BUSINESS OF GENERAL PRACTICE

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We hope you didn't miss last month's interim update where we informed readers that GPs had entered into formal dispute with the government over the contested and detested contract (after a vote, a staggering 99.2% of GPs rejected the contract that has been imposed by the government). The update highlighted our infographic videos on the Business of General Practice that explained the current dire situation in General Practice.

If you didn't see the videos, we strongly encourage you to view them here . You might not be interested, but if you've ever wondered why it's difficult to get through or to book an appointment at the GP surgery, our videos will help to explain.

The key take-home messages in the videos were:

• A GP is vastly more than someone who just dishes out sick notes and antibiotics and refers everyone to hospital
• General Practice is by far the leanest and most efficient part of the NHS
• GP surgeries deal with 1.3 million patients every day, more than double the number dealt with by all the rest of the NHS combined
• All government parties have inappropriately used the GP contract to impose political will skewing clinical priorities with vote-winning promises
• 20% of GP surgeries have closed for good in the last decade
• Politicians have repeatedly pushed access despite General Practice being the only NHS sector to have increased access
• Politicians continue to push access with no concern at all for patient safety
• We get only £107 each patient per year to provide care - less than it costs to insure even a hamster, let alone a pet dog
• This equates to just 29p per day, for access to a highly qualified professional
• From this figure, which represents a limited pot, we pay all our bills and staff wages
• Seeing more patients doesn't generate any extra funding
• GP partners own the business and run it with help from the managers
• GP partners took an average 20% pay drop last year - government knows this but continues to apply downward pressure
• Lack of funding leads to difficult decisions regarding service provision and staffing
• There is money in the system that could help General Practice and employ doctors and practice nurses, but it is being spent elsewhere
• There are possible solutions to help General Practice, but there is no political will to do so

The next steps in the formal dispute will be a ballot of GP partners (business owners of GP surgeries) on collective action, given that the government has failed to make any improvements on the contract.

Watch this space.

Business of General Practice videos BMA: GPC announced ballot

 

INTRO TO GEORGIA

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Our new GP started in March 2024. Here we introduce her to you all:

My name is Dr Georgia Lavender, I have been a GP here since March, and have been enjoying getting to know the team and the patients.

I’ve been a doctor since 2017. After studying medicine in London, I chose to come to Derbyshire for my foundation medical training, and then went to Southampton for a year to develop my interest in obstetrics and gynaecology, before returning to Chesterfield for my general practice training in 2020. I am especially interested in women’s health, gynaecology, and pregnancy, and have 2½ years experience of this specialty in different hospitals. I successfully completed my Diploma from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in 2021.

Outside of working at Ivy Grove I still pursue my interests of women’s health and I regularly work as an out of hours GP for Derbyshire Health United. Within this capacity I supervise the development of training GPs as well as regularly working with Sheffield Medical School to teach and examine medical students.

I live near to the Peak District in Chesterfield, with my husband, our dog and cat. I enjoy walking, travelling, and baking! I’m delighted to be at Ivy Grove, and will look forward to meeting you over the coming months and years.

Georgia has already made a name for herself with a whole host of glowing and positive reviews posted online. We hope you will join us in giving her a very warm welcome to the practice.

 

MARATHON UPDATES

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In our March issue, both Dr Riva Greer and Alyssa, our advanced nurse practitioner, wrote about their motivations behind running the London Marathon, which of course took place on April 21, 2024. Here they provide updates to their journeys (literally!).

If you missed their stories in the previous newsletter, you can read about them here:

Alyssa and Dr Greer's marathon stories

Alyssa's marathon story

The London Marathon was the most amazing experience! 26.2 miles of pure street party vibes and being supported and cheered by complete strangers was a lovely show of human kindness.

It took me longer than expected, but I actually took time to talk to people, take photos, experience this once-in-a-lifetime event and share jelly babies with fellow runners (well, joggers/walkers in my case)!

I cried.... a lot... with painful legs, with pride, with pure joy of seeing the finish line, it was much more emotive than I had imagined.

I'd like to thank everyone who supported me or donated to my chosen charity - Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, with this help of others I managed to not only reach but go above my fundraising target, of which every penny goes towards this tremendous cause!

Thank you!

Dr Greer's marathon story

On 21st April 2024 I ran the world-famous London Marathon. As you may have read in the last newsletter, this was a dream of mine for many years and after eight years of failed ballot entries I finally got a place. I decided to raise money for The Miscarriage Association which is a charity close to my heart, after suffering two miscarriages myself.

The day was everything I had hoped for and more! Having never ran a marathon before I was full of nerves but also a huge amount of excitement that the day had finally arrived. All the months of hard training through the winter were behind me and I was eager to get to the start line and soak up the experience.

In the holding area at the start, I somehow managed to find myself with a group of fancy dress runners aiming for world record attempts and so you may have spotted me on the BBC dancing away next to a man carrying a set of DJ decks and a woman dressed as an inflatable shark!

As soon as I crossed the start line, I settled in to my rhythm and realised that as well as wanting to get a good finish time, I also wanted to make sure I soaked in every part of the day so I made it my mission to high-five every kid on the side of the street cheering me on, read all the support signs, dance to the numerous street bands and choirs that are dotted along the route and just generally enjoy myself.

The crowd support was incredible and I even managed a hug from my husband around mile six and again at mile 17 which was a big boost when I was feeling tired. I also managed a big hug from the fundraising team at The Miscarriage Association stand at mile 18 which was quite an emotional moment. Highlights include passing Joel Dommet, Comedian and presenter of The Masked Singer, dressed as a piranha and receiving a shout out from one of the stars of Made in Chelsea on the home straight.

I crossed the line in 4.29.08 after a sprint finish over the last 600 metres and promptly burst in to tears as the emotions of what I had achieved became a reality. Although this was my first marathon, I think it's safe to say it definitely won’t be my last.

I want to say a huge heart-felt thank you to all the staff and patients at Ivy Grove who have supported me with words of encouragement, luck and sponsorship. You have helped me raise an incredible £1,674 for The Miscarriage Association.

Below are a few words from the charity:

Thank you!

 

REFERRALS AND WAITING LISTS

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Lisa, one of our medical secretaries, now provides some useful information on referrals.

This article hopefully answers some of the frequently asked questions that the admin team receive on a daily basis regarding your hospital referral or waiting times.

Urgent cancer referrals

An urgent cancer referral is also known as a 'two week wait' referral* . A leaflet to explain this process will either be given to you at your appointment or sent by text/post and it is also available using the link below.

Please provide the doctor with a preferred contact number and a member of the admin team will contact you within two days to process your referral. As you are likely to be seen/contacted by the hospital within two weeks, please inform the doctor if you are not going to be available within this time period. If you have a planned holiday, we may have to defer your referral until you return.

When admin phone you, we will either book you an appointment or advise you of the next steps. Some clinics assess your referral and contact you direct. We will always confirm your appointment/referral details either by text or post. If we are unable to contact you within two days, we will send you a text – please reply to the link to confirm you have received this.

Urgent cancer leaflet

Other referrals

Other urgent and routine referrals are processed via the Choose & Book system. Within one week of seeing the doctor you will receive information regarding your referral via text or post. Please contact the surgery if you do not hear from us within one week.

The information will provide a selection of hospitals where you can choose to be seen. However, not all hospitals deal with certain specialities so the choice may be limited. You can then book your appointment online or by phone. Often there will not be an appointment available to book, in which case you need to 'defer to provider' and your name will be placed on a waiting list at the hospital of your choice. The hospital will then contact you directly with an appointment.

Some referrals are made direct via email (not via the Choose & Book system), in which case this will be processed by the admin team.

Current waiting times

All referrals we send are triaged/assessed by a specialist at the hospital. Urgent referrals may be downgraded to routine and vice versa. Once a referral has been made, this is then out of our hands, we are guided by the hospital's assessment.

Unfortunately, we have no exact information about current waiting times, but please be aware that waiting lists in general are increasing*, and are now often many months. For example, the current waiting time for a routine dermatology or surgical appointment is approximately one year. If you have any queries regarding waiting times, please contact the hospital direct and ask for 'outpatient appointments'.

Expediting appointments

As indicated, we have no control over how the hospital managers its workload and all patients are waiting a long time. If you would like to expedite your appointment, please contact the hospital directly.

If required, we can provide you with a letter for you to complete to explain why you feel you should be seen sooner. You can then post this direct to the hospital yourself or return to our admin department for us to copy to your records and post. Please note we cannot guarantee that the hospital will see you sooner – this will be assessed by a specialist.

Please seek medical advice if you are ever concerned about your condition deteriorating while awaiting a hospital appointment.

Expediting your appointment page Letter to expedite Hospital care page

 

PRIVATE PROVIDERS

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As you will have read in the above article, NHS waiting lists are steadily increasing, with no signs of improvement. We now write about the related matter of private providers.

Because NHS hospital waiting lists are now so long, more and more patients are choosing to approach private providers to get their assessment and treatments earlier. Whilst on first thoughts, this would mean that pressures on the NHS are then eased, unfortunately, the unintended consequences of such moves is that the workload on NHS GPs has been significantly impacted. The following story illustrates the issue.

 

What a ridiculous story, certainly could never happen in real life could it? Well, why not switch the words in bold for the following and see if it makes a bit more sense.

Customer = Patient
Plumber = Specialist
Broken down boiler repair = Any treatment usually provided by a Specialist, e.g., ADHD medication, Hormone treatment, Exotic test request, Chemotherapy (these are examples only, but any specialist treatment comes under this category)
Electrician = GP
Electrics = What a GP does, that is, provide general care
GP = Plumber

If you want to see how it looks for yourself with all the swaps, click the button below.

Switch the words Switch back to original

Still sounds incredible doesn't it? Well, it does happen [not the bit about the GP visiting the patient's home to provide a specialist treatment, but certainly the bit about patients asking GPs for specialist treatments is absolutely true].

This situation is happening every day in GP surgeries round the country, because patients are going to private providers due to extremely long NHS waiting lists, or they remain stuck on long NHS waiting lists and haven't even seen a specialist yet, and they are then expecting their NHS GPs to pick up the pieces, to prescribe medications beyond their levels of expertise and competence, to request tests beyond their skill and capacity to interpret, and where NHS GPs reasonably decline such requests, for reasons of patient safety, patients are then getting upset and distressed, and complaining, about their GPs.

You still might not believe us. If the above story is too long, too complicated and too far-fetched, here's a much shorter analogous version, equally as valid.

No, you wouldn't ask your GP because the request is clearly unreasonable; specialist tests and specialist treatments are specialist for a reason.

As GPs, we will always try and do what we can to help our patients but we cannot do things that are outside our level of competence, with the potential to harm patients if not done properly, and we cannot do things that are not within our gift.

At the end of the day, whilst we know it is very frustrating for patients, GPs are not responsible for long hospital waiting lists and cannot provide specialist care or treatments whilst patients wait for hospital consultant care, or after they have seen private consultants. And GPs cannot be held responsible if they reasonably decline to provide such specialist treatments.

We respect every patient's choice to go privately, however, it is not your NHS GP's responsibility to request tests or prescribe medications on behalf of that provider purely for the purposes of reducing the cost burden of private care for the patient, or to reduce waiting times to assessment and treatment, and due consideration must always be given towards proper clinical oversight and patient safety.

PRIVATE PROVIDER INFO

Accordingly, we provide detailed advice on the whole issue of private providers on our new information page. All information on this page is in line with recognised practice, BMA guidance and NHS guidance.

Given this difficult situation is now becoming so commonplace, any patient considering or requesting a private referral will now need to sign a disclaimer indicating that they understand the implications of their choice in terms of any investigations or medications that might be required as a result of their appointment with the private provider.

Any patient who has already been referred to any private provider recently should also read this page as the contents will also be relevant.

Private provider page

 

SOCIAL PRESCRIBING

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We invite you to come along and meet the social prescribing team next month.

Social prescribing is a non-medical approach to improving your health and wellbeing. The social prescribing ream will give you time to think about what matters to you, and build a plan of support together.

Your link worker may introduce you to a community group or activity, support you to meet new people, or access advice and information about a particular issue.

The social prescribing team will be at the surgery for a drop-in session in the waiting room, on Monday June 10th, between 10.30am and 12 noon.

Please download or view the following resources for more information:

Information poster Social prescribing page Youth social prescribing leaflet

 

MINOR OPS UPDATE

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Dr Axten and Dr Greer, the doctors who perform our minor operations, provide a brief update about some disruption to the service.

As some of you may already know we offer a minor surgery service at Ivy Grove to remove skin tags, cysts and other bothersome benign (non-cancerous) skin lesions such as moles. On the NHS, we can only remove lesions that are causing symptoms such as pain, itching or catch during personal care. The NHS will not fund removal of lesions that are not causing any symptoms or for cosmetic reasons.

The local anaesthetic we use for these procedures, xylocaine with adrenaline, is currently out of stock. We have approached wholesale as well as high street pharmacies to try and obtain stock, but we are told that none is available, the pharmacists do not know when more stock is coming.

For this reason, we must suspend minor surgery for certain lesions which are prone to bleeding such as cysts or removals of skin lesions such as moles that require stitching. We will be continuing minor surgery clinics for very simple lesions such as warts or skin tags which can safely be removed with an alternative type of local anaesthetic. We are sorry for the inconvenience this may cause to those of you who are affected but unfortunately the stock issues with this medication are out of our control and above all we need to ensure we are practising safely.

We will keep checking for stock updates and suitable alternatives in the meantime. For those of you awaiting a procedure please accept our apologies for the delay, we will update you and arrange appointments as soon as we are able.

Please do not let this put you off attending surgery about skin lesions you are concerned about, or which cause you symptoms. We will still continue to assess skin lesions and can add you to the waiting list if you have a lesion that we are not currently able to treat with minor surgery.

Many thanks for your understanding.

 

TELEPHONE SYSTEM UPDATE

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Ian, our Practice Business Manager, writes with the latest information on the new telephone system.

Since our previous update, a physical site survey has been carried out. This site survey didn’t identify any significant issues, but unfortunately, we hit some issues with the installation of our new FTTP connection into the Surgery (FTTP stands for 'fibre to the premises' and is a type of fibre optic broadband).

I can confirm though, that this has now been resolved and that our new fibre optic broadband has been installed. Whilst this has delayed the go live date somewhat, we are hoping that the project can gather some momentum now that this issue has been resolved.

We are awaiting the telephone engineer visiting the surgery again (hopefully by the end of this month) to inform us of the next steps and hopefully to get a go live date. We will of course keep you up to date with any further developments in this exciting project as we get them

[Editor's note: we regularly get negative comments about our phone system, and we are aware of the state it is in, but as you can see, we are taking active steps to rectify the problem for the benefit of all our patients; please bear with us whilst we make these changes].

Previous telephone system update

 

APPOINTMENT SYSTEM IMPROVEMENTS

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Increased proportion of face-to-face

Ivy Grove introduced telephone appointments many years ago, well before other surgeries and well before the pandemic. They proved to be universally popular and convenient for patients and were used to address many issues that did not actually require a face-to-face appointment, such as reviews of certain long-term conditions, general medical advice, fit notes and results discussion.

With the pandemic, overnight, GP surgeries all around the country moved their appointment systems to all telephone calls, in order to keep the population safe, by reducing footfall into the surgery and overcrowded waiting rooms and thereby reducing the spread of covid. Given that GP surgeries deal with over a million patients every day, it is likely that this move alone saved hundreds of thousands of lives.

As a useful parallel benefit, the introduction of more telephone calls meant that efficiency and capacity has increased, as we have been able to deal with more patients than if every appointment had been face-to-face.

Since the pandemic, as restrictions eased, the level of face-to-face appointments have been steadily increasing and there is now increased demand for such appointments.

In response to patient feedback, we are increasing the proportion of face-to-face appointments available in our afternoon and evening surgeries, and patients will be given a choice of whether they want a face-to-face appointment or a telephone appointment. As indicated above, there will be some give-and-take in the system, as we do lose some efficiency and capacity by making such changes.

Please note that there are some appointment reasons and some conditions that remain more suited to a telephone appointment, and we invite you to review our appointment information below so that any face-to-face appointments are kept for those who require an in-person attendance or an examination.

Telephone appointments

Early morning appointments UPDATE

Again, in response to patient feedback, we will also be offering a small selection of early morning appointments, starting at 7.00am, for the convenience of those patients who need access to a clinician before they head off to work. Please bear with us whilst we making the appropriate changes to staffing levels and rotas to accommodate this change.

Online booking and online consultations

We are also currently exploring the option of making a limited number of GP appointments available via online booking and also via online consultations (smears and certain health checks are already available via online booking).

After our last disastrous and very public adventure into online consultations , in which demand doubled over the course of a week, and which caused extreme distress amongst staff and doctors, and which was deeply unpopular with a large cohort of our older population and which very nearly broke the surgery, we have decided to introduce things very gradually and in a much more controlled manner. Please bear with us whilst we develop this service, and we will of course update you on developments.

Hub appointments

It has come to our attention that some patients booked into the hub are under the mistaken impression that their appointment has been provided by Jessop Medical Practice and specifically that they are being seen by Jessop Medical Practice doctors, and have been booked these appointments because we are full. We would like to categorically state that this is not the case at all.

Ivy Grove Surgery, as part of the nine practices in the local network of practices (ARCH PCN), provides additional appointments at the hub clinic as part of compliance with the government's extended access offer. The hub clinic happens to be located on the Jessop Medical Practice side of the Church Farm building. The hub clinics are manned by any doctor (and indeed nurse practitioner) who works in the Amber Valley area and these clinicians are paid for by Amber Valley Health [this is the company working with and for all nine practices in the PCN].

Patients are booked into the allocated slots specifically provided for Ivy Grove Surgery patients as part of our overall appointment capacity. We are definitely NOT sending you to be seen by other surgeries because we're full!

Hub appointments Amber Valley Health / ARCH PCN

 

FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK

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Besides our regular text updates to our whole patient population, and our direct emails to newsletter subscribers, Facebook remains the top social media platform for patient engagement - we get many hits on the website from our Facebook page.

We also tend to post on Facebook if we have urgent news for patients, for instance, in the event of a blackout, or IT or phone system failure, or as has happened in the past, severe adverse weather conditions.

We intend to increase our use of the platform in the future, and we therefore encourage any patients who use Facebook to follow our page so that you can be notified of any urgent or important updates as well as general news.

Facebook page

 

NEW DEFIBRILLATOR

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Ian, our Practice Manager, writes about our recent defib installation.

We are pleased to announce the installation of a life-saving defibrillator outside our GP surgery, made possible through the generosity and dedication of our local community. The defibrillator is located at the back of the surgery just to the right of the staff entrance as pictured.

The initiative to install the defibrillator was driven by the residents of the new estate, adjacent to the practice, who rallied together to honour the memory of a young man tragically lost to cardiac arrest. Through their fundraising efforts, they have ensured that future generations will have access to a potentially life-saving intervention in times of need.

A defibrillator is a crucial tool in the fight against sudden cardiac arrest, a condition that can strike anyone, anywhere, regardless of age or health status. With prompt access to defibrillation, the chances of survival dramatically increase, underscoring the importance of having these devices readily available in our communities.

By placing the defibrillator outside our GP surgery, we are extending a lifeline to anyone in the vicinity who may require urgent medical assistance. In times of crisis, every second counts, and having this equipment easily accessible could mean the difference between life and death.

We extend our gratitude to the residents of our community for their compassion, generosity, and unwavering support in making this initiative a reality.

Thank you.

Facebook page

 

MEDICINES ORDER LINE

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Following on from the success of the Medicines Order Line (MOL) for repeat prescriptions, from June 1, 2024, we kindly ask that any medication requests be made via the MOL rather than by ringing through to reception or by writing on your repeat slip.

This will help us to reduce paper usage, free up our phones for clinical matters, free up receptionist time for other duties, increase general efficiency whilst importantly, helping us to improve the overall safety of medication requests.

MOL Leaflet Ring MOL Ways to get your repeats

 

POSITIVE FEEDBACK RECEIVED

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Thank you to all the patients who took the time to leave us positive feedback over the last few months. We really appreciate it. Here we share recent feedback for the benefit of our staff and other patients. There are a lot this issue, as we didn't publish any in our last interim news update.

We absolutely know we don't always get things right (who can?), but please be assured that we take on board everything that you say, including the critical comments, and we continue to work behind the scenes making the necessary changes to improve the service we provide to you.

Dr Greer, thank you for looking after me! I really appreciate it! – JD

Dr Rajan is lovely – AB

A seamless service from start to finish today. Calling at 8am, through almost immediately being only third in the queue to receive the choice of three appointment times. Then to be seen on time, by an attentive, knowledgeable and caring doctor (Dr Lavender) just added to the patient journey. Working for the NHS (in complaints!) it's easy to lose sight of when things go well, but the surgery for me today ran effortlessly and all staff involved are a credit to the local community. – JB

Thank you. I just wanted to thank everyone who took the time out of their very busy days to try and help with the information I needed about previous      , it is very much appreciated, thank you. – AF

I wanted to praise Dr Lavender following my appointment. I really appreciated her help and I've done her exercises as advised. I came away feeling more informed. – PL

Mandy was very helpful on the phone call yesterday and I could hear her clearly on the phone. – MG

My wife and I would like to say how very pleased we are with all that Lindsey has done for us - we don't do technology but we wanted to take the time to thank Lindsey for everything! – KB

I just wanted to say how nice Helen was this morning when she took my call! – JW

Dr Rajan was absolutely wonderful. – JT

I have been seen at       Hospital and I am now waiting for an operation date for      . Anticipated date to be      . Thank you to Dr Axten for writing to expedite my appointment. – AH

I wanted to pass on a big thank you to Dr Murthy. She took the time, really listened, positive attitude, very thorough with me. Nothing but praise. – AC

As a new patient, so far I am very impressed with the surgery. They have been quick to sort out a couple of issues with my medication and my telephone appointment left me reassured. So far everyone I have come into contact with has been friendly and helpful. Thank you – C

I had a telephone consultation with the GP, who explained my       results very clearly. Was impressed with the timing of the consultation as only had the       six days ago. – NP

Very professional and polite put me at ease and made me feel valued, excellent experience – AH

Always listen to what I have to say and give me the care/treatment I need to get better. Regularly visit to see Lindsey for my       and she is polite and well attentitive – GB

5★ service in every way, receptionist was lovely, listened to what I had to say, booked me an appointment without delay. Dr Wong rang within one hour and I have to say he was simply outstanding, very different service to the two paramedics who attended my home address      , made up their mind of a diagnosis on walking in, was sarcastic and facial expression to match. Thank you for a lovely, reassuring experience.

Further to the above I’ve attended a doctor's appointment, I have to say one of the best doctors I have ever had dealings with, Dr Wong, all I can say is thank you so much. Prior to that I didn’t think to leave a review but Dr Axten is on par with Dr Wong, both absolutely amazing doctors and throughout my ailments and issues I’ve been treated with nothing but outstanding service from the receptionist to the doctors. – JA

Helpful and professional service – CG

Friendly efficient service. Appointment was on time, no waiting. Sorted out a treatment plan going forward. Happy with the service provided Thank you 😊 – MH

I went to see Lindsey for the second part of my      . She was punctual, smart and very friendly, after my       she asked about my       and checked me over including my      . Lindsey was very thorough and treated me with great respect, she made my appointment a pleasurable experience. Nothing was too much trouble to her, ✔️ – DS

Thanks for the excellent treatment, prompt and friendly, definitely recommend. – MM

I have only lived here a few months after moving down from the North and I find the service offered much improved on my last practice. Pleasant, helpful and informative staff as opposed to the gorgons I was used to. My       review was first class and thorough giving me confidence in the advice I was given regarding medication. – TH

Lindsey, the nurse, was excellent – DL

Many thanks to Sarah and Dr Wong for their prompt action this afternoon to appease my concerns I really appreciate it and the call back and attention. – SW

Following an early telephone appointment this morning Dr Francis arranged to see my husband at the surgery at 11.30am.       arranged same day as they had had a cancellation. Sarah, the nurse explained what she was going to do and was done quite quickly. Both doctor and nurse were happy to answer any questions very professional. Thank you. – GP

Thank you so much Alyssa. What a kind and compassionate person. I went in feeling lost following my       and didn’t know where to turn. This lady has listened understood and has taken action on my behalf. I said as I left that I could kiss her I feel so relieved. Thank you, thank you, thank you, is all I can say I feel reassured. – LW

Dr Lavender was very professional but very caring at my recent appointment. I was feeling very unwell and was admitted to hospital the same morning. Thank you Dr Lavender. – BK

Sally on reception was very helpful and although she couldn't book us a face-to-face appointment, a ring back from Dr Wong provided us with the medication and advice we needed. – MW

Thank you, the care attention and understanding I received at the survey by Dr Pickard was very good. – JE

Very impressed with the time, care, knowledge & reassurance given by Dr Lavender. – SM

Nice doctor, very helpful and made me feel at ease – JJ

Today I was seen by Dr Lavender. She listened very patiently to my complex needs, showing kindness and understanding. At no time did I feel I was taking up her valuable time. She also came up with a solution. Thank you. – KD

Very professional first appointment with Lindsey. Kept well informed about my treatment etc. – PC

Today I took my daughter to see Dr Lavender, she was excellent with my daughter and went through her concerns before agreeing a plan of action. – NP

Thank you so much to the nice receptionist who listened to me, and who made me an appointment on the same day. And to Dr Lavender for putting me at ease and her reassurance and explaining medical details to me, and a follow-up if I need it. Thank you Ivy Grove very much appreciated – BW

Very helpful explaining things discussed over phone, first visit to surgery for years, impressed – TJ

Dr Lavender was lovely :-) – VW

Very quick yet detailed and professional service. I couldn't be any happier. – MW

Very informative telephone conversation with Dr Wong today. Thank you. – FR

I was seen very quickly for my chest infection (due to my       condition?) and treated very well and very respectfully by Dr Greer. I was given a course of treatment and told to call back it the treatment doesn’t prove successful. – TN

Saw Dr Lavender today, really lovely, professional and came across as really caring. Listened to my concerns and made me feel my concerns were valid. My only issue is having to queue from 7.20am and not being able to book an appointment. However my experience today was really good, lovely receptionist also! Thank you 😊 – HS

Highly recommend Dr Lavender. – RC

All the female doctors at Ivy Grove are so lovely! I’ll only ask to see them! Recently I’ve been to Dr Lavender and I think she’s so amazing! So kind and comforting when you are not well/having health issues. Both occasions I have left and told my partner how lovely she is and how I felt cared for especially in a fast paced environment like a GP surgery. (Given 4★ because of not being able to book appointments when you ring up) – HJ

Excellent service as usual. – KH

Great care and help from Dr Pickard and receptionist at Ivy Grove Surgery today. Seen promptly and had my problems dealt with in a caring, compassionate and professional manner. Thank you. – AS

Rang in on a Monday morning to speak to a GP. I didn’t need a face-to-face appointment. I was surprised to be told I’d get a call-back that morning. GP called within the hour! Sorted my issue and reviewed my medication. GP understood the issues quickly and was sympathetic. Very impressed especially after the general bad publicity about GP appointments. – C

Receptionist was very helpful and understanding and transferred me to the correct team to deal with my query and this was resolved quickly. Thank you – JB

Absolute 5★ service I received..... All the staff were exceptional.....from receptionist all the way through...... – AN

Had a great conversation with Dr Wong, he explained all the things I wanted him to answer. – JR

We get looked after very well, me and my sister are very happy with everyone – DR

Was very helpful when I went to see Dr Lavender this morning – CT

Getting through on the phone can take a while but once I was through I got an appointment the same day. Never had an issue with the practice. – MP

Regarding my diagnosis and treatment this week for      . Dr Marval and Dr Wong were spot on. I couldn't have asked for better treatment. Thank you. – BB

I cannot fault my recent care with Ivy Grove Surgery. My personal experience was all positive. – KH

Dr Pickard has been brilliant over the past few weeks with both me and my wife. She took time to listen to our problems and took appropriate action . She is really caring and understanding. I must also add, all staff at Ivy Grove are very good . So pleased Dr Pickard has joined our practice. Thanks – PJ

Nurse Alyssa has been brilliant with me recently. She was available to see me face to face to discuss       and she prescribed a different approach to see if we can prevent them. She then followed this up two weeks later with a phone call to see how I’m getting on and added the new prescription, which seems to be working, to my repeat prescription and assured me that if I feel the need to get in touch she’s there at any time to help. This is the first time in nearly three years that I’ve seen anyone face to face about these terrible       and I feel really happy that I’ve met Dr Alyssa, she’s been fantastic and has given me hope that we can get these       under control, thank you! 🙏 – GM

Very good service – VW

I had a telephone conversation with a nurse practitioner Alyssa at 12:45pm concerning my      . She was excellent. Very understanding, very informative, and compassionate. – JB

As usual this is a very honest and comprehensive update. Thank you for keeping us up to date – JH

The newsletter is informative as it always is, and very helpful. I would also like to give positive feedback about Alyssa, the advanced clinical practitioner. She's seen my Mum several times over the past few months and she's so good with her. Alyssa saw Mum about her      , she examines her, listens to her, explains things and prescribes medication. Nothing is too much for Alyssa and she is a credit to the surgery. Thank you. – JW

I have watched Dr Wong’s six part presentation and find it very informative. Everyone within the GP Practice is undervalued and taken very much for granted. No-one in the business world would have a contract forced on them for three years in a row with unachievable targets but the government seem to think they can do this to GP Practices. Despite this everyone at Ivy Grove is always polite and considerate on the rare occasions I ring up or visit the premises. I have a lifelong condition but use the self-referral services that are on the website. Well done for standing up to the government and I wish you well in sorting out a better contract that truly represents all the hard and pressurising work that you do. – WB

I have watched all the videos and I'm appalled that the government treats such essential members of society in such a way. What do they expect we will do without doctors. I'm very appreciative of the lifeline you give especially as I feel I'm coming to the end of my journey. The NHS promised in 1948 care from the cradle to the grave; we wouldn't survive if we had to go back to the old system. I've lost family members who couldn't afford to pay for constant care when needed. – SH

Thanks for the helpful and informative information and videos about the dispute with the government and NHSE around the GP contract. Keep up the good work, and here's hoping things improve soon. – VS

 

FINALLY...

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Sorry it's been such a long update - hopefully that should keep everyone going for a few months whilst we continue our work in the background on improving both our appointments and our telephone systems.

In the meantime, please continue to look after yourselves and see you next time.

Kind regards

Ivy Grove Surgery