The number of patients making contact to all GP practices is going up. The number of Doctors/ Nurses is going down.

We have had to update our appointments to fit in line with NHSE criteria, thus change how we offer appointments. You now need to provide us detail about your issue so that we are better prepared to help you when we make contact (this may feel uncomfortable for some- let us assure you this information only stays within your record and remains private). Our Online consultation form (Econsult) is now the fastest way to provide detail about your issue- for those that can not use this online form, don’t worry, our reception team will help you complete this form when you make contact in other ways.

The truth of the matter is the number of Doctors joining the profession is going down- many are also retiring or leaving NHS due to the constant negative experiences they face on daily basis from a minority of public. As a result, many practices have also resorted to recruiting allied staff to provide additional support (under GP supervision) to keep the practice fully operational.

Oakleigh Clinic continues to maintain the best service we can deliver- within the realms of what NHSE stipulate of us. We are a long standing teaching practice, with strong values, and are always open to listen to make improvements where we can- simply contact our practice manager or join our patient participation group to get your thoughts heard. It is important to recognise that we are bound to commit to changes in our NHS contract to offer optimal number of appointments to maximise the care we can provide. This means the approach to certain requests you may have been accustomed to years gone by may now be different. There are limitations of what a single appointment can offer- we can not simply squeeze in another patient or problems- as we are trying to provide equity of service for all our patients that make contact, so we appreciate your understanding around this as we try our best to assist you. After all, we are only human too.

Patients are often concerned that their Primary Care appointment is running late. We try our best to keep to time- this also means we must consult with you in a timely manner. Please do not take/ make phone calls while you are consulting with us (unless to aid the consultation) or expect us to explain everything again to another another person at the end of the consultation. We are happy to provide access to your consultation notes so you can refer back to it later on in more time.

We understand patients can become upset when they feel their needs have not been fully met- comparative to times gone by. We invite you to work with us and support the good work we strive to delivery equally to all our patients as the way patients are now being asked to contact the surgery continues to evolve to best support demand.

Please do not judge us on how busy the waiting room is- we are not the hospital/A&E. We now consult with patients in a range of different ways. As we aim to run on time it also means there may be less people waiting.

If you have been referred on, it is the service that makes contact with you about your appointments- we have no control over their waiting lists, nor can we access it. Please contact the appropriate provider directly.

If the hospital has arranged an investigation, it is their responsibility to contact you about the results. When they contact you in writing, they often copy us in too- so we both get the information at the same time.

We appreciate that these changes about Primary Care access may feel frustrating to you especially as these changes may feel unfamiliar. Be reassured the values around healthcare remains unchanged at Oakleigh despite changes in how you access care.