Collective Action

You may be aware that GP Contractors and Partners across the country were asked to vote in a non-statutory ballot as to whether to vote for collective action. An overwhelming 98.3% had voted YES to taking collective action.

Background on why GPs are engaging in this collective action:
General Practice funding is less than £108 per patient per year, this equates to at most 2-3 contacts per year per patient. The £108 per patient, is expected to run Practice premises and employ staff. This is not enough for Partners to employ enough staff to give patients the care they deserve. The financial situation is unsustainable, with many Practices going bankrupt and having to hand back their contracts because they simply cannot afford to keep going. In the last year there’s been over 1,000 GP surgeries that have had to close due to this.

GPs and their teams want their patients to experience safe, high quality and sustainable care, this is difficult without appropriate funding. GPs in the UK have approximately 1.3 million daily patient contacts, the largest of any part of the NHS, and that includes hospital outpatient appointments (250,000) and A&E contacts (67,000) and yet Primary Care received only 5.6% of the NHS budget.

The British Medical Association recommended safe maximum capacity is 25 patients. GPs across the country are routinely exceeding the safe maximum capacity. GPs want to provide the care that patients deserve, and they cannot do this when they are expected to work in unsafe capacities.

What does this mean for patients:

We are trying our upmost to support this action with minimal disruption to your care here at Heaton Road Surgery.

One of the key issues is the volume of patient contacts GPs have per working day – it has been recommended by the British Medical Association that GPs have a maximum of 25 patient contacts in a day, to maintain a safe level of working. On some days, GPs at Heaton Road Surgery will have up to 60 patient contacts in a day.

Part of the collective action is that GPs will only have a maximum of 25 patient contacts per working day. This will affect the number of appointments we have available at Heaton Road Surgery. When you ring for an appointment, you may be told that the surgery is at capacity for the day – this means that all clinicians have had 25 patient contacts and there is no availability left for that day.

Our receptionists will advise you of your other options for medical attention on the same day, with services that are funded to provide this same day care.

We understand that being told there are no appointments is frustrating. It is frustrating for us too. But we must draw the line somewhere, and we have to provide safe care for the patients we do see.

Our highly trained reception team will continue to ask some questions regarding your need for an appointment, to try to make the most appropriate appointment for you or to signpost you to a more suitable service (i.e. Walk in centre, minor injuries unit, pharmacy etc.).

Other actions taken as part of the collective stand are directed at how we work with secondary care and other service providers and will hopefully not impact individual care at all.

Where to access help when we have reached capacity:

NHS 111 – helpline open 24 hours a day 7 days a week

Pharmacy first

Your local pharmacist can offer help and advice on a range of conditions such as:

• Allergies
• Back Pain
• Bacterial Conjunctivitis (Sticky eyes)
• Constipation
• Diarrhoea
• Haemorrhoids
• Headaches
• Indigestion
• Scabies
• Skin rash
• Vaginal Thrush

They can also offer prescriptions for the following conditions:

There is a Pharmacy nearby that is open till 8pm and is open on Saturday and Sunday at:

Asda Pharmacy
Newcastle Shopping Centre,
Fossway,
Byker,
Newcastle Upon Tyne,
NE6 2XP

Open 9am – 8pm Monday – Saturday
Open 10am-4pm Sunday

Walk in Centre

Examples of conditions treated at Walk-in Centres include:

• Coughs and colds
• High temperature
• Urinary tract infections
• Conjunctivitis
• Simple cuts and bruises
• Foreign bodies superficially embedded in tissue
• Minor trauma to hands limbs and feet, sprains
• Minor burns or scalds
• Emergency contraception
• Ear, nose and throat problems.

Nearby walk-in centres include:

Molineux Urgent Treatment Centre,
Molineux Close,
Byker,
Newcastle Upon Tyne,
NE6 1SG

0191 213 8566

Open 8am – 8pm, 7 days a week.

Ponteland Road Healthcare Centre,
169 Ponteland Road,
Cowgate,
Newcastle Upon Tyne,
NE5 3AE

0191 271 9030

Open 8am – 10pm, 7 days a week

For Emergencies

Royal Victoria Infirmary Emergency Department
Queen Victoria Road,
New Victoria Wing,
Royal Victoria Infirmary,
Newcastle Upon Tyne,
NE1 4LP

0191 233 6161

Open 24 hours a day 7 days a week