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The Primary Care Network for Leek & Biddulph covers the five GP Practices in the towns – here Bas Pickering, a member of the Patient Locality Group, continues his updates for the Leek Life Magazine:

WE WILL BEAT ANY LIKE FOR LIKE QUOTE 01538 307005 encouraged to make written comment regarding patient views to PCN management after the meeting. managing the extended access scheme for Leek and Biddulph. This provides additional emergency GP appointments from 4pm to 8pm each evening and on a 9am to 1pm Saturday morning with telephone appointments on a Sunday.

At the PLG meeting in May the group were able to question the local pharmacy representative regarding the concerns raised by members that some local pharmacies had been closing at short notice during their normal opening hours.

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As you will all know there have been many reported scare stories in the national press and media regarding the major workload issues in the NHS. However, we seem to be very fortunate with our GP practices across Leek and Biddulph. The workload of patients wishing to see a clinician does not appear to be reducing and the staff are affected by illness just like the patients and hence there have been staff absences due to Covid and other seasonal infections thus reducing the appointments available.

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In order to ease some of the pressure on GP Practices the NHS is developing the local pharmacists to diagnose and treat a range of minor illnesses and conditions thus enabling the patient to obtain medical advice quickly.

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So if you have a cold, sore throat, headaches and a number of other well publicised minor conditions please see your pharmacist in the first instance. Who will if necessary refer you to your GP practice if he or she consider your symptoms need more detailed investigation. If you ring NHS 111 they will guide you to the pharmacist when appropriate.

The Primary Care Network are now

Call Thomas Brian on 01538 752214 or 07855242693, or email tom@times andecho.co.uk

You will be offered an appointment by your practice reception when they are unable to offer you an appointment in normal hours at your practice. You will see a local GP who has access to your records and the appointment will be at one of the five GP practices. This programme is providing many extra appointments each week and is almost always fully booked.

We were advised that this was due to the shortages of dispensing pharmacists which meant it is difficult to obtain a locum pharmacist when a regular staff member is taken ill. This has been aggravated by the continued absences of staff due to Covid infection.

He pointed out that it is illegal for medicines to be given to patients if there is no pharmacist on the premises and hence when there is no pharmacist on site patients collecting

The Primary Care Network is continuing to develop it’s services to patients in Leek and Biddulph. The PCN team are producing case studies demonstrating how their joint working reduces the workload of GP Practices and by working together with GP’s tackling Patients with complex problems in order to improve their quality of life.

All GP practice Patient Participation

Groups need more volunteers to help them support the work of their practice and act as a critical friend to seek to improve the service to patients. So if you feel you can give some time to help your GP practice please contact reception or Facebook pages to signify your interest so that the patient group can contact you with a view to you becoming a member.

Bas Pickering

Leek and Biddulph Patient Locality Group

prescriptions the wider is likely may be All new member have feel you running welcome. To practice patient three Locality the five which Report