Meet The Team

Practice Nurses are fully trained in a wide range of skills including immunisations, health promotion, contraception and management of long-term conditions e.g. advice on diet and lifestyle choices, coronary heart disease, hypertension, asthma, diabetes, smoking cessation and obesity. Practice Nurses can extend their skills at Diploma Level and see many patients who previously would have seen the Doctor.

The Nursing Team run various Nurse-led clinics for diabetes, asthma, coronary heart disease and COPD as well as providing general nursing services, dressings, removal of sutures and blood tests.

Healthcare Assistants work under the guidance of a Lead Practice Nurse. They help with routine health checks, and provide patients with general health and wellbeing advice. They can help with, Health checks, such as blood pressure monitoring or taking blood samples, vitamin B12 injections, Vaccinations and injections, Health living advice, e.g. Stopping smoking and weight loss and Dressings and stitch removal.

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Admin Team

Our Administration team support and work closely with the clinical and management team.  

They deal with core workload of medicine management i.e. repeat prescription requests, EPS services, nominating pharmacies and Online Patient Triage (Non medical and Admin queries).

They also deal with non-clinical correspondences, email management, registering patients, support referral and private insurance/non-NHS administration.

manage your healthcare and well-being.

PCNs are groups of GP practices working closely together – along with other healthcare staff and organisations – providing integrated services to the local population. PCNs build on the core work of primary care services and enable greater provision of proactive, personalised, coordinated and more integrated health and social care for our communities. They are crucial to the development of Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) and in meeting the ambitions in the NHS Long Term Plan.

First Contact Physiotherapy

What is First Contact Physiotherapy?

First Contact Physiotherapists (FCP) are experienced musculoskeletal physiotherapists, who have a number of years experience working in MSK. This means that a patient can see an experienced physiotherapist for an assessment directly at their GP practice, without needing to see a GP or be referred externally.

How to access an FCP appointment?

You do not need to see a GP to get an appointment with an FCP, simply call Pickhurst Surgery, explain that you are having a MSK problem (joint, bone, muscle, tendon), and they can book you directly with one of the FCP team. You can also ask your GP, or any other practitioner at the surgery, to do this if you have an appointment with them about something else. There is no referral form required.

What do expect during your FCP appointment?

Your FCP will take a detailed history of your condition, they may also question some of your past medical history to gain a better understanding of your symptoms and to rule out other pathology. They will then assess the joint at fault to aim to gain a detailed diagnosis, which will be explained to you.

The FCP and yourself will then come up with a plan moving forwards, generally this is some rehabilitation exercises and advice on management of your condition. The FCP service is not a physiotherapy treatment service, but your FCP will always make you aware to return if your condition is not getting better.

We may use the GetUBetter self management app, for exercise progression. If you wanted to trail this before seeing an FCP you can gain access here;

REGISTER FOR GETUBETTER: https://app.getubetter.com/request-access/1/4e732ced3463d06de0ca9a15b6153677

If your FCP feels you need ongoing physiotherapy treatment, they will refer to the local hospital.

If your FCP feels that you need further investigations or referral they are able to refer you for scanning, or to hospital based services, or to the local joint injection service.

The FCP’s work closely with the GP’s, and often liase about conditions and work together if this is required for the management of your condition (e.g prescriptions.)

Mental Health Practitioner

Mental Health professional in general practice may also be known as Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner, hight intensity Therapists or Cognitive Behavioural Therapists and work as part of ‘Improving Access to Psychological Therapies’ (IAPT) services.

They specialise in mental health and use a range of talking therapies to help people with common mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression or post-traumatic stress disorder. Sessions are usually one-to-one but can also be in couple or group settings, by phone or online. Referral can be via your GP or directly via a local psychological therapies (IAPT) service.

They can help with: Talking therapies, tools and techniques to manage symptoms and support for those experiencing the psychological effects of managing long-term conditions, such as diabetes.

Social Prescribing Line Workers

Social prescribing involves helping people to improve their health and wellbeing by connecting them to activities in the community. Link Workers connect those feeling lonely, overwhelmed or in need of help to a range of local support, from community and activity groups to work, debt or housing advice. They can help with: Getting people to focus on their own priorities and the things that affect their wellbeing. Supporting people to take more control of their health. Introduction people to groups and activities in their community.

We have a range of additional staff working in the surgery helping to provide a full holistic approach to patient care. These include midwives, clinical pharmacists, social prescribers, community mental health nurses, advance paramedics and physiotherapists.  More staff will come on board as the Hayeswick Primary Care Network evolves.

All staff adhere to the Practice’s Confidentiality Policy and Data Protection Act 2018.

Clinical Pharmacists

Our Clinical Pharmacists working as part of the healthcare team. They are highly trained medication specialists who support patients to get the best and safest use of their medicines.

Clinical Pharmacists are experts in medicines and can help manage long-term conditions, review your current medicines and provide advice if you have questions or concerns about your treatment.

What can a Clinical Pharmacist help with?

• Medication reviews for patients on regular medicines
• Support with long-term conditions such as high blood pressure, asthma, COPD or cholesterol reviews
• Checking for side effects, interactions or unnecessary medicines
• Advising on how and when to take medicines correctly
• Reviewing inhaler technique
• Providing information on new medicines you have been started on
• Monitoring blood tests for certain high-risk medicines
• Prescribing medication changes if they are independent prescribers

Many patients with medicine-related queries can see the Clinical Pharmacist instead of the GP.

Why might I be booked with a Clinical Pharmacist?

You may be offered an appointment with a Clinical Pharmacist if:

• you take multiple regular medicines
• you need a medication review or repeat prescription advice
• you have recently been discharged from hospital and your medicines changed
• you have questions about your treatment plan or side effects

Clinical Pharmacists work closely with GPs, nurses and the wider team to make sure your medicines are safe and right for you.