SURGERY NEWS
Glastonbury Health Centre and Millbrook Surgery joining together.
Dear Patients,
In 2022 Glastonbury Health Centre were considering the option of becoming an Employee-Owned Trust, we received positive feedback from our patient groups regarding this and thank all that participated in our consultation. We have made the decision not to go ahead with this as it did not offer the sustainability the practice needs, and the financial resource required to make this legally happen was not achievable. Instead, we explored a different option, and we are delighted to announce that Glastonbury Health Centre will be joining forces with Millbrook Surgery in Castle Cary on 01 April 2023.
Primary Care is a challenging landscape with the pressures and challenges growing; this has meant smaller practices have become vulnerable as they are unable to offer the scale that larger organisations can provide. This collaboration means we can secure our future as independent general practices, respond to the needs of our population and drive improvements in healthcare.
The operations of the practices will remain separate, meaning you will still receive your care at your registered practice. Local services will be safeguarded for our populations and the staff that know you best will continue to deliver your care.
Continuity and accessibility is key, we aim to offer what people need in a way that fits with what they want, this can vary from person to person and we will ensure we are engaging with our populations to ensure we are tailoring our services to meet these expectations. Continuity is one of the prime strengths of NHS general practice and it has been greatly under threat, we are committed to this and plan to offer continuity of care, while offering good access to services that are not reliant on just one person. Our plan is to offer a blended model of access introducing benefits of modern communication methods paired with in person contact.
Working together means we can attract new staff, create career opportunities and offer new services to our patients that we would not have been able to do alone. We are already seeing the positives of this collaboration by recruiting additional staff that can work across both practices such as Paramedics, Nurses and support staff.
There will be some changes to the Partnership at the Practice. Dr Nick Matthews has taken the decision to retire and his final working day will be 31 March 2022. Dr Anna Jackson will be retiring from the Partnership but will be working with us three days per week ongoing. Dr Steven Edgar, Dr Jennifer Spencer will be joining the Partnership along with Miss Georgina Ball, as Managing Partner of both Practices.
We look forward to working together as an organisation, as clinicians, local residents and patients to continue to provide high quality care to our populations in the future,
If you have any questions or queries please do not hesitate to contact our Managing Partner Georgina Ball in writing, or by emailing enquiries.ghc@nhs.net.
Yours sincerely,
Dr Anna Jackson, Dr Nick Matthews
GP Partners
Glastonbury Health Centre
Glastonbury Health Centre Average Pay 2022/23
The average pay for GPs working in Glastonbury Health Centre in the last financial year was £29949 before tax and national insurance. This is for 4 part time GPs and 2 locum GPs (who worked in the practice for more than six months).
Health Connections Mendip
Health Connections Mendip is a new health and wellbeing service available to patients. Patients can talk to a health connector at the surgery to find out about local activities, support and services available, and can also arrange one-to-one appointments to speak to a Connector.
Health Connections Mendip page
Mendip Directory of Services
Below is a documentary about Health Connections Mendip:
NHS Data - General Practice Data for Planning and Research (GPDPR)
There have been a lot of articles recently regarding the NHS and plans for its Data use. We understand this is concerning for many patients. For more information regarding how data is used, as well as guidance on how you can opt out, please see the NHS Digital website.
Comings and Goings
Green Impact for Health
Glastonbury Health Centre is pleased to announce it’s involvement with the Green Impact For Health Scheme. This is a national project designed to help GP practices and the NHS become more environmentally friendly and sustainable whilst also benefitting patients.
We are currently promoting inhaler recycling – look out for posters around the practice and ask your pharmacist about recycling your old inhalers. Currently Boots in Glastonbury High Street and Tesco Pharmacy on Wirral Park Road are taking part in the scheme.
Watch this space for more green ideas!
Named GP for all patients
Since 1st April 2015, all patients registered at the health centre have had a named accountable GP.
The named GP "takes lead responsibility for the coordination of appropriate services and ensures they are delivered to you where required (based on the clinical judgement of the GP)". Of course, this does not stop you from booking to see or talk to any other clinician.
We are working to notify as many patients as possible of their named GP, for example it is now listed on all prescriptions. Please ask at reception if you wish to know who your named GP is. (The GP is recorded on the clinical system as your Usual GP).
Registration for Organ and Blood Donation
PCS Services has ceased registering patients for organ and blood donations. Details can be found in this Organ and Blood information sheet.
For patients to self-register please contact the Blood Transfusion Service and Organ Donation Service website.
Appointment confirmations using SMS
We can now send you appointment confirmations and reminders using SMS messaging to your mobile phone.
To sign up please fill out a Word version of the consent form or PDF version of the consent form and return it to the Health Centre.
If you do not have a copy of Acrobat installed on your computer please click the icon below to download the latest version of the reader.
download the latest Acrobat reader
Physical Activity for all in Somerset - Zing Somerset
The next stage of fitness in Somerset is to transfer Zing Somerset which is open to everyone, please take a look at this and start logging your activity, there are lots of free taster sessions you can join as well!
Visit Zing Somerset for more information
Protected Learning Times
On rare occasions the health centre will be closed to enable the staff and GPs to have training. This will usually only be for an hour or two, and will be advertised in advance. If you have a medical emergency that cannot wait until we re-open, please telephone the health centre - your call will be answered.
On-line Appointments Booking Service
Patients are now able to book appointments on-line as well as order repeat prescriptions via the EMIS Patient Access service.To register pop into the health centre and fill in the request form. Please give 2-3 working days’ notice and you will be asked to collect a letter from the surgery with your registration details (you will be asked to bring in two forms of ID to confirm you are the patient).
Virtual Patient Group
We are inviting patients to enrol on the Health Centre's Virtual Patient Group. It is important that we find out what you think of us and how we can improve or develop services that are appropriate to meet patient need. This will all be done via email. The health centre can email a patient survey form for you to complete, or you can click one of the links below. We will not ask you to comment on a service that you have not experienced and will not ask for your comment more than 3 times in a 12 month period.
If you are interested in helping us, commenting on services that you have experienced:
Open the enrolement form in Word format
Open the enrolement form in Adobe PDF format
If you do not have a copy of Acrobat installed on your computer please click the icon below to download the latest version of the reader.
Please fill out the form and return to the Health Centre.
download the latest Acrobat reader
The Health Centre can also offer to forward our newsletters via email, if you are interested please let us kknow via our contact form.
Kind regards
Staff at Glastonbury Health Centre.
Free guide from Independent Age
Winter Wise: ways to look after yourself during the coldest months.
Visit the Independent Age website
If you need medical attention
'Choose' Well by choosing the right service. Further details can be found on the Choose Well leaflet. The short video below is all about Choosing the Right Service.
Somerset Choices
Local services and information to help you choose the right care and support. Visit the Somerset Choices website.
On-line Services: Appointments and Prescription Service
You can now view Allergies and Medications within your medical record, book your next appointment, or order your repeat prescription online using Patient Access. Available 24 hours a day, whether you're at home or work, it's especially useful when the practice is closed or telephone lines are busy. Register online or use the service.
