We are delighted to welcome Dr. Mark McNair to the Practice and thought it might be useful to update patients on the days that our salaried G.P.s will work from the middle of August:
Dr. Hannah Bintcliffe Monday, Tuesday and Thursday Dr. Maggie Carson Wednesday and Friday Dr. Mark McNair Wednesday, Thursday and Friday
GP registrar, Dr. Tariq Tabiner Monday, Tuesday and Thursday
Nurse Prescriber, Sam Turner Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday
G.P. registrar Dr. Mena Solomon will also be joining us this month as Dr. Vikki Karki leaves us.
We would also like to recognise the work that our G.P. reception staff do. There are few roles in general practice that have changed as much as that of the G.P. receptionist in recent years. Unfortunately, there is very little public understanding of these changes, and this has just served to make the role more challenging than ever before.
Changes to the role really came to the fore in 2016 when the GP Forward View was published. It was then that the terms “active signposting” and “care navigation” became much more commonplace. At this point, much more responsibility started to shift to receptionist and navigating the incoming patient demand is not an easy task. It means receptionists may have to spend longer on the phone with each patient, as well as manage the hostility that frequently comes from the patients who “just want to see the GP”.
The Government’s new 10-Year Plan has just been published – the aim being the ‘joining-up of services across multiple provider organisations in the local neighbourhood’. The receptionist is likely to be the first to field not just calls about access to the practice, but about access to a much wider range of local service provision. This is all set against a backdrop of rising patient demand and rising patient expectations. The lack of investment in general practice in recent years has meant that capacity hasn’t been able to keep up with the rise in demand, and the pressure on practices is greater than ever. This translates into frustration for patients trying to access the service, and this frustration inevitably gets taken out on those who field the calls – the receptionists.
So, while it’s shocking, it isn’t really a surprise that a recent IGPM survey revealed that 80% of practices reported that their reception teams suffered abuse on the phone every day.
We just wanted to thank all patients who recognise what a difficult job our receptionists do every day and, above all, to recognise our reception team’s hard work and dedication to the Practice in sometimes challenging circumstances. We extend a warm welcome to Katie as she joins reception as Chrissie begins her maternity leave.
Dr. Adam Smith