Updates we have made following your feedback

Appointment system

As a direct result of the global pandemic Kingsway Surgery simplified the booking system to ensure safety for the patients & clinicians. As a result, all patients were asked to call on the day at 8am and the reception team would signpost them to the most appropriate pathway. 

Given the feedback received we understand that a more accessible and flexible approach is now required coupled with moving out of the pandemic.

Please see changes made below:

Appointments

• We are reinstating a number of online telephone call appointments using Systmonline. Should you wish to sign up to this please access the form on our website that can be sent to the practice https://www.kingswaysurgery.co.uk/online-forms. You can also use your NHS app to book these online appointments. You may have recently downloaded this for your COVID passport.
• To reduce the amount of patients calling at peak times we are now advising patients who are calling for non-urgent matters (such as results, referrals and prescriptions) to call after 11am. This will not only reduce the time in the queue for patients with urgent matters but calls after 11am will be answered in a timely manner.

• We also have an online service called Engage Consult. This is available 24/7 and works intuitively to signpost you to the best possible pathway. However, the option to contact the practice is also available.

• We are participating in a new approach to improve access for patients to GP appointments. The aim is to direct patients to the most appropriate healthcare professional, which may be a GP or a pharmacist. If your symptoms could be resolved by a booked consultation with the pharmacist instead of the GP, you will be given a same-day referral to a pharmacy of your choice.

New Website

• We have made more forms available on our website for quick and easy access. Example of new forms added are: Consent forms, Change of details form, Medication review form and various self-referral forms including counselling (Vita Minds) and podiatry.
• Sick note extensions – These can be requested via our website at https://www.kingswaysurgery.co.uk/sick-certificates or by sending an email to Kingswaypractice.noreply@nhs.net or using Engage Consult which is found on our website - https://engage.gp/7387/#/welcome
• You can also use the website to book appointments and request prescriptions.
• We would appreciate any feedback you may have in regards to the website so that we can make it more user friendly - https://www.kingswaysurgery.co.uk/contact-us

Ways to get in touch and keep informed

Our phone lines are currently very busy as demand is very high. There are a number of other ways to contact the surgery for things that are not urgent:

Email – kingswaysurgery.noreply@nhs.net

Engage Consult - https://engage.gp/7387/#/welcome

Website contact form - https://www.kingswaysurgery.co.uk/contact-us

As new services, improvements and changes are made to the practice we always aim to keep our patients informed, so why not follow us on:

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/Kingsway-Surgery-103159031912934

Twitter

https://twitter.com/@KingswaySurgery

In the practice

Please see the screen in the waiting room that is updated on a regular basis.

New Staff

Over the last month, the practice has been successful in recruiting the following members of staff:

 2 x Physicians Associate - Physician associates (PAs) are healthcare professionals with a generalist medical education who work alongside doctors providing medical care as an integral part of the multidisciplinary team. PAs work under the supervision of a doctor but can work autonomously with appropriate support.

1 x First Contact Physiotherapist - Their role is to provide expert assessment of musculoskeletal problems and advise on initial management. This does not mean that they will provide ongoing formal physiotherapy treatment – this is done via the normal physiotherapy department.

2 x GP Registrars - We have GP registrars on attachment to the practice for four months at a time working under the close supervision of the partners. These are fully qualified doctors who work in hospital medicine but are having GP training as part of their mandatory rotation.

1 x Trainee Practice Nurse – Our new nurse will help support the current nursing team and offer more long-term condition appointments/Immunisations/dressings and smears.

1 x Doctor – we have a new doctor starting with the surgery from January 2022.

Reception Staff – we have taken on a large number of new reception staff over the last month. These staff are still going through training so we would appreciate your understanding and patience.