Technology helps Peterborough surgery reach thousands of patients during pandemic

A Peterborough GP surgery has seen a positive reaction from patients after changing the way it works during the coronavirus pandemic.
Thistlemoor Medical Centre, Lincoln Road   Doc19 EMN-191018-172833009Thistlemoor Medical Centre, Lincoln Road   Doc19 EMN-191018-172833009
Thistlemoor Medical Centre, Lincoln Road Doc19 EMN-191018-172833009

Thistlemoor Medical Centre serves more than 27,000 patients in the city - with a majority of appointments taking place in foreign languages.

Before the COVID-19 response began, 80 per cent of consultations were delivered through a walk-in service, so the team has had to come up with a new way to offer the same level of service accessibility that the diverse team delivered previously.

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Dr Neil Modha, one of the practice GPs, says that investing in communications technology has made a real difference to how the practice staff can care for patients when face-to-face contact is necessarily limited.

He said: “We invested in EngageConsult, an online ‘front door’ which allows patients to get in touch with their requests so we can look at the best way to support them – an electronic prescription, a phone call, video consultation, or pre-booked treatment appointment. This went live on 20 March and more than 2,000 contacts a month are now being made through the system.

“In mid-April we launched a new phone system with Convergence communications, facilitating many more lines out to communicate with patients. Our healthcare assistants and nurses call patients to gather information, which is then passed on to the doctors to help decide the care plan. The team then communicates back to the patients in their own language. We can also conference-call patients with staff supporting communication between the patient and doctor.”

The practice also uses Accurx software for video consultations and to send medical certificates and letters electronically.

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Because patients were accustomed to turning up without an appointment, the practice has been communicating the new arrangements through as many channels as possible including a Facebook page, Twitter posts and videos in English and a number of different languages including Polish, Lithuanian, Russian and Romanian.

The practice has had positive feedback from many patients, particularly in relation to the ease of access, response time and satisfaction with the treatment received. Comments have included: “I have many chronic conditions and being able to email in my blood pressure readings and have my medications reviewed has made life a lot easier” and “It is reassuring to know that I am able to contact my doctor in many different ways and that they will respond”.

Dr Modha added: “We believe our response to the coronavirus has revolutionised the way we manage the needs of our patients, particularly with routine medication reviews, skin conditions, and chronic diseases.

“We’re going to be supporting more self-care in the future by upskilling the team in health coaching for patients. This will enable our team to offer more support to patients with making lifestyle changes and addressing areas such as work-life balance, stress and wider determinants of health and wellbeing such as housing.

“With our diverse team using modern communication methods we can not only rise to challenges like the pandemic, but we can support people’s health and wellbeing as we move forwards.”

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