Since Monday 1 October 2018 patients in Hull have been benefiting from access to medical appointments outside of usual GP surgery hours through a new extended access service, Access+. City Health Care Partnership CIC (CHCP CIC) has been awarded the contract on behalf of a partnership of practices.
Access+ allows patients to book a routine appointment with a range of health professionals, including GPs, nurse practitioners and other experienced clinical staff, outside of usual GP surgery hours, including evenings, weekends and bank holidays. The service is currently being delivered at Bransholme Health Centre, Park Health Centre and Wilberforce Health Centre and operates on an appointment only basis.
Appointments can be booked through a patient’s usual GP practice, or by calling 01482 247111. Appointments are pre-bookable and for routine medical needs only. Patients are not necessarily seen by their own GP or at their GP practice, but all patients registered with a GP in Hull can access the service.
Dr Scot Richardson, clinical lead for the service said: “We know that sometimes it is difficult for patients to get an appointment at their GP practice to fit around their daytime commitments; Access+ gives patients much more flexibility when booking routine appointments because they can now be seen on evenings, weekends and bank holidays.”
“This isn’t intended to change how patients in Hull get an appointment at their GP practice, nor does it replace emergency or GP out-of-hours appointments, but it does mean patients have more choice when it comes to booking routine appointments in advance.”
Dr Richardson added: “Through Access+ a patient may choose to book an appointment for an asthma check up with a nurse practitioner at a weekend, for example. The appointment may not be held at their usual GP practice, but the advice they receive and any treatment needed will be of the same high quality.”
Patients requesting appointments through Access+ will be asked relevant questions about their need for an appointment, also known as clinical triage. This means they will be directed to the most appropriate clinician for their individual medical need. In addition, patients will be asked to give their consent to allow their usual practice to share their medical record with the service. This enables clinicians within the service to have access to the full patient record which may contain important information that might influence treatment or advice.
For further information about the Access+ service, including times and locations of appointments, please visit: www.accessplus.org.uk
