Surgery Information
There have been a lot of articles in the National Press about the countrywide 8am pinch point when trying to book a GP appointment.
The following information may help you avoid making an unnecessary phone call.
The Surgery receives a lot of phone calls between 7am and 8am. However, the Surgery Telephone System is operational from 8am to 6pm. Calls outside these hours are forwarded to NHS 111. You will not be put in the queue to be answered if you call before 8am.
Urgent on the day appointments are made when the phone lines open. There is an option to request a call back if you do not want to hang on the line if you ring after 8am.
You can now book a routine appointment up to 3 weeks in advance by phone. The best time to call is in the afternoon when the lines are quieter.
The phone system offers a number of choices when you make a call. The following information shows the times to call for different departments.
- Option 2
- Test Results 10am to 4pm
- All test results.
- Option 3
- Sick Notes 10am to 4pm
- Additional sick note, not the first one.
- Option 4
- Prescriptions 10am to 4pm
- Repeat prescription queries.
- Option 5
- Secretaries 10am to 4pm
- Referral queries.
- Option 6
- Patient Liaison 10am to 4pm
- Questions, queries, concerns.
You may receive a text to fill in a short survey about your experience of making an appointment. Please take part in the survey if you receive one as this helps the Surgery build a picture of patient experience and feedback.
Social Prescribing Update:
Leighton Buzzard now has a full Social Prescribing service which no longer requires a GP referral – patients can now self-refer.
Social Prescribing is a service to help people improve their health and well-being by finding out what matters to them. A Social Prescriber works 1:1 with patients to support them to find solutions to social, emotional and practical needs.
Social Prescribers are currently working over the telephone but will hopefully be back out in the Leighton Buzzard community soon.
Examples of things people have wanted help with are:
- Feelings of loneliness or isolation
- Social care support
- Advice on how to access benefit
support - Low mood or moderate depression
- Long term health conditions, e.g. Type 2 Diabetes or weight management
- Advice on exploring work options
- Wanting to feel more fulfilled and feeling ready to make change
Contact with a Social Prescriber gives patients an hour to talk about themselves, be listened to and heard. Eight different areas of wellbeing are explored to help patients discover what matters the most to them. If you or someone you know is over 18 and would benefit from speaking with a Social Prescriber, please visit:
A friendly voice will call you to tell you more about the service so you can decide if you do want to work with them.
Help your Family Stay Well
The NHS in Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes have put together a useful guide to services available.
It can be confusing with lots of services available. The guide can help you see the right people first time and may avoid multiple appointments before you receive the care that is appropriate for you.
This guide can help you make the right choice and is available in 11 languages.
Leighton Buzzard Voluntary Patient Transport (LBVPT)
Leighton Buzzard Voluntary Patient Transport (LBVPT) provides transport to local hospitals for the elderly and vulnerable who cannot get to them without assistance and who do not qualify for NHS help.
LBVPT is operated by volunteers and provides a safe, inexpensive, and reliable means of transport to our local hospitals for those in need to attend a clinic appointment. LBVPT goes to our local hospitals and not to dentist, optician, or doctors’ appointments.
LBVPT needs volunteers to help make this community scheme a continuing success, you can help by calling 07873 497633 or logging
into www.lbvpt.co.uk for further information.
An hour or two a week will help LBVPT to help our community.
PPG Newsletter
PPG members write the newsletter together but due to GDPR regulations, we have no access to patient records/email addresses etc and therefore the surgery sends out the texts on our behalf.
Feedback on the Newsletter
We would like to hear your feedback on the newsletter. Do you find it useful or informative? Is there something you would like us to cover in future? If so, Email us with your comments or a request to receive the Newsletter by Email to lrspatientrep@nhs.net or leave a note for the PPG at reception.