Extended Primary Care Advice and Guidance Service

Glebe House Surgery has been asked to participate in a new Extended Primary Care Advice and Guidance Service. This has been organised by the Hambleton, Richmondshire and Whitby Clinical Commissioning Group and is only for non-urgent referral to a specialist. All urgent referrals will proceed as normal.

The CCG has Helpfully Produced the Following Information:

Hambleton, Whitby and Richmondshire Clinical Commissioning Group

What is the Extended Primary Care Advice and Guidance Service?

Your clinician believes that a non-urgent referral to a specialist may be required in order to progress your care and you have given consent for details of your medical record to be discussed with other doctors.

A new extended primary care advice and guidance service is being tested, provided by Hambleton, Whitby and Richmondshire Clinical Commissioning Group (HRW CCG). Prior to a referral being made to hospital, information about your referral will be shared with colleagues in primary care.

The service will have access to a wider range of clinical guidelines and will know whether any local services are available in primary care that might be helpful. This will ensure everything that can be done in primary care has been done, and you only have to travel to hospital if it is necessary.

What Happens Next?

The clinician you have seen today will send brief details of your condition through the secure NHS electronic referrals system. The Extended Primary Care Advice and Guidance service will review the details and make observations / suggestions on best practice, where appropriate, within three working days. The advice given will be optional and your GP will decide on whether it is helpful based on your individual condition and situation.

A member of the Practice Administration Team will then contact you (usually by letter). If the advice is to proceed with the referral, or your GP still believes a referral is important, you will be asked to telephone or use online services to book your choice of local provider.

Alternatively, other options for your further care may be suggested. Your referring clinician will need to decide what is appropriate based on this additional information and may wish to discuss this with you. A member of the Practice Administration Team will contact you should this be the case and may ask you to attend for a further appointment in person or to discuss matters further in a telephone slot.

If you want to contact anyone in the practice about the progress with your referral you should do so on: 01677 422616 between the hours of 10am and 4pm.

What Will the Benefits be?

HRWCCG are required by the Department of Health to demonstrate that they are achieving best value for money and are trying to do this by working with practices to try and make “every outpatient referral a good referral”. The service will ensure that for non-urgent conditions the full range of options in primary care have been considered, the appropriate tests have been undertaken where possible, travel to hospital only happens when needed, and any referral to hospital contains all the necessary information to enable the consultants to respond as efficiently and effectively as possible.

This approach is also intended to help promote a learning and developmental culture, to share the best clinical practice across all GP practices in the CCG area.

What if I Have Comments or Concerns About the Service?

You can contact Patient Relations at NHS Hambleton, Whitby and Richmondshire Clinical Commissioning Group by phone, letter or e-mail as follows. Address: Civic Centre, Stonecross, Brompton, Northallerton, DL6 2UU. Email: [email protected]. Phone: 01609 767607.