We are experiencing unprecedented demand for our services. We had hoped it was a peak due to Covid but this has not been the case. This trend is being seen by other GP surgeries and hospitals, both locally and nationally, exacerbated currently by winter pressures.
Our GPs have been doing their best to keep up, working long days, into the evening and at weekends, but this is not sustainable long term. They are also exceeding the recommended appointment guidelines from the British Medical Association (BMA) in terms of safe practice.
The government has invested in other services to help support patients and GPs. The clinicians running these services are experts in their field and can often provide more specialist care.
Our ask is that patients use these services as their first port of call. This will free up the GPs to see patients with those conditions that require more specialist GP care.
The links below share information about the services and how you can use them:
- Self Care – 10 of the most common minor ailments seen by GPs can be treated by you at home. Doing this could save you a trip to the surgery and free up time for the GPs to see patients with more serious health problems. Read more on our self-care pages.
- Care Navigation – there are a range of services and trained health professionals working closely with your GP that might be better suited to help you. Read more and self refer on our who should I see pages.
- E-Hub & Engage Online Consultations – launches Monday 23rd January – see below
- NHS App – you can use the NHS app to request prescriptions, get your Covid pass and in the future, view your medical record and test results. Read more on our NHS app page.
E-Hub & Engage Online Consultations
We introduced Engage Online Consultations in March 2020. This provides a way to ask and receive a response to your medical query online.
The service has proved very popular with those patients that have used it and as a result, the government has invested in E-Hubs to manage Engage Online Consultations going forwards. This frees up the GPs who currently review all online consultations to see more patients face to face or by telephone.
Our E-Hub is with our Rural Rother Primary Care Network (PCN) and covers the surgeries in Battle, Robertsbridge, Sedlescombe, Burwash, Rye and the surrounding areas.
Our E-Hub is managed by highly skilled clinicians of varying designations and overseen by Dr Andrew Sewell, as the Clinical Director of the PCN.
Once your request has been received, it will be assessed by one of the team and they will:
- Respond directing you to the most appropriate specialist service for your needs – this is ‘care navigation’; or
- Forward your query to an appropriate clinician for advice.
We ask patients to use the E-hub as the first port of call for minor ailments when they have read the self-care and care navigation advice and they still need medical input. If you do not have access to the internet, please call the surgery and the receptionists will help you.
Find out more and submit a request on our Engage Online Consultations page.
