Latest News

*** UPGRADED TELEPHONE SYSTEM ***

We are delighted to announce an upgrade to our telephone system. We have added an automated service called Patient Partner, which allows you to book, change or cancel an appointment or order a repeat prescription 24 hours/day, every day of the year.
As it is an automated system, there are no call queues! This has the added benefit of freeing up our staff to deal with the patients that need to speak to us.
To use this service, simply telephone 01642 42 46 22
Initially, to order repeat prescriptions, you will need to telephone us first - to obtain a PIN code, but as soon as you are set up, you can use the new system. 

Flu vaccines have arrived 

We are delighted to have taken delivery of our flu vaccinations. We have already set up clinics and we will begin vaccinating patients based on clinical priority. Our hardworking team has volunteered their free time to provide additional clinics on Saturday 16th and 23rd October. This will allow us to vaccinate patients as early in the season as possible. 

PLEASE DO NOT CONTACT US, WE WILL CONTACT YOU WHEN IT IS YOUR TURN TO BE VACCINATED. 

Covid vaccine booster 

We will soon receive Covid vaccine booster doses. We will begin administering these in order of clinical priority. The booster must be given at least six months after the second covid vaccine. Where possible, we will administer your flu vaccination at the same time. 
PLEASE DO NOT CONTACT US, WE WILL CONTACT YOU WHEN IT IS YOUR TURN TO BE VACCINATED. 
All patients will be asked to stay at the clinic for 15 minutes after having their vaccine. This is to ensure that, in the unlikely and rare event you have a reaction to the vaccine, medical staff are on hand to provide care.  

Childhood flu vaccine: 5 reasons to vaccinate your child 

Childhood flu vaccine

Flu vaccinations - national delay in supply 

We were expecting to receive our flu vaccination delivery by the end of September. The supplier has now informed us of a delay of one to two weeks. 

This means that some of our planned clinics will now need to be postponed. 

We apologise for this delay, which is out of our control. However, we assure you that as soon as we have the vaccine we will begin our seasonal flu vaccination campaign, inviting patients in order of clinical priority. 

Please do not contact the surgery to make appointments, we will contact you when your appointment is due. 

Our dedicated team will also be offering some weekend clinics in order to vaccinate patients as swiftly as possible. 


Telephone access - upgrade to our telephony

The covid pandemic has created many obstacles for the NHS, not least of them telephone access. We know that the limitations of our current system have been a frustration for you – and for us too! We are therefore upgrading the system to include some new features. The first is a feature known as Patient Partner. You can read more about the features here: 

https://www.voiceconnect.co.uk/health/patient-partner/

As patient partner is an automated service, it will be available 24 hours/day, every day of the year. You simply need to call our usual number (01642 475157) to access this service, which we anticipate will go live within 4-6 weeks. 

Patient Partner can also be used to order repeat prescriptions. As soon as it is available, we will use it to replace the current answerphone ordering system. Where possible, we ask that you continue to order repeat prescriptions by Systmonline, Airmid or the NHS App.  

Urgent news about blood tests  

There is a national shortage of blood bottles, which is expected to last until at least 17/9/21. This is affecting every healthcare service provider. We have therefore been told by the NHS to postpone all non-urgent blood tests. We are extremely sorry for the inconvenience this may cause. This is something completely out of our control. 

Support your surgery campaign

SupportYourSurgery

 

Help to prepare for telephone and video consultations

https://youtu.be/Wa6cVNNmF4k

Important update for all patients and visitors

 
When restrictions ease on 19th July 2021, face coverings will still be required at The Green House Surgery. This is because the safety of our patients, visitors, and staff is of paramount importance to us.
 
We have taken this decision for a number of reasons:
 
1) Locally, rates of Covid are high compared to other areas of the country.
2) Patients in the practice visit us because they are unwell. There is a likelihood that some of these patients have covid without realising it, as not all patients experience the widely known symptoms.
3) Many vulnerable patients visit the surgery (this includes children and others who are not yet vaccinated)
4) We have an obligation to continue to run a safe service - if we have an infection in the practice, it could result in large numbers of staff having to self-isolate, reducing our capacity to continue.
5) We have a duty of care to all people who come into contact with our service. We believe it is in all our interests to continue with the safety measures for the time being.
 
 
Our staff will continue to wear face masks/PPE and we ask that everyone attending the surgery continues to wear a face covering and to use hand gel on entry.
 
We will also continue to triage patients by telephone or video consultation. If you are asked to attend the surgery for an appointment, or you specifically request a face to face appointment (limited availability), if you choose not to wear a mask, please make this known to our reception team when you book your appointment, as we may have to make alternative arrangements in order to protect our patients and staff.
 

Patient survey results published

 
In terms of overall experience, we are delighted to exceed the local AND national averages, scoring highest amongst the GP Practices in Redcar. Thanks to all patients who responded to the survey and well done to our team for this fantastic achievement during a very difficult year.
 

What's the difference between a Lateral flow test and a PCR test? 

If you have symptoms of Coronavirus you MUST take a PCR test! 

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/testing/get-tested-for-coronavirus/

Updated JCVI guidance for the vaccination of children and young people

https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/publication/updated-jcvi-guidance-for-the-vaccination-of-children-and-young-people/

New recall system for medical checks 

At the beginning of June 2021, we adopted a new recall system. The recall system is the reminder system we use to tell us when patients with a chronic disease (or other medical condition which requires regular monitoring) are due for their annual health review. The new system is much more reliable and less prone to error.  However, as the new system uses an alternative annual date for the review, it may mean that some patients who have recently been reviewed will be called in again. We apologise for this and ask for your cooperation in attending the appointment. It should only happen for the next review appointment.  

Data sharing preferences

Patients can opt in/out of NHS data sharing using the link below or by using the NHS App - "your health" tab.

Reception service

Throughout the pandemic, our reception has been open to the public, however, in order to protect staff and patients, we have been limiting footfall in the practice. Our reception service has now been fully reinstated and, if you chose, you can come to the surgery in person for administrative queries (booking appointments, ordering prescriptions etc). 
Our clinical team will continue to triage patients by telephone and we will only ask you to attend in person where there is a clinical need.

Abuse of our staff

Regrettably, this powerful video highlights an increasing trend that happens almost every day in our practice. We will not accept this abuse of our staff and we will seek to remove those patients who behave in this way. Thank you to all those patients who treat our staff with kindness and respect. 

https://youtube/hAM3fSDq9kA

Obtain evidence of your COVID vaccination 

Patients are being asked NOT to contact their GP practice for proof of their Covid vaccination status. Instead, you can obtain this by telephoning 119 or by using the NHS App on your smartphone. This video is a quick guide to doing this: 

Medication reviews 

If your pharmacist prompts you that a medication review is due, you do not need to make a GP appointment. Please simply contact our reception and the staff will inform the GP that the review is due. This takes a few minutes and you do not need to be present.

Telephone system upgrade 

In the coming months, the Practice is participating in a local initiative to upgrade our telephone system. We hope that this will alleviate many of the problems experienced with the current system (such as calls being cuts off, silent calls etc). We will keep you informed of developments via this news page. 

 

Contraceptive services 

With effect from 08/03/21, the practice is reinstating depo-provera contraceptive injections for women. In addition, we are offering a new contraceptive service known as "Sayana press". You can find out more about this here: 

www.sayanaanswers.co.uk

If you wish to discuss Sayana Press as a contraceptive option further, you can book a telephone call with the Practice Nurse; but if you wish to explore other options you can either speak to a GP or a Nurse Practitioner or consult an online resource such as https://www.contraceptionchoices.org/whats-right-for-me


Coronavirus advice and guidance

https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus

Latest Government guidance translated into 60 different languages: 

https://www.doctorsoftheworld.org.uk/coronavirus-information/

Recovery after Covid

Recovery after COVID

Sickness absence self certification form

GP surgeries have also been asked to consult with patients by telephone, rather than face to face. This measure protects our staff and patients. We will implement this change from Monday 16/3/20. Please rest assured that all our team here at The Green House are working extremely hard to implement measures to ensure we continue to provide a high standard of care to all our patients. There is no cause for alarm or panic, we have good contingency plans to ensure the continuity of your GP healthcare service. We ask for your patience and support at this challenging time for the NHS.

With effect from 19/3/20, as a result of demand on our service, we are increasing our turnaround time for repeat prescriptions to 72 hours. 

Please follow us on Facebook for regular updates on the changes to our services as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic. 

https://www.facebook.com/greenhousesurgery/

National data opt-out 

National data opt out - patient poster

National data opt-out patient information

Set your data choice: https://digital.nhs.uk/services/national-data-opt-out

Information about national health screening 

Screening timeline

Medical Research 

Medical Research

Friends and Family Test

In addition to the national patient survey, we collect information about levels of patient satisfaction via the nationally approved NHS "Friends and Family Test". You can review the results, which are generally updated on a monthly basis, by visiting this website: 

https://www.england.nhs.uk/fft/friends-and-family-test-data/

Health News from the BBC and the NHS

BBC Health
NHS Choices Behind the Headlines
Call 111 when you need medical help fast but it’s not a 999 emergencyNHS ChoicesThis site is brought to you by My Surgery Website