Message from your local NHS about help and support available from GP practices 

• All the healthcare staff working in general practice are facing a big increase in demand for their services, so your patience is really appreciated. 

• This message helps to explain to you the reasons for some of the recent changes you may have experienced at your local GP practice.

GP services are busier than ever before, delivering more appointments but in a different way.

We are sorry to hear the experiences of people who are finding it difficult to get through on the telephone or who are unhappy with the types of appointment offered. If you need to see someone in person, you still can. We appreciate your patience during this difficult period.

Why are things different from before the pandemic?

Official data suggest that up to 1 in 50 people in England have COVID-19, so infection control remains a high priority especially in healthcare settings where there are sick and vulnerable people. To keep patients and staff safe we need to avoid crowded waiting rooms as well as to carry out cleaning between patient consultations and so it isn’t feasible for practices to see as many people in person as before the pandemic. If we can meet your needs by a telephone or video call this could be safer for you and others and can often be quicker and more convenient.

Currently around half of appointments are in person. Your GP team will make sure they arrange these types of appointments when needed. Your GP practice team is working hard to make sure that you get the same high standard of care whether you receive help on the phone, by a video call or in person.

With practices now doing more work over the phone, and due to the increase in the number of patients seeking help from their GP, including for vaccination queries (flu and covid), unfortunately some patients are finding it harder to get through and are facing long waits. We know this is frustrating and can be disruptive for you. We are really sorry for this and are working hard to improve your experience when contacting your GP practice. 

Please do continue trying to get through to the practice on the phone when you need to and continue to use alternative ways of contacting your practice, such as filling out a secure web form (e-consult) from your GP website [link to form on website]

Helping you get the right appointment for your needs 

The reception staff are trained to support you to get the right appointment for your needs and sometimes you might be asked to give information that you would prefer not to share with someone other than a doctor or health professional. It really does help to have this information in order to arrange the right appointment for you.

You may be offered an appointment with a different trained professional who works at the practice rather than a GP if this is the best person to help you. This might be a nurse, a paramedic, a pharmacist, a healthcare assistant or a physiotherapist.

We know that most of you will continue to treat your practice staff with courtesy and kindness. This is really important for all the staff at your practice and they appreciate it. 

Thank you for your patience and support during these difficult times for everyone.

We are running an online survey to help us understand how Community Pharmacy services can help you with your future health needs 💊

Get involved and share your opinions with us

Complete the survey online ➡ https://bit.ly/3GJYQ4a

Open until 31st March 2022 

Getting urgent dental care

If you need dental treatment in an emergency

· call your dentist – some dental practices offer appointments at short notice · contact NHS 111 for advice and support - online at 111.nhs.uk or by phone.

If the NHS111 service thinks that you need immediate dental help, they can book you into an appointment as part of the urgent care dental service for Hertfordshire and west Essex patients.

The Hertfordshire and West Essex urgent care dental service is provided through:

· the Hertfordshire out-of-hours service which has appointments from 6-8pm on weekdays and 10am-6pm on weekends and bank holidays.

· three dental practices in Hemel Hempstead, Watford, and Waltham Abbey which have appointments during their normal opening hours. The Waltham Abbey practice also provides urgent Saturday appointments.

All urgent care dental service appointments must be booked through NHS111. You cannot book them directly.

Contact NHS 111 for help if:

· you have severe toothache – that keeps you awake at night and doesn’t feel better with pain killers

· you’ve knocked out a tooth, broken or damaged it

· you’ve recently had a tooth taken out and it won’t stop bleeding

· you have a painful lump or swelling in your mouth

· you think you need urgent help with another dental issue.

Paying for urgent NHS dental care

Urgent NHS dental care is free if you are under 18, are under 19 and in full time education, are pregnant, or are on certain benefits. If you don’t qualify for free treatment you will need to pay an urgent care fee for your appointment.

Find out more about emergency and out of hours dental care on the NHS.uk website.