News from Barton Family Practice

Byhowbeck

News from Barton Family Practice

Autumn is upon us; winter is fast approaching and unfortunately so also is the flu season. The 2020/21 Flu Campaign has got off to a flying start with 2 successful sessions held on the 5^th and 12^th of September. We are tremendously pleased with how smoothly and efficiently the sessions ran – a testament to all the hard work put in by the Surgery Staff and the Barton Neighbourhood Volunteers. We are also grateful for the cooperation and understanding shown by our patients, who followed instructions and maintained social distancing. It truly was a team effort. The next mass session will be on Saturday the 10^th of October. If you think you may be eligible for the flu vaccine, then please contact the Surgery for advice.

‘Rumour has it…that there isn’t much going on at the surgery’. Could not be further from the truth. Rest assured that things are as busy as ever. We must see much fewer patients face to face in order to reduce the risks of transmission of Covid-19, but overall, we are speaking to, advising, investigating and following up just as much as before. We are just doing it differently. Last month for example, the doctors held 1244 telephone and video consultations, and saw 22 patients face to face in the surgery. This is obviously hugely different from how things were pre-Covid-19, when most consultations took place in the surgery. We always need to choose the best and safest way of providing care. The nursing team are also busy, but because of the time needed for all the PPE, washing and cleaning of surfaces after each patient, they cannot deal with as many patients each day as they did before the pandemic.

If you think about it, you do not want vulnerable people, the elderly, those with reduced immunity and other high-risk conditions, sitting next to people who may have Covid-19 in the waiting room. So, things have had to change…and probably forever.

And finally, just a plug that we are a Training Practice. The Practice is committed to training the next generation of GPs, and most of you will know that we have doctors in the Surgery who are training to become GPs. All their work is supervised and overseen by a Trainer. Thank you for supporting the training of the future NHS GPs.