Is it an emergency?There are lots of different kinds of healthcare professionals working in your GP surgery, besides your GP. They each have distinct roles and specialist skills. When you contact the surgery, you will be offered an appointment with the person who is best placed to help your needs. This is why the person you first speak with when you contact the surgery may ask what you need help with.
Each GP surgery chooses which professionals it wants to be part of its team, based on the needs within the local community. Your GP surgery may host some, but not all of these roles. Use this page to learn about the different healthcare professionals who may be working in your GP team and what to expect when you seek help from your surgery.
How your General Practice team can help you
How your General Practice team can help you
Your experiences
After Dave was discharged from hospital following bowel surgery, he received regular care from the nurses working at his GP surgery. As Dave found, practice nurses are skilled healthcare professionals who are qualified to provide specialist care.
Receiving care from Practice Nurses: Dave’s experience
Receiving care from Practice Nurses: Dave’s experience
Transcript of Receiving care from Practice Nurses: Dave’s experience video
I’m Dave Garner on the patient group my experience has been particular actually when I came out of hospital after surgery from bowel surgery I was, we were just going to look after ourselves basically and change the dressings out of the house but the nurse who was monitoring me from the hospital insisted I came in and saw that saw someone at the surgery I did and they were perfect they were beautiful they just changed everything as necessary they booked me in for new appointments when it was convenient to me and I just came along and I felt a couple of weeks I think every two or three days and they put it back together again.
So what would your message be to anyone who perhaps is nervous about seeing another health professional other than the GP what would you say to them?
Well go if you’re being logged in with someone you’re being booked in with someone it should be booked in with and they were looking at they’re Professionals in their own right they’ll look after you if there’s a problem that they can’t deal with you you know there’s GPS around and you’ll get forwarded to a GP if necessary but often more often than not it won’t be necessary because they do know what they’re doing.
Transcript of Receiving care from Practice Nurses: Rita’s experience video
I’m Rita, I’m a patient at Kennedy way surgery.
I found I wanted an appointment with the GP I told the receptionist what I needed in fact she put me in with a practice nurse prescribing nurse and she was absolutely brilliant she went through everything that I was bothered about and things that I hadn’t even known I was bothered about and I came away just absolutely gobsmacked that they were so good.
I knew that if she couldn’t deal with it then she would pass me on to someone that could deal with it.
These practice nurses are really well trained and the prescribing ones have been through all of the courses that they need to do to prescribe the drugs you need.
Once you’ve met one of them then you will realize that they are there to be utilized they are absolutely brilliant they’re well trained and I couldn’t fault what happened for me.
Transcript of Receiving care from Practice Nurses: Keith’s experience video
My name is Keith Beaman and I’m at the Ranworth surgery in clacton.
I’ve had lots of experience at ranworth I’ve been there many many years and one of the new changes there has been the fact that we have taken on a number of nurse practitioners and I have discovered that they are so highly qualified that there is absolutely no concern at all when you see these members of Staff because there is always a GP on site so if the nurse is not happy they can refer to the GP and then the GP will take over the case but my personal experience is and I’ve had a number of them, I’ve seen two or three different nurse practitioners now and I’ve always felt very safe and very comfortable and always had the right treatment.
I’m normally seen the same day we have a triage system in clacton at Ranworth and as long as we ring up between 8 and 10 in the morning we will always be given a call back by a clinician who will then decide whether or not we need to be seen face to face or whether it would be done online.
Clinical Pharmacists can ensure your medication is working for you. They’ll listen to how it is affecting you before making adjustments to improve your wellbeing. With expert knowledge of medications and long-term conditions such as arthritis, asthma or diabetes they can discuss any health concerns you have and support you throughout your treatment.
What is a clinical pharmacist?
What is a clinical pharmacist?
Transcript of What is a clinical pharmacist? video
Meet our Clinical Pharmacist, one of our extra health care professionals. When you contact us, we may arrange for you to see them. Based on your needs, an appointment with the Clinical Pharmacist might be face to face, by video or by phone.
A Clinical Pharmacist is here to make sure your medication is working for you. They’ll listen to how it is affecting you before making adjustments to improve your wellbeing. With expert knowledge of medications and long-term conditions such as arthritis asthma or diabetes they can discuss any health concerns you have and support you throughout your treatment.
The length of your appointment time may vary depending on your condition and could typically last 10 to 20 minutes.
Our Clinical Pharmacist is just one of our health care professionals working together with your GP. Their unique skills, knowledge and experience let us give you the right care at the right time from the right person. All within your local community.
Dietitians can help patients to make informed and practical choices about their food and nutrition. This can help patients to live well and prevent disease, as well as control symptoms and manage conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), diabetes and coeliac disease.
What does a dietitian do?
What does a dietitian do?
Transcript of What does a dietitian do? video
Meet our dietitian, one of our healthcare professionals.
When you contact us, we may arrange for you to see them.
Based on your needs, an appointment with the dietitian might be face-to-face, by video, or by phone.
A dietitian is here to help with assessing, diagnosing and treating dietary and nutritional issues, such as Irritable bowel syndrome or celiac disease, for patients and people of all ages.
Our dietitians can also support you with food intolerances, achieving and maintaining a healthy weight for all ages. They can also assess issues with growing and nutrition in children and babies. Dietitians use nutritional expertise to give personalised advice to patients, carers and colleagues, with the aim of improving the patients quality of life.
Appointment times can vary, but typically could take between 20-30 minutes. Our dietitian is one of our healthcare professionals.
Working together with your GP, their unique skills, knowledge, and experience let us give you the right care, at the right time, from the right person, all within your local community.
A General Practice Nurse can help you stay healthy throughout every stage of your life. They deliver childhood and adult immunizations. They can support you with long-term conditions like asthma and diabetes and they also provide family planning and screening services. They’ll also help you adopt a healthier lifestyle offering tools to stop smoking or lose weight.
What is a general practice nurse?
What is a general practice nurse?
Transcript of What is a general practice nurse? video
Meet our General Practice Nurse, one of our extra health care professionals. When you contact us, we may arrange for you to see them. Based on your needs, an appointment with the General Practice Nurse might be face to face, by video or by phone.
A general practice nurse is here to help you stay healthy throughout every stage of your life. They deliver childhood and adult immunizations. They support you with long-term conditions like asthma and diabetes and they also provide family planning and screening services. They’ll also help you adopt a healthier lifestyle offering tools to stop smoking or lose weight.
The length of your appointment time may vary depending on your condition and could typically last 10 to 20 minutes.
Our General Practice Nurse is just one of our health care professionals working together with your GP. Their unique skills, knowledge and experience let us give you the right care at the right time from the right person.
All within your local community.
Mental Health Practitioners working in GP surgeries offer specialist mental health support for those who need it, but who don’t need or are unable to access secondary care. They can also support those who have been discharged from secondary care because their mental health problem is stable. By bringing mental health practitioners into their surgeries, GPs can offer their patients mental health support closer to home, in a setting that’s more familiar and less restrictive. And by working alongside GPs, mental health workers can ensure patients receive joined-up physical and mental health support.
What does a mental health practitioner do?
What does a mental health practitioner do?
Transcript of What does a mental health practitioner do? video
Meet our mental health practitioner, one of our healthcare professionals.
Based on your needs, an appointment with the mental health practitioner might be face-to-face, by video, or by phone. Your mental health practitioner is here to help with all forms of mental health and wellbeing.
Our mental health practitioner can support people with a range of complex mental health needs including psychosis, bipolar disorder, personality disorder, eating disorders, severe depression and mental health rehabilitation needs.
They are trained in a range of psychological interventions to improve mental health and wellbeing and may be non-clinical or clinical, addressing a wide range of needs.
Initial appointment times can vary, but typically could take between 30-60 minutes, follow up appointments can be arranged in discussion with your mental health practitioner.
Our mental health practitioner is one of our healthcare professionals. Working together with your GP, their unique skills, knowledge, and experience let us give you the right care, at the right time, from the right person, all within your local community.
Understanding the role of mental health practitioners in primary care
Understanding the role of mental health practitioners in primary care
Occupational Therapists help people who are living with health conditions that are preventing them from working or enjoying the things in life that matter to them.
An Occupational Therapist can put a plan together to help you re-engage in everyday life, prevent deterioration of your condition and empower you to be more independent and active in your community.
What does an occupational therapist do?
What does an occupational therapist do?
Transcript of What does an occupational therapist do? video
Meet our occupational therapist, one of our healthcare professionals. When you contact us, we may arrange for you to see them. Based on your needs, an appointment with the occupational therapist might be face-to-face, by video, or by phone.
An occupational therapist is here to help with overcoming the effects of disability caused by illness, ageing or accident, so that the patient can carry out activities that they need or want to do. Our occupational therapist can support you with your physical, psychological, social and environmental needs, using a range of evidence based, physical and psycho-social approaches.
They can provide coping strategies for low mood or anxiety, assistive technology for living independently, support with returning to work and facilitating engagement in meaningful daily activities. Initial appointment times can vary but could take between 30-60 minutes. Follow up appointments can be arranged in discussion with your occupational therapist. You may bring a chaperone or family or friend with you if you wish.
Our occupational therapist is just one of our health-care professionals.
Working together with your GP their unique skills, knowledge, and experience let us give you the right care, at the right time, from the right person, all within your local community.
Paramedics work in a variety of roles within a general practice. Their background in pre-hospital care means that they are used to working with people with a variety of health conditions from coughs and minor injuries to more serious conditions such as asthma and heart attacks.
They work alongside GPs and help manage routine or urgent appointments, as well as telephone triage (assessment of urgency of illness or injury) and home visits.
What does a paramedic do?
What does a paramedic do?
Transcript of What does a paramedic do? video
Meet our paramedic, one of our healthcare professionals.
When contacting us, an appointment might be made with a paramedic if they are the most appropriate person to assess your needs. This could be face to face, by video or by phone.
A paramedic can help with all aspects of healthcare, from minor illness and injury to medical emergencies. They may treat you within a healthcare setting or if appropriate they may treat you at home.
Our paramedic can also support you with care plans for long-term health issues such as chronic disease management and hypertension and can conduct health checks and reviews. They are highly trained in assessing minor, acute and chronic conditions and have the ability to deliver tailored treatment options.
Appointment times can vary, but typically could take between 10-20 minutes. A paramedic is one of our healthcare professionals.
Working together with your GP, their advanced skills, knowledge, and experience let us give you the right care, at the right time, in the right place, all within your local community.
Physician Associates help patients to help you stay on top of any health care concerns.
They are highly skilled at diagnosing conditions and can perform physical examinations if needed. They can also arrange tests and analyse results quickly, explaining everything in detail before arranging follow-up appointments or treatments.
What is a physician associate?
What is a physician associate?
Transcript of What is a physician associate? video
Meet our Physician Associate, one of our extra health care professionals. When you contact us, we may arrange for you to see them. Based on your needs, an appointment with the Physician Associate might be face to face, by video or by phone. A Physician Associate is here to help you stay on top of any health care concerns.
They are highly skilled at diagnosing conditions and can perform physical examinations if needed. They can also arrange tests and analyse results quickly, explaining everything in detail before arranging follow-up appointments or treatments.
The length of your appointment time may vary depending on your condition and could typically last 15 to 30 minutes.
Our Physician Associate is just one of our health care professionals working together with your GP. Their unique skills, knowledge and experience let us give you the right care at the right time from the right person. All within your local community.
Podiatrists working in GP surgeries can help diagnose, manage, rehabilitate and prevent disease related complications of the feet, ankles and lower limbs. This may be related to musculo-skeletal problems, diabetes or rheumatoid conditions, such as arthritis.
What does a podiatrist do?
What does a podiatrist do?
Transcript of What does a podiatrist do? video
Meet our podiatrist – one of our healthcare professionals.
When you contact us, we may arrange for you to see them.
Based on your needs, an appointment with the podiatrist might be face to face, by video, or by phone.
A podiatrist is here to help people deal with a range of conditions affecting the lower limb and foot, and to improve independence and quality of life for patients. Our podiatrists can support you with common conditions such as athlete’s foot, bunions, blisters, ingrowing toe nails, heel pain and arthritis.
They can help with a variety of different issues, such as children with lower limb pain, or problems walking.
They are experts in the foot, ankle and leg, supporting patients through prevention strategies, guidance, diagnosis and treatment. Your appointment should be 20 – 30 minutes long.
Our podiatrist is one of our healthcare professionals.
Working together with your GP, their unique skills, knowledge and experience let us give you the right care at the right time, from the right person.
All within your local community.
Social prescribers can help with a wide range of emotional and practical matters that may be affecting your health and wellbeing. They have expert knowledge on the support services and groups that are active in your local community.
By listening to what matters to you, they can help connect you to local groups, services and activities that will support you to make positive changes to your health and wellbeing.
What is a social prescriber?
What is a social prescriber?
Transcript of What is a social prescriber? video
Meet our social prescriber, one of our extra health care professionals. Based on your needs, an appointment with the social prescriber might be face to face by video or by phone. A social prescriber is here to help with any social need that’s affecting your well-being.
They will listen to what matters to you right now and help find the support you need. They’ll connect you to local services, groups and activities, putting you back in control of your health and happiness.
Your initial appointment could last from 30 to 60 minutes and follow-up appointments can be made in discussion with your social prescriber.
Our social prescriber is just one of our health care professionals working together with your GP. Their unique skills, knowledge and experience let us give you the right care at the right time from the right person. All within your local community.
Seeking help from your GP team
The uptake of telephone and online appointments is just one of the ways GP surgeries are changing the way they work. Other professionals, such as nurse practitioners, paramedics, pharmacists and physiotherapists, also now typically work from many surgeries. These new ways of working are aimed at increasing patient access to local primary care services.
Here’s one of our system’s practice managers – Nicky Young – explaining how your local health services can help when you need support.
Seeking help from your GP team
Seeking help from your GP team
Transcript of Seeking help from your GP team video
Hi I’m Nikki Young I’m practice business manager for Abbey Field Medical Centre. You’ve probably noticed the way you access your appointments both in north east Essex and Suffolk has changed in recent times some practices may now offer you a virtual consultation. These will either be via the telephone or over the internet in a confidential one-to-one setting. The benefits of virtual appointments are that they can normally be arranged at a more convenient time and save you the expense and time involved in visiting your GP surgery. When you call your GP the receptionist will ask you what is wrong. This is to help you. The receptionists have been trained to make sure you see the most appropriate clinician and this may not always be a doctor. At GP surgeries now there’s a whole range of well-qualified people. There are social prescribers, there are pharmacists, there are paramedics, there are physiotherapists. These colleagues are also qualified health professionals who can give you expert advice about health related concerns. The receptionist will be trained to book you an appointment with the person most able to help you. On occasion, doctors or any member of the team may telephone you to discuss if any follow-up care is needed. There are now also other services that you can access via your GP surgery to help you if you have concerns which are not necessarily medical. For instance if you are feeling anxious, lonely or isolated, the team at the GP practice might suggest an appointment with a social prescriber or care advisor. These are link workers. They connect people to community groups for practical and emotional support. And lastly, it’s all of our responsibility to look after our own health and this is why there’s a number of areas where you can actually self-refer so you don’t even need to go near your doctor’s surgery. There’s musculoskeletal services, there’s pharmacists and there’s NHS 111. For more information about the services you can access to help you look after your health please access the website on sneewellbeing.org.uk