We encourage patients to use the online services wherever possible as this helps to reduce the telephone traffic and reduces wait times on the phone lines.  The online options available are SystmOnline (web), the Airmid App or the NHSApp.  All three options allow you to book appointments, request repeat medication and view your medical record.  If you already have online access, SystmOnline and the Airmid App will work with your existing login information.  If you do not currently have online access, you can either pop into reception with some photo ID and the team can register you for the service, or you can use the NHSApp to register as a new online user and self-verify your own ID at home.

It is important to note that there are some rules for these appointments which are summarised below:

• Appointments will be either telephone or face-to-face consultations for routine appointments only.  Patients have the choice.  When you book an appointment online, the difference between telephone and face-to-face will be clearly noted.
• Telephone appointments are NOT timed.  You will be called back AM or PM.
• Telephone appointments will be attempted a maximum of three times.  If you miss the calls, you will need to book a new appointment.
• The location of your appointment can be identified during the booking process.  All listed appointments will be at Pulteney Street unless you make a selection ‘Branch: Bathampton Surgery’.
• Appointments can be booked up to 6 weeks in advance.
• When all appointments have been taken, you will not see any availability online until someone cancels, or the next schedule of clinical rotas fall into the 6-week timeframe.
• No lists. The clinicians have a set amount of time allocated per appointment to ensure they are delivering safe care to all patients.  They can only deal with one issue at a time.  Multiple issues require multiple appointments.
• A maximum of 3 future booked appointments per patient at a time.
• Misuse of the service will result in removal of online access, either temporarily or permanently.
• Any inappropriate/incorrect bookings will be turned away and a new appointment arranged for the next available slot. This will most likely not be for the same day.  For example, if you book a telephone appointment but turn up at the Practice expecting to be seen, you will not be given a face-to-face appointment.
• Urgent, on the day appointments can currently only be booked by telephoning or visiting the Practice.
• We DO NOT offer a walk-in-and-wait service
• It is anticipated that face-to-face appointments will be a longer wait time than telephone consultations.

Please be mindful that we are still actively recruiting and training new staff, both clinical and non-clinical.  It will be some time before we are at full staffing capacity so wait times will be higher than we would like right now.  To ensure we are delivering a safe service to our patients, our clinicians have limited capacity each day.  When we reach our daily capacity, it may be necessary for us to cap our access and signpost urgent cases to other providers.

Community NHS services do not consist of only GPs.  We have a wide range of clinical staff at the Practice.  Just because a GP has always been the go-to clinician of choice, another healthcare professional may be best suited to your specific issue, problem or need.  All clinicians work within the scope of their respective roles.  Below is a summary of the multidisciplinary team at Pulteney and Bathampton:

• GPs – Manage complex medical needs, palliative care.  They do not perform cervical smears.
  
• Advanced Nurse Practitioner – Can diagnose, prescribe, and support with most routine issues, similar to that of a GP.
• Paramedic Practitioner – Reserved for on-the-day urgent issues.  They can diagnose and treat most acute conditions.
• Clinical Pharmacists – Can prescribe and offer medication related support, advice and reviews.  These include managing blood pressure medications, thyroid treatment and HRT medications.
• Treating Physiotherapist – Can be booked into, if appropriate, after initial triage by a First Contact Physiotherapist, GP, Paramedic Practitioner or Nurse Practitioner.
• Trainee GPs – Fully qualified doctors who are now in specialist training to become GPs.  They are able to assess and manage all cases that a fully qualified GP would but remain under the supervision of a senior GP at all times.
• Social Prescribing Link Worker – Can offer support and advice for those struggling with everyday life and can put you into contact/refer/signpost to services that help with your specific needs.
• Practice Nurse – Chronic disease management, cytology (smears), wound management, injections, child immunisations etc.
• Healthcare Assistant – Blood tests, blood pressure, ECG’s, B12 injections.
• Clinical Pharmacist Consultation Service (CPCS) – referred by our reception care navigation team.  CPCS is led by Pharmacy based Pharmacists who can manage minor acute conditions such as skin rashes, coughs, cold/flu, sore eyes, sore throats, headaches, congestion, constipation etc.

In the future, we will be expanding our online consultations offerings by using the Airmid App.  This is still in early development and more news will follow on this in the coming weeks.