An open letter to our Patients from the GP Partners

Dear Patients,
As partners at Norton Medical Centre, we need to address the challenges we are facing in the NHS and how they may affect the care you receive. The pressures on the NHS and General Practice are unprecedented, and unfortunately, we are not immune to these strains.

You may notice changes in the level of service you receive from us, and we want to ensure you understand why this is happening.

Financial Pressures: Government funding for General Practice has significantly reduced, while our costs continue to rise. This makes it increasingly difficult for us to operate within our means.

Increased Demand and Complexity: We continue to experience increasing demand for appointments, increasing patient numbers and medical complexity.

Workforce Shortages: Staff shortages due to workload, burnout, and other factors have made it challenging to maintain our services. We cannot afford to hire locum doctors and cannot necessarily afford to replace staff who leave or retire.

Pandemic Effects: The COVID-19 pandemic has further strained the healthcare systems, leading to backlogs in care and increased demand for primary care services.

What Does This Mean for You?

Patient Involvement: Your attendance at appointments and willingness to adapt to changes are crucial in helping us navigate these challenges.

Service Changes: We’ve implemented changes to increase efficiency, such as efficient triage systems.

Pharmacy First Service: Your local pharmacy is now funded to treat the following seven conditions: sinusitis, sore throat, ear infection, urinary tract infections, infected insect bites, impetigo and shingles. You can self-present to pharmacy to book an appointment and be reassured antibiotics can be issued by the pharmacy team when deemed appropriate.

Response Times: Due to prioritising urgent clinical care, our response time for non-urgent matters or routine appointments may be increased.

Primary Care Network: We’ve expanded our team to include trained professionals who can support Doctors and Nurses, ensuring you receive quality care including First Contact Practitioners, Pharmacists, Mental Health Practitioner, Nurse Associate and our Social Prescribing and Wellbeing team.

Digital Engagement: We are utilising technology for cost efficiency and sustainability in primary care, this includes using systems such as digital reminders for health reviews and appointments and text messages for patient information to reduce postage.

Support from our Patients matters to us:
As a practice we have always been passionate about providing the best care possible for our patients, but we are concerned about the future of General Practice. Your support and understanding during these difficult times mean everything to us.

We hope that you all share our concerns about General Practice funding and the affect this has on the services we can provide. We encourage you to reach out to your local Member of Parliament to express your views.

Thank you for your ongoing support and patience. Together, we will navigate through these challenges and continue to serve our community to the best of our ability. Sincerely,

The GP Partners
Norton Medical Centre