Bentley Medical Practice Newsletter December 2015
Proposed Practice Merger
In December 2014 we wrote to all patients informing them of our proposal to merge three practices, Bentley Medical Practice, Park Avenue Surgery and Rainbow Surgery. If approved we anticipated that the merger would be completed by May 2015. Due to unforeseen circumstances the proposal took longer than expected, however in September 2015, NHS England gave their approval for the merger to take place from 1st January 2016.
This means that from 1st January 2016, Rainbow Surgery premises will be closed and the patients registered with that practice will be transferred to Bentley Medical Practice. Dr Islam and his current staff will also transfer and work for Bentley Medical Practice.
We intend to produce a practice booklet, available to collect from reception from January 2016 that will inform all patients of the services we offer along with information about the practice that we hope you will find useful.
Telephone System
We are aware of issues with our telephone system and the difficulties our patients have been facing when trying to get through to the practice (please see the separate patient information leaflet available from reception for further details regarding the problem).
We have ordered a new telephone system which we hope will be beneficial to all patients and staff and are currently waiting for an installation date.
Practice Nurse Clinic
We are currently trialling an early morning and late night Practice Nurse clinic for patients who have difficulty attending the practice during normal opening hours.
Extra Practice Nurse appointments will be available at Bentley Medical Practice on:
Thursday mornings from 7.30am – 8.00am
Thursday evenings from 6.30pm – 8.00pm
If you require an appointment with the Practice Nurse, please inform reception staff if you feel an appointment during these times will be beneficial to you.
Flu Vaccinations
If you are eligible and have not yet received your flu vaccination, please book an appointment at reception today.
Eligibility criteria includes patients who:
Are aged 65 years and over
Are immunosuppressed
Have suffered from a stroke
Have been diagnosed with asthma
Have been diagnosed with COPD
Have been diagnosed with diabetes
Have been diagnosed with
coronary heart disease
STAR scheme
The South Tees Access and Response (STAR) scheme has been set up by GPs to improve access to their services outside the current core hours for patients needing urgent care or advice.
Patients wanting to see a GP can access the service by ringing NHS 111 – the urgent care helpline. A GP will then call you back to offer advice or an appointment.
The STAR scheme runs from the premises of Bentley Medical Practice and their opening times are:
Monday – Friday 6.30pm – 9.30pm
Weekends 8.00am – 8.00pm
For more information, please visit their website:
www.southteesaccessresponse.nhs.uk
