Patient newsletter Winter 2024

Patient newsletter Summer 2024

Patient newsletter Autumn 2023

Patient newsletter Summer 2023

We are writing to inform you of a significant change that will affect the care we provide at Harston Surgery. As you may have heard in the recent budget, the Government has recently announced an increase to employer National Insurance (NI) contributions, which are the taxes businesses like ours must pay on behalf of our staff. NHS organisations have been told they will receive additional funding to reimburse costs of this increase, but they have explicitly stated that this compensation will not apply to GP practices.

While we remain committed to delivering the best possible care, these changes will have important implications for general practice, including:

1. Recruitment and Retention Challenges: The higher NI contributions place additional financial pressure on our practice and PCN. This cost will regrettably make it harder to recruit and/or retain the skilled healthcare professionals who provide essential services, meaning we may face shortages or reduced staffing levels.
2. Increased Strain on Existing Staff: With rising operational costs and fewer staff, our current team will face greater pressures, potentially leading to longer wait times or reduced availability for appointments and medication, particularly for non-urgent or routine care.
3. Potential Service Reductions: To manage these increased costs, we may have to adjust how we deliver care, which would impact appointment availability, waiting times, and access to certain services.
4. Planning your care provision: The NI cost increase starts in April 2025. Planning our services and appointment provision relies on knowing which staff we can fund within the budget we have, and obviously needs to be done several months in advance of the actual patient contact. Full clarity over the financial situation is therefore needed urgently – by January 2025.

We are committed to doing everything we can to minimize the impact on your care, but this new financial strain on our practice is significant, and we are not alone in facing these challenges. General practices across the country are feeling the pressure, which could have long-term consequences for patients.

The chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners, Professor Kamila Hawthorne, has said the extra NIC costs ‘will be the straw that breaks the camel’s back’ for some practices, with some being forced to ‘make tough decisions on redundancies’ or even close their doors. This has already occurred (prior to the NI rise) in several local GP practices.

What You Can Do

We believe it’s important that policymakers understand how this change affects not only healthcare providers but also the patients who rely on these services. We encourage you to share your concerns directly with your local Member of Parliament (MP). By writing to your MP, you can help ensure that the government is aware of the pressure these increased contributions place on general practices and how it impacts the care you receive.

Here’s how you can help:

• Write a letter or email to your MP explaining how these changes may affect you and your access to care, and ask them to ensure GP practices are reimbursed in full for the NI employer contribution rise.
• Share your experiences and concerns about longer waiting times or potential reductions in services.
• Encourage others to do the same, so that the voices of patients and communities are heard.

The recent Darzi report about the state of the NHS confirms that GP surgeries are consistently working at or above maximal funded capacity – yet we know this is still not meeting our patient needs*.

You can find your MP’s contact details on www.writetothem.com.

Thank you for your understanding and support. Together, we can make sure our concerns are heard and that general practice continues to be allowed to serve you and our community effectively.

*A large share of the NHS budget is spent in hospitals (17% growth in hospital staff between 2019 and 2013), but not enough in the community - Primary Care, Mental Health and Community Services have all been neglected. 

Trends suggest there are more GP appointments than ever before, but surveys have revealed that the number of patients who had to wait 1 week or more for an appointment increased from 16% in 2021 to 33% in 2024.As independent businesses, general practices have the best financial discipline in the health service sector as they cannot run up deficits in the hope that they will be bailed out.

Despite this, NHS expenditure towards primary care fell by a quarter in just over a decade.

Individual letters are best, rather than a templated text that is used by all. One suggestion follows:

Dear [MP Name]

I have become aware that the recent budget (specifically changes to employer’s NI costs) is likely to reduce NHS GP services at a time when they are already stretched. Whilst hospitals will have these costs reimbursed; despite providing increasingly complex NHS services with a reduced share of the NHS budget, GP surgeries are now facing a further budget reduction. They are deemed to be private businesses yet must comply with a strict NHS contract in which funding has already reduced in real terms considerably in the last 10 years. Absorbing the additional NI costs with no business or tax mitigation will inevitably lead to a reduction in the number of staff employed, given also the need to consider an increase in the national minimum wage introduced at the same time.

I urge you to challenge this robustly with urgency, given GPs will need to plan service provision well in advance of the April 2025 introduction of these costs.

I would be grateful if you were able to confirm your support.

[Your name]

[Address – 1st line, postcode needed to confirm you are a constituent]

In June we welcomed the Cambourne Squirrels – aged 4-6 – to the practice to meet partner, Dr Modi, as part of their programme to meet ‘local heroes.’ There were demonstrations on the lungs, the nerves, and they were taught how to make a sling from their scarves. The pictures below were their drawings of their idea doctor/nurse. You will now find them hanging up in some of our rooms. Thank you, Squirrels, for brightening up our practice with your fun and artwork!

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a common cause of coughs and colds. It usually gets better by itself, but it can be serious for some babies and older adults.

A vaccine to help protect against RSV will be available on the NHS from 1 September 2024.

You'll be able to get the vaccine if:

• You're aged 75 to 79, your GP surgery will contact you about getting vaccinated. Please wait to be contacted.
• You're 28 weeks pregnant or more – this will help protect your baby for the first few months after they're born, from September, you can speak to your maternity service.

MMP will soon commence invitations to eligible patients, sending a direct booking link to receive this vaccination, please wait for the invitation, but do book in when your receive this.

The NHS is here for everyone. Whatever your healthcare needs, we want to make sure you receive the right care, in the right place, at the right time.

Your local NHS is very busy at the moment.You can help ease the pressure by choosing the right service for you when you need medical help or advice. Not only will this help you get treatment you need faster, but help us ensure we can prioritise healthcare for those most in need.

You can find information below on local services alongside how you can help to keep yourself and your family to stay well. You can also find out more in our  Help us help you and your family stay well or our  Your Guide to Childhood Illnesses.

If you are unsure on which service you need, you can visit NHS 111 service online at 111.nhs.uk where your symptoms will be assessed, and you will be given healthcare advice. You can also access this via the NHS App or visit Local Services | CAPCCG Website (cpics.org.uk)

Patients are encouraged to use the new NHS My Planned Care platform that is available online and will provide direct access to the latest average wait time for appointments and operations for local hospitals, as well as helpful advice and support for patients whilst they wait.

NHS My Planned Care is updated weekly, is easy-to-use and has ‘open access’ which enables carers, friends, relatives to also access information on someone else’s behalf.

We at Monkfield Medical Practice are proud to be an accredited Veteran Friendly GP Practice and to honour veterans this Remembrance Day.

More than half of veterans (52%) have a long –term illness or disability, yet research suggests many may be reluctant to seek support for their issues, particularly if they feel they may not be understood.

With an estimated two million veterans in the UK, a GP practice, like ours, may see a veteran patient every day on average. Being able to identify and support veteran patients is crucial to ensuring the best outcomes, as research shows that some veteran patients may face different health challenges to the general population.

It's fantastic being able to make a position impact on our veteran community. The accreditation process is simple and quick and offers plenty of training, information and guidance for the whole practice to help up better meet the needs of veteran patients.

We’d encourage other practices to sign up at www.rcgp.org.uk/veterans

If you’re a patient at our practice you can now use the new NHS App, a simple and secure way to access a range of NHS services on your smartphone or tablet.

You can use the NHS App to check your symptoms and get instant advice, book appointments, order repeat prescriptions, view your GP medical record and more.

If you already use MMP GP online service available at practice, you can continue to use it. You can use the NHS App as well.

For more information go to www.nhs.uk/nhsapp