PPG Questions, Oundle Surgery Answers

1. What percentage of appointments with a GP are face to face at the Oundle Practice?

These vary as Clinicians decide on whether they feel appropriate for appointments to be face to face or not.

2. Does the Practice offer GP appointments in the evenings and at weekends?

We currently open 2 Saturday Mornings per month, appointments are pre bookable. No evenings.

3. Please explain the procedure for emergency appointments?

Unfortunately we are not an emergency service and aren’t contracted to be, patients are to able to ring on the day for an appointment, once we’re fully booked, patients should go to Corby Walk in Centre or ring 999 for life threatening emergencies.

4. What does the Practice expect and need from the PPG?

We ideally would like our PPG to be high users of the system, expert patients, a mix of age, gender and ethnicity, representation from disabled groups, people involved in community projects, those with an awareness of wider health issues. The ultimate aim is for the PPG, not the practice, to lead and for the PPG to be involved at the instigation and planning stages of systems and services, rather than solely feeding back once plans are in place.

5. Is there a GP on site during all opening hours?

Most of the time unless there’s a need to for a GP to attend a home visit, however they remain available via phone for issues.

6. In the light of compromised A and E and other emergency facilities being short staffed, are the Practice GPs offering cover for out of hours and emergency aid?

We aren’t contracted for out of hours and we aren’t an emergency service, however we’ve had incidents where doctors stay late to assist patients after surgery’s closed (waiting for an ambulance etc.) The ambulance was called at 1.30pm and at 9.30pm the ambulance still hadn’t arrived and one of our doctors dropped the patient home and asked the ambulance service to pick the patient up from their home.

7.  What is the role of a Social Prescriber? 

Social prescribers (also called social prescribing link workers) work together with GP practices to ensure that the wider needs of patients are addressed. They connect patients to groups, activities and services in their communities to meet their social, emotional and practical needs that affect their health and wellbeing. They are the bridge between your GP and all the non-healthcare services available in your community.

8. Do care navigators and management staff have regular training and medical knowledge?

All staff members receive basic life support training annually and are trained for the role they’re employed to do.

9. Are all staff working at pre-pandemic levels in the surgery If not why is this?

All staff continue to work hard in the surgery each day. Throughout the pandemic we were all still working so nothing has changed for us. Covid is still here and won’t be going anywhere as variants are developing.

10. The telephone appointment system works well in certain situations, however what consideration is given to offering a face to face appointment when the patient strongly feels that this is necessary?

We are constantly reviewing the way that we offer our appointments e.g. Following patient feedback, we now offer appointments all day rather than splitting our appointments by AM and PM so patients don’t have to ring back at 12pm for a PM appointment. Once they’re full we’re unable to offer any further appointments for that day. We are constantly reviewing the way we offer appointments. Doctrin continues for non-urgent queries only.