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Hildenborough & Tonbridge Medical Group
Westwood Wellness
December 2023
The newsletter of Hildenborough & Tonbridge Medical Group
Merry Christmas!
Welcome to HTMG’s first ever newsletter.
I’m Leanne Flux, practice manager at HTMG. We wanted to keep you up to date with everything that’s going on here, both medical and personal, so we’ve decided to produce an occasional newsletter, and I’m really excited to share this first issue with you.
We’ve never done anything like this before, so we’re really keen to hear your views: please do send us your thoughts.
We hope you will find it interesting and useful – let us know!
Best wishes – and a very merry Christmas.
Leanne Flux,
Practice Manager
New touch screens!
Have you had your whooping cough vaccine?
Next time you visit you will see that we now have touch screens in the the reception areas, so you can check in automatically without having to queue. Simply tap the screen to start, and follow the instructions.
Don’t make the rookie error (as this writer did!) of trying to enter the date number by number – a 2 and then a 1 to get 21. There’s a key for the number 21 right there…
Not just political correctness…
Care Navigators? What on earth’s a Care Navigator? You may well ask - and the answer is that we are now asking our front desk team to do a task way more exacting than the receptionists of old. As you know, their responsibilities now include directing you to the right part of the practice and making sure that you get the treatment you need in a timely manner. They play a crucial role in your care.
So to reflect this we have given them the title ‘Care Navigators’. It might sound silly at first, but it is actually a response to what is happening in their real life day-to-day roles. This isn’t just an HTMG thing: it’s a nationwide move in GP practices across the country: as well as empowering our front desk staff, it also helps to ensure that our GPs are where they should be – face-to-face with you, the patient, instead of wallowing in admin.
A new way to contact the surgery
Are you feeling unwell or have a request for the practice?
There is a solution which does not involve you having to call the practice called eConsult.
To start an eConsult session you can either use the NHS app or go to our website and you will see a box marked eConsult. Click on that and scroll down until you see a green box marked USE eCONSULT. Choose the relevant section for your need or request, and fill out the information required. The questions may change depending on what you input.
After completing the form, submit your eConsult to the practice, and it will tell youwhen you can expect to receive a reply. We will review every eConsult we receive and will decide on the next best step to help you, which means you may not need to visit the practice for an appointment.
You can usually submit a request between 0830 and 1800, Monday to Friday, excluding Bank Holidays. Our website has other useful information, such as our opening hours and our latest news. We hope you will find it useful.
Your ideas count!
You, the patient, are the expert here. Only you know how we can do better at what we do – so tell us!
We now have suggestion boxes at both surgeries in the reception area. Just write your message on the card provided and drop it into the box. Suggestions can be anonymous. Of course, there are quite a few things that even we can’t do, like control the weather. And however funny your witty remark is to you, we have probably heard it before. So serious answers only please!
Comings and Goings
If you don’t see Practice Nurse Shannan for a while, that’s because she has gone on maternity leave. We wish her well, as will all her patients. So instead you may see Practice Nurse Kathryn, who has joined us to cover while Shannan is away. It’s challenging to work here, but people seem to stay, so we must be doing something right.
Lyn in the dispensary has been with us for over 20 years, but has now retired; we also say goodbye to Carol who has retired as medical secretary: we wish them both many happy years.
Gemma has joined us as Dispensing Lead, with Sian as Dispensing Assistant. Welcome aboard, Gemma and Sian!
Published: Dec 14, 2023