Clinics & Services

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Across Kirklees we are embarking on an agreed and ambitious Kirklees Review & Redesign of diabetes services. 

The NEW Community Pharmacy Consultation Service (CPCS)

What is this new service about?

From September 2021, when you call the practice, you will be asked about your symptoms. If they indicate that you can best be helped by a pharmacist, you will be offered a same day private consultation with a community pharmacist at Rowlands or Boots. Community pharmacists have already successfully seen thousands of patients for a consultation for a minor illness, following a call to NHS 111. This new way of arranging consultations with the pharmacist by a GP practice, has been successfully piloted around the county.

Why are you doing this?

Pharmacists are qualified healthcare professionals and experts in medicines. They can offer clinical advice and over-the-counter medicines for all sorts of minor illnesses, and a same day consultation can be arranged quickly and at a time to suit you. This in turns frees up GP appointments for those people with more complex symptoms who really need to see a GP.

What happens when I see the community pharmacist?

We will share your personal details with the pharmacist and details of your minor illness and the pharmacist will contact you to arrange your consultation on the same day, or at a time that suits you. You may be seen in person in a private consulting room, if the pharmacist thinks it appropriate, or your consultation may be carried out over the phone or via video. You will be asked about your medical history and symptoms and current medication, in the same way the GP would ask you about them. Usually, the pharmacist will provide you with advice and can sell you with an over the counter product where needed, if you choose. They will also send details of your consultation back to us for our records. If the pharmacist feels you need to be seen by a GP urgently, they will call us to ensure you are seen, or they will advise you to contact the hospital Emergency Department if deemed necessary. You may also be referred back to us to arrange a non-urgent appointment or follow up.

What if I get free prescriptions from my GP?

Your pharmacist will provide you with advice on how to treat your symptoms, which may include a medicine or product. Medicines that can be purchased in a pharmacy to treat minor illnesses, are usually inexpensive and would not normally be prescribed by your GP anyway. You are free to choose if you wish to make a purchase or not.

What happens if I don’t want to see the pharmacist? We want to ensure that you are offered an appointment with the most appropriate qualified health care professional based on your symptoms. If you have minor illness symptoms that can be treated the same day through a consultation with a qualified community pharmacist, but do not want to accept this referral, you will be offered a routine appointment with your GP at a future date.

What if the patient is my child?

Children aged over one years are eligible to use this service and can be seen by the pharmacist. Children who are able to make their own decision about their health may be seen unaccompanied. Why is this a good thing for patients? Community pharmacies are local, open longer hours than the GP practice and can offer you the same consultation outcome at a time that is more convenient for you. If the pharmacist thinks you need to see the GP, they can help arrange an urgent appointment for you. Patients who have already used the service liked the convenience of having a consultation on the same day, or a day that suited them, at a pharmacy of their choice. 78% of people who had a consultation with a community pharmacist were successfully helped

Chronic Disease Management

Annual reviews with one of our specially trained chronic disease nurses are available for patients suffering from the following:

• Asthma
• Chronic kidney disease
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• Diabetes
• Epilepsy
• Heart disease
• Hypertension (high blood pressure)
• Stroke
• Mental health problems,
• Rheumatoid arthritis

Other Services

• Ante-natal and post-natal care - provided by all clinicians within the practice.
• Contraceptive care - provided by our nurses and includes contraceptive pills and referral for coil and implant fitting. Emergency contraceptive care is also offered during surgery hours.
• Cervical smear testing - please book an appointment with one of our practice nurses.
• Childhood immunisations
• Minor surgery - we can carry out joint and soft tissue injections, and superficial skin lesion removal.
• Travel immunisations - please ensure you book an appointment adequately in advance.

Minor Injuries

• Lacerations capable of closure by simple techniques.
• Superficial injury of eye
• Partial thickness thermal burns or scalds involving broken skin:
  • not over 1 inch in diameter
  • not involving the hands, feet, face ,neck, genital areas
• Bruises
• bites / stings
• Sunburn
• Splinters
• Whiplash
• Minor head injuries where there has been no loss of consciousness

Travel Vaccinations

If you require any vaccinations relating to foreign travel you need to make an appointment with the practice nurse to discuss your travel arrangements. This will include which countries and areas within countries that you are visiting to determine what vaccinations are required.

There is further information about countries and vaccinations required on the links below

Europe & Russia	North America
Central America	South America
Caribbean	Africa
Middle East	Central Asia
East Asia	Australasia and Pacific

“NHS funded travel vaccinations are available from your GP practice. The only travel vaccines that are provided by the NHS at no charge to patients are:

Polio (given as combined diphtheria/tetanus/polio jab)

Typhoid
Hepatitis A
Cholera

You will have to pay for travel vaccines that are not available free of charge on the NHS.
If you want to go to your GP practice for your travel vaccines, then you will need to make an appointment. The best way to do this is by contacting your practice’s reception who will ensure an appropriate length of appointment is made for you. The practice cannot guarantee being able to provide an appointment close to the date of your departure from the UK so please book your travel appointment in plenty of time, a minimum of eight weeks before travel is advised.

Further information on travel vaccinations is available at https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/travel-vaccinations/

Travel Health Questionnaire

To help us offer the appropriate advice, please fill out the online form before coming to see the nurse.

Travel Questionnaire

Travelling in Europe

If you are travelling to Europe a very useful booklet has been published with advice and guidance to help you get the most out of your holiday. To visit please click:- http://ec.europa.eu/publications/booklets/eu_glance/86/en.pdf (this is a large document and may take a minute or two to view)

Non-NHS Services

Some services provided are not covered under our contract with the NHS and therefore attract charges. Examples include the following:

• Medicals for pre-employment, sports and driving requirements (HGV, PSV etc.)
• Insurance claim forms
• Passport signing
• Prescriptions for taking medication abroad
• Private sick notes
• Vaccination certificates

The fees charged are based on the British Medical Association (BMA) suggested scales and our reception staff will be happy to advise you about them along with appointment availability. 

Non NHS Fees and Charges

Why Fees are charged

The Government’s contract with GP’s covers medical services to NHS patients however in recent years more and more organisations have been   involving doctors in a wide range of non-medical work. Sometimes the only reason that GP’s are asked is because they are in a position of trust in the community or because an insurance company, employer or public body wants to ensure that the information provided to them is true and accurate.

The following Questions and Answers are taken from advice by the British Medical Association (BMA) to help patients understand the fees charged by GP’s

Do GP’s have to do non-NHS work for their patients?

With certain limited exceptions such as a GP confirming that a patient is not fit for jury service GP’s DO NOT have to carry out non-NHS work. Many GP’s however will always attempt to assist their patients and carry out this work.

Why does it sometimes take my GP a long time to complete my form/letter?

Time spent completing forms and preparing reports takes the GP away from the medical care of patients. GP’s have an ever increasing workload of forms which must be prioritised against offering appointments.

I only need the GP’s signature—what’s the problem?

When a GP signs a certificate, completes a report or writes a letter it is a condition of remaining on the Medical Register (which allows them to practice as a doctor) that they only sign what they know to be true. In order to complete even the simplest of forms the doctor may have to check a patient’s entire medical record.

Carelessness or inaccuracy can have serious consequences for the doctor with the General Medical Council (the doctors regulatory body) or even the Police.

Who sets the fees and why do different doctors charge different fees? 

  The BMA suggest fees that may be charged in certain circumstances

however these are intended for guidance only. Doctors are not obliged to charge the rates suggested by the BMA and the fee levels will generally reflect the amount of work and time involved.

Why do GP’s charge for the completion of cremation forms?

 A deceased person cannot be cremated until the cause of death is definitely known and properly recorded. Before cremation takes place two certificates must be signed, one by the GP and one by another doctor. The completion of these forms is not part of a doctor’s NHS duties and the fees are usually charged to the funeral director who generally passes on the cost to the family.

These fees are agreed with the National Association of Funeral Directors, the National Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors and Co-operative Funeral Care.

Death Certificates are a separate form and are completed free of charge

 What notice is needed for completion of reports and letters ?

To allow the practice to plan the GP’s time 4 weeks notice is required although many are completed within this time. Where a patient has an urgent request this should be explained to the receptionist who will note the request however it is not always possible for other more clinically urgent work to be delayed.

A summary of our current fees is available from the link below

Test Results

When you attend for a test of any kind you will be told how long you should expect to wait for the results. Please bear this in mind and only call the surgery after sufficient time has elapsed.

Our reception staff are not qualified to comment on results therefore it is your responsibility to check them and make any necessary follow-up appointment with the doctor.

Please note that we do have a strict policy regarding confidentiality and data protection. In this respect we will only give out results to the person they relate to unless that person has given prior permission for their release or if they are not capable of understanding them.

Blood Tests

A blood test is when a sample of blood is taken for testing in a laboratory. Blood tests have a wide range of uses and are one of the most common types of medical test. For example, a blood test can be used to:

• assess your general state of health
• confirm the presence of a bacterial or viral infection
• see how well certain organs, such as the liver and kidneys, are functioning

A blood test usually involves the phlebotomist taking a blood sample from a blood vessel in your arm. and the usual place for a sample is the inside of the elbow or wrist, where the veins are relatively close to the surface. Blood samples from children are most commonly taken from the back of the hand. The child's hand will be anaesthetised (numbed) with a special cream before the sample is taken.

You can find out more about blood tests, their purpose and the way they are performed on the NHS Choices website.

X-Ray

An X-ray is a widely used diagnostic test to examine the inside of the body. X-rays are a very effective way of detecting problems with bones, such as fractures. They can also often identify problems with soft tissue, such as pneumonia or breast cancer.

If you have a X-ray, you will be asked to lie on a table or stand against a surface so that the part of your body being X-rayed is between the X-ray tube and the photographic plate.

An X-ray is usually carried out by a radiographer, a healthcare professional who specialises in using imaging technology, such as X-rays and ultrasound scanners.

You can find out more about x-ray tests, how they are performed, their function and the risks by visiting the NHS Choices website.

Purpose 

This annual statement will be generated each year in April in accordance with the requirements of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 Code of Practice on the prevention and control of infections and related guidance. The report will be published on the practice website and will include the following summary:

• Any infection transmission incidents and any action taken (these will have been reported in accordance with our significant event procedure)
• Details of any infection control audits undertaken and actions undertaken
• Details of any risk assessments undertaken for the prevention and control of infection
• Details of staff training
• Any review and update of policies, procedures and guidelines

Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Lead

The lead for infection prevention and control at The Junction Surgery is Str Debra Hoyle, Practice Nurse

The IPC Lead is supported by Joseph Barlow and non – clinical support by Julie Sunderland.

Infection transmission incidents (significant events)

Significant events involve examples of good practice as well as challenging events.

Positive events are discussed at meetings to allow all staff to be appraised of areas of best practice.

Negative events are managed by the staff member who either identified or was advised of any potential shortcoming. This person will complete a Significant Event Analysis (SEA) form that commences an investigation process to establish what can be learnt and to indicate changes that might lead to future improvements.

All significant events are reviewed and discussed in several meetings each month. Any learning points are cascaded to all relevant staff where an action plan, including audits or policy review, may follow.

In the past year there have been 0 significant events raised that related to infection control. There have also been 0 complaints made regarding cleanliness or infection control.

Infection prevention audit and actions

Infection Prevention Audit was completed in  August 2022 and resulted in the following actions;

The IPS Audit tool is due to be reviewed March 2023

Risk Assessments

Risk assessments are carried out so that any risk is minimised to be as low as reasonably practicable. Additionally, a risk assessment which can identify best practice can be established and then followed.

In the last year the following risk assessments were carried out/reviewed:

• Closing Sharps Bins
• Changing Clinical Waste Sacks
• Staff Vaccinations & New Joiners

In the next year, the following risk assessment will also be reviewed:

• COSHH
• Curtain Changes
• Water Safety
• General IPC Risks
• Staff Training

Training

In addition to staff being involved in risk assessments and significant events, at The Junction Surgery all staff and contractors receive IPC induction training on commencing their post. Thereafter, all staff receive refresher training annually the level of training is dependent on the staff members role and responsibilities.

Various elements of IPC training in the previous year have been delivered via online training supported by Practice Index.

Policies and procedures

The infection prevention and control related policies and procedures which have been written, updated or reviewed in the last year include, but are not limited, to:

Infection Prevention Control Policy

Hazardous/Clinical Waste Management Policy

Policies relating to infection prevention and control are available to all staff and are reviewed and updated annually. Additionally, all policies are amended on an ongoing basis as per current advice, guidance and legislation changes.

Responsibility

It is the responsibility of all staff members at The Junction Surgery to be familiar with this statement and their roles and responsibilities under it.

Review

The IPC Lead and the Registered Managers are responsible for reviewing and producing the annual statement.

This statement will be updated annually

Duty of Candour Policy

A to Z of Health Conditions 

click the link above to access up to date information on all medical conditions.

Kirklees Health strategy

Better-health NHS services - Healthy changes start with little changes. Whether you want to lose weight, drink less alcohol, get active or quit smoking, you have access to lots of free tools and support through Better Health. You can also find simple ways to lift your mood with Every Mind Matters.

There has never been a better time to kickstart your health. Let's do this!

Kirklees Wellness Service -Our service aim is for people living healthier, happier lives and feeling more able to look after themselves. We support adults 18 years+ on a one-to-one basis to develop personally tailored health and wellbeing goals. Wellness Coaches work with people
using motivational interviewing and health coaching techniques to refine goals and plan change.

Change Grow Live  At Change Grow Live, above all else we believe in people. It's the one thing that acts as a foundation for all our work. If you use our services: we understand what you're going through. We won't judge. We believe you can make positive changes in your life. If you work or volunteer for us: we believe in your potential. We believe you can do brilliant, life-changing work. If you're one of our partners: we believe that together we can deliver real value and positive change in our local communities.