Introducing Our New Long-Term Condition (LTC) Annual Review System – Launching March/April 2025

We’re making it easier for patients with long-term conditions (such as diabetes, asthma, COPD, hypertension, and heart disease etc.. ) to manage their health.

Starting from end of March/April 2025, we will introduce a new Annual Review System to ensure you receive regular, well-organised care.

What’s Changing?

✔️ One annual review – Your check-ups will now be scheduled in your birth month, reducing the need for multiple visits.
✔️ More efficient care – If you have multiple conditions, we will aim to review them in a single appointment where possible.
✔️Digital communication by default - You will receive reminders and recalls via SMS, email, or online access. If you prefer to receive letters, you will need to opt in.

This new system will enhance patient care, ensuring you receive the right support at the right time.

What Do You Need to Do?

To ensure you receive your reminders promptly, please update your preferred contact method when you next visit or call us. You can also submit an online request to update your details.

📱 Text messaging or email is the quickest, easiest, and most cost-effective way to receive updates.
📩 If you prefer a letter, you will need to opt in—please note that postal communication may take longer to reach you.

For now, no action is needed—we’ll contact you when your review is due. If you have any questions, please submit an online request or call our Long-Term Condition line (Option 6) and leave a voicemail.

Thank you for your support!

Exciting Update Regarding Changes to Our Patient Communication System 

We’re Moving to Accurx for Online Consultations 

2 January 2024

Local health services

If you need help from your GP or another member of the practice team over the festive period, we are open every weekday from 8am until 6.30pm, except for bank holidays when we are closed. Please contact us if you have a health condition that needs checking or an illness that won't go away.

Junior doctors will be on strike from 7am on Wednesday 3 January to 7am on Tuesday 9 January. This means that all NHS services, particularly hospitals, will be under severe strain. But please don’t put off seeking medical help if you need it. Here is a reminder of what local services are available:

• The NHS website – nhs.uk has lots of advice to help you to look after yourself when you have minor symptoms. There is also information about what is a serious medical emergency.
  
• If your child is feeling unwell, the Healthier Together website has advice about some common symptoms, how to look after your child at home and when to get further help.
  
• Drop in to a pharmacy for health advice or information about your medicines. A pharmacist can help you to deal with a cough, cold and lots of other winter illnesses.

• If you need help urgently, use NHS 111 online (www.111.nhs.uk) or call 111. Your symptoms will be assessed, and you will be given advice or an appointment to see a doctor or nurse if this is needed. NHS 111 can also send an ambulance and can book an appointment for you in some services like urgent treatment centres. Using 111 online means you won’t have to wait on the phone.  
  
• If you are in a mental health crisis, call NHS 111 and get straight through to mental health help by selecting option 2.
  
• You should call 999 in a life-threatening emergency. Life-threatening emergencies are different for adults and children.
  
• Do not visit anyone in a hospital or care home if you have recently had diarrhoea or vomiting. Stomach bugs are easily spread, make already ill people very seriously unwell, and can lead to whole hospital wards being closed. Please wait 48 hours after your last bout of sickness or diarrhoea before visiting anyone who is vulnerable.  

More information on these services and self-help advice can be found at: https://hertsandwestessexics.org.uk/help-us-help 

Published: 03/01/2024

In May 2023 the Infection Prevention and Control team in ICB launched a urinary tract infection (UTI) and Catheter Care Workstream across Herts and West Essex.  As a result the following priorities were identified:

1. Communication
2. Baseline data
3. UTI Prevention
4. Training
5. Management of urinary catheters
6. UTI diagnosis/treatment

The group are currently developing a task and finish group for priority three and would really value hearing the patient and carer voice in the project.  

If you have experience of UTI or catheter care,  an interest in this area or would just like more information then we would like to hear from you.  There is an opportunity to get involved in the task and finish group which will start in February or to share your views in other ways.

Please contact heather.aylward@nhs.net to express an interest. 

Workshop reminder

We have organised a workshop with the Patients Association to provide an update on their work developing GP Practice Patient Groups in Herts and West Essex and to talk through next steps.

Monday 4 December

11am – midday

Zoom link: Click here to join the meeting

Learn more about Hospital at Home in east and north Hertfordshire

You can learn all about Hospital at Home and the progress made in remote monitoring services for patients at a free Healthwatch Hertfordshire webinar on 12 December.

Hospital at Home is about how patients can be discharged from hospital earlier to recover at home, and how patients can be referred to Hospital at Home if their condition doesn't require specialist acute hospital treatment. Instead, they receive hospital-equivalent care and monitoring at home.

Dr Elizabeth Kendrick, Herts Community NHS Trust’s Medical Director, will be joined by Dr Maha Balakrishnan, GP and Hospital at Home Clinical Lead, and questions can be sent to them in advance to Healthwatch Hertfordshire non-exec member Alan Bellinger at abellinger@gmail.com . Alan is also a member of the ICB’s Patient Engagement Forum and other groups.

For more details about the event, between 11.30am-12.30pm on Microsoft Teams, visit:

https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/hospathome/hospital-at-home/2023-12-12/11:30/t-jzqdrqg

Published: 28/11/2023

Health in Herts

Published: 25/10/2023

NHS Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care Board are working with the Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB) to arrange three face to face focus groups across Herts and West Essex where  experiences will help to inform investigations into a theme around NHS workforce.  In particular HSSIB are interested to hear your experiences of:

• Accessing GP appointments
• Being cared for by other people other than a GP or practice nurse
• How you feel your healthcare needs to be prioritised.  Do you think you get the right care from the right person at the right time
• Care delivered by temporary staff, such as agency nurses or locum doctors

Focus Group details:

Your GP surgeries in Hitchin & Whitwell Primary Care Network have organised two face-to-face PPG (Patients Participation Group) meetings on Thursday 15^th June at Hitchin Town Hall in the Lucas Room. We will have two events – one from 1-2pm and repeated from 6.30-7.30pm. You only need to come to one of them!

Clinical Director Dr Tara Belcher will give a brief update on the PCN and then the floor will be open for discussions. Refreshments will be available.

There are 60 spaces at each event, but you must book in advance and tickets are first come, first served. In the event of unexpected demand, we will try to schedule another event.

Free tickets are available online at Eventbrite:

Thu, 15 Jun 2023 13:00 - 14:00 Event

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hitchin-and-whitwell-patient-participation-group-event-afternoon-tickets-627090754327

Thu, 15 Jun 2023 18:30 - 19:30 Event

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hitchin-and-whitwell-patient-participation-group-event-evening-tickets-627105438247

We have reserved some spaces for patients who don’t have on-line access – just ask your surgery to pass your details to the PCN!

Published: 08/05/2023