FLU CLINIC APPOINTMENTS NOW AVAILABLE TO BOOK FOR PATIENTS AGED OVER 65 ONLY
We are now booking appointments for patients aged 65 for the flu vaccination. The vaccine for those aged under 65 will be available early October. Appointments are available to book online via Patient Access or by calling the surgery after 11am.
There will be a one way system for those attending for their vaccinations. They will enter the right hand door at the front of the surgery normally used to exit the building. They will then by directed down the corridor where Drs Mulder, Oliveira and King used to see patients and leave via the side door.
Appointment durations are 4 minutes and this is a walk through service to adhere to social distancing and infection control guidelines.
Staff will be wearing full protective equipment and a new thermal camera will screen all patients for temperatures as they arrive. Any patient with a temperature above that set will trigger an alarm and be asked to go to the side door where the nurse will check it again with an ear thermometer at the time of their appointment.
Please attend 10 minutes before your appointment to enable us to maintain social distancing queues within the building. If attending sooner we may not be able to accommodate you and ask you to wait outside.
Please wear a short sleeved top so that the nurse can access your upper arm when it comes to your appointment.
Staff will be in hand on the day to explain the process.
Further information will be sent nearer the time for patients aged under 65.
Supplying face mask exemption letters to patients
Practices are reporting increases in requests from patients for letters of exemption to wearing face masks in various public settings.
The Government guidance suggests there is no requirement for evidence for exemption. It should be sufficient for someone to declare that they are eligible for an exemption direct with the person questioning them (eg bus driver).
Practices are therefore not required to provide letters of support for those who fall under the list of exemptions, or to those who do not fall under the list of exemptions.
Some transport providers are providing evidence of exemptions themselves, see for example this information from First Bus and Arriva.
Home Visit Policy Update October 2019
We have reviewed our home visit policy which can be viewed in full under the Home Visit section on the home page which can be found under the Appointments Header. We have had to review this due to the level of visits we are being asked to undertake for patients who could have attended the surgery. The best place for a patient to be seen is at the practice where all the required equipment for diagnoses and treatment is available. The doctors can also see many more patients in the time taken to travel to the home visit location.
Improved Access
We have joined with other local practices to provide clinics from 6:30pm to 8:00pm Monday to Friday and 8:00am to 12:00 noon on Saturdays. We will be rotating clinics therefore please ask at reception or call in if one of these evening appointments suit you. There will be a GP and a Practice nurse offering 15 minute appointments.
Clinics are also available at weekends at the Meads surgery in Uckfield and in Lewes on Sundays.
Extended hours
Much like improved access we work together with other local practices in what is known as a Primary Care Cluster (PCN). For patients registered here there will be early morning appointments with a Practice Nurse at 07:30 and 07:45 Monday to Thursday. There will be 2 telephone consultations with a GP at 6:30pm and 6:45pm in the evenings and these can convert to a face to face consultation if required. Please ask at reception or call in if one of these evening appointments suit you.
Did you know that every GP practice in England is now required to have a Patient Participation Group (PPG)?
The Saxonbury house patient group was formed at the beginning of 2018 and have met 12 times. We meet monthly at the Practice on a Thursday afternoon but had to postpone meetings for some months after the December 2018 fire. PPGs are groups of active volunteer patients working in partnership with practice staff and GPs. This unique partnership between patients and their practices is essential to achieving high quality and responsive care. We are currently working on a survey to gather and analyse patient views, a review of the current website and this monthly newsletter. If anyone is interested in joining the group please pass your name to reception.
Electronic Referral Service (E-RS)- for 1st outpatient appointments only
There is a new way for us to send referrals which allows patients to book their own appointments via a dedicated telephone number. We will be rolling this out over the next few weeks and information will be given when an electronic referral is made. It becomes the patients responsibility for booking the appointment, but you will be given choice of available dates and times allowing you to fit the appointment in with your commitments. You will know when your appointment is as soon as you book it rather than waiting to hear from the hospital.