Wednesday 4th August 2021
Why do I have to wait?
Dr Abbie Brooks discusses why it is reasonable for patients to accept longer waits for routine care with demand for services from GP practices at ever higher levels.
Blogs
Tuesday 29th June 2021
A return to face-to-face appointments by default will mean longer and longer waits to see a GP
Dr Nick Jackson, Clinical Director of the Selby Town Primary Care Network (PCN), discusses how the "total triage" system of managing demand for appointments can help ensure swift treatment for those who need it most.
Wednesday 19th May 2021
Blog - Professor Mike Holmes
With the weather forecasters saying it’s going to rain for the next 40 days, it’s also clear that we’re heading into uncertain times in this pandemic as we start to really relax restriction whilst encountering new variants.
Wednesday 19th May 2021
General practice – we were never closed
The last 14 months have been difficult for all of us. From a personal perspective it has been one of the busiest and most challenging periods of my working life. I can understand that it might be difficult or confusing trying to access an appointment at your local surgery so I thought it would be useful to explain how practices are running at the minute and why.
Thursday 8th April 2021
Working together to protect the vulnerable
Dr Nick Jackson, Clinical Director of the Selby Town Primary Care Network (PCN), explains how partnership working has been behind the PCN's success in vaccinating priority cohorts against COVID-19, including those with learning disabilities and the homeless.
Wednesday 10th March 2021
Shining a light on local communities helping to roll out the vaccine
Managing the COVID-19 vaccination programme is an enormous challenge across the NHS – but not everyone has had to rope in their local mountain rescue team. The South Hambleton and Ryedale Primary Care Network cares for patients in some of North Yorkshire’s most rural areas, representing GP practices in and around the North York Moors including Pickering, Tollerton, Helmsley, Kirbymoorside, Stillington, Terrington and Easingwold. Now a Pickering GP has shone a spotlight on how local communities have rallied round to overcome the area’s acute challenges and help protect some of North Yorkshire’s most vulnerable and isolated residents from the virus.
Friday 5th February 2021
New Green GP Network across the Vale of York
The climate crisis is a health emergency. The NHS produces 5.4% of the UK’s greenhouse gases, but has promised to be carbon zero by 2030 - so we need to crack on!
Tuesday 19th January 2021
The COVID-19 vaccine - a perspective from Dr Abbie Brooks
The launch of the vaccination programme had a rocky start because the initial plan locally was based upon running a drive through clinic like the successful flu jab hub. However, it soon became clear there was a potential safety issue due to the need to observe patients for 15 minutes post-vaccination.
Tuesday 8th December 2020
Demonstrating the power of place
The main element of our PCN’s response to the covid-19 pandemic, is how we’ve demonstrated the power of place to rapidly adapt, whilst still reliably delivering care to our communities from their usual teams in the six practices that make up SHaR PCN.
Monday 7th December 2020
Blog – Professor Mike Holmes
The development of a complex test and trace system has been the focus of much scrutiny. There are many aspects of the service but the testing capacity that it is on offer to the public has risen steadily to a point now where capacity is exceeding demand.
Friday 13th November 2020
Riding the Corona-Coaster
Spring 2020 seems like a long time ago for many of us in primary care. Back then, despite the human tragedy of COVID-19 and the need for coherent strategies on PPE, care homes, COVID testing and shielding...
Tuesday 27th October 2020
Behind the scenes...
"It is not uncommon to hear the charge that the NHS has too many managers." Andrew takes you on a whistle stop tour of the managers in the NHS Vale of York Clinical Commissioning Group and what they do.
Friday 23rd October 2020
A winter ahead
I was asked to write a blog for the CCG and pondered hard about what to write. In the end I decided to write a frank piece for our public and staff of the huge challenges the health services face because of COVID19.
Friday 16th October 2020
The doors are closed...
…But we are open. I don’t know why but that made me think of “I open at the close”, a quote etched on a golden snitch in Harry Potter. I guess we are at a turning point just like Harry was at this point in the story.
Thursday 17th September 2020
Life through Covid-19 as a Mum and a GP
After nearly 6 long months our little ones are back in school. It’s a worrying time isn’t it? Children mixing with large bubbles, increasing coronavirus cases and winter approaching.
Tuesday 8th September 2020
Patient care in the new world of COVID-19
The pace of change in primary care is unlike anything I’ve seen in my two decades in the NHS.
Friday 14th August 2020
After the apocalypse
It’s easy to get irritated with the way General Practice has changed during COVID.
