Practice News
!!!!! NATIONAL MICROSOFT IT OUTAGE !!!!!
Dear Patients,
We are currently affected by a widespread IT outage impacting many organisations nationally.
We are unable to book appointments
We are unable to take any repeat prescription requests
This will be re-instated as soon as we return to full functionality.
REMEMBER - If you need emergency medical assistance, please contact 999.
Practice Merger Plans
Dear Valued Patients,
Summary of Plans
We are pleased to announce an important development at our practice that we believe will enhance the quality of care and services we provide to you and our community.
After careful consideration and extensive discussions, we are excited to announce that we are proposing to merge our patients at Howard Medical Practice with those at Manor House Surgery in order to create one complete practice list.
We are aiming for this to come into effect in October 2024.
As you are all aware, we have been providing our current services under the successful management of Manor House Surgery since October 2023. Under their management we have gradually improved and expanded on the services that we provide and so this decision comes as part of our ongoing commitment to further improving healthcare accessibility, efficiency, and overall patient experience.
This merger brings together two highly respected practices with a shared dedication to delivering exceptional medical care to our patients. By combining our resources, expertise, and strengths, we believe we can offer an even higher standard of care, expanded services, and offer a greater convenience for you and your family.
What does this mean for you as a patient?
- Continuity of Care: Your current healthcare team will remain largely unchanged. Your trusted doctors, nurses, and support staff will continue to provide the same personalised care you have come to expect.
- Expanded Services: With the merger, we aim to expand our range of services and facilities, providing you with access to a broader spectrum of healthcare options conveniently located in your community and at a choice of 3 sites.
- Improved Access: We are committed to maintaining and enhancing accessibility to care. The merger will allow us to streamline administrative processes and improve appointment availability, reducing waiting times and ensuring you receive timely medical attention.
- Shared Resources: By pooling our resources, we can invest in advanced medical technologies, training programs for staff, and infrastructure improvements, all of which will ultimately benefit you, our patients.
- Enhanced Communication: We are committed to keeping you informed throughout this transition process. We will provide regular updates via email, our website, and in-person communications to ensure you are well-informed and have the opportunity to ask any questions you may have.
We understand that change can be unsettling, but please rest assured that our primary focus remains on providing you with the highest quality of care. Our goal is to make this transition as seamless as possible for you, with minimal disruption to your healthcare experience.
What will change?
- Contact number: On the day of the merger, the telephone number to contact the practice will change to the main Manor House Surgery line which is: 01457 860860.
- Practice email address: The practice email address to contact us will change to: ddicb.manorhousesurgery@nhs.net The email address to order prescriptions will change to: ddicb.c81081scripts@nhs.net
- Your Registered Surgery: Your registered surgery will become Manor House Surgery. This will mean that your medical record will be automatically transferred to the Manor House Surgery patient list. The contents of your medical record will remain exactly the same and your allocated GP will remain as Dr Raymond Lee.
- Booking a GP appointment: The way you book appointments will change. All requests for GP appointments will need to be submitted by an online form. This is called Total Online Triage. Please click here for further information on this. Requests for Nurse & HCA appointments will remain the same.
Should you have any questions or concerns regarding the merger, please do not hesitate to contact us via our dedicated email address ddicb.c81077merger@nhs.net or call the practice on 01457 854321
We have also provided an FAQ sheet below. A paper copy can also be collected from the surgery.
How to get involved
Our PPG (Patient Group) who will also be joined by a representative of Manor House PPG, will be holding some engagement sessions at the practice on the following dates:
- Thursday 25 July - 10am to 12pm & 2pm to 4pm
- Wednesday 31 July - 2pm to 4pm
Sessions will also be held at Manor House Surgeries on the following dates:
- Manor House Hadfield - Friday 26 July 2pm to 4pm
- Manor House Glossop - Monday 29 July 2pm to 4pm
A member of the practice team will also be available to discuss any questions that you may have.
The practice will also be providing online sessions where patients can get involved:
Tuesday 16 July Microsoft Teams 10am - 11am - Meeting ID: 316 800 910 830 Password: LKwRpD
Tuesday 30 July Microsoft Teams 5pm - 6pm - Meeting ID: 374 279 993 492 Password: s8riju
Our Patient Group will also welcome any comment or feedback, which they will collect and discuss with the practice team. Comments can be left in the PPG comments box situated in the waiting room. Anonymous comments will be welcomed, should this be preferred and a direct response not required.
Your feedback is valuable to us, and we are here to address any questions you may have.
We are genuinely excited about the opportunities this merger presents for us to better serve you and our community. Thank you for entrusting us with your healthcare needs, and we look forward to continuing to be your partners in health.
Warm regards,
The Partners and Management Team
Howard Medical Practice
Manor House Surgery
Frequently Asked Questions
- Why is the merger happening?
Upon the retirement of Dr Vuyyuru (Shiva), a shortage of GPs meant that there was no successor to take over the partnership at Howard Street. To ensure that the practice could continue to run and provide its current service to patients, Manor House Surgery agreed to take over and manage us.
This has been running successfully since October 2023 but to enable this to continue most effectively, and to provide Howard Street patients with the full and extensive service that is provided to the patients at Manor House Surgery, it is more beneficial to merge the two practices together.
The Howard Street site will still continue to provide services from there but as patients will be joined with Manor House, they will also have the advantage of attending the Glossop and Hadfield sites too.
- How will the merger benefit patients?
Patients will benefit from a much larger clinical team who provide a wider range of specialised services eg, minor surgery, dermatology, sexual health clinics. There will be more availability of appointments in all areas and a choice of alternative sites to suit your convenience. Having a larger clinic team means that patients have access to a wider knowledge and skill set who are able to provide a wealth of information across the team.
- Will there be any changes to the services provided?
No. The staff at Howard Street will remain the same but the merger will enable us to move staff more freely across all sites, which helps to provide cover in busy times and during staff absences which often prevents clinics being cancelled or appointments being changed.
The only changes will be the way you contact us to book your appointments.
- Will patients need to change their GP?
No. This will remain the same and will be transferred over with your medical record.
- Will I call the same telephone number?
No. The contact number will change to Manor House main line: 01457 860860. However, the current telephone number (01457 854321) will remain on a divert for a period of time to allow for any patients who have not been reachable and therefore not aware of the changes. This will also remain in place for any NHS services or outside agencies who may have missed our communication.
Please also note that the current email address will also change to: ddicb.manorhousesurgery@nhs.net
- Will there be any changes to appointment booking procedures?
Slightly, yes. All Nurse and HCA appointments will continue to be booked in the same way, but our contact number will change to the Manor House Surgery main contact line.
Requests for a GP appointment will need to be submitted via online Triage form (Accurx Total Triage). This will then be read and actioned by a GP.
- How will the merger affect waiting times?
This should improve waiting times as there will be more access to a wider clinical team.
Also, the new Patient Triage system now in place at Manor House Surgery has proved very successful and has considerably reduced waiting times.
- Will there be any changes to the location or opening hours of the surgery?
No. The surgery will still be used as a branch site and the staff currently working there will remain the same.
- How will patient records be managed during and after the merger?
These will be managed in exactly the same way.
- Will there be any changes to the staff at the surgery?
No, they will all remain the same.
- How will prescriptions be handled during the transition?
There will be no changes to how prescriptions are managed but after the merger date, you will need to email your requests to the Manor House prescription email: ddicb.c81081scripts@nhs.net
If you order your medication via the NHSApp or Patient Access, you will be prompted to re-register your account.
- Will patients still have access to the same range of specialists or services?
Yes, and will also have access to more.
- How will patient feedback and complaints be managed during and after the merger?
Feedback & complaints will be managed in exactly the same way as they are now and following the merger, the only difference will be the ability to also submit complaints to a dedicated Complaints email: ddicb.complaints.manorhouse@nhs.net
All complaints will be handled by the same Practice Management team as they are currently.
- Will there be any changes to the process of registering as a new patient?
No. This will be exactly the same process, but patients will register as a Manor House patient and not a Howard Street patient.
- How will vulnerable or high-needs patients be supported during the merger?
We have provided an easy read information leaflet that is clear and easy to understand. We will also liaise with carers where their details are available.
- Will there be any changes to the availability of home visits?
Home visits are currently undertaken by our PCN Paramedics and so nothing will change. Home visits will still be available where required/deemed necessary.
- How will the merger affect the continuity of care for patients with ongoing health issues?
This will essentially depend upon how soon you need to be seen. You can still request to see the same GP that you usually see for your health issue. This will always depend upon availability as it does now, but as you will also have access to many other GPs, it will be down to you to make the choice. You may choose to wait until your preferred GP is available or you can choose the next available appointment.
- What measures are in place to ensure a smooth transition and minimize disruptions for patients?
We are working closely with our local ICB (NHS Integrated Care Board), our IT providers and our clinical system providers to ensure that we are fully prepared for the merger and that the transition runs as smoothly as possible for our patients.
We are also dedicated to providing clear communication to our patients along the way and will keep you all fully informed.
- How can patients provide feedback or raise concerns during the merger process?
- During the merger we have a dedicated email address for all merger queries: c81077merger@nhs.net. This will remain available for 6 months post merger.
- You can also contact our PPG by email at: howardstreetppg@hotmail.com
- You can call into the surgery and take part in the engagement sessions that will be held (details of these dates are displayed in the practice and on our website)
- You can leave your comments in the PPG comments box in the waiting room.
- What provision is there for Howard Street patients following the merger?
Following the merger, all patients will be transferred to the Manor House Surgery practice list and so there will be no separate provision for Howard Street patients as you will all be one and the same.
Minor Ailments Scheme
Your local pharmacy can issue NHS prescriptions for certain minor ailments.
Below is a list of the conditions:-
Sore throat Hay Fever UTI - Urinary Tract Infection Fever Thread worm Athlete's foof
Cough & cold Head lice Nasal Congestion Headache Vaginal thrush Conjunctivitis
They can be issued on prescription without having to see your GP and your usual prescription payment method will apply.
This service is available from the following Pharmacies:-
Boots Pharmacy, Glossop (not UTI) . Well Pharmacy (Co-op), Glossop . Mews Pharmacy, Gamesley . Moorlands Pharmacy, Simmondley
Cohen’s Chemist, Glossop (not UTI)
Save a GP Appointment
….and use your local Pharmacy where possible
HOSPITALS TO RESUME NON-URGENT SURGERY & APPOINTMENTS
Hospitals in Greater Manchester are starting to resume non-urgent surgery and appointments.
If your appointment or surgery was recently postponed, please wait to hear from the hospital when they are able to reschedule you. There is no need to contact the hospital or your GP practice for this information.
At the beginning of January, the difficult decision was made to pause non-urgent surgery and appointments due to the impact of COVID-19 and the associated staff absence levels.
Although services remain busy, the situation has improved to the point where hospitals can start to resume non-urgent surgery.
Hospitals will initially start with day case surgery, which is where patients don’t need an overnight stay in hospital after their procedure. As the situation continues to improve over the coming weeks other types of surgery will resume as soon as they are able to.
The hospital team will contact patients directly when they can offer a new date for the appointment or surgery.
We appreciate how disappointing this will have been for patients affected by this over the past few weeks, especially for those who had already waited some time. Our local hospitals are working hard to resume services as quickly as possible so please bear with them.
In the meantime, patients waiting can visit the Greater Manchester While You Wait website (whileyouwait.org.uk) which has some information and advice on how to manage physical and mental wellbeing during this time.
GOVERNMENT RULES FOR SICK NOTES - SELF CERTIFICATION NOW RETURNS TO 7 DAYS
NATIONAL DATA OPT-OUT
Patients need to register their choice
**For full information, please see GDPR & Privacy option at the bottom of this webpage **
You can choose whether your confidential patient information is used for research and planning. To find out more visit nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters.
You do not need to do anything if you are happy about how your confidential patient information is used. You can change your choice at any time.
Type 1 opt-out: medical records held at your GP practice
You can also tell your GP practice if you do not want your confidential patient information held in your GP medical record to be used for purposes other than your individual care. This is commonly called a type 1 opt-out. This opt-out request can only be recorded by your GP practice.
Type 2 opt-out: information held by NHS Digital
Previously you could tell your GP practice if you did not want us, NHS Digital, to share confidential patient information that we collect from across the health and care service for purposes other than your individual care. This was called a type 2 opt-out.
The type 2 opt-out was replaced by the national data opt-out. Type 2 opt-outs recorded on or before 11 October 2018 have been automatically converted to national data opt-outs.
Type 2 Opt-Out - How to register your choice.docx
Read more about the collection and conversion of type 2 opt-outs.