Dear Patients,
We are aware that patients have been finding it more difficult to access a GP appointment at the practice recently and wanted to update you on the current issues that we are facing.
We have recently lost several GPs and despite repeated attempts at recruitment have not had any applicants to fill their places. There is a national GP workforce crisis and we are aware of many other local practices experiencing this issue. As a result of this our GP appointment capacity has been affected as we do our best to provide a safe service to our patients whilst at the same time trying to safeguard the wellbeing of our remaining GPs and team members.
In order to ensure that all of our GP appointments are used appropriately we would remind patients to consider self-care where appropriate and to follow advice from our receptionists as to who is the most appropriate team member to deal with their issue. Of course, we would encourage you to still contact the practice if you are worried about your health and we will always do our best to help.
We are very fortunate at Spring Hill to have an excellent team of Nurses, Pharmacists, Physiotherapists, Physician Associates, Paramedics and Social Prescribers who can deal with many issues and can all be booked directly via reception. They are highly skilled clinicians who work very closely with our GPs. We also offer online consultations with a GP that are responded to within 48 working hours and may signpost minor ailments to other staff who can help such as the community pharmacy or opticians.
We will always meet urgent and important demand on the day and have a ‘duty GP’ available to deal with any urgent medical issues so please speak to reception if you have been unable to book with a GP and feel your issue cannot wait.
Please do be aware that it is not only our clinical staff who are feeling these pressures but our reception, administration and management teams are also dealing with an unprecedented workload. We would ask that our staff are treated with respect as we are all committed to providing our patients with the highest level of care possible.
We hope this has helped you to understand the pressures we are facing and we are grateful for your support.
Spring Hill Practice