Attached Staff

  • Chris - Delivery Driver
  • Ian - Delivery Driver
  • Teresa - Proactive Care Team

Winchester Rural South Primary Care Network

Mental Health Practitioner

What is a Mental Health Practitioner?

Sometimes referred to as a First Contact Mental Health Practitioner, this member of staff is an experienced professional who can support you with either a diagnosed or undiagnosed mental health concern. This could be one or a number of mental health feelings and symptoms such as anxiety, low mood, loneliness, grief, hallucinations or stress.

How can a Mental Health Practitioner support me?

A Mental Health Practitioner focuses on your individual mental health needs and offers a safe space to talk about your feelings and how they can be supported. They have the abilities to listen, advise you on support options available and can provide wider access to a registered mental health professional or service should you need it.

How do I make an appointment to see a Mental Health Practitioner? 

You can book an appointment with our Mental Health Practitioner via the surgery and you do not require a referral from a GP. When calling the surgery for an appointment the reception staff will be able to book you in for either a face-to-face or telephone appointment with the mental health practitioner.

What can I expect from an appointment with a Mental Health Practitioner?

During an initial appointment a Mental Health Practitioner will ask some questions, and may use some screening tools, to help them understand the nature and extent of your concern. They will discuss the support options available and together with you, can decide on the next course of action. It may be agreed that they speak to you again to review how you are getting on, or to give you time to consider what you would like to happen next. In some instances a mental health practitioner may be able to provide a short-term intervention to help you overcome your difficulties rather than referring you elsewhere.

Will I need to see a Mental Health Practitioner on a regular basis?

The frequency you interact with the Mental Health Practitioner will depend of your personal circumstances and your discussed support plan. You may only have a one off appointment which is then followed up in a couple of weeks, or it may be more ongoing for a period of time. The Mental Health Practitioner will discuss with you, what is best for you.

If you would like to book an appointment with our Mental Health Practitioner, please contact the surgery on 01329 833121

Out of hours

If you want to talk to someone about how you’re feeling, or what you’re experiencing, you can contact:

  • 111 –  Mental Health Triage Service  – can be accessed by phone by dialling 111 and online on the NHS 111 Website.
  • Samaritans  –  116 123 offers a safe place for you to talk any time you like, in your own way – about whatever’s getting to you. You don’t have to be suicidal.
  • Text service - If you’re experiencing a personal crisis, are unable to cope and need support, text Shout to 85258. More information available on the SHOUT website.
  • If you live in Southampton and feel you are at crisis point with your mental health, you can come and visit the Lighthouse.
  • Adults’ Safe Haven – open for face to face mental health support at the Wellbeing Hub in Leigh Park. A team of Crisis workers, Mental Health Practitioners and drug and alcohol support workers, help provide support and advice to people experiencing a mental health crisis.

Meet our mental health practitioner - working alongside GPs to meet patients' needs. 

 

Musculoskeletal Specialist First Contact Physiotherapy (FCP)

About the Services

This is an assessment and advice service for those people registered with Bishops Waltham Surgery who have a musculoskeletal problem such as:

  • Back or neck pain- radiating arm and leg pain in absence of recent change in bowel, bladder and sexual function (Cauda Equina Syndrome).
  • Sprains or strains- ankle and shoulder sprain, wrist sprain etc
  • Sports injuries- hamstring, quadriceps, Achilles tendon or knee ligament injury
  • Joint or muscle pain- shoulder, knee, hip, ankle, elbow, wrist
  • Women’s Health Musculoskeletal conditions like – Pelvic girdle pain, Diastasis recti, Pregnancy related back pain

How does a musculoskeletal Specialist first contact physiotherapist work?

  • A typical FCP or MSK appointment involves assessment, diagnosis and first-line management.
  • MSK Specialists FCP can also refer patients for a course of physiotherapy treatment, order investigations (eg: Joint X-Ray) or make referrals into secondary care services or specialist services (eg: CSS, IPASS, etc.) (Rheumatology, pain management, etc.) using the same pathways as GPs.
  • MSK Specialists FCP are also able to provide sick notes to patients.

MSK Specialists First Contact Practitioner Physiotherapist (FCP) role:

The role of the MSK Specialists FCP in primary care is to assess patients with soft tissue, muscle and joint pain and to decide on the most appropriate management pathway. This is to promote early access and right person at the right time at right place.
In most cases, service user/ patient do not need to see GP with these kinds of problems, so book an appointment with MSK Specialists FCP instead of with GP. The FCP service will provides a thorough assessment and advice about the best path of patient care.

Benefits of First Contact Physiotherapy Service to Patients

  • Quick access to expert MSK assessment, diagnosis, advice & getting a cleat treatment plan.
  • Prevention of short-term problems becoming long-term conditions.
  • Improved patient experience.
  • A shorter pathway, so patients have fewer appointments to attend.
  • Simple logistics, so patients are less likely to miss appointments, or to suffer administrative errors.
  • Opportunity to gain lifestyle/physical activity advice.
  • Longer appointment times, meaning patients feel listened to, cared for and reassured.

Meet our first contact physiotherapist, working alongside GPs to meet patients' needs.

 

Clinical Pharmacists

Clinical Pharmacists are experts in medication and have undertaken many years of training to develop an in-depth knowledge about how medicines work and their side effects. Many can also prescribe medication for you.

Clinical Pharmacists are frequently involved in anything relating to medication, but some examples of their roles in the GP surgery include:

  • Answering any questions relating to medication from patients, this may be due to a concern or a request for more information. As pharmacists are experts in medicines, they are best placed to help you with any queries you may have.
  • Answering questions relating to medication from other members of the practice team. These can be hugely varied but might include checking if medicines interact with each other or calculating an appropriate dose for a specific patient.
  • Structured medication reviews, these are more in-depth reviews of medication which go through everything from how a patient can manage their medication, including any swallowing difficulties or problems opening packets, to if medicines are still required.
  • This is always carried out with you, the patient, and ensures you are at the centre of any decisions, making the most of your medicines for you and most importantly keeping you safe from any harm.
  • Review of safety alerts and national guidance relating to medicines, ensuring that these are actioned in a timely way, keeping all the patients in the surgery safe.
  • Carry out review of long-term conditions, such as depression, to ensure you are being managed appropriately with your medication and signposting you to other appropriate support. Other long term medication reviews might also require health checks and your Clinical Pharmacist may need to take clinical observations such as your blood pressure to check the medicines are working as they should.

Meet our clinical pharmacist, working alongside GPs to meet patients' needs. 

 

Physicians Associate

Physicians associates in general practice.

Physicians’ associates are trained and qualifies to diagnose and treat a wide range of health conditions. They work alongside GPs to provide care to people, particularly those with long-term conditions who often benefit from being able to see the same healthcare professional. Whilst they are not a doctor, they have the attitude, skills and knowledge to deliver holistic care and treatment within the general practice team under defined levels of supervision.

What can physicians’ associates help with?

Physicians associates can health with lots of things including; diagnosing and treating health conditions, arranging tests and analysing results, preforming physical exams.

How are GPs benefitting?

Physicians associates can perform a valuable role as part of the extended primary care team. There is scope for them to take some pressure of GPs by performing some defined clinical tasks and providing patients, especially those with long-term conditions, the continuity of care they need.

Meet our physician associate - working alongside GPs to meet patients' healthcare needs.

 

Paramedic 

Paramedics work autonomously within the community and general practice using their enhanced clinical assessment and treatment skills, to provide first point of contact for patients presenting with undifferentiated, undiagnosed problems relating to minor illness or injury, abdominal pains, chest pains and headaches. They are health professionals who have the capability to make sound judgements in the absence of full information and to manage varying degrees of risk when there are complex, competing or ambiguous information or uncertainty.

Meet our paramedic - working alongside GPs to meet patients' healthcare needs.