Autumn 2025 Newsletter
The Autumn 2025 Weardale Practice Newsltter has been published and available in the waiting areas.
You can access the pdf document by clicking here.
Flu and COVID Autumn/Winter 2025/26
To provide the best possible protection going into winter we have organised clinics at the very start of the season. The flu and covid clinics are booking well and we continue to contact all eligible patients.
Thursday 2 October Wolsingham FULLY BOOKED
Friday 3 October St John’s Chapel FULLY BOOKED
Saturday 4 October Stanhope FULLY BOOKED
Monday 6 October Stanhope
Thursday 9 October Wolsingham Limited Availability
Friday 10 October St John’s Chapel
We will be adding more clinics where needed and continue to book patients throughout the season. Clinicians will also offer a vaccination if a patient attends the practice for a different appointment, has no booked appointment and hasn’t declined the offer.
You and Your General Practice (Patient Charter):
All GP Practices must publish a Patient Charter document on their practice website no later than 1 October 2025. The Charter sets out the standards a patient can expect from their practice, as outlined in the GP contract.
The Weardale Practice have published the Charter on the website and it has been added to the Practice Leaflet, available in waiting areas. Click here and scroll to You and Your General Practice
Reasonable Adjustment Digital Flag
Under the Equality Act 2010, organisations have a legal duty to make changes in their approach or provision to ensure that services are as accessible to people with disabilities as they are for everybody else. These changes are called reasonable adjustments.
The Reasonable Adjustment Flag was developed to enable health and care workers to record, share and view details of reasonable adjustments across the NHS, wherever the person is treated.
We will start contacting relevant patients (or their carer) to complete a questionnaire. We will be starting this towards the end of September.
Watch this short video to find out more click here
Appointment System for GP & ANP appointments:
In March, The Weardale Practice introduced a new system allowing patients to request GP appointments via an online form or by contacting the practice by phone. We acknowledge that this new booking system has caused some uncertainty for a few patients, but overall, it has significantly improved our ability to provide safe and effective healthcare.
While the ‘8am scramble for appointments’ has shifted from the telephone to online forms, this change represents an improvement for patients. Previously, appointments were booked on a first-come, first-served basis, often resulting in bookings either earlier than clinically necessary or later due to unavailability. The new system allows clinicians to make informed decisions based on the information provided in the form, ensuring well-managed appointment allocation.
Feedback from the Friends and Family Test and social media has raised concerns that the new system may hinder ‘older’ patients from accessing the practice and essential healthcare. However, this is not the case. Patients unable to complete an online form can still contact the practice by phone, and our admin team will record their information using the same form.
We have compared the practice population age groups with the Systmconnect form completion rate and all appointment types. The graph below shows the comparison. For example, 15% of our patients are aged between 70 and 79, 17% of the online forms relate to this age group and 14% of all appointments are for this age. This indicates that patients of all ages are accessing the practice, either completing the form themselves or via telephone. All age groups are also having an appointment with either a HCA, Nurse, Advanced Nurse Practitioner, GP, Physio, Smoking Cessation Practitioner, Midwife, Mental Health Practitioner, Health & Wellbeing Coach, Social Prescriber or Clinical Pharmacist.
We appreciate your understanding and cooperation as we continue to refine our systems to better serve our community.
The table below highlights various scenarios that patients and staff experienced prior to the implementation of total triage, alongside a comparison illustrating the improvements brought about by the new process.
| Then | Now |
| Personal Information Previously, admin and reception staff would request a description of the patient’s problem. However, some patients were hesitant to share information, which made it challenging for the admin team to effectively navigate patients to the appropriate healthcare professional. | Patients can now provide their details through a structured online form. This means they no longer need to describe their problem over the phone, unless they are unable to complete the form themselves. |
| 8am Rush Patients would contact the practice at 8am to book an appointment, operating on a first-come, first-served basis. Appointments were quickly filled, often resulting in patients being booked into same-day slots even when there was no clinical urgency. | Patients can either call the practice at 8am or complete an online form to request an appointment. These forms are triaged based on clinical need and urgency, ensuring that appointments are allocated appropriately. Patients may receive an appointment on the same day, within 5 days, or within 10 days, depending on the urgency. An administrator assists the clinician in triaging the forms and contacts patients by phone to book same-day appointments or sends a booking link for other appointments. On average, we book 200 GP appointments per week. |
Patients frequently demanded appointments, which placed considerable pressure on staff to accommodate these requests. | Moral Distress & Staff Wellbeing All patients request GP appointments through a streamlined process, eliminating the need for staff to engage in awkward conversations |
| Keeping Patients Informed Patients often made multiple calls to the practice in attempts to book appointments and follow up on queries, leading to increased call volumes and potential frustration. | With 96% of all SystmConnect forms processed on the same day, patients receive timely outcomes, significantly enhancing their experience and reducing the need for follow-up calls. |
| Booking time to Appointment The lead time for a routine appointment often exceeded four weeks, resulting in delays in clinical care and potentially impacting patient outcomes. | Over 85% of GP appointments occur within ten working days of the request. The remaining 15% beyond this two-week period are typically review appointments. By seeing patients more promptly, any necessary onward referrals, such as two-week wait (2WW) cancer referrals, are initiated more swiftly, enhancing patient care and outcomes. |
| Review Appointments Patients would contact the practice to book a review appointment with a GP or ANP, only to be informed that no appointments were available, leading to frustration and potential delays in follow-up care. | All GP and ANP rotas include dedicated review appointments, allowing clinicians to book follow-up appointments during the initial consultation. Alternatively, an appointment link can be sent to the patient, ensuring a seamless and efficient booking process. |
| Continuity of Care Patients would book GP and review appointments with any available GP to secure a slot, often leading to a lack of continuity in care and potential inefficiencies in managing patient needs. | Continuity of care has improved with the introduction of dedicated review appointments. When patients receive a booking link, they have the flexibility to choose the same GP for their follow-up or select another GP based on their preference, enhancing patient satisfaction and care consistency. |
What’s next….
Following a productive meeting with some Parish Councillors, we’ve identified key areas for review to improve patient interaction before they contact the practice:
Telephone System: We’ll assess the current restrictions in place to manage call volumes and explore ways to optimise the queue system for better efficiency and patient satisfaction.
Form Usage: We’ll review strategies to guide patients in using the appropriate forms for their specific needs, ensuring that new or existing condition forms are not used for unrelated requests or queries.
Continuous Improvement: Being six months into the new system, we’re in a strong position to evaluate further enhancements. Over the coming months, we’ll engage both patients and staff in this process to ensure comprehensive improvements.
Patient Surveys: During the upcoming flu and COVID clinics, we’ll conduct surveys to gather insights on how we can better support our elderly population, ensuring their needs are met effectively.
By involving both patients and staff in these initiatives, we aim to foster a collaborative environment that prioritises patient care and operational efficiency.
Contraceptive pill now available directly from local pharmacies
Women in the North East and North Cumbria can now get the contraceptive pill directly from their local pharmacy, without needing a GP appointment.
Pharmacies can offer the contraceptive pill too – whether someone is starting it for the first time or continuing with their regular prescription.
The service is free and confidential and offers more choice about where and how to access contraception, making it quicker and more convenient while also helping GP surgeries, and sexual health clinics, by freeing up appointments for those with more complex needs.
A short check-up will still be needed once a year, which will take place at the pharmacy when the next supply is collected. If any unusual side effects occur and do not go away, it is important to speak to a pharmacist or GP straight away.
The service is available to all women, including those under 16. Personal details will only be shared with parents or carers if there are serious safety concerns.
Click here to find your nearest pharmacy offering the contraceptive.
Important Update on Weight Loss Treatment – Mounjaro (Tirzepatide) please read before contacting the practice
The Weardale Practice continue to receive enquiries about the medicine by phone and via the online new and existing condition forms.
We kindly ask that you do no use the forms do not use these forms to request an appointment for the drugs or use the form to request a private prescription – we are unable to prescribe these medicines for weight-loss.
Patients using the online forms are reducing the availability of forms for other patients.
If and when the treatment is available at The Weardale Practice, it does not mean the medicine will be prescribed straight away or available immediately. This treatment is also only available to people who have certain medical conditions. If the medicine is suitable for the eligible patients, patients have to agree to participate in a wrap-around service and attend monthly review appointments with a GP and HCA.
| As we are not in a position to offer assessments, NHS prescriptions or private prescriptions, we kindly ask that you do not contact the practice to ask about Mounjaro for weight-loss (or other weight-loss drugs). | We have less than ten patients who meet the current NHS criteria for Mounjaro etc to be prescribed for weight-loss. WE CAN NOT ISSUE A PRIVATE PRESCRIPTION OF THESE WEIGHT-LOSS DRUGS | Patients who have been paying privately for Mounjaro (or other weigh loss drugs) will need to continue to do so unless they meet future eligibility criteria. WE CAN NOT ISSUE A PRIVATE PRESCRIPTION OF THESE WEIGHT-LOSS DRUGS |
Other support for losing weight.
If you do not qualify for Tirzepatide (Mounjaro®) on the NHS, your GP practice can still help you with:
- NHS health checks – for weight and other health problems
- Diet and exercise advice
- Support services – like NHS weight loss programmes, Diabetes prevention or remission programmes and local authority schemes where available
- Referral to the Health and Wellbeing team
Over 70s Friends and family Feedback
We received some wonderful feedback from a recent Friends and Family survey which was sent to our over 70 patient population at the start of August.
“Excellent as last time empathetic and good advice cannot fault service “
“You are performing well under strenuous times.”
“The surgery is always there to help and do provide a good service. The staff are always polite and go out of their way to help every time especially anyone who can’t access the internet and or complete the relevant forms.”
“Convenient appointment; prompt and efficient service on the day. “
“Delightful staff, very caring and efficient.”
“Doctors very quick to pick up on a problem with my bloods”
“The receptionist was able to give me a timely appointment with the practitioner. At the actual appointment I was seen on time and treated with respect. The practitioner made a thorough assessment of my problems and gave appropriate advice.”
While smoking rates have declined in recent years, over 5 million people in England still smoke and it remains the single biggest cause of preventable ill health and death. Data shows that using willpower alone is the most common approach to quitting smoking, despite being proven to be the least effective.
If you live or work in County Durham, Smokefree County Durham can offer you an individual quit programme for up to 12 weeks.
You will be offered weekly tailored advice and support from a Specialist Practitioner to help plan and manage your quit attempt.
Smokefree Durham are a vape/e-cigarette friendly service and can offer a choice of stop smoking medications including Champix* and Nicotine Replacement Therapy.
They work alongside the NHS, local pharmacies, and a range of other organisations to support your journey to becoming smoke-free.
Patients also have the option to self-refer using the self-referral Systmconnect form available on our website.
The NHS has some great information on their website and you can create a personal quit plan. To find out more click here
Please follow us on Facebook – we have 7120 patients and 1200 followers. Following our Facebook page will help you keep up-to-date with practice news.
NHS App
There is a significant push for practices to collaborate with patients to enhance the use of the NHS App. Having been around for several years, particularly gaining prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic, the NHS App is becoming the preferred method for patient communication across the NHS.
Currently, the NHS sends millions of text messages daily, which incurs substantial costs. In contrast, sending messages via the NHS App is free, offering a cost-effective solution for both the NHS and patients.
We encourage all patients to ensure that notifications for the NHS App are turned on and that your device’s app settings are enabled. This will ensure you receive timely updates and communications from your healthcare providers, enhancing your overall healthcare
How to manage your notification preferences
- Log in to the NHS App.
- Select the Account icon in the top corner.
- Select Notifications.
- Follow the ‘go to your device settings’ link
- Click on Notifications to update the settings. When Notifications are enabled, ‘Allowed’ will be displayed.
If you use the app on multiple devices, you’ll need to allow notifications on each device.
If you share your device with someone else and your device has notifications turned on, anyone who uses the NHS App on the device will also receive notifications.
For more information click here
Learn My Way
Learn My Way is a free online platform that helps people gain basic digital skills and build confidence in using the internet. 7.5 million working-age adults lack digital skills for work, and 8.5 million lack the most basic digital skills. Learn My Way is on a mission to change that.
To find out more click here
Start for Life Early Years
Help parents find out what childcare support they’re eligible for
From September 2025 and in addition to the support already available, eligible working parents will be able to access 30 hours of childcare per week, over 38 weeks of the year, starting from the term after their child turns 9 months old. This is all part of the government’s Plan for Change to give every child the best start in life by making high-quality early years education and childcare more affordable and accessible for families.
Benefits of childcare video
Check out this short YouTube video to see parents and practitioners at Rowland Hill Nursery share how early years education and childcare helps children grow in confidence, communication, and curiosity.
Are you already using 15 hours childcare for working families?
Cervical Screening Programme – utilising the NHS App
In September, those who have a negative test result will be notified of this by an NHS App message. It will also appear as an NHS App notification. If the NHS App message isn’t read within 72 hours, a letter will be sent as a failsafe.
Abnormal result letters will continue for the time being to be delivered by post.