THE RIVERSIDE PRACTICE

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, we have remained open to patients.  We have offered appointments using new ways of working and new technology.  We have worked hard to make sure clinicians have remained available to speak to and to offer appointments to everyone who has needed them.

During this time we have continued to monitor the increase in demand on our GP’s and how we can manage and improve access to our clinicians.

With the support of the Riverside Patient Participation Group we will be introducing the

Advanced Nurse/Clinical Practitioner

Assessment Service

At Riverside, we are very lucky to have a strong team of Advanced Nurse/Clinical Practitioners (ANCP’s).

ANCP’s are highly regarded members of the clinical team, educated to Degree/Higher Level Education or Masters Level in clinical practice.

ANCP’s have the freedom and authority to:

• make autonomous decisions in the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of patients
• are holistic practitioners, able to address nursing as well as medical needs
• have the ability to ‘see’ the whole person, by caring, providing health promotion advice, assessment, diagnosis, referral, treatment and discharge

Due to the advanced medical and clinical levels of our ANCP’s we are implementing the new Advanced Nurse/Clinical Practitioner Assessment Service.  This will enable the practice to appropriately manage the significant increase in demand on GP appointments, whilst still being able to provide access to qualified clinicians.  This will allow the practice to make sure our patients are getting the medical care and support needed when attending the practice with the most appropriate clinician.

When patients contact the practice to make an appointment with a GP, they will be booked in with an Advanced Nurse/Clinical Practitioner.  The ANP/CP will assess the patients’ health care needs and will be able to make autonomous decisions in the assessment, diagnosis and treatment required for the presenting complaint.

Advanced Nurse/Clinical Practitioners can refer into Community Services, request diagnostic imaging such as x-rays/ultrasounds and refer into Secondary Care (Hospitals) if required. 

If, when seeing an Advanced Nurse/Clinical Practitioner they feel further investigation or support is required by a GP, the ANCP will have the ability to book an appointment with the patients named GP for further intervention.

We hope that by implementing the above Advanced Nurse/Clinical Practitioner Assessment Service, GP’s will have the time to support those patients requiring additional support for long term, high dependency medical and clinical needs.

Seeing the Advanced Nurse / Clinical Practitioner

Patients with an acute or short term illness or flare up of a long term illness will be given an appointment with an Advanced Nurse/Clinical Practitioner (ANCP).

ANCP’s will have access to support from the doctors at all times. Where an ANCP is unable to deal with a presenting problem, they will refer the patient to their usual GP or the GP on site. GP’s will continue to be available for treating patients who have complex or chronic health needs.

ANCP’s will deal with same day emergency appointments.

ANCP’s cannot see children under the age of 6 months old or pregnant women for a pregnancy related problem, please therefore inform the receptionist at the time of requesting an appointment.

What is an Advanced Nurse/Clinical Practitioner?

 

ANCP’s are all trained specialist clinicians who have undertaken additional education in order to provide advanced nursing care and are able to prescribe.

ANCP’s can provide treatment and advice for many problems for which you may have seen a doctor for in the past.

If your appointment is directed to an ANCP they can assess and examine you, make a diagnosis and provide advice and treatment including a prescription if required.

ANCP’s can make referrals to hospital doctors or other health care professionals and admit patients into hospital if and when necessary.

ANCP’s work closely with your GP and liaise frequently with them about your care.

Our ANCP’s can see the following conditions (this is not an exhaustive list)

Rashes	Shingles	Vomiting
Oral thrush	Acute chest infection	Diarrhoea, constipation, piles
Dizziness, giddiness, unusual headache	Urinary tract infections, cystitis	Vaginal thrush soreness, lump or discharge

 

Tonsillitis, earache, cough, swollen glands, sinusitis, sore throat, colds and flu like illnesses, raised temperature that shows no improvement after one week of pharmacy care/advice and home treatment.

There are also many other problems that the ANCP’s are able to help you with, for example menstrual disorders, unexplained weight loss, breast lumps, sexual health advice and depression.

Some patients, often those with complex and long standing medical problems may need an appointment with a doctor, the ANCP is usually able to assess the situation and in some cases will organise initial blood tests and other investigations prior to arranging an appointment with your GP.

ANCP’s are experienced and highly skilled clinicians with advanced clinical skills to:-

1. Take a full medical history, carry out physical assessments and examinations
2. Make a diagnosis and carry out treatment, including the prescribing of medicines.
3. Plan follow up treatment
4. Refer patients, where appropriate

We hope that you find this new service will complement and improve the care that you currently receive at The Riverside Practice.

 

How To See The Doctor

If you are receiving ongoing care and have been requested to make an appointment with your GP, please telephone 01354 661922 to make an appointment.

Every appointment is a ten minute slot. Whilst we endeavour to run all clinics on time, there may be occasions when the surgery is running slightly behind schedule. A clinician is not able to foresee what issues they will be presented with that day, and as such this sometimes leads to a surgery over running. The clinicians here are working very hard to ensure you are seen appropriately and we thank you for your patience during these times.

Please remember that an appointment is for one person only and is for one problem. Should you require to speak to a clinician regarding two separate issues, please inform a receptionist so they can offer you a double appointment.

 

Alternative service providers:

Minor Injury Units

• Wounds, scalds, burns

 

Pharmacy / Pharmacist

• Conjunctivitis, sticky discharging eye

 

First Direct Physio  

We now have Specialist physiotherapists working within the practice.  Appointments for the following conditions will be made with our Physiotherapist.

• Bone, Joint or Muscle pain