'We are much more than just doctors, nurses and receptionists' - Meet the Shropshire health workers helping to improve General Practice
We are all used to the traditional roles of doctors, nurses and receptionists within General Practices but now, in addition to GPs, there are a number of healthcare professionals working behind the scenes who are there to help.
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Lifting the lid on the different roles, a group of clinical specialists from practices across Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin have come together to talk more about their different jobs.
Both clinical and non-clinical, the staff work alongside GPs and nurses to deliver care and help patients get seen at the right time for their needs.
The roles include care co-ordinators, clinical pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, first contact physiotherapists, social prescribers, dieticians, healthcare assistants and paramedics.
As Dr Jess Harvey, local GP and clinical director for the South-East Shropshire Primary Care Network (PCN), explains, it is all about trying to get patients seen by the right people - quickly.
She said: “Services that were previously only accessible by visiting a hospital can now be found at a General Practice, for example someone who needs to see a dietitian or a physiotherapist.
“The extended healthcare teams now based in General Practice can save people the time and cost of travelling to other healthcare settings and help to free up GP capacity for patients with the most serious conditions. GPs are limited in the number of people they can see each day so if we can triage patients to the most appropriate healthcare professional, they get seen quicker.”
For example, if a patient has a problem with their knee, first contact physiotherapists can assess and recommend management, can issue medications and are always under the supervision of GPs.
A paramedic may also be able to visit a patient at home if they’re unable to get to the practice. If anything is in doubt, the workers always have somebody, usually a GP, they can call on for a second opinion.
Dr Harvey added: “In recent years, General Practice teams have expanded to include a wide range of clinical specialists who help to manage increasing demand. Essentially, we are sharing our skills as professionals which is going to help sustain General Practice, and the wider NHS, into the future.
