Seaside Medical Centre - Information about the doctors surgery opening hours, appointments, online prescriptions, health information and much more

Engage Consult should not be used to request home visits or for medical emergencies.

We have introduced a new way to consult with your Practice or Health Professional on line –

Engage Consult allows patients to connect with their GP Practice and access services online from a PC, tablet or smartphone. Patients can access the Engage Consult application directly from our website (see above). Engage Consult provides:

Self-care information
An online consultation that involves answering simple questions about symptoms. Please fully complete the symptom questionnaire which is very useful for the GP or Healthcare Professional. A report is then sent through to the GP or other Healthcare Professional, who can respond with the best course of action - e.g. seeing the patient face to face or by video link, phoning the patient with advice or issuing a prescription.

This service is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and consultations are reviewed every working day. If a patient sends a consultation outside the hours the practice states it can get back to the patient (the cut-off time), the patient will receive a response the next working day. Patients should only use the Engage Consult service to discuss routine medical problems. The service can also be used for administrative enquiries, medication enquiries, requests for a sick note or informing the Practice of change of address.

SEE OUR FURTHER INFORMATION SECTION FOR HELP AND ADVICE DURING THE COVID PANDEMIC

Seaside Medical Centre Booklet

See our "You said we did" results for 2018

PATIENT LISTS

We wish to inform our patients that from January 1st 2020 Dr R Wicks and Dr S Lytton will be working part-time and will therefore need to reduce the size of their patient lists.

As a result of this reduction some patients will be transferred to Dr Omar Pathan who recently joined the Practice and will be working every Tuesday to Friday.

It is important that all doctors have manageable list sizes to practice safely and we appreciate your understanding during these changes.

EVENING, WEEKEND AND BANK HOLIDAY APPOINTMENTS

Evening, weekend and bank holiday GP appointments are now available. Seaside Medical Centre now has access to an Extended Access Service. This service is for patients that need more flexibility to see a GP in the evening, weekend and bank holiday.

Appointments can be booked as normal through Seaside Medical Centre, although you will be seen at a different surgery and not by your own GP. When booking with this service you will be asked by the receptionist if you consent to the GP having access to your full medical records. Unfortunately if you do not consent to this, the service would not be available to you.

We hope our patients will find this additional service beneficial to them as we appreciate it may not always be convenient to access a GP during the day when they may be working.

SEE A GP BY VIDEO WITH LIVI. EVEN AT WEEKEND.

Patients of Seaside Medical Centre 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 available during the hours of 7am-10pm Monday-Friday and 8am-4pm Saturday-Sunday. The service is provided free on the NHS.

You can download the LIVI app to your mobile phone or tablet, at the App Store of Google Play. Or visit www.livi.co.uk for more information.

LIVI GPs are all GMC-registered NHS GPs, who (with your consent) will be able to access your medical records and give you a considered, in depth diagnosis based on your medical history.

Get the LIVI app here: https://bit.ly/2ZGrYV0

"MY HEALTH RECORD"

"My Health Record" is a secure online system where patients can view their outpatient letters on any internet-enabled device, e.g. a desktop computer, tablet or smartphone. Patients will receive an invitation letter through the post with their next outpatient's appointment letter. The invitation letter provides the information that a patient needs to enrol, including some unique credentials for the simple enrolment process.

Patients with questions should go to the webpage https://www.esht.nhs.uk/my-health-record. If your questions can not be answered you can complete an online comments and enquiry form which will direct their question to one of the "My Health Record" team who will be pleased to contact you directly.

PATIENTS REGISTERED WITH SEASIDE MEDICAL CENTRE

At Seaside Medical Centre we have a policy regarding changing doctors within the Practice. For more information please click the link below

Policy regarding requests to change your GP

WHAT DO I DO IF I INJURE MYSELF WITH A USED NEEDLE?

Follow this link for more information on what to do if you injured yourself with a used needle: https://www.nhs.uk/common-health-questions/accidents-first-aid-and-treatments/what-should-i-do-if-i-injure-myself-with-a-used-needle/

SEASIDE MEDICAL CENTRE COMES OUT ON TOP AT 92.2%

If you have every been worried about visiting your local GP Practice, knowing other patients have had a good experience can help to set your mind at ease. Thanks to data gathered in the GP Patient Survey you can check how your GP surgery ranks in your area. Twice a year more than a million adults who are registered with a GP in England are sent this survey. Ratings are based on experience of access, making appointments, quality of care, patient health and experience of NHS services when a patient's GP practice was closed. Patients are also asked how likely they are to recommend their practice to others. As headlined in the Eastbourne Herald, Seaside Medical Centre has come out top in this survey with an astounding 92.2% of patients that would recommend the surgery and the care they receive. This information is available on the NHS Choices website. You can read this report also by visiting https://www.gp-patient.co.uk/report?practicecode=G81017. Or you can view your local surgery rankings by entering the location, town or postcode and filtering the list based on NHS Users Ratings, visit https://www.nhs.uk/service-search/gp/locationsearch/4

NEW BODY SCANNER

Seaside Medical Centre now has a body scanner for patients to take control of their health. The body scanner takes your weight, height, gives you your body mass index and also your blood pressure. Its very easy to use and provides you with a printout of your results. These printouts can be handed to the reception team to record on your medical notes if your doctor has asked for you to keep track of your blood pressure and weight. The body scanner can be found on the ground floor in the reception foyer. To get a more accurate reading it is important to follow the instructions which includes sitting for 10 minutes before using the machine. If you require assistance using this machine then please ask at the reception desk where someone will be happy to help you.

IF YOU NOTICE 'BLOOD IN YOUR PEE' CAMPAIGN

If you notice blood in your pee, even if its 'just the once' tell the doctor. It could be an early sign of bladder or kidney cancer. Finding it early makes it more treatable, so tell your doctor straight away. BE CLEAR ON CANCER. nhs.uk/bloodinpee

EXTENDED HOURS - TUESDAY EVENING CLINIC

THIS SERVICE HAS BEEN SUSPENDED AT THE PRESENT TIME DUE TO COVID RESTRICTIONS.

Seaside Medical Centre will now be offering clinics on Tuesday evenings from 6.30pm-8.00pm. You can book an appointment with an Advanced Care Practitioner and a Health Care Assistant on the day should you require a routine appointment.

GET THE NHS APP - GET MORE CONTROL OF YOUR HEALTH AND CARE

A simple and secure way to access a rang of NHS services on your smartphone or tablet. The NHS App is the first app from the NHS for people across England. You can use it wherever you are, at any time of the day or night.

READ MORE ABOUT THE NHS APP

CONSENT FOR ONLINE ACCESS TO YOUR MEDICAL RECORDS

You can now view your coded GP medical record. If you would like to have secure online access to your records, we need to make sure you understand what this involves.

All applications for medical record access must be authorised by a GP or other designated member of the practice team before this is enabled for a registered online user. A GP may wish to review the record and discuss the content with the patient prior to authorising access. Record access will not be enabled for any individual registered with the practice for less than three months except by approval of a GP partner. All patients wishing to see their coded medical records should come into reception and complete the relevant form. We would require photo ID as part of this application. By signing this form you will be giving us permission to proceed with setting up this service for you. If you decide not to join, or wish to withdraw, it will not affect your treatment in any way. Access will be withdrawn to patients that do not use the system in a responsible manner and it is the patient's responsibility to keep their username and passwords secure. Please remember that this process will take 21 days from submitting the relevant form.

CARE NAVIGATION AT YOUR GP PRACTICE. STARTING WEDNESDAY 6TH MAY 2018!!

WE AREN'T BEING NOSEY!

Data submitted by 56 GPs for over 5,000 consultations demonstrated 15% of the appointments were judged to have been appropriate for another practitioner, self management/pharmacy and another organisation in the practice. So it has been proven that the GP isn't always the best person for a patient to see. Patients could be seen and treated quicker by a nurse, paramedic, advanced nurse practitioner or physiotherapist for example.

NHS England are working with practices to help develop their admin and reception staff to improve efficiency and make sure practices access the right care for them. Reception staff are given training and access to a directory of information about services, in order to help them direct patients to the most appropriate source of help or advice. This may well be a service within the practice but also could be out in the community.

Patients may find the line of questions that the receptionists and admin staff may ask to be intrusive but staff at Seaside Medical Centre have been given specialist training as care navigators and possess additional skills to provide a crucial practice role in improving access to primary care. Care navigation has been introduced to ensure patients have the best care that is available to them.

Evidence shows navigation services can enhance patient and carer experience, reduce unnecessary hospital readmissions and promote living at home. So we do ask our patients to remember when the reception team ask you what you are looking to get from your appointment, they are trying to help you access the best treatment that could potentially be available to you!

COMMUNITY CONNECTORS

Social Prescribing to improve mental health and wellbeing. Community Connectors can offer support to help you find practical solutions to everyday issues and refer you to specialist agencies for: Health/Well-being, Social Networks, Education/Training, Leisure Activities, Finance/Debt, Housing, Employment and Volunteering.

If you think they could help, come and speak to your Community Navigator at Seaside Medical Centre. Your GP can refer you, you can refer yourself.

WELL DONE JANE STRONG QN!!

FINALIST OF THE BURDETT NURSING AWARDS 2018. PRESTIGIOUS AWARD FOR NURSES.

Seaside Medical Centre was funded to undertake a project regarding 'Male Health' by the Queens Nursing Institute. Our project has been underway since March 2017 led by Jane Strong our Advanced Nursing Practitioner. Health Screening took place throughout the year in 30 minute clinics. In these clinics there were 44 new health problems identified in 40 men and all of the patients are now involved in healthcare activities which will promote health and wellbeing and/or reduce disease progression. Interestingly 2 men who at first did not respond to our invite to attend the clinic have since been seen in the surgery and required fast track cancer referrals.

Based on its success we were shortlisted by the Burdett Trust for the Nursing Fund for Innovations and Leadership Award. For being shortlisted we have been awarded £2,500 to spend on patient education and staff professional development.

As a shortlisted entrant we were invited to present our project to the judges over a two day judging process at the British Library in March. The Burdett Nursing Awards were held at a dinner at the Waldorf Hotel in London. The evening was hosted by the 'Call the Midwife' actress Helen George and attended by over 250 guests including ourselves as a shortlisted team. The evening can only be described as truly inspirational. All the teams that were invited to the evening delivered amazing projects that made a real difference and created a real momentum for change. We were overwhelmed to have been placed 2nd in our category.

Leading on from success of the project which has been led by Jane, we endeavour to continue with what has proven to be vital health screening in Men. We would hope to take our initiative forward to encourage men to attend for vital health screening not only in our practice but other practices also. This project urges partners, wives, girlfriends to persist in encouraging their loved ones to attend a men's health clinic.

FULL CONTRACEPTION SERVICES

We are pleased to let our patients know that we can now offer full contraception services. Shirley Colvin our Advanced Nurse Practitioner is now working at Seaside Medical Centre on Tuesday evening and all day Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. With Shirley's skills in addition to the Nursing Team we can now offer contraceptive implants, contraceptive injections, contraceptive coils, contraceptive pill advice and family planning.

PARAMEDICS AT SEASIDE MEDICAL CENTRE

Guy Emery our paramedic has been working at Seaside Medical Centre for over a year carrying out visits to patients in their homes on a Wednesday, Thursday and a Friday. We are now pleased to say Guy will be joined by Kirsty Slater. Kirsty will be carrying out home visits on a Monday, Tuesday and on Wednesday will be working alongside Guy. Guy and Kirsty come with a wealth of skill and experience with the ambulance service; this will greatly strengthen the medical service we offer at Seaside Medical Centre.

NEW ADVANCED CARE PRACTITIONER

Shirley Colvin has now joined Jane Strong at Seaside Medical Centre as our Advanced Care Practitioner. Shirley and Jane's role is an exciting advancement for the Practice in that they will be able to treat certain medical conditions without the direct supervision of a doctor. An Advanced Care Practitioner is licensed to diagnose diseases and conditions and prescribe medications as well as manage patient treatments. With Shirley joining Jane and the team we hope patients will have better access to medical treatment when it is required.

DO YOU THINK YOU COULD BE PREGNANT?

We are often asked what you need to do if you think you are pregnant. The GP no longer tests for pregnancy, the patient needs to buy a pregnancy test from a chemist to determine if they are pregnant. If you find that you are in fact pregnant you do not need to see the GP to be referred to the Midwife, you can now self refer. This will enable you to get a faster appointment to see your midwife who can give advice and who will be able to book you in for your first dating scan.

To make contact with the midwife please visit the website www.esht.nhs.uk/maternity/referral. Just fill in your details and click submit. Your Community

ARE YOUR DETAILS UP TO DATE?

Due to our new computer upgrade and our new Text Reminder Service we need to ensure the contact details we have for our patients are up to date. It is important that we have the correct telephone numbers including mobile telephone numbers on file. Please could you either come into the Practice and fill in our contact details slip or telephone the Practice and speak to our Reception Team.

CQC RATING

Seaside Medical Centre has been given a stamp of approval by inspectors after a visit from the Care Quality Commission in February. The Practice was found to be good for being caring, effective, safe, well led and responsive. The CQC team found an open and transparent approach to safety and an effective system in place for reporting and recording significant events. Risks to patients were assessed and well managed and staff had the skills, knowledge and experience to provide effective care and treatment. Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment. Read the full report HERE.

HOLIDAY VACCINATIONS

We are not a travel clinic and can only offer a limited service to patients that are registered at Seaside Medical Centre. Patients requiring holiday vaccinations need to complete a holiday vaccination form and submit it to the Practice 4 weeks prior to travelling. We will not be able to provide vaccinations unless the appropriate time has been allowed. Patients needing holiday vaccinations urgently need to approach a Travel Clinic. For more details on this service see Clinics and Services.

For more details on this service see 'Clinics and Services'

OPENING HOURS

Find out when our practice is open, what the GP consulting times are and what to do if you need help when the practice is closed. Find out more

REPEAT PRESCRIPTIONS

Due to the increasing workload of the doctors and the change in the computer systems it has been necessary to increase the processing time of prescription requests. Please allow 3 FULL WORKING DAYS (excluding weekends and Bank Holidays) for repeat prescriptions, with additional time if it then has to be sent to a chemist. If you require your medication before this time then please make an appointment with the doctor. Prescription requests can not be taken over the telephone by receptionists or the doctor. Do you need to re-order your medication? Visit our prescriptions page and complete the online form. You can now sign up to do your prescriptions electronically (EPS). Doing this means that your prescription is sent to a chemist of your choice electronically, instead of being collected by a chemist collection service. This saves the patient time and allows the chemist to process the prescription quickly. See also the important information regarding changes to the collection of prescriptions to comply with the Care Quality Commission. Find out more

Click here to view information on The Electronic Prescription Service (EPS)

Our practice is collaborating with NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) which is providing NHS numbers for those patients that may be suitable for electronic repeat dispensing prescriptions. The information is obtained from NHS prescriptions submitted to the NHSBSA. A member of our clinical team will contact these patients soon to explain the benefits of this service.

APPOINTMENTS

Need an appointment? You can phone the practice or make appointments on-line. We would appreciate if patients cancel appointments that are not required in order to allow others to use them. Find out more

DISABLED ACCESS

There is good access for the disabled to all of our consultation rooms, we have a lift to all floors. The surgery has a ramp and wide doors to allow for wheelchair access. If you require help getting through the doors please let us know you are coming so we can assist you.

BREASTFEEDING FACILITY

The Practice offers the facility to breastfeed in private. Please ask for assistance at the reception.

CARE FOR THE CARERS CLINIC

Care for the Carers will be holding clinic every 1st Tuesday each month from 9am until 12 noon with the support worker Peter Loye at Seaside Medical Centre. Peter will be available for help and advice. This clinic is by appointment only. Care for the Carers Information

SEASIDE MEDICAL CENTRE ACHIEVE CARER FRIENDLY AWARD

Care for the Carers, the Carers Centre for East Sussex, have awarded 'carer friendly' status to the Seaside Medical Centre. The Practice will directly signpost carers, who feel they need support, to Care for the Carers. Claire Fenwick and Jane Willard are care leaders in the practice, responsible for identifying carers, raising awareness of the service through practice communications and working with the Patient Group to develop and promote the service.

CONDUCT WITHIN THE PRACTICE

We ask that our patients refrain from eating and drinking whilst in the Practice. All mobile telephones and electronic devices should remain on silent and children should be supervised at all times.

NHS 111

When the Practice is closed the out of hours service has been replaced with NHS 111. If you ring the Practice when we are closed and need medical attention a message will be given along with instructions to ring 111. All calls made to this service from any landline or mobile telephone will be free of charge.

So for medical care when the Practice is closed please call 111.

National GP Survey Rankings 2019

DENTAL HELPLINE

For further information, please CLICK HERE

'MAKING INFORMATION ACCESSIBLE TO YOU'

This information can be made available in alternative formats, such as easy read or large print, and may be available in alternative languages, upon request.

THIS PRACTICE IS LGBTQ+ FRIENDLY

We at Seaside Medical Centre are committed to improving access to and experience of healthcare for LGTBQ people across Eastbourne. We will not discriminate against any patient regardless of their sexuality or gender orientation. We will provide information and signpost to further resources whenever possible. We will strive to use inclusive language in all communication. We will respect your confidentiality.

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

Under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 Seaside Medical Centre is required to provide a statement of purpose to the Care Quality Commission:

CONFIDENTIALITY

All our staff are bound by the same rules of confidentiality as the Doctors and Nurses

CARE QUALITY COMMISSION

The Care Quality Commission has been set up to ensure that a wide range of health and social care services in England are meeting national standards of quality and safety. All GP Practices will be regulated by the Care Quality Commission from April 2013. If you would like to contact the CQC on 03000 616161 or at enquires@cqc.org.uk if you would like to share an experience or a concern.