GPConnect
December 2014
Keeping GP Practices up-to-date with news from The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust
Update from Alison Jones, GP Engagement
The newly relocated Walk-in Centre brings benefits for patients
Shropshire’s NHS Walk-in Centre, which allows people to see a GP or nurse without an appointment, opened its
doors in newly refurbished accommodation alongside the A&E department at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital on
Monday 15 December.
The Walk-in Centre is open from 8am until 8pm every day, and sees a range of minor injuries and illnesses.
Dr Caron Morton, Accountable Officer for Shropshire Clinical Commissioning Group said: “This is a move that
clinicians have been eagerly anticipating, and means we will have emergency and urgent care co-located on
the same site. This is now regarded both nationally and internationally as the optimum approach for
delivering the best treatment for patients. The fact we have been able to relocate the service in time to deal
with the annual spike in demand caused by the onset of winter is a huge bonus.
“All the evidence demonstrates that having an urgent care facility, such as the Walk-in Centre, co-located
alongside A&E, benefits patients and allows them to be seen by the most appropriate health professional
the first time.
“The College of Emergency Medicine has called for primary care centres to be sited alongside emergency
centres. This is intended to address 'crowding theory' which demonstrates that overcrowded A&E
departments mean poorer patient outcomes. There are additional advantages to teams of skilled staff
working at co-located centres as they can learn from each other in a beneficial way.”
Dr Kevin Eardley, Care Group Medical Director for Unscheduled Care at The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS
Trust, said: “Enhancing walk-in services at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital will mean that people who
urgently need assessment with non-life threatening injuries or illnesses could be seen more quickly by GP
walk-in service staff.
“Walk-in staff have particular skills that will support timely and effective management of those presenting
with minor illnesses and injuries, providing existing A&E staff with more capacity to manage the most
complex and severe illnesses and injuries.”
Dr Edwin Borman, Medical Director at The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, added: “Many people who
attend the Emergency Department could be cared for by a GP. Bringing together the Walk-in Centre and
A&E department will offer a new ‘one-stop’ service for people with urgent injuries and illnesses.”
Click and complete the GP Satisfaction Survey!
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/sathgpsurvey
Just to remind GP practices that the 2014 survey is now
underway and will be running until 5 January 2015. This
offers you all an opportunity to look back over the previous 12
months and to comment on the Trust as a service provider.
Please click on the above link and let us know your views: the
password for the survey has been included in the covering
email for this newsletter, sent to practice managers.
Thank you for your continued support in
helping us to improve our services.
New Trust appointment
We would like to welcome to the Trust:
Dr Gauri Dashputre, Consultant Anaesthetist, based at
Princess Royal Hospital.
Contact details will be found in the Consultant Contact
directories at www.sath.nhs.uk/gpconnect
GPConnect contact: Alison Jones, GP Engagement
Trust Headquarters - Stretton House, SaTH, Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, Mytton Oak Road, Shrewsbury, SY3 8XQ
Telephone (01743) 492591
Mobile 07747 532926
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.sath.nhs.uk/gpconnect
Please click and complete the GP Satisfaction Survey 2014 at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/sathgpsurvey
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Meeting the Women and Children’s teams on
14 January 2015 - last few days for bookings!
New procedure brings benefits to women in
Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin and mid Wales
There is still time to get any last-minute bookings in for
the Women and Children's "Meet the Teams" event on
14 January 2015 at the Park Inn Telford, which
promises to be a very informative afternoon.
Women in Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin and mid
Wales are benefiting from a new technique which is
reducing the time they need to stay in hospital
following hysterectomy and leading to quicker recovery
times.
Following a light buffet lunch available from 12.30pm at
the Park Inn, the afternoon will be a mix of plenary and
breakout sessions led by colleagues from the
gynaecology, paediatrics and maternity teams at SaTH,
and there will be a number of stands highlighting the
work of the Women and Children’s teams.
We are offering 6 half-hour workshop sessions after the
plenary meeting, covering a range of gynaecology,
paediatric and maternity topics: these will all be
repeated throughout the afternoon, giving delegates the
opportunity to attend their choice of 3 sessions.
All members of your practice team are very welcome to
attend, and please return any completed booking forms
indicating workshop choices to Alison Jones, GP
Engagement, Trust Headquarters - Stretton House,
Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, Mytton Oak Road,
Shrewsbury, SY3 8XQ, or emailed to
[email protected] by 6 January 2015.
Both the programme and booking form have been
posted on the GPConnect web page at:
http://www.sath.nhs.uk/gpconnect/gpinformation.aspx
The booking form can be printed from the GPConnect
web page, completed and sent to Alison at Trust
Headquarters.
We look forward to receiving your bookings.
Meet the Ophthalmology team in January 2015
Just to remind GP practice teams that bookings are
now being taken for these two evening events, and the
dates are Tuesday 13 January in the Shropshire
Conference Centre (RSH site), and Tuesday 27
January at ICAT, Wrekin Community Clinic, in
Telford.
The programme is the same for each event, and
practice colleagues can choose which date they would
prefer to attend. The programmes have been emailed
to practice managers, and have also been posted on
the GPConnect web page at:
http://www.sath.nhs.uk/gpconnect/gpinformation.aspx
Please let Alison Jones know (contact details below) if
you would like to attend on either date - thank you.
More than 60 women have benefited from total
laparoscopic hysterectomy, since it was introduced at
the Trust in March 2013.
This procedure involves keyhole surgery to resolve a
number of conditions including cancer of the uterus,
ovarian masses, heavy periods (where other
conservative methods have failed), fibroids and
endometriosis.
The surgery is carried out at the new Shropshire
Women and Children’s Centre at the Princess Royal
Hospital in Telford. As not every patient is suitable for
a total laparoscopic hysterectomy, the Consultants in
Obstetrics and Gynaecology will discuss appropriate
surgery procedures with each individual patient being
considered for hysterectomy.
Miss Banchhita Sahu, Consultant in Obstetrics and
Gynaecology at the Trust and a specialist in
laparoscopic surgery, said: “The procedure takes
about 90 minutes and patients are able to drink and
have light food a few hours after surgery. As they
only need to stay in hospital for 24-36 hours,
patients can return home sooner.
“At home they will also recover much more quickly
than conventional surgery and have minimal
scarring. Patients usually resume their normal
lives, such as returning to work or driving, within
two to four weeks after surgery. This can be an
important factor for those looking after their
children, needing to go back to work and those
who would like to enjoy their full, active life as
soon as possible.
“We began using the procedure, which is one
method of hysterectomy recommended by the
National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE)
for cancers of the womb, in March last year and
have now carried out 60 procedures.”
Miss Sahu, along with Consultant Mr Nick Reed, will
be leading a workshop on urgent access for suspected
cancer, at the Meet the Women and Children’s Teams
event on 14 January. She will be very happy to meet
GP colleagues at the event, and to answer any
questions on total laparoscopic hysterectomy.
GPConnect contact: Alison Jones, GP Engagement
Trust Headquarters - Stretton House, SaTH, Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, Mytton Oak Road, Shrewsbury, SY3 8XQ
Telephone (01743) 492591
Mobile 07747 532926
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.sath.nhs.uk/gpconnect
Please click and complete the GP Satisfaction Survey 2014 at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/sathgpsurvey
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