Nursing Team

We have practice nurses and healthcare assistants who work in the treatment room. The treatment room is open from 08.00 until 18:30.

Patients are able to take their blood pressure on the self-use machine in the waiting room. This will print the readings, which you can give to the receptionist for recording on your medical record.

Baby Clinics are carried out on alternate Wednesday and Thursday mornings by Dr. Naeem and Dr. Sattar.

The Nursing Team carry out various clinics including asthma, diabetes, travel, chronic disease, family planning and health screening. We also offer cardiovascular health checks by appointment if you are aged between 40 and 74 years, and do not suffer with existing coronary heart disease.

The practice nurses also carry out dressings, immunisations, removal of sutures, ear syringing, ECGs, smear tests, and assist with minor surgery procedures. They also run blood pressure clinics and give general advice on health and well-being.

Administration

Administration

There are several administrative and secretarial staff who work mainly behind the scenes to ensure the smooth running of the practice. Tasks include the processing of:

• 200-300 prescription requests each day
• 250 referrals per week
• 30-40 patient registrations per week
• Incoming correspondence via internal and external post, plus electronic communications
• Deductions from practice list
• Scanning all incoming and outgoing correspondence onto patient records

Reception

The receptionists are your link with the rest of the practice. Please be aware that they do need to ask you questions, as the more information you are able to give them the better they will be able to assist you. Do not abuse reception staff when they ask for necessary information.

A common misconception is that the receptionists’ only job is to ‘pick up the phone’; calls are often fairly involved, and need to be seen through.

In addition to taking requests for emergency appointments and booking routine ones, our receptionists do any number of the following (sometimes simultaneously):

• Giving out prescriptions
• Booking patient transport to routine hospital appointments
• Booking emergency ambulances
• Chasing missing results from hospitals
• Fielding prescription queries from pharmacies (often acting as their go-between with the GPs)
• Setting up SystmOnline access
• Helping new patients complete their registrations/checking registrations
• Faxing requested information to consultants
• Speaking to the GP about a prescription query
• Completing 150-200 tasks per week
• Taking payments for non-NHS services

It can be very busy at times, so please be patient.

Our receptionists have the right to work in a non-hostile environment, and abuse will not be tolerated. Repeated abusive conduct may lead to your removal from our practice list.

Anything you tell our receptionists will be treated in absolute confidence (the rules of confidentiality apply equally to all practice staff).

Other Team Members

First Contact Physiotherapist

We do have a physiotherapist that works within our surgery. Please click here for more information on what a First Contact Physiotherapist is.

Community Midwives

Community midwives do operate in this area. To access them you must self-refer to the maternity services at hospital you wish to deliver at. The hospital will then give you all of the information you need during your pregnancy.

Community Nurses

There is a district nursing team available in the local area, employed by NHS South West Essex. They are led by a team of modern matrons who evaluate nursing needs and discuss with a patient how to best manage their care.

It is sometimes necessary for us to share information about our patients with members of the district nursing team; please advise the reception team if you do not want us to share your medical record in this regard.

Health Visitors

Telephone 01268 600 302

There is a health visitor available in the local area. She works with babies, families and elderly patients. You may contact the health visitor direct for advice and parenting issues.

Counsellors

Vita Minds – 01268 977 171

There are high intensity and low intensity therapists and counsellors available in the local area. You can self-refer by contacting Vita Minds on 01268 977 171 or on their website. Vita Minds will ensure that people living in South West Essex are able to access the right sort of psychological therapy to suit their mental health needs.