LEARNING DISABILITIES NEWS

Many people provide care to another person. You don’t need to be a paid carer to be identified as such.

If you believe you are a carer for another person, we would like to know.

Please contact reception and request that your notes are identified as a carer so that we can provide any extra support and contacts that you  may find useful.

There are times when a helping hand is useful and we may be able to help you find resources to deal with life’s ups and downs.

If you are struggling with your mental health,  housing, caring or  welfare, we will do our best to help you.

You may find a referral to our team of social prescribers helpful, or sign posting towards one of the community or on line services and projects available.

Please speak to any member of our team in confidence and help us to help you.

We have a significant number of military veterans registered with us.  We are conscious that some military veterans might be affected by the 20th anniversary of the Iraq conflict. If you have been affected by this, help is available as the surgery is proud to be accredited as a veteran friendly practice by the Royal College of GPs.

Help is also available via Op Courage, the veterans’ mental health and wellbeing service http://bit.ly/3n9u3td

If you have ever served in any of the British Armed Services, even if for as little as one day, we would like to include this information on your medical records. This will help us to identify any services that may be useful to you during the course of any treatments.

As per the Armed Forces Covenant, all veterans are entitled to priority access to NHS hospital care for conditions associated to their time within the armed forces (service related). However, this is always subject to clinical need and does not entitle the patient to jump the queue ahead of someone with a higher clinical need.

Please inform the doctor, nurse or receptionist of your military history, and we will document this if you wish, or email us at cmicb-wi.gatekeeper-n85017@nhs.net with proof of service.  Please include MILITARY VETERAN in the subject line of your email.

We are always keen to receive your feedback about our services, including any ways we can improve.

Through our website you can access survey forms and Friends And Family questionnaires.

If you have a concern or complaint about the care you have received from our practice there are various routes for you to have these addressed.

In the first instance, please talk to us. Either face to face, on the phone, in writing, and let us know what has happened. Most times we can resolve issues before they escalate.  We can supply a complaint form if you wish to put your complaint in writing.

NHS England Guidance on Complaints:

How you make a complaint about primary care services is changing on 1 July 2023

You have the right to make a complaint about any aspect of NHS care, treatment or service, and this is written into the NHS Constitution on GOV.UK.

From 1 July 2023 the way members of the public make a complaint about primary care services to the commissioner is changing.

By primary care services we mean GPs, dentists, opticians or pharmacy services.

There are two ways you can make a complaint:

· You can complain to the healthcare provider: this is the organisation where you received the NHS service, for example a GP surgery or dental surgery.

· You can complain to the commissioner of the service: this is the organisation that paid for the service or care you received.

After 1 July 2023 if you want to make a complaint about primary care services to the commissioner you will now contact NHS Cheshire and Merseyside integrated care board instead of NHS England.

You can do this by:

· Telephone: 0800 132 996

· E-mail: enquiries@cheshireandmerseyside.nhs.uk

· Writing to us at: Patient Experience Team, No 1 Lakeside, 920 Centre Park Square, Warrington, WA11QY.

If you want to make a complaint directly to the provider of the primary care service, you still can – that does not change on the 1 July 2023.

Members of the public with ongoing complaints received on/after 1 July 2022 will receive a letter from NHS England informing them that NHS Cheshire and Merseyside is now handling their complaint with confirmation of their case handler.

Members of the public with any ongoing complaints received before 1 July 2022 will receive a letter from NHS England informing them that their complaint is being retained by NHS England with confirmation of their case handler.