Access to GP services in Middleton and Heywood

Since the end of last year, local people registered with a GP in Heywood or Middleton have been able to book GP appointments in evenings and at weekends, as part of a six month trial. Heywood and Middleton are two of just six areas in Greater Manchester to be chosen to trial this project. As the first six months is being evaluated, both localities have received additional funding from NHS England to roll out extended hours for a further six months.

In addition to reducing unnecessary A&E visits, the scheme aims to make GP services more accessible and responsive. Since the scheme launched, additional appointments have been made available to more than 1,500 patients in Middleton and 3,000 patients in Heywood to date.

Appointment times and locations will remain the same (details below), and patients can book appointments through their GP surgery or via new online booking systems – please speak to your practice for details. In addition to this, GPs have access to patients’ medical records so that clinicians can provide out of hours routine healthcare.

Part of the project in Heywood has involved recruiting two multi-skilled care workers to assist with the coordination of people who incorrectly visit A&E when they could have been more appropriately treated by a GP. One of these helps people who have attended A&E at Fairfield General Hospital, usually older people with long term conditions, to integrate them back in to communities where they live. The other care worker assists practices, targeting people before they visit A&E.

Dr Bob Wood is a GP and clinical lead for the Heywood and Middleton localities at NHS Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale Clinical Commissioning Group (HMR CCG), and is leading the project on behalf of Heywood practices.

He said: “When people become ill outside of the usual 9am to 5pm working hours, they often see hospital as their only option for care. We want to change that by making sure patients are able to see their GP more easily and conveniently.

“The multi-skilled workers aim to educate people about when to appropriately attend local health services to help reduce the pressure on urgent care services, and so people access the best care suitable for their needs.”

Middleton GPs are trialling a similar process, where new, innovative software in A&E at North Manchester General Hospital has been uploaded to allow patients to be assessed and referred back to primary care where appropriate. The new software allows healthcare professionals to book the patient an appointment with a GP, reassuring the patient that they don’t need to ring a GP when leaving A&E, and ensuring the patient receives the best care possible. It is hoped that this will ultimately reduce the number of unnecessary A&E visits. The same appointments can be accessed by your GP or by BARDOC on 0161 763 4242. You can also see available appointments by visiting www.ddiary.co.uk/patient and inserting the username ‘patient’ and password ‘middleton’.

Dr Mohammed Jiva, who is leading the project on behalf of the nine Middleton GP practices, and has recently been awarded an MBE for his services to general practice, said: “In the current climate, with tighter resources, we need to find new ways of delivering high quality care and that’s what this project is about. All the Middleton practices are working together to give our patients more choice, flexibility and convenient ways of accessing GP care and advice.

“In Middleton we are keen to engage with our local residents and have now set up an email address to allow the public to feedback on how healthcare in Middleton should develop. If you would like to give your views you can email hmrccg.middletonnhs@nhs.net.

“This pioneering project will also see GPs ‘go live’ with web based consultations, which are due to be trialled this month.”

Opening times for Heywood
Patients registered with a GP in Heywood are able to book appointments at the Heywood Health Hub between the following times:

Monday-Friday: 4-9pm

Saturday and Sunday: 9.30am-8.30pm

Opening times for Middleton
Patients registered with a GP in Middleton are able to book appointments at Peterloo Medical Centre, Middleton, at the times below:

Monday – Friday: 6.30pm-9.30pm

Saturday and Sunday: 6pm-9pm