IMPORTANT NOTICE FROM YOUR SURGERY
Dear Avisford Patient
On 29th May 2019, the Practice will be switching to a totally new clinical system – called SystmOne. This is part of a local initiative to improve the standard and completeness of patients’ medical records throughout the Regis locality.
From 21st to 29th May, appointments to see GPs, Nurses & HCAs will be severely restricted. During this time, all of our existing data will be migrated across to the new system and staff will attend relevant training. We hope it will then be “business as usual” on the new system from Thursday 30th May – but please forgive us if simple tasks take a little longer while we get used to the new system.
The purpose of this email is to advise all patients who currently use the on-line patient access facility that their existing logins, etc. will NOT work with our new system – and it may take a few weeks to get everybody up and running with their registration details for the new system. We apologise that, in the interim, you will need to revert to paper repeat prescription requests or, if unable to get to the surgery, contact your usual pharmacy and ask them to submit a request on your behalf.
Please bear with us and accept our apologies for any interruptions to patient care.
Kind regards
Drs Tej Bansil & Mark Sidney
FRIENDS OF AVISFORD – SUPPORTING YOUR LOCAL COMMUNITY
As a committee the Friends of Avisford take very seriously our main objectives, one of which is to ‘Advance the education of the public in healthcare by providing lectures’.
The Friends of Avisford Medical Group also support health related community projects.
We have recently made a contribution of £500 towards the Defibrillator placed outside the Southern Cooperative Store in Barnham.
This is the second public defibrillator we have helped fund through the Friends of Avisford.
The first was place on the outside of the Jubilee Hall, Middleton on Sea.
FRIENDS OF AVISFORD – AFFILIATED TO THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PATIENT PARTICIPATION (NAPP)
Did you know that the Friends are affiliated to NAPP? A certificate is displayed on our noticeboard in each surgery. On a regular basis NAPP send out a bulletin about national issues this is also available in the surgery on our noticeboard or in PDF form below.
FRIENDS OF AVISFORD – MEMBER OF THE REGIS COMMUNITY BOARD
A new localised initiative has been launched by the NHS to promote closer collaboration between those who need the services and those who provide them, with the focus on the services our community really need. A representative from each of the local Patient Participation Groups (PPG) have been invited to sit at a Regis Community Board (RCB) which, in turn, reports to the Local Community Network (LCN). [How the NHS love their acronyms!] The LCN reports through the normal NHS structure.
The system is a like a ladder, with each Group reporting upwards with any problems or issues causing concern and collecting information on the various services available. The initiative should speed the flow of information in both directions – helping patients to air their concerns and thereby aiding the NHS to focus on providing or transforming services in areas of importance to local people – moving from a reactive to a proactive system thatprevents ill-health rather than simply treating it and promotes physical, mental & social well-being.
Three areas specifically identified in our area are:
- Prevention;
- Frail & Ageing Population
- Urgent Care
The RCB meet once a month and although only in place for a few months, has already proved how valuable it could be with topics discussed so far covering means of communication – including translation and poster services to broadcast services available to patients, and information on other services available to patients. Of particular interest in our area is the relatively new Carer’s Health Team, with information on how their Carer’s Clinics can help carers. Other subjects for discussion are in the pipeline, including dementia provisions and hospital discharge processes.
Our representative on the RCB can raise any questions or issues you may have with the health system. We cannot guarantee the outcome but can, and will, air your concerns and let you know of any resulting changes or improvements. If we are not made aware of problems, we can do nothing to help, so please ‘talk’ to us – via our website or email avisford.friends@gmail.com or drop a note into either surgery and we will do our best.
STOP PRESS – The RCB are hosting the BIG REGIS EVENT 0n SATURDAY 2ND MARCH 2019 at the Arun Leisure Centre, Felpham (see EVENTS page for details)
FRIENDS OF AVISFORD – CONNECTING WITH THE CQC
Did you know that the Care Quality Commission sends out a monthly bulletin to all regional stakeholders?
The bulletin covers:
- Latest publications that you can use to help drive improvement locally
- Resources for PPGs to use to have conversations with their practices
- Information on how to get signed up to receive alerts about new reports for services you’re interested in
- Details of consultations where your views can help shape how the CQC monitor services
The latest bulletin can be downloaded here: CQC Bulletin
FRIENDS OF AVISFORD – CONNECTING WITH NHS COSTAL WEST SUSSEX CLINICAL COMMISSIONING GROUP (CCG)
A clinical commissioning group (CCG) is a new NHS organisation that brings together local GPs and experienced health professionals to take on commissioning responsibilities for local health services.
As commissioners of local health services, a CCG is responsible for planning the right services to meet the needs of local people, buying local health services including community health care and hospital services, and checking that the services are delivering the best possible care and treatment for those who need them.
A CCG has to work within a local budget from the NHS for local health services and work closely with other NHS colleagues and local authorities to ensure local people are receiving the best possible care.
In West Sussex there are three clinical commissioning groups following the changes to the NHS on 1 April 2013 – NHS Coastal West Sussex CCG, NHS Crawley CCG, and NHS Horsham and Mid Sussex CCG.
NHS Coastal West Sussex CCG is led by local doctors and health professionals and covers six localities in West Sussex from Chichester across to Adur and up to Chanctonbury.
The CCG is made up of the 47 GP practices in our area and is now responsible for commissioning local health services for more than 482,100 people.
We have a strong leadership team made up of local doctors, hospital consultants and nurses, who are working alongside an experienced local management team to make sure that local services are providing the best possible care for local people.
You can connect with the CCG website at: http://www.coastalwestsussexccg.nhs.uk