As you will no doubt be aware, Dr Bangi runs both Leyland Surgery and The Surgery Chorley.  Whilst as a patient this most likely doesn’t affect you at all, it does mean for the practice team that a good deal of our work is duplicated or is more complex than it needs to be as we are constantly switching from one computer system to another.

We are looking at the possibility of merging the two practices and would like your opinion on this please.

If we were to go ahead there will be no disadvantage to our patients at all and there may even be some advantages.

It will mean that there will be one computer system that holds all the patient records which will make things much more streamlined. 

Our clinical team will spend time at both sites and our clinics for chronic disease management, vaccinations and immunisations, routine screening will be available at both sites.

We would be most grateful if you would take the time to follow the link below and take a few minutes to complete our survey regarding the possible merge.

If you are unable to complete this online, paper copies are available at Leyland Surgery and The Surgery Chorley.

What will it mean for me as a patient?

Most patients will not notice any difference at all.  All our clinical and non-clinical staff already work at both the Leyland and Chorley sites.  This will mean though, that if you want to see a specific clinician or attend a specific clinic and it is available sooner or on a more convenient day for you at either site you will have complete choice where to attend.  No services will be stopped at either site and we hope in the future to be able to offer additional services to the ones we do now.

Will whoever I see have access to my records?

Yes, now all the team have access to the records of the patients at both surgeries, these are held on different computer systems at the moment.  This means we must close one down to open another which takes time.  Also, if a clinician is not working at one site for a few days they may not access the system for that site to pick up messages and queries.  All records would be stored together meaning that all queries can be dealt with everyone on any day.

Will this reduce appointment availability?

No, we will still have the same numbers of patients.  The merge would mean that all the patients are on one list which makes caring for our patients easier as we can look at any patient record at any time to answer queries and deal with requests.  We are also in the process of recruiting several additional clinical team members which will see our appointment availability increase.

Will the telephone lines be busier?

We don’t anticipate the telephone lines becoming any busier as it will be the same patient population.  We are currently choosing a new telephone system which we hope will be superior to the current system, although GP phones are always busy particularly in the mornings.

I am disabled, will there be any issues accessing a different building?

As we have already said, patients will always have choice of which site they attend.  If you do choose to attend our Chorley site, whilst the building is over 2 floors there is a ramp to the front doors, automatic doors, and a lift to the upstairs floor.

Will prescriptions take longer to process – more than 48 hrs – some bigger practices say 72hrs?

No this shouldn’t change.  As all the team will be able to access your records regardless of which building, they are in, prescription signing will be easier.

Blood Clinics – will there be more available at one site than the other?

The blood clinic appointments will not alter, you may not know that these are not provided by the practices.  This is a service that is sent into practices, and we are told when and where they will be.

Other Services – Treatment Rooms? Will they see patients as if they are one practice? i.e., Leyland address patient at Chorley treatment room and vice versa?

Yes, patients living within the Chorley and South Ribble area can access any of the treatment rooms in this area.

Will the website change?

Yes, this will be one website for both sites detailing all of the services we offer etc.

Will ordering medication online be affected?

No this will not change.  Prescription orders will still be accepted on the telephone, online or in person.

Will myGPapp be affected?

Yes, this will alter slightly but you will receive a text message from MyGP letting you know when you need to unlink from one practice and link with the new merged practice.  You will then just need to re-enter your details.

Will my surgery name change?

The merger decision is not a firm one yet, so we don’t know the answer to this question yet.  Initial thoughts are that the two sites will keep their original names.

 

We hope that this explains a little more about what we hope to achieve and has answered some questions that you may have had.

 

We would be most grateful if you would spare just a couple of minutes to complete our very short questionnaire.  Please click on the link below.

https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/6BD2WFV

 

Dr Bangi and all the team would like to thank you for your continued support, and we hope you will support us in this next step in our journey to provide healthcare to our practice populations.

Published: Sep 5, 2022