Stay Well

Help Us Help You through Winter Pressures

Like GP Practices across the country, we continue to experience high demand for primary care services as we enter Winter.

But, as this image shows, the bit people typically experience is only the tip of the iceberg of the work that we do.  On a daily basis we undertake ‘behind the scenes’ activities such as processing prescriptions, making and receiving patient referrals, audits, blood results, and much more.

Help us to help you and others to Stay Well this Winter.  Scroll down for more information on how patients can reduce the pressure on their GP Practice and the NHS generally by 

  • Taking up the offer of free Flu and COVID booster vaccines to reduce your risk of illness.
  • Seeking expert advice from your local pharmacist, who can help with minor health problems.
  • Registering for and using GP online services
  • Using the NHS Dorset library of Health and Care Apps
  • Taking a look at the NHS Dorset Health and Care video library

iceberg with work that the media and patients see and under the water all the other activities carried out in the GP Practice

What most patients see is the tip of the iceberg

The work patients do not typically see includes

  • Reviewing results
  • Managing local and national targets
  • Community engagement
  • Mandatory training
  • Care home rounds and home visits
  • Antibiotic stewardship
  • Learning disability reviews
  • Appraisal and revalidation
  • End of life/paliative care
  • CQC and other monitoring
  • MEETINGS!
  • Safeguarding
  • Processing referrals
  • Managing complaints
  • Pharmacy liaison
  • Tackling medical fake news
  • Coroners reports
  • Reviewing patient and hospital letters
  • Chronic disease reviews
  • Population health management
  • Staff supervision
  • GP training and other student training
  • Patient reports
  • Transfers from hospital to home
  • National screening
  • Coding, GDPR and data sharing
  • Out of hours
  • Specialist clinics

Here are just a few things people can do to help reduce the pressure on your local GP Practice this Winter

A health care worker with the words, We're here to help you stay well this winter. Some important information from the NHS to help you stay well this winter

Take up the offer of free Flu and COVID booster vaccines to reduce your risk of illness.

 

  • The flu vaccine is a safe and effective vaccine. It's offered every year on the NHS to help protect people at risk of getting seriously ill from flu.
  • Anyone who gets COVID-19 can become seriously ill or have long-term effects (long COVID). The COVID-19 vaccines are the best way to protect yourself and others.
  • The COVID-19 vaccines approved for use in the UK have met strict standards of safety, quality and effectiveness.

Find out more about our vaccination services and how to book by visiting www.myvaccination.co.uk

The NHS has put together a leaflet with important information to help. Follow this link to download and view the leaflet>>

 

Feeling unwell? Don’t wait for it to get worse. Seek expert advice from your local pharmacist, who can help with minor health problems.

Pharmacies are part of the NHS family and the range of clinical services they provide has expanded significantly in recent years.

As qualified healthcare professionals, your local pharmacist can help with minor health problems. 

A pharmacist can offer clinical advice and over-the-counter medicines for a range of minor illnesses, such as coughs, colds, sore throats, back pain, headache and migraine, and period pain.

Find your local pharmacy on the NHS website:

www.nhs.uk/service-search/pharmacy/find-a-pharmacy

Reduce pressure on your GP Practice now and in the future by registering for and using online services

Using GP online services you can

  • order repeat prescriptions quickly and easily
  • book routine GP or blood test appointments
  • view your patient record and see test results
  • update your contact details
  • send secure messages to the Practice.

FInd out more on our Getting Online webpage by following this link>>

A person looking at a computer

Consider using the NHS Dorset library of Health and Care Apps

Manage your health, mental health, wellbeing and any long-term conditions you may experience. 

Learn more about health and care apps that are secure with your data privacy and have been proven in clinical safety to support you in your own home:

www.ourdorset.org.uk/digital

 

Our Dorset Logo

Please take a look at the NHS Dorset Health and Care video library

These simple and engaging videos can help people access quality and assured health information.  The videos have been developed and approved by NHS clinicians with the aim of providing help for you and the people you care for.

Visit the Our Dorset health and care video library to search and view the library for a wide range of topics by following this link:

www.healthvideos.ourdorset.org.uk/