Latest Updates - Thornbury Road Centre for Health

Thornbury Road Centre for Health – October 2024 Patient Update

Dear Patients,

We are pleased to provide you with the latest updates from Thornbury Road Centre for Health, highlighting some key changes and improvements to our services.

Staffing Update

We are excited to announce that our team has expanded to include a variety of healthcare professionals who work alongside our doctors and nurses to provide you with comprehensive care. While some of these professionals are based here at Thornbury Road Centre for Health, others work across our wider primary care network (Brentford & Isleworth). Below is a brief overview of the healthcare professionals you may encounter:

Clinical Pharmacist – Offers expert advice on medications, conducts medication reviews, and manages long-term conditions like diabetes or high blood pressure.
Physician Associate – A trained healthcare professional who supports doctors in managing patient care.
Advanced Clinical Practitioner – A trained clinician (usually with a background as a nurse or pharmacist) who can diagnose, prescribe medications, and manage complex health conditions.
Paramedic Practitioner – Provides urgent care for patients who require a home visit and also provides support for long term conditions and care planning.
First Contact Physiotherapist – Specialises in the diagnosis and management of musculoskeletal conditions (such as back pain or joint issues) without needing a GP referral.
Mental Health Practitioner – Offers support for mental health conditions, providing assessment, care planning, and referrals to specialist services where necessary.
Dietitian – Provides expert advice on diet and nutrition, particularly for those managing conditions like diabetes, high cholesterol, or digestive issues.
Social Prescriber (Social Link Worker) – Helps connect patients to community services and resources to improve their overall well-being, including support for housing, loneliness, and lifestyle changes.

This diverse team allows us to offer you more specialised care and ensures you have access to the most appropriate healthcare professional for your needs.

Appointment System

Our appointment system releases new slots daily at 8:30 am (Mon-Fri). These include same-day appointments as well as a limited number of appointments available 3 and 7 days in advance. You can book these appointments either online or by calling our reception. Additionally, you can use PATCHs, our online consultation service, to submit your medical queries, which helps us direct you to the most appropriate care without needing to wait for an appointment.

Sometimes, the demand for appointments is greater than the number we have available. If this happens, we recommend using PATCHs to submit your medical concerns online, which allows us to assess your needs and direct you to the appropriate care. For urgent issues, please contact NHS 111 or visit a local walk-in centre. If it’s a medical emergency, always dial 999.

Booking appointments online

GP and minor illness appointments can be booked using the NHS APP or SystmOnline. Appointments become available online when they are released at 8.30am. If you log on and there are no appointments available, that means that the appointment released for the day have already been booked.

Patients cannot currently book nurse appointments online because our nursing and healthcare assistant (HCA) team have varying skill sets, and it’s important that patients see the right nurse for their specific needs. Unfortunately, patients were sometimes booking with the wrong nurse or scheduling appointments for issues that need to be addressed by a GP. To ensure everyone receives the most appropriate care, we manage nurse appointments through our reception team, who can guide you to the right professional.

Online Consultations

For added convenience, we offer online consultations via PATCHs, which can be accessed through our practice website by clicking the banner at the top of the page. This service allows you to submit your symptoms or requests online, and a clinician will review and respond accordingly.

PATCHs can also be accessed via the NHS APP. Click here for instructions on how to do this.

Appointment times

Our core hours for appointments are from 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. In addition, we offer a limited number of extended hours’ appointments from 7:30am to 8am on weekdays to help accommodate patients with early morning needs. We are open for appointments on Saturdays every 7^th week, providing more flexibility for those who may find it difficult to attend during regular hours.

GP Availability

We understand that many of you have preferred GPs, and while we always aim to accommodate your preferences, it is not always possible due to the part-time schedules of some of our doctors. Many patients prefer to see Dr. Loomba or Dr. Merry, but due to their limited availability, we encourage you to also consider appointments with other GPs from our practice team.

You can let our reception team know if you wish to have a preferred GP, and we will update your records accordingly.

Here is the current working schedule for our practice GPs (subject to change):

Dr. Ram Loomba – Mondays, Tuesdays & Thursdays
Dr. Jason Merry – Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays
Dr. Jagdeep Sandhu – Mondays, Thursdays & Fridays
Dr. Mahamadu Sumani – Mondays, Tuesdays & Fridays
Dr. Bharte Bagga – Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Thursdays
Dr. Suzanne Heffernan – Wednesdays & Thursdays
Dr. Kausar Masood – Wednesdays & Thursdays

Telephone Access

We are pleased to share that 59% of our patients now find it easy to reach us by phone, reflecting an improvement of 33% over the past 4 years, based on recent national and local survey results. While we are happy with this progress, we continue to work on improving our telephone access. The current average wait time to reach us by phone is under 2 minutes.

A significant bottleneck occurs at 8:30am when appointments are released. To address this, we have increased staffing levels at that time. However, we strongly encourage you to use online booking through the NHS App or SystmOnline, as all appointments released at 8:30am are available on both platforms.

Transition to Email Communication

In an effort to reduce costs across the NHS, we will be shifting more of our patient communications from SMS to email. This change will allow us to continue providing important updates and reminders while helping to reduce the high costs associated with text messaging.

Please ensure that we have your up-to-date email address on file so that you don’t miss any important information about your health, appointments, or practice updates. If you need to update your contact details, please complete the form on our website: https://www.thornburymedicalpractice.co.uk/practice-information/update-your-details/

We appreciate your understanding and cooperation as we make this transition. Email is a more cost-effective way to communicate, and by using it, we can ensure that NHS resources are focused where they are most needed—on patient care.

Practice News

To improve communication with our patients, we will begin using the “Practice News” section on our website to share important updates and information. Patients can visit this section at their convenience to stay informed about any changes, new services, or helpful advice from the practice. We encourage you to check it regularly to stay up to date with the latest news.

You can access the “Practice News” section at the bottom of our website home page OR by clicking this link: Practice News Link

Missed Appointments (when patients do not cancel)

Missed appointments, also known as “Did Not Attend” (DNA), continue to be a major issue, leading to wasted NHS resources and reduced appointment availability for other patients. When a patient misses their appointment without informing us, it prevents someone else from receiving the care they need in a timely manner.

Every missed appointment means:

Lost clinical time that could have been used to see another patient.
Longer waiting times for all patients needing appointments.
Increased pressure on NHS resources, staff, and services.

We urge all patients to inform us as soon as possible if they are unable to attend an appointment. This allows us to offer that slot to someone else in need. You can cancel your appointment easily by phone or online via the NHS App or SystmOnline.

Together, we can ensure more efficient use of our services and reduce unnecessary waste of precious NHS resources

Vaccinations

As we move into the colder months, it’s important to protect yourself and your loved ones from seasonal illnesses and other preventable diseases. We are offering a range of vaccinations at Thornbury Road Centre for Health from September 2024. Here’s a quick guide to the vaccines available:

RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus)
RSV can cause severe respiratory infections, particularly in older adults, young children, and those with underlying health conditions. This vaccine is recommended for those at higher risk, including people over 75 and individuals with compromised immune systems.
Flu Vaccine
The annual flu vaccine helps protect against the most common strains of influenza. It’s recommended for everyone over 65, pregnant women, children, and people with chronic health conditions such as asthma or diabetes. Flu vaccines are also offered to frontline healthcare workers.
COVID-19 Vaccine
This year, the practice will not be offering COVID-19 vaccinations, however we encourage all eligible patients to book an appointment using the online booking system OR by calling 119.

The latest COVID-19 booster will be available to those at higher risk, including individuals over 50, those with underlying health conditions, and frontline healthcare workers. Keeping up to date with your COVID-19 vaccination is important for continued protection against severe illness.

Pneumococcal Vaccine
This vaccine protects against serious infections like pneumonia, blood infections, and meningitis caused by pneumococcal bacteria. It’s recommended for individuals over 65 and those with chronic health conditions, such as heart disease or diabetes.
Shingles Vaccine
The shingles vaccine helps prevent shingles, a painful condition caused by the reactivation of the chickenpox virus. It’s recommended for people aged 70-79 years, as well as those with weakened immune systems.

Please contact the practice to check your eligibility and book your vaccinations. Staying up to date with these vaccines is an important step in safeguarding your health during the autumn and winter months.

Cancer Screening

Cancer screening is a vital part of early detection and prevention. Screening helps identify cancer at an early stage, often before symptoms appear, when treatment is more likely to be successful. Regular screening can significantly improve survival rates and reduce the need for more intensive treatments.

Unfortunately, many of our patients at Thornbury Road Centre for Health are putting their health at risk by not taking up the offer of cancer screening. Our current cancer screening rates show that a significant number of eligible patients have not yet completed their screening:

Bowel cancer screening – 28% of eligible patients have not completed their screening.
Cervical cancer screening – 32% of eligible patients have not completed their screening.
Breast cancer screening – 25% of eligible patients have not completed their screening.

These figures are concerning, as screening can save lives by catching cancer early when it is most treatable. If you are eligible for any of these screening programs and have not yet participated, we urge you to arrange this as soon as possible.

Bowel cancer screening – Eligible patients can request a screening kit by calling the Freephone number: 0800 707 6060
Cervical cancer screening – call the practice to book an appointment with one of our practice nurses
Breast cancer screening – Please call the London Screening Programme at 0203 758 2024 to book your appointment. Make sure to have your NHS number, full name, and date of birth ready.

We appreciate your continued trust and support as we strive to provide the best possible care for you. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any further questions or need assistance.

Best regards,

Maria Power (Practice Manager), Dr Ram Loomba (GP Partner) and Dr Jason Merry (GP Partner)
Thornbury Road Centre for Health