Doctors’ surgery will ‘expand with local needs’

With the likelihood of more housing in Reepham over the coming years, bringing with it a rise in population, the town’s doctors’ surgery says it will continue to expand its range of healthcare services in line with the growing needs of local patients.
 

 
“We will always be proactive in providing the services that patients may need in the future,” explained Reepham Surgery’s practice manager Sue Chapman.
 
More consulting rooms are being planned on the ground floor of the Smugglers Lane building, the practice is currently advertising for another nurse practitioner and additional services such as physiotherapy and well-being clinics are in the pipeline, with other services like chiropody and podiatry also under consideration.
 
The surgery is part of the Reepham & Aylsham Medical Practice, which has around 9,100 patients, with some 5,000 registered in Reepham, which has a catchment area that covers as far as Foulsham, Corpusty, Cawston, Attlebridge and Lyng. The four-partner GP practice also has a surgery in Hungate Street, Aylsham.
 
Reepham Surgery’s opening hours are 8.30 am – 6 pm Monday to Friday with telephone access from 8 am – 6.30 pm; the surgery is closed from 1–2 pm weekdays and closed on Saturday, Sunday and bank holidays. The practice also holds an extended hours surgery on Monday (alternate weeks at each surgery) from 7–8 am and 6.30–7.30 pm.
 
Appointment system
The surgery operates a triage system from 8–10 am for patients who need urgent medical attention. Patients too unwell to attend the surgery are asked to telephone before 10 am to discuss their situation with the triage doctor. Patients with non-urgent appointment requests are urged to telephone after 10.30 am.
 
“For urgent care, patients will always be able to see a doctor or nurse on the day,” Ms Chapman stressed.
 
With the surgery seeing more than 100 patients a day, “no-shows” are a constant problem. She revealed that over a recent two-day period 19 patients were recorded as “DNA” (Did Not Attend). And in the month of September, 26 hours of consultation time was lost to DNAs – the equivalent of four days – most of which could not be reallocated at such short notice.
 
“We are constantly trying to reduce the number of DNAs – even a small reduction in this figure would make a significant difference,” said assistant practice manager Wendy Dicks.
 
“Although we understand that some patients may simply forget appointments, or there are work or family commitments, if they let us know well in advance that they are unable to make an appointment we will always try to accommodate them.”
 
Online services
An online appointment and booking and cancellation service is also available, although the practice admits the uptake has been disappointing to date. This service also enables repeat prescriptions to be ordered, and patient records may also become available in future.
 
With around 30 staff comprising doctors, nursing staff and a practice team that includes administration secretaries, receptionists and dispensers, Reepham & Aylsham Medical Practice is always looking to improve and streamline its services.
 
As part of this process to encourage constructive feedback, the practice has established a Virtual Patient Participation Group, which currently has around 160 members, comprising a cross-section of the local population to provide input on patient services and practice development. Group members are contacted periodically by email.
 
“We do get a lot of compliments about our work,” Ms Chapman explained. “The fact that both Reepham and Aylsham are growing is fantastic. Both towns are vibrant and expanding and their facilities will improve over time.
 
“Government funding for NHS services will eventually trickle through. For the time being, we can just monitor changes in the population and try to plan how we can expand piece by piece while making sure the funds are there as we go along.
 
“We have the capacity to grow and the flexibility to add on clinics in line with demand. While there is a shortage of staff nationally we have a strong clinical background and are working hard to recruit staff.”
 
Community concerns as average waiting times rise

  • The Reepham Economic Strategy published in 2013 indicated that the town’s current population is around 2,700. However, Reepham acts as a service centre for a much larger rural hinterland that encompasses many small villages and hamlets.
  • The population of Reepham is notable for the above-average proportion of residents aged between 40 and 60, many of which, it is suggested, have moved to the town from elsewhere because of its charm, access to the countryside and Norwich, and a strongly performing secondary school.
  • While a strong sense of community exists in Reepham, a consultation highlighted concerns about a lack of certain community facilities, including access to GPs surgeries.
  • The ageing, growing and, in some ways, increasingly unhealthy population means more patients want or need to be seen than surgeries can easily accommodate.
  • The average waiting time for a routine GP appointment is almost two weeks, a recent survey has revealed. It found that the average waiting time for an appointment was just under 13 days – an increase from 10 days last year.

 

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