Total Triage 

You don't have to join the morning rush to reach your GP. 

There are quick and easy ways to get in touch, and get the care you need. 

Choose the recommended routes below to avoid the queues. 

However you contact us, a healthcare professional will assess your request in the same way, as soon as possible. 

Our aim is to give everyone fair and equal access to care.

Recommended ways to contact us

Request an appointment using the link below - request an appointment.

Please note our online form is open from 7am - 2pm Monday - Friday excluding weekends and Bank Holidays.

 Use the NHS App - request repeat prescriptions & view appointments

Call or Visit one of our surgeries (contact details and opening hours here)

If you are struggling to complete the form, please contact the surgery so the reception team can assist in completing the form.

Pharmacy First service - 

Your local pharmacy now see and treat 7 common conditions without needing a GP surgery appointment.

Sinusitis adults and children over 12 years.

Sore throat adults and children over 5 years.

Infected insect bite adults and children over 1 year.

Impetigo adults and children over 1 year.

Shingles adults ages over 18 years.

Urinary tract infection women, aged 16 to 64 years.

Acute otis media- children aged 1 to 17 years

If you have symptoms for one of the above please try contacting your local pharmacy before your GP surgery.

This will allow more appointments for patients with other conditions.

Social Prescribing service

Social prescribing is when residents are linked to local community groups and services to enable them to develop skills and confidence to improve their self care and tackle the social causes of ill health and wellbeing.

Who is social prescribing for?

The service is for all adults (18+) who are North Lincolnshire residents in need of information, advice and support to cope with everyday life.

Social prescribing focuses on:

• Supporting people to cope with their long-term conditions; or those of someone they may care for; increasing independence to enable and empower people to self-manage their own health and wellbeing
• Reducing social isolation; supporting those who are feeling lonely and looking for social opportunities to get more involved in the community
• Signposting people with social, emotional or practical needs to a range of local services, often provided by the voluntary and community sector
• Promoting a holistic approach to health and wellbeing by focusing on the wider determinants of health and supporting people to access relevant services e.g., housing, welfare advice and employment programmes, as well as health promotion services such as smoking cessation and physical activity.

Benefits of providing this service 

Many people go to their GPs as a familiar route to seek help, but often the problem is not just a medical need – this is when the social prescribing route will be offered. 

Evaluations of local social prescribing schemes have reported reduced pressure on NHS services, with reductions in GP consultations, A&E attendances and hospital bed stays for people who have received social prescribing support.  

How do I access social prescribing?

Fill in the online contact form, stating your interest in the social prescribing service, or speak to your GP practice staff who will be able to directly refer you to a social prescribing link worker.

Please follow the link below to answer three simple questions about your recent visit to our surgery.

Completing the questionnaire can allow us to improve our services for patients, if you would like any assistance filling out the friends and family test, please contact the surgery.

Cambridge Avenue Medical Centre is now supporting Healthy Lifestyle for its staff. We are holding new initiatives to help the mental and physical health of its staff members.

If you still need your covid and flu jab this winter, please contact the surgery for the reception team to get you booked in.

Our phone lines remain very busy, please avoid calling in peak times, alternatively, you can complete our online triage form at home by following the 'Book an Appointment' link on our website.

Updated: 13/11/2024

All GP surgeries are required to give all patients in England online access to new information as it is added to their GP health record.

Patients with online accounts, such as through the NHS App, should be able to read new entries, including free text, in their health record. This applies to future (prospective) record entries and not historic data.

These pages provide support and guidance for primary care teams, staff working in other health and care services, commissioners and voluntary organisations.

Patients wanting to find out about accessing their GP health records can also visit How to get your medical records. 

Find out more about these changes and why they are being made. 

If you would like further help accessing the NHS App please use the link below.

NHS App help and support - NHS (www.nhs.uk)

If you require any historical information from your records, please ask a receptionist for a Subject Access Request form. Please complete this form and return to the surgery. This is then approved by a GP who may wish to call the patient before releasing any copies of notes. We advise these requests can take up to 28 days due to the amount of work involved. 

Please support your GP surgery by having the Flu and Covid-19 vaccines with us.

We will be contacting eligible patients to ensure that everyone gets their Flu and Covid vaccines.

If you have any queries about the upcoming vaccinations, please do not hesistate to contact the surgery.

 If you believe you are eligible for the Covid and Flu vaccinations, please contact the surgery for the reception team to get you booked in. We are currently holding weekend clinics and evening clinics at Cambridge Avenue.

Thank you

Important information for patients currently on hospital waiting lists

The NHS has been working hard to address the backlogs built up during the COVID pandemic. As part of these plans, the NHS will be proactively contacting patients who have been waiting a long time for NHS funded treatment to remind them of their right to request to move to an alternative hospital where they may be seen quicker.

From Tuesday 31st October new digital portal called the Patient Initiated Digital Mutual Aid System (PIDMAS) will be introduced. Patients who have been waiting 40 weeks or more can use this portal to request an alternative choice of hospital.

Any patient who is eligible will receive either a SMS text message or a letter from their current hospital explaining how to request to choose a different hospital. Please do not contact the practice regarding this process as we have no information regarding individual patients. The hospital will contact you if you are eligible. Please do not contact them either. Further information about alternative choice is available on hospital websites.

Telephone Lines

Our telephone lines remain very busy, we continue to experience high demand on our telephone lines.

First thing in the morning is considered a peak time for the practice, if your request can wait please contact the practice at an alternative time.

The staff will answer your call as soon as they can. 

Why not save time and try our new online consultation form, you can request to book an appointment, cancel an appointment, request fit notes, test results, submit medication queries as well as look at self help information. Or for any minor health concerns you can contact a local pharmacy (see above information) 

Infection Prevention and Control Annual Statement

2024

Cambridge Avenue and Messingham Medical Centre

In accordance with The Health and Social Care Act 2008 Code of Practice this statement will be reviewed annually. It includes details of –

• Significant events including transmission of infection incidents and action taken
• Infection control audits carried out and actions taken
• Staff Training
• Review and up-dates of policies, procedures and guidelines

Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Lead

Bryony Toyne – Practice Nurse.

Bryony attends quarterly meetings organised by the CCG to ensure high quality IPC monitoring is carried out through the surgery. She joined the practice in September 2024 and has valuable IPC knowledge due to working in a range of clinical environments.

The IPC role has been supported by Kay Fowler – Practice Manager and Louise Trought – Deputy Manager. Both Kay and Louise started working at the practice recently. All three value the importance of providing staff and patients with a clean and safe environment.

Significant Events

A significant event is any unintended or unexpected event which can lead to harm of staff member or patient. This can also be in the form of infection transmission incidents. It is important to review and action on significant events to promote a safe clinical environment and good practice. All significant events are discussed at staff meetings and learning events are formulated to avoid reoccurrence. No significant events have happened this year.

Infection Prevention Audits and Actions

The Annual Infection Control Audit was completed before Bryony started at the practice by Nurse Associate Emma in July 2024.

The findings and actions from this audit include –

• Clinical rooms in the older part of the building (6,7,8,9,10,11,12,14,15,16) do not comply with HBN 00-10 Part C guidance as they all have an overflow compartment. It has been agreed with the IPC Lead that this can be rectified over a longer period due to cost implications.
• Clinical Rooms (6,7,8,9,10,11,12,14,15,16) do not have Dani-centres. Therefore, gloves are being stored on work surfaces. This results in unnecessary clutter and difficulty cleaning thoroughly. New Dani-centres have been ordered for these rooms.
• The couches in clinical rooms 5, 7 and 16 have tears in them. These beds with be disposed of and replaced.
• There was non-wipeable charrs in the reception, admin and clinical rooms. All these chairs have been discarded and every chair is now wipeable.
• Bins including clinical and general waste were visibly dirty. A cleaning rota has been formulated to ensure bins are cleaned regularly. The bins in disrepair have been replaced.
• Steps used for clinical room couches were visibly dirty. These have been placed on a cleaning rota or disposed of if in disrepair.
• No process for ensuring clinical rooms have been cleaned. A cleaning rota has been formulated which will be visible to patients in the clinical rooms and toilets.
• No evidence of staff completing aseptic non touch technique training. Bryony has the facilities to train all staff in this area and staff can complete an online training module. We also have a ‘glow box’ which is used on a regular basis to help staff members understand correct hand washing technique. We have posters at all sinks to remind staff and patients how to do this correctly.

The Cambridge Avenue and Messingham Medical Centre Completed Audits in 2024 include –

• Annual Infection Prevention and Control Audit
• Annual Review of Functional Risk Categories
• Annual Aseptic Non-Touch Technique
• Weekly Safe Use of Equipment Audit
• Monthly Safe Use of Equipment Audit
• Monthly Hand Hygiene Audit
• Monthly Vaccine Fridge Audit
• Quarterly Sharps Bins Audit
• Quarterly Personal Protective Equipment Audit

Risk Assessments

Risk Assessments are carried out annually. The ongoing risk assessments are as followed –

Legionella (water) Risk Assessment: We are following the correct procedures in ensuring safe use of water at the practice. It is crucial that we provide safe water to staff and our patients. Last reviewed: October 2024

Immunisations: As a practice we encourage staff to have their yearly Flu and Covid Boosters. All clinical staff are offered their occupational health vaccinations applicable to their role- these include MMR and Hepatitis B. We carry out a lot of Covid and Flu clinics at the practice to keep up with the National Immunisations Campaign for patients and offer vaccinations in house, such as PPV, Shingles and RSV to patients who are eligible.

Curtains: At the practice we use disposable curtains, according to the NHS Cleaning Specification disposable curtains should be changed every 6-12 months or when visibly dirty. The curtains are regularly reviewed and were all changed in September 2024. We do not have blinds or curtains in the clinical rooms as shutters are in place, the windows are low risk but do need regular cleaning to prevent the build up of dust or debris.

Cleaning frequencies: Bryony reviews each room and its functional risk category in line with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) Guidance. This ensures each room in the practice if cleaned at an appropriate time frame. For example, treatment rooms/minor operations rooms are cleaned more thoroughly and frequently than the admin offices. Louise and Bryony have formulated a new cleaning schedule that includes the functional risk categories to ensure we are performing in accordance with the guidance. This will be reviewed annually.

Hand washing: The practice has clinical hand washing sinks for all staff to use. Bryony completes a monthly audit on all clinical and non-clinical staff. It is a requirement for everyone to be audited at least annually.

Training

Bryony is going to introduce IPC to every staff meeting to ensure they are aware of audits and their outcomes. All staff have access to IPC training online and are required to updated this annually. The IPC should attend quarterly IPC meetings organised by the CCG and lead by the Nurse Lead for IPC in Primary Care.

Sarah Coult the current Nurse Lead is stepping down from her role in November. We are awaiting confirmation of the new Lead.

Policies

IPC policies and procedures are available to all staff electronically. Harrogate IPC share monthly bulletins and updated us on any changes to current advice, guidance or legislation. These are circulated to all staff and discussed at meetings when necessary.

Responsibility

All staff have a responsibility to be familiar with this statement and their roles in infection prevention and control.

Responsibility to review

It is the responsibility of IPC Nurse to update the IPC statement annually. This is currently Bryony Toyne - Practice Nurse.

Date published: 29.10.2024
Date last updated: 29.10.2024