There will shortly be some temporary changes to the appointment system at Valleyfield Medical Practice to prioritise appointments based on clinical need and urgency. The changes to the appointment system are necessary to address changes to GP cover within the practice over the coming weeks.
As many patients will know, Dr Mackay left Valleyfield Medical Practice earlier this year, and after many years of loyal service to the local community in High Valleyfield and beyond, Dr Prentice will shortly be retiring and reducing her hours to one day a week. Next week the Practice will also be saying goodbye to Dr Ndoumbe, who will be leaving the practice after 5 years at Valleyfield to take up new opportunities elsewhere.
Work to recruit additional GP cover has been ongoing since prior to Dr Mackay’s departure, however, due to the UK-wide shortage in GPs, the Practice have not yet been able to make any permanent appointments. The efforts to recruit GPs to the practice are ongoing, with the net cast as wide as possible to attract applicants and ensure suitable appointments.
The reduction in GP cover at Valleyfield means it is necessary for the practice to make temporary changes to the way in which appointments are allocated so that it can continue to provide urgent care to those who patients who require it. In the coming weeks the practice will only be offering urgent on-the-day appointments for all patients.
This is only intended to be a short-term measure to help support and maintain services until such times as appointments are made. To help support the existing clinical team within the practice and to minimise the impact on patients, additional support is being provided by locum cover, a specialist mental health nurse, physiotherapist and a practice pharmacist.
Patients should be assured that despite the considerable pressures on the practice, patients who urgently need to be seen will continue to be able to do so. Similarly, repeat prescriptions will be unaffected and patients are asked to make any requests when they have 7-10 days supply remaining.
There also continues to be a range of healthcare support available locally, particularly from local pharmacies. The Pharmacy First initiative means that you can be seen for a huge range of conditions and you can find out more about the service on NHS Inform at: https://www.nhsinform.scot/campaigns/nhs-pharmacy-first-scotland.
The team at Valleyfield Medical Practice are working under challenging circumstances and will endeavour to support patients to ensure they receive the appropriate treatment. We thank you in advance for your patience and understanding during this difficult period and would remind patients that all practice staff should always be treated with dignity and respect when carrying out their duties.
