Yorkshire Street Medical Centre operates from a 3 storey Edwardian building in the busy town of Burnley, Lancashire. There has been a surgery on this site since the 1920’s. The Practice has recently undergone substantial improvements as it extended the capacity of the accommodation by the purchase of the adjacent building. We have a lift access to all floors and car parking for patients at the rear of the surgery.
The building now provides 4 ground-floor consulting rooms, 2 waiting rooms/health promotion and large inviting reception area. The 1st floor provides 7 consulting rooms, and one waiting room. The 2nd floor provides accommodation for the community nursing teams, multi-disciplinary meeting/conference room, medical secretary’s office, practice managers office, staff toilets and shower room.
The existing partnership consists of 4 whole time equivalent GPs (5 GPs in total), Dr. Andrew Sibson (m), Dr. Hasna Begum (f) & Dr. Naomi Hemsley (f), Dr Naomi Chadwick (f)
The practice is innovative and hard-working, tackling the health and social issues generally associated with a large industrial town. The practice achieves higher targets for cervical cytology and childhood immunisations.
The clinicians are supported by a Clinical Nurse Manager and two part-time practice nurses who run the diabetic, asthma, well women/man clinics. The nurses also carry out new registration health checks, cervical cytology, contraceptive care, elderly health screening, travel vaccinations and childhood immunisation clinics.
The practice has a health care assistant who assists the clinicians and practice nurses with routine phlebotomy clinics, hypertension checks and coronary heart disease assessments.
In addition the practice also provides counselling and dietetic services.
The practice is well equipped with diagnostic equipment, with ECG, Spirometer, portable BP watches, Nebulisers, and cryocautery.
One of our main areas of commitment is with information technology with the utilisation of the EMIS clinical system. In 2001 the practice became a ‘paperless practice’ with all patient information being recorded, READ coded and scanned onto the patient’s electronic record.
The practice is fully involved with supporting clinical governance issues for improving care and service delivery. Clinical audit is an on-going process to evaluate the practices’ development and quality standards.
Policies and procedures are in place to ensure that patient care and administrative tasks are delivered efficiently.
The surgery is open Monday to Friday from 8.00 am to 6.30 pm. The surgery operates a booked appointment system. On a Monday evening we offer extended hours to those patients who work and would struggle to attend appointments during the day (following Bank Holiday Mondays, this session takes place on a Thursday evening).
The practice is involved in the commissioning of local services and the GPs and Practice Manager regularly attend meetings and communicate issues relating to the services provided locally for the practice population. The practice is proud of its involvement in these areas and it is intended to maintain this ethos.
Many of you will already know that the Surgery rents car parking bays from the KSC Club at the back of Blakey Street. These bays are provided for patients using the Surgery. Unfortunately we have noticed that some people are using them whilst they go into town. If you do use the car park please could we ask you to vacate the space once you have attended the Surgery.
For many years we have been able to offer our patients a treatment room service at the Surgery which was provided by the local Primary Care Trust. Unfortunately in February 2004 this service was withdrawn and the nearest service will be located centrally at ST PETERS CENTRE BURNLEY.
Patients using the service can access any Treatment Room within Burnley, Pendle & Rossendale. For details are other treatment rooms, ask at reception. The telephone number for St Peters Treatment Room is: 01282 805920
Our own practice nurses will gladly assist you in monitoring and management of all chronic disease (heart, chest diabetes). They can offer travel advice, ear syringing, smears, men women healthy living issues, childhood immunisations, blood testing, blood pressure checks etc.
We are fortunate to have a health care assistant who assists the doctors and practice nurses with routine investigations.
If a doctor requests a blood test our HCA will usual take this, together with blood pressure checks.
If you suffer from diabetes you will be given an appointment to see the HCA who will take the preliminary bloods so that when you see the practice nurse, she has all the necessary information to perform your diabetic check.
The HCA will also do minor health checks and medication monitor. Ask at reception for more information on the services our HCA can offer.
We run a special baby clinic on Wednesdays. You can see our practice nurse for baby vaccinations and also our GP for both the baby 8 week check and postnatal checks.
Please note that the baby clinic is for well babies only.
Appointments can be made for baby clinic via our reception desk.
Certain surgical procedures can be undertaken by the practice doctors within the Medical Centre. This may save unnecessary visits to the hospital.
If you think you are pregnant we carry out free pregnancy testing at the Practice. Just bring along a urine sample (early morning mid-stream) – the results are usually available within a couple of minutes dependent on how busy we are! Our antenatal clinic is held on Thursdays each week. Appointments must be made at reception.
We aim to offer the best possible service to all our patients but occasionally some patients may have cause to comment on the services we provide.
All patients have access to a practice based complaints procedure.
All complaints, verbal or written, should be forwarded to the Practice Manager, Mrs Michelle Hartley.
Verbal complaints will be acknowledged in writing to the complainant within 2 working days. The complainant will be informed of the prescribed time period for dealing with the complaint (7 days normally or longer if staff members are on leave). The complainant will be asked to confirm the recorded summary of the complaint.
Written complaints will be dealt with as above ie; acknowledged within 2 working days and issued with a time period for dealing with the complaint.
Investigation/conciliation
The Manager will carry out a full investigation of the facts. Discussion with staff/partners may be necessary.
The complainant will be informed of the outcome of the investigation and given the opportunity to comment or meet the Manager together with staff members involved in the complaint.
When nothing can be done to resolve a matter, the complainant will be advised of their rights to approach the Health Service Ombudsman who will have the power to access clinical advice.
Most complaints will be dealt with by the practice, however if patients do not wish to raise their concerns / complaints directly with the practice, all Primary Care (GP, Dental, Pharmacy, Optical) complaints, concerns and enquiries will now be handled centrally.
ALL complaints, concerns and enquiries queries regarding Independent Contractor Services (e.g. GP, Dentist, Pharmacy, Opticians) should be directed to:
NHS England,
P.O. Box 16738
Redditch
B97 9PT
Tel: 0300 311 22 33 (Monday to Friday 8am – 6pm, excluding English Bank Holidays)
Email: england.contactus@nhs.net
Complaints regarding commissioning decisions / issues e.g. individual patient funding requests and continuing health complaints
Complaints should be directed to:
Customer Care Team
Lancashire Commissioning Support Unit
Lancashire Business Park
Jubilee House
Centurion Way
Leyland. PR26 6TR
Tel: 0800 032 2424
Email: customer.care@lancashirecsu.nhs.uk
Outcomes
It may be necessary to amend working practice to resolve a complaint. Any changes in working conditions or procedures will be made following consultations with the Practice Manager and the Partners. It may also be necessary for the members of staff to receive further training as a result of a grievance from a patient or representative.
This is a new system for patients taking regular medication. The way it works is that prescriptions are issued for a number of months and saves the need for patients to be ordering their medicines every month. Please ask for a leaflet from our receptionists.
This is another new scheme which is designed to promote ‘self help’ to patients. Each patient who registers at reception for sign-up to the scheme is issued with a passbook, which can be taken to most local chemists. If you are suffering from a minor ailment, you can take the passbook to the chemist and have a consultation with a trained pharmacist and prescribed over-the-counter medication free of charge*.
This saves the need for you to make an appointment to see the doctor.
Please ask at reception for details.
*Available if you do not pay for prescriptions.
We are now offering CVD checks to any patient between the ages of 40 – 74 years of age. This is a 30-minute appointment with a nurse or HCA who will assess your risk of developing a serious heart related illness. Blood samples will be taken at this appointment – ask at reception for further information.
Some services available at Yorkshire Street Medical Centre are not NHS services, and as a result if you need one of these services you can be charged for it.
Below is an explanation of why we make charges for some things.
Isn’t the NHS supposed to be free?
The National Health Service provides most health care to most people free of charge, but there are exceptions: prescription charges have existed since 1951 and there are a number of other services for which fees are charged.
Sometimes the charge is made to cover some of the cost of treatment, for example, dental fees; in other cases, it is because the service is not covered by the NHS, for example, providing copies of health records or producing medical reports for insurance companies.
Surely the doctor is being paid anyway?
It is important to understand that many GPs are not employed by the NHS; they are self-employed and have to cover their own costs – staff, buildings, heating, lighting, etc – in the same way as any small business. The NHS covers these costs for NHS work, but non-NHS work there is no payment from the NHS. The fees charged by GPs contribute towards their costs in these cases.
What is covered by the NHS and what is not?
The Government’s contract with GPs covers medical services to NHS patients, including the provision of ongoing medical treatment. In recent years, however, more and more organisations have been involving doctors in a whole range of non-medical work. Sometimes the only reason that GPs are asked is because they are in a position of trust in the community, or because an insurance company or employer wants to ensure that information provided to them is true and accurate.
Examples of non-NHS services for which GPs can charge their own NHS patients are:
Accident/sickness certificates for insurance purposes
Reports for health clubs to certify that patients are fit to exercise
Pre-employment and HGV medicals, as requested by employers
Private prescriptions, e.g. for malaria
Examples of non-NHS services for which GPs can charge other institutions are:
Life assurance and income protection reports for insurance companies
Some reports for the Department For Work and Pensions (DWP)
Medical reports for local authorities in connection with adoption and fostering
Do GPs have to do non-NHS work for their patients?
With certain limited exceptions, for example a GP confirming that one of their patients is not fit for jury service, GPs do not have to carry out non-NHS work on behalf of their patients. Whilst GPs will always attempt to assist their patients with the completion of forms, for example for insurance purposes, they are not required to do such non-NHS work.
Is it true that the British Medical Association (BMA) sets fees for non-NHS work?
The BMA suggests fees that GPs may charge their patients for non-NHS work (i.e. work not covered under their contract with the NHS) in order to help GPs set their own professional fees. However, the fees suggested by the BMA are intended for guidance only; they are not recommendations and a doctor is not obliged to charge the rates suggested.
I only need the doctor’s signature – what is the problem?
When a doctor signs a certificate or completes a report, it is a condition of remaining on the Medical Register that they only sign what they know to be true. In order to complete even the simplest of forms, therefore, the doctor might have to check the patient’s entire medical record. Carelessness or an inaccurate report can have serious consequences for the doctor with the General Medical Council (the doctors’ regulatory body) or even the Police.
What can I do to help?
Not all documents need a signature by a doctor, for example, passport applications. You can ask another person in a position of trust to sign such documents free of charge. If you have several forms requiring completion, present them all at once and ask your GP if he or she is prepared to complete them at the same time to speed up the process. Do not expect your GP to process forms overnight: urgent requests may mean that a doctor has to make special arrangements to process the form quickly, and this will cost more.
What will I be charged?
The BMA recommends that practices tell patients in advance if they will be charged, and what the fee will be. It is up to individual practices to decide how much they will charge, but the BMA produces lists of suggested fees which many practices use. You can find a copy of our fee list by clicking the link below. There is also a copy in the reception area at the practice.
What report work doesn’t have to be done by my GP?
There is some medical examination and report work that can be done by any doctor, not only a patient’s GP. For this work there are no set or recommended fees.
NEWS : ‘Under the Freedom of Information Act model publication scheme’ is now available for download.
All data users must be registered with the Data Protection Registrar.
Registered data users must comply with the Data Protection Principles which states data shall:
The Act gives rights to individuals about whom information is recorded on computer. Individuals may find out information about themselves, challenge it if appropriate and claim compensation in certain circumstances. The Act places obligations on those who record and use personal data (data users).
The Principles also provide for individuals to have access to data held about themselves and, where appropriate, to have the data corrected or deleted.
We offer a full range of family planning services including “contraceptive implants, coils and condoms”. We also offer sexual health checks and advice, pregnancy testing, condom distribution and cervical screening. Please ask at reception.
The Practice now operates EPS (Electronic Prescribing Service) which allows patients to register with their chosen pharmacy to enable prescriptions to be delivered electronically. Please ask for details at your own pharmacy.
