We understand that some patients will opt to have some or all of their treatment privately and support your right to do so.

However, to prevent any misunderstanding we would like to take this opportunity to explain how the NHS and General Practice work alongside Private providers of care.

For patients making use of health insurance, following an NHS appointment, a clinician may write a referral letter to a private provider, this will include any relevant medical details about you. These letters go through our normal administration/secretarial system and take time to produce.

If an insurance company wishes for a specific form to be completed, you may be charged for this additional non-NHS work. 

If you do not have health insurance and wish to book directly with a private clinic, you do not require a letter and can arrange the appointment as you wish. Should you have any questions regarding your appointment you should contact the private provider directly. 

If the Consultant thinks that you need any tests - including blood tests, then the Consultant is responsible for arranging tests and any medications that might be needed prior to the test, the cost of these are your responsibility to fund.

Please do not contact the practice to discuss the results of tests organised by private providers. It is the Consultant’s responsibility to discuss this with you, and the practice may not have access to the results.

NHS GP Practices are not responsible for repeating these tests or following them up unless they are part of a recognised NHS Screening programme.

If you have seen a doctor or other healthcare professional privately and they need you to start a treatment, you may be issued with a private prescription. Private doctors are not allowed to issue NHS prescriptions. This is because private consultations are not part of the NHS treatment pathway.

With a private prescription you will need to pay for the full cost of the medicine plus a dispensing fee.

If you wish to enter the NHS for further treatment after your initial prescription was dispensed privately, there are a number of reasons that your GP may not be able to transfer your private prescription onto an NHS prescription. These include:

• The medicine being recommended on your private prescription is not allowed on an NHS prescription
• The medicine being recommended is not included in your local NHS treatment pathway
• The medicine being recommended is not included in your local medicine formulary
• The medicine being recommended is only suitable for specialist or specialised prescribing

If the medication is of a very specialised nature requiring ongoing monitoring, we are unable to accept responsibility for the prescription. This includes medication that we can prescribe on the NHS but requires what is known as a Shared Care Agreement.

Without such a Shared Care Agreement in place with an NHS provider of care we are unable to safely prescribe and monitor certain medication. This would include, but is not limited to, what are known as Disease Modifying Drugs, IVF associated medications and those to treat ADHD. Chelmer Medical Partnership does not accept shared care agreements with private providers.

If we are unable to issue an NHS prescription you can still obtain the medication recommended via a private prescription from the private provider.

Autism or ADHD

NHS waiting lists to receive an assessment for Autism or ADHD, respectively, are often very long. Understandably, many people on these waiting lists consider a private assessment.

If a patient seeks assessment or diagnosis privately or through a provider acting in a private capacity (non-NHS), the NHS GP is under no obligation to continue to prescribe treatment.

There is currently no shared care agreement between General Practice and NHS Psychiatry services for the prescription of ADHD medication. This has been raised with the local Integrated Care Board and we are waiting for an update as to whether a shared care agreement will be set up. In the meantime, NHS consultants will need to prescribe ADHD medication under their service. 

To provide patients with a more accessible method of viewing personal health information, Chelmer Medical Partnership has allowed patients over 16 years of age and who have an online services account, to see all future entries and letters which are held on your medical record from the 25^th October 2023.

This means that patients will be able to see consultation notes, test results and letters that are saved on your record. This only applies to records from your GP, not from hospitals or other specialists. You will only be able to see this information from 25^th October 2023 onwards. If you require any information prior to the 25^th October 2023, please present in person at the practice with photo ID to request printed records.

Our clinicians may need to discuss your test results with your before you are able to see then via online services. A clinician may also need talk to you before full online access is given to make sure that having access is of benefit to you. There might be some sensitive information on your record, so please highlight this to the practice if you have any concerns.

The NHS App, SystmOnline and other online services are very secure. Please protect your login details and do not share your password with anyone.

We are excited to announce that from the 13th June 2023, we are launching our new appointment booking system, Accurx Triage.

Accurx Triage will be used for all patient contact with the practice to request an appointment, to request a home visit, and to assist with patients’ administrative queries. It is a quick and simple online form which can be accessed via our website.

Our new system means that all appointment requests are reviewed by a clinician enabling patients to be offered advice electronically or be offered an appointment with the appropriate clinician and within an appropriate timeframe via a self-booking link.

For more information, please visit Patient Triage: Patient guide | Accurx Help Centre

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are you changing the booking system? 

We have listened to our patients concerns surrounding the challenges they are currently experiencing with regards to appointment availability, difficulties with the telephone system and increasing patient need.

The benefits of using Accurx Triage are:

• Available during our core hours allowing you to complete the form at a time that suits you, rather than having to telephone at 8.00am
• Quick and easy to access – it should only take a couple of minutes to fill out the form
• The clinician may be able to help more quickly and easily, for example with a text message, or by referring you directly to the service you need

Does this mean I will not be seen by a GP anymore?

Accurx Triage allows the practice to collect relevant information in the first instance to ensure you receive the appropriate care. Where suitable you may then be offered an appointment.

I do not have access to the internet or a mobile phone.

Our telephone lines and reception desk remain open for anyone with accessibility needs. A member of our reception team will complete the Triage form with you over the phone or in person.

Will I get an appointment quicker if I call the practice?

Our reception team will no longer be directly booking your appointment without the request being triaged first. All triage forms will be assessed fairly, whether they were submitted online, over the phone or in person.

What happens after I submit a patient triage form for a medical issue? 

A member of the team will respond to you within one working day. Conditions that need to be assessed on the same day will be prioritised. Our team may send you a request for further information in the form of a short questionnaire specific to your issue.

Please note for a medical emergency please contact 999.

What happens if I need an urgent appointment? 

Conditions that need to be assessed on the same day will be prioritised and if the clinicians deem appropriate you will be offered an appointment the same day or directed to an appropriate service.

What if I have more than one medical issue that I need help with? 

Please only submit one medical issue per Triage form, so that you can add sufficient detail for each problem. This will allow our clinicians to appropriately deal with your request.

What happens when I submit a patient triage form for an administrative query?

There is an option to submit an admin query on the online form for general administrative issues such as requesting a letter from a doctor, asking for an update on a referral, and requesting a fit note. You will receive a response within five working days.

What is self-book? 

Self- book is a link that our team may send you via text message inviting you to book your own appointment online. This enables you to choose a day and time to suit you.

Dr Macgregor and Dr Stead have both retired from Chelmer Medical Partnership on the 31st March 2023 after 33 years and 28 years respectively caring for their patients.

We would like to thank them for their many years of hard work and they will be very much missed.

We have been awarded with a gold award from the LGBT Foundation for their Pride in Practice programme which ensures that all lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people have access to inclusive healthcare that understands and meets needs.

The award is a benchmark for excellence in LGBT healthcare, and means that we have taken meaningful steps to provide lesbian, gay, bi, and trans people with a positive, affirming, and equitable service.

This award is nationally recognised, and endorsed by NHS England, the Government Equalities Office, & the Royal College of GPs.

From the 29^th July 2022 we will no longer accept prescription requests from patients via email.

If you have a prescription query:

-Telephone the surgery and select option 1

Chelmer Medical Partnership no longer offers firearms licensing requests.