Latest News

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.
 
Thank you for helping us keep everyone safe.

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? 

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

Latest information about Coronavirus vaccine (updated 14/07/21)

Whilst the surgery is still vaccinating those in cohorts 1-10 (aged over 40), patients aged over 18 can now book appointments at a mass vaccination centre using this link:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-vaccination/book-coronavirus-vaccination/

Please do not contact the surgery as we are not yet vaccinating this cohort. 

The majority of patients over the age of 18 have now been offered a FIRST DOSE Covid vaccine. We continue to administer SECOND dose vaccines to patients as they fall due. Please DO NOT contact us to make appointments for SECOND doses. We will call you when your appointment is due (this will be approximately eight weeks after your first dose).

Please DO contact us if you are over 40 years and you have not yet had a FIRST dose Covid vaccination. 


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: 

Restrictions lifted for pregnant women

Whilst we must still reduce footfall in the surgery, we are delighted to welcome partners of pregnant women to attend ante-natal appointments at the surgery. 

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/

Face coverings must be worn please

With effect from Monday 15/6/20, all people entering Redcar hospital are required to wear their own face covering. Please ensure you fit your face covering before entering the building and leave it on until you are safely outside. 

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

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
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