WEST HEATH PRIMARY CARE CENTRE
Email – westheath.primarycarecentre@nhs.net
We focus on providing excellent care for all of our patients in a way that is easy to access and provides continuity of care by a close-knit team of doctors, nurses and support staff.
Please click on the following link for latest government guidelines
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-guidance-sets-out-how-to-live-safely-with-covid-19
CURRENT PRACTICE SERVICE UPDATE
Your GP practice is open and if you need to see your GP, please ring us on 0121 4658188 or visit our website .You can also call NHS 111. Please do not come to the surgery unless you have an appointment
There are a variety of ways in which you can now access care –
Telephone Triage – Access for a GP to call you back on the same day where possible. The DR can very safely treat a whole range of problems without needing to see you. You can also discuss fit notes, tests and test results, referrals, ongoing condition management and many other issues. Just call us and we will add you to the list to call you back.
Video Consultation – if after speaking to you on the phone a DR or nurse feels they do need to see you then you will be offered a video consultation. The clinician will talk through the process with you. You can’t book a video consult as the DR needs to be the one who decides if this is a safe way to consult.
Online Consult – this is a new service which we will be rolling out through June 2020. You will access it from this website and it will enable to access advice and treatment through an online tool that links to the practice and a variety of self-care guides. It is fully integrated into the practice systems and as such is completely secure. You can use the system to discuss a specific condition or to raise any other queries you may have. We will be texting all patients once the service is live.
Email – our email address is at the top of this page. You can email us with any queries you may have that aren’t of a clinical nature. For example you could ask for test results, a prescription, chase up a referral or just ask for advice.
Prescriptions – please use our practice email address at the top of this page or alternatively sign up for Birmingham and Solihull health app to request medications. We do take telephone orders for prescriptions but encourage you to use online services or email where possible.
Home Visits – we will still be able to arrange a home visit if you are housebound or shielding. Home visits aren’t offered to normally mobile patients. During the pandemic you may be visited by a DR or Paramedic who do not work at the surgery as we are working with our local colleagues to maintain this service.
Face to Face Consultation – as we come down from the initial peak of Covid 19 cases we are starting to reinstate more face to face consultations. These may be for a new/acute problem or for ongoing management of a long term condition. All face to face consultations will be subject to an initial telephone call to ensure you are free from covid symptoms and you will be given a set time to attend.
Nursing – throughout the pandemic we have maintained many of our nursing services. These will now be increased and we will soon be able to restart cervical screening and more chronic disease management. Routine blood tests and some injections will also increase in availability for those who can safely come to the surgery. Please understand that all services must be risk assessed and reinstated only when it is safe to do so.
Our Reception Counters have got screens installed to protect our staff and patients and social distancing stickers are on the corridor floor to remind patients about social distancing
All practice staff involved in consultations will be wearing full PPE (Personal Protective Equipment).
ALL PATIENTS ATTENDING AN APPOINTMENT WILL BE ASKED TO WEAR A FACE COVERING AND TO KEEP THEIR NOSE AND MOUTH COVERED WHILE THEY ARE IN THE BUILDING.
If you have an appointment at the practice you will be asked to attend alone (unless you have a known carer) and not to arrive until the actual time of your appointment. This is to limit the number of people in the waiting room at any one time.
Unless you have an appointment or you are just calling to collect something we ask that you DO NOT come into the building asking to be seen or to discuss a query. All your queries will be dealt with over the phone.
Any patients who refuse to leave the building when asked are putting themselves, other patients and our staff at risk and we will regard this as behaviour that falls under our zero tolerance procedure which may result in your removal from the practice list.
HELP US TO HELP YOU
There are a variety of ways that you can help us –
Register for and use online systems wherever possible as it alleviates the pressure on our phones and helps those without online access to contact us more easily.
Utilise the Birmingham and Solihull NHS app.birminghamandsolihullhealthapp.com
Stay at home whenever possible and always contact us online or by telephone in the first instance.
BE KIND – as a team we have worked throughout the pandemic, maintained services and kept the practice open. All that we ask is that you listen to us and follow our advice. We never do anything to be difficult or to make your life any harder than we know it already is right now. However we are experiencing a sudden increase in patients turning up at the practice, demanding to be seen immediately, refusing to listen to staff and even shouting or being abusive.
None of the staff at the practice deserve to be treated this way and we will not tolerate anyone putting our staff or other patients at risk.
Please help us to help you and BE KIND
We want all of our patients to stay safe during the pandemic, please remember we are here whenever you need us. If you are struggling to cope, feeling isolated or you are worried about a medical condition then get in contact and we will do everything we can to help.