Extra help at GP surgeries
MAJOR expansion in services offered by local GP surgeries means patients will receive much more help and advice under one roof – and reduce pressure on over-stretched doctors. Maidstone and the rest of West
Kent is a forerunner and is receiv- ing Government funds to appoint specialist professionals
to small
groups of four to six surgeries, to operate in collaboration as new Pri- mary Care Networks (PCN). In the first year, each network –
there are five across Maidstone and Malling – will have a social pre- scribing link worker and a quali- fied pharmacist.
In year two a
physiotherapist and a physician as- sociate will be added. In the final year, every PCN will have a paramedic. “Appointment of social
link
workers to surgeries is ground breaking,” said Dr Tony Jones (pic- tured), senior partner at the Vine Surgery, Tonbridge Road, Maid- stone, and a governing body mem- ber of the NHS West Kent Clinical Commissioning Group, for whom he is leading this work. “GPs frequently identify the need for mental/social help and
caring, especially among isolated patients, but previously had no sat- isfactory resources to offer. Now they can call on a team member to assess the patient and offer help. “Often the help is already avail-
able in the community, but links have to be established.
Involve
(previously Voluntary Action Maidstone) have helped us set up a local website (Connect Well West Kent) listing 700 or so organisa-
Local Trades
tions, mostly voluntary, which could interest a patient. We also hope individuals will volunteer in this system to provide more per- sonal help, such as driving, shop- ping, befriending or through peer support and social groups.” Surgery receptionists, practice
nurses, and pharmacists are being trained to offer more advice and help to patients, and these addi- tional appointments are also seen as very significant in reducing pressure on GPs so they have more time to offer key diagnostic skills and work only they can do. “We need patients to understand
there are many more specialists in surgeries who should be their first port of call,” said Dr Jones. “The GP is always there when needed, but other well-qualified profes- sionals may be able to offer help just as expertly. Getting this mes- sage to patients is vital to help effi- cient running and sustainability of our patients.”
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20 Maidstone December 2019
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