Ouse Valley Practice Newsletter August 2023
Please click the link below to download a copy of our Practice Newsletter.
OVP Newsletter August 2023
Paediatric Blood Tests at Royal Alexandria Children's Hospital
Time to Talk - talking therapies service in West Sussex
Time to Talk is an NHS service offering free, confidential talking therapy to adults registered with a GP in West Sussex.
If you’re feeling low, anxious or worried, talking therapies can really help you. Time to Talk can also help people with depression, phobias, social anxiety, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), post-traumatic stress disorders, health anxiety, low self-esteem or low confidence, relationship difficulties and bereavements. Talking therapies are available in person, on the phone and via video call.
How can I access the service?
You can self-refer to Time to Talk – you don’t need to speak to your GP first. If you would rather speak to your GP first, they can refer you with your permission. You can self-refer by phone, or you can complete an online self-referral form. Visit the Time to Talk website to find out more about how to contact them. Once you’ve self-referred or your GP has referred you, one of the Time to Talk team will be in touch with you for an initial assessment.
More information
More information can be found on the Time to Talk website. There are also useful links to online self-help resources.
The Time to Talk service is provided by Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust.
Appointment Availability Update
Due to increased staff absence, the number of staff available to answer your telephone calls and deal with your queries has reduced substantially. In addition, we are guided by NHS England who have advised that we must telephone triage our patients and to continue to limit the number of face to face appointments. Until the guidance advises otherwise, we must follow their advice. Please bear this in mind if you need to call the practice.
We are doing our best under very difficult circumstances. We will NOT tolerate any abuse directed at our staff. If you are advised to seek alternative healthcare services such as a minor injuries unit or A&E this is because this is the most appropriate and safest form of treatment for your condition. All staff here at the surgery work incredibly hard to provide a good service to all of our patients and will continue to follow the advice from NHS England to keep ourselves and the community safe.
Thank you for your support and cooperation.
FACE COVERING
We are asking all patients to provide and wear their own face covering (this can be a face mask, a scarf, bandana, handkerchief) whilst they are in the building.
This is for the safety of everyone in our surgery. Thank you for your understanding.
Outpatient Referrals to Hospitals
The Patient Information Point is a service run by the Referral Support Service in Sussex. It is designed to provide patients with an easy to access central point for queries relating to outpatient referrals within hospitals. If you have any questions relating to your appointments, from how long the wait times are likely to be, to whether you can change hospitals for a sooner appointment, can be directed to the Referral Support Service and Patient Information Point teams and they will endeavour to either answer the question directly or investigate further and provide support to patients on their referral pathways.
Please contact the Referral Support Service and Patient Information Point on:
01293 300270.
Video GP Service
See a GP by video with LIVI. Even at the weekend.
Patients of Ouse Valley Practice can now see an NHS GP by video using LIVI. Get medical advice, prescriptions and referrals on the same day – even at weekends. The service is provided free on the NHS.
For further information, click here.
What every parent needs to know about Sepsis.
We need you!
Join the Patient Participation Group (PPG) today
Ouse Valley Practice has a Patient Participation Group (PPG) that meets every 3 months to ensure regular communication with the patient community.
If you would like to apply to be a group member, leave your name and contact details with reception
You can now self-refer to access physiotherapy.
Patients who self-refer will have the same access to the range of physiotherapy services they would have been offered through their GP, in a convenient and direct way. These include one to one treatment, upper and lower limb classes, back skills training, hydrotherapy and the Osteoarthritis (OA) Escape program.
If you want to self refer, please click one of the links below:
Princess Royal Hospital
Crawley Hospital
Horsham Hospital
If you have hand and wrist conditions, please self refer here.
For more information click here