face consultations. You may find that you will be asked to provide more information yourselves rather than to attend the surgery as often.

Some people may have more than one chronic disease so we will try to manage all conditions in one appointment if possible.

Our aim is to:

• Educate and enable people to manage their own health, where possible.
• To monitor and identify progression of their condition/s so that active steps can be taken to step treatment up or down.

If you have been sent a message to fill in our "long term condition questionnaire" please click on the link below to access it:

YOU WILL ALSO NEED AN ANNUAL BLOOD TEST – PLEASE BOOK THIS AT THE SURGERY

Once this form is completed please either drop into the surgery or email it to us at: sehccg.smg-lth@nhs.net

We have a team of midwives who run clinics twice weekly at Liphook Village Surgery. If you are pregnant and wish to make your initial appointment with one of the midwives, please contact our reception team. You should plan to see the midwife for your first appointment around the 9th week of your pregnancy. This first appointment is an hour long and called a booking in appointment. The midwife will advise the frequency of antenatal appointments.

We perform a small number of procedures at the surgery. Your GP will identify if a procedure can be performed at the surgery and you will be contacted when our next minor surgery clinic is due to book in. Subsequent management, for example dressings and removal of sutures, will also take place in the surgery.

italk is a free support programme for anxiety depression and stress for anyone aged 16 or over. This service can be accessed remotely using computerised cognitive behaviour therapy, through group work, or individual support. You do not need to be referred by your GP although they may do so.

For more information about the full range of treatments italk can offer visit their website 222.italk.org.uk or telephone 023 8038 3920.

At the surgery we are able to provide a gluing and steri-strip service for minor injuries sustained in the previous 48 hours. People utilising this service need not be registered as a permanent patient. Alternatively there are minor injury units at Haslemere District Hospital and Petersfield Community Hospital.

We offer daily nursing clinics for suture removal, dressings, ear syringing, injections and so on.

We offer daily phlebotomy services at the surgery. Some blood tests will be requested or authorised by the GP, whilst other tests, for example managing those patients taking warfarin, will be requested by the individual patient themselves. Due to the volume of tests we perform daily, individual patients are responsible for contacting the surgery for the results of their blood tests and we do not release these results to family members unless with the expressed written consent of the patient (this is a pre-booked appointment only service).

TRAVEL CLINIC

The responsibility for all aspects of preparation for travel abroad must remain with the individual. We offer travel advice and the necessary injections in our travel clinics run by our practice nurses, but it is not a free service and some vaccinations must be paid for.

Initially you will need to carry out a risk assessment with one of the nurses to discuss your travel plans, proposed itinerary and discuss any vaccinations needed. This may also include whether or not malaria prevention tablets are also necessary. Immunisations can take weeks to become effective so in order to ensure enough time for this it is advisable to contact the practice well in advance of your planned departure, at least 6-8 weeks prior to travel. For those with a complicated itinerary or who are intending to go ‘back-packing’ we would recommend contacting us several months in advance if possible.

You will be given the option of providing your travel information via email or by a printed hard copy via the surgery, and a nurse will subsequently advise you via telephone call, text SMS message or via email in response to this (the options of how we respond to you are on the form for you to choose your preferred method of contact). You will then be advised what vaccines are recommended for your trip, and the amount of time that you are likely to need for your travel appointment at the surgery, if necessary. Further appointments may need to be made after this in order to provide further vaccinations. (Please note, when using the email service please check your Junk Mail inbox too, it has been reported that occasionally our responses have been archived into Junk Mail).

To try our online travel service please complete the ‘Travel Risk Questionnaire’ form below and email it to: sehccg.smgtravel@nhs.net  and one of the team will respond to you within 7 to 10 working days.

Advice on all aspects of travel care, malaria and general health advice can be found in our ‘Travel Health Advice Leaflet’ below (Adobe/Acrobat Reader required to view this document).  Alternatively you may collect a leaflet from reception if you wish.

Some travel vaccines are ordered on a private prescription and these incur a charge over and above the normal prescription charge.  This is because not all travel vaccinations are included in the services provided by the NHS. The nurse will advise you of the full cost to be paid.

There is further information about countries and vaccinations required on the links below

Europe & Russia	North America
Central America	South America
Caribbean	Africa
Middle East	Central Asia
East Asia	Australasia and Pacific

We are a licensed Yellow Fever Vaccination Centre. This work is not supported by the NHS as it extends outside the UK and so you will incur a fee for consultations and vaccination. The nursing team run this service and will be able to advise you of any costs.