Dr O Z Qureshi’s Surgery

Important Patient Information

Winter Pressures / NHS 111 Communications Toolkit

Winter is the busiest period for the NHS, with increases in the number of people needing help across all services. Throughout Humber and North Yorkshire, accident and emergency departments in the region’s hospitals have been extremely busy.

Using services wisely can help to reduce pressure on the NHS and may help patients to be treated sooner than attending local hospital emergency departments, allowing medical staff to focus on treating those people who need it most.

To help staff priorities care for those who are sickest and most vulnerable, the NHS is urging people who need urgent medical help to use NHS 111 via phone, the NHS App or online to 111.nhs.uk.

Highly trained advisors at NHS 111 will assess and direct people to the most appropriate local service, including urgent treatment centres, GP practices, and consultations with a pharmacist. If needed, staff can also arrange a call back from a nurse, doctor or paramedic.

NHS 111 is an easy and convenient way for people to get urgent help for a wide range of health problems from the comfort of their own home.
However, people should still call 999 or go to A&E in an emergency – when someone is seriously ill or injured and their life is at risk.

Did you know you can manage repeat prescriptions from our surgery in the NHS App?

You can easily choose where your prescriptions are sent. So, if you know you’ll be away from home or you are moving home, you can change your nominated pharmacy from within the app.

You can also order your prescription at any time that suits you. There’s no need to wait to join a telephone queue or wait until the GP surgery opens.
It’s easy to use, and, if you hit a snag, you can go to ‘help’ in the top right-hand corner of the app or visit www.nhs.uk/helpmeapp.

Find out more about the NHS App at www.nhs.uk/NHSapp

Important information for patients currently on hospital waiting lists

The NHS has been working hard to address the backlogs built up during the COVID pandemic. As part of these plans, the NHS will be proactively contacting patients who have been waiting a long time for NHS funded treatment to remind them of their right to request to move to an alternative hospital where they may be seen quicker.

From Tuesday 31st October new digital portal called the Patient Initiated Digital Mutual Aid System (PIDMAS) will be introduced. Patients who have been waiting 40 weeks or more can use this portal to request an alternative choice of hospital.

Any patient who is eligible will receive either a SMS text message or a letter from their current hospital explaining how to request to choose a different hospital.

Please do not contact the practice regarding this process as we have no information regarding individual patients.

The hospital will contact you if you are eligible. Please do not contact them either.

Further information about alternative choice is available on hospital websites.