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As a result of heightened concerns around COVID-19, St Mary’s Surgery will be using online consultations and telephone triage to support infection control and protect patients and staff.

Some practices routinely manage their demand in this way already. What this means is that all appointments will initially be a phone call with a clinician who will then arrange an appointment if it is clinically appropriate to see you. This will allow us to provide a high level of care to those patients who need clinical input in a more time efficient way. Therefore going forward all appointments will be telephone consultations, if the GP feels it is absolutely necessary then they will offer a specific time to attend the Surgery.

To manage the increased number of patient contacts, we may also need to reschedule some routine appointments that are not time critical. This will be discussed with you if appropriate.

Thank you for your support at a time we are dealing with an ever changing environment.

Appointments are available Monday-Friday 7.35am to 11.00am, 1.00pm to 2.45pm and 3.45pm to 5.35pm. The first and third Saturdays of every month 8.35am to 11.05am.

Appointments are always required to see a Doctor. Please try to let us know by 10.00am if you need to be seen the same day for urgent medical problems. Urgent appointments will be with whichever Doctor is available at that time.

You may book an appointment to see the Doctor of your choice in advance. You may see any Doctor in the practice but we would encourage you to see the same one for any single problem. Only one patient per appointment please!

If you cannot keep an appointment please let us know as soon as possible so that it can be offered to someone else. You can cancel your appointment by replying to your text reminder with the word ‘CANCEL’, or alternatively you can call our Reception Team on 01264 361424.

We have adequate facilities for patients to park, but only while attending the surgery.

Out of Hours

Improving access to general practice: evening and weekend appointments now available
Patients who are registered at this practice can now book an appointment to see a GP or nurse on weekday evenings (after 6.30pm) or at the weekends (on Saturday and Sunday). Appointments will take place at Andover War Memorial Hospital (The Hub).Talk to the practice receptionist to find out more or book an appointment.

By March 2019 everyone in England will benefit from access to general practice appointments in the evenings and weekends at a time that is most convenient to them. This is part of a national drive to help improve access to general practice and get the best possible outcomes for patients. Further information is available at www.midhampshirehealthcare.co.uk.

Extended Hours

The Practice offers additional appointments early mornings from 7.30 a.m.and the first and third Saturday mornings of every month. These appointments are for routine matters only and can be booked in the usual way with our receptionists.

All urgent problems which need medical attention on Saturday and/or Sunday will be dealt with by the out-of-hours service; by calling 111.

Our receptionists will also be available for telephone enquiries, appointments etc.

We hope that you find this service useful.

Booking appointments with Reception Staff

We have become increasingly aware of the frustrations from patients that are asked questions regarding their appointments and any symptoms that they are experiencing. We do appreciate that you may feel that this is an invasion of your privacy and you do not have to discuss any information that you do not wish to. However, it does help us to ensure that we make the correct appointment for your needs. Please feel free to read the document below for a better understanding on this matter.

Booking appointments through reception

Missed Appointments

The number of Patients failing to attend for their appointments has increased. This creates an increase in the waiting time for appointments and a waste of resources. It has therefore become necessary to implement the following:

If you do not attend for an appointment without informing us this will be recorded in your patient file as a DNA (did not attend). If you continue failing to attend your appointments without informing us then you will receive a letter from us reminding you of our appointments policy. Should you continue to DNA your appointments after receiving this letter then you may be asked to find an alternative Surgery.

If you wish to cancel your appointment for any reason you can do this by:

• Replying to your text reminder with the word ‘CANCEL’
• Calling our Reception team on 01264 361424

Telephoning the Doctor or Nurse

Your Doctor or Nurse will be happy to give you advice on the telephone. The Receptionists have been asked not to interrupt them when they are with a patient, unless your call is an emergency. You may therefore be given a time to call back, asked to leave a phone number for the Doctor or Nurse to contact you when they are free or alternatively offered a telephone consultation (this will be an allocated timeslot, you will be required to treat it like any other appointment).

You may also be asked for brief details of your query, as other members of staff may be able to help if it is not for specific medical advice. Test results can sometimes be given to you over the phone, but if you need to discuss them with your Doctor, the same advice regarding timing will apply.

Medical Students

The Practice is involved in teaching medical students. From time to time they may be present in your consultation. It is an important part of their training but, of course, you may consult in private if you wish.

Use the Right Service

A new campaign, ‘Use the Right Service’, which helps people access the correct NHS service, has been launched across south west Hampshire and Southampton.

‘Use the Right Service’ promotes alternatives to A&E for non-emergencies, such as home care, pharmacies, 111 and Urgent Treatment Centres (UTCs), and is designed to support the reduction of pressure on A&E at Southampton General Hospital.

Over the coming months we will be promoting our integrated, cross partner campaign, via radio advertising on Heart FM and Smooth FM (you can hear our radio ads here by scrolling to the bottom of the page), digital and social media updates, street and transport advertising, as well as spreading the message through the distribution channels of local partners, such as GPs, councils, schools, voluntary organisations and community centres.

Use the Right Service has its own website – www.usetherightservice.com – and has been formed through a collaboration of 10 partners across the region:

• Care UK
• Hampshire County Council
• Partnering Health Limited (PHL)
• Solent NHS Trust
• South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust
• Southampton City Clinical Commissioning Group
• Southampton City Council
• Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust
• University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust
• West Hampshire Clinical Commissioning Group

As NHS staff we have an important role to play as ‘ambassadors’, to ensure that people access the right NHS service, receive the highest quality care and to ensure that A&E and 999 services are used for those that urgently need them.

Please promote the ‘Use the Right Service’ campaign with colleagues, friends and family. Feel free to follow us on www.facebook.com/usetherightservice

If you have any suggestions or questions about the campaign please contact us on whccg.usetherightservice@nhs.net