by Neil Huntingford
This month we take a look at how the Health Centre is beginning to increase the number of patients being seen face-to-face, whilst still complying with NHS Covid guidelines, and utilising technological developments where appropriate.
The first thing to remember is that, although the government has lifted Covid restrictions and self-isolating for the general public, NHS staff still have to follow stricter practices to ensure patient care. Covid has not gone away and presents real risks to patients and staff. At the time of writing, the Health Centre has five staff self-isolating until they test clear.
Demand for our medical services is predicta-bly increasing as we move towards the new ‘normal’ and the rapid development and imple-menting of new ways of working as a result of the pandemic will help shape the way forward.
Our in-practice team includes GP’s, Pharma-cists, Advanced Nurse Practitioners, Paramed-ics, Pharmacists, Nurses and Health Care As-sistants who all have access to a wide range of services, both in-house and locally to provide patient care.
Of course, with such a wide range of profes-sionals and services, it’s important that pa-tients are seen in the most appropriate way for their needs.
To ensure patients get the right care in the right place and the right time, Care Naviga-tion, similar to a hospital triage system, is a crucial initial step. Therefore, through targeted training, the role of our ‘Reception Team’ is evolving to focus on navigating patients to the right clinician or service.Our aim is to in-crease the number of patients seen in person at the Health Centre in a safe and measured way, whilst continuing to develop and harness the technological advantages at our disposal to further support patient care.