What is happening?
Long term conditions (LTCs) are health conditions that can impact on a person’s life and may require ongoing care and support.
We are changing the way we organise appointments and provide support for people who have long term conditions by putting in place a new way of working whereby we will review all of your long term conditions together.
This way of working enables us to improve the proactive monitoring of your long term conditions, ensuring you receive the best possible care.
Why change things?
This way of working aims to give you the opportunity to get more out of your annual review appointment by reorganising the way things happen. All the important tests and results needed at your appointment will be available to you before you see the doctor or nurse. It also gives you an opportunity to think through what questions you want to ask and identify your key concerns which you want to talk about.
What does this mean for me?
In your birthday month we will write to you and invite you for your review. You may receive one or more appointments. You will also be sent a pre appointment questionnaire which we ask you to complete and bring with you to the surgery.
At your first appointment you will have several tests done with a nurse or a healthcare assistant. These may include a blood test, weight, blood pressure and, if you’re diabetic, a foot check. The test results from this appointment will be available when you attend your second appointment.
At your second appointment, the doctor or nurse will talk to you about what is important to you. They will raise any issues they are concerned about. This will enable you to work out a plan and identify any support you need to help look after your health.
Initially you may have a couple of long-term condition appointments close together, but this is just whilst we get everyone set up to attend in their birthday month.