A range of healthcare professionals work alongside GPs at your practice or locally, to ensure you get the right care for your needs as quickly as possible. Speak to our practice reception team to find out more. #GetTheRightCare.
More healthcare professionals including Clinical Pharmacists,
Physiotherapists, Paramedics, Physician Associates, Mental
Health Therapists and Social Prescribing Link Workers are being
recruited nationally to work alongside GPs in wider networks
of practices. Your practice reception team will help guide you
to the most appropriate care as soon as possible when booking
you an appointment.
Care navigators/ Reception teams
Care Navigators working in practice reception teams are
specially trained to know about the care and services available
to you at your surgery and in your area.
They can help you:
- Get seen as soon as possible
- Know whether self-referral is available for certain services at your practice or in your area
- Make appointments for new kinds of care or new services you may not be aware of
- Access the appropriate healthcare professional
Clinical Pharmacists
Clinical Pharmacists are experts in medicines and can help
people stay as well as possible. They support those with
long-term conditions like asthma, diabetes and high blood
pressure or anyone taking multiple medicines to make sure their
medication is working. They work with GPs, local pharmacies
and hospitals to ensure that medicine services are joined up.
Many Clinical Pharmacists can also prescribe medicines.
They can help with:
- In-depth reviews of your medicines if you have a long-term condition
- Agreeing and making changes to your prescription
- Advice about medicines and side effects
Physiotherapists
Physiotherapists in general practice are experts in
musculoskeletal conditions. They are able to assess, diagnose
and treat a range of complex muscle and joint conditions
preventing the need for referrals to hospital. They can arrange
swift access to further treatment, investigations and specialists
when needed.
They can help with:
- Diagnosing and treating muscular and joint conditions
- Advising on how to manage your condition
- Referrals on to specialist services
Physician Associates
Physician Associates are trained and qualified to diagnose and
treat a wide range of health conditions. They work alongside
GPs to provide care to people, particularly those with
long-term conditions who often benefit from being able to
see the same healthcare professional.
They can help with:
- Diagnosing and treating health conditions
- Arranging tests and analysing results
- Performing physical examinations
Social Prescribers
Social prescribing involves helping people to improve their health
and wellbeing by connecting them to activities in the community.
Link Workers connect those feeling lonely, overwhelmed or in
need of help to a range of local support, from community and
activity groups to work, debt or housing advice.
They can help with:
- Getting people to focus on their own priorities and the things that affect their wellbeing
- Supporting people to take more control of their health
- Introducing people to groups and activities in their community
Mental Health Therapists and Practitioners
Mental health professionals in general practice may also be
known as Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners, High Intensity
Therapists or Cognitive Behavioural Therapists and work as part
of ‘Improving Access to Psychological Therapies’ (IAPT) services.
They specialise in mental health and use a range of talking
therapies to help people with common mental health conditions
such as anxiety, depression or post-traumatic stress disorder.
Sessions are usually one-on-one but can also be in couple or group settings,
by phone or online. Referral can be via your GP or directly via a local
psychological therapies (IAPT) service.
They can help with:
- Talking therapies
- Tools and techniques to manage symptoms
- Support for those experiencing the psychological effects of managing long-term conditions, such as diabetes
Health and Wellbeing Coaches
Health and Wellbeing coaches work within the wellbeing team alongside other healthcare professionals such as, Social prescribers, Occupational therapists and Care Coordinators in supporting the wellbeing of people. health coaches are specifically trained in behavior change techniques to help people overcome barriers to improve their lifestyle including lack of motivation, lack of know how or lack of understanding.
They can help with:
Health and wellbeing coaches can help people take more control over their lives in helping with a broad range of lifestyle issues such as,
- Food and nutrition,
- Weight management,
- Physical activity,
- Sleep,
- Stress,
- Self esteem,
- Low level mental health
- Mindfulness.
Care Co-Ordinators
Care coordinators work as part of a multidisciplinary team within your practice to identify people in need of proactive support. This could mean, for example, people living with frailty or people with multiple long term physical and mental health conditions.
They work with people individually, building trusting relationships, listening closely to what matters to them, and working with them to develop a personalised care and support plan.
They can help to:
Care coordinators review people’s needs and help to connect them to the services and support they require, whether within the practice or elsewhere – for example, community and hospital-based services. They may support people in preparing for or following up clinical conversations they have with healthcare professionals, to enable them to be actively involved in managing their care and supported to make choices that are right for them.
Care coordinators also work closely with social prescribing link workers and health and wellbeing coaches, referring people to them and also receiving referrals in return.
Dementia Nurses/ Admiral Nurses
Admiral Nurses are registered nurses who specialise in dementia, giving practical and emotional support to family carers, alongside the person with dementia.
They can help to:
They offer a support to families throughout their experience of dementia using interventions tailored to each family’s individual needs. Admiral nurses provide families with the knowledge to understand the condition and its effects, the skills and tools to improve communication and offer emotional and psychological support to help family carers to sustain their caring role. They are manage complex cases and also provide specialist support and advice to other professionals.
Admiral Nurses are supported professionally by the charity DementiaUK, who work in partnership with Herefordshire & Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust.
If you want to learn more about Admiral Nursing click here – the following link please – https://www.dementiauk.org/get-support/what-is-an-admiral-nurse/or DementiaUK click here
You can read how Admiral Nurse’s have provided vital support to carers and families here: https://www.dementiauk.org/get-involved/donate/your-stories/
If you require more general advice (for example – information about benefits, practical or personal care, assistance with form completion, Power of Attorney) below is a link to Age UK local Dementia Services:
https://www.ageuk.org.uk/herefordshireandworcestershire/our-services/dementia-services/
Advice for patients, carers and families engaging with our services during the COVID19 pandemic.
