Wood Lane Medical Centre has been working with the NHS Digital Transformation Team in a pilot scheme to help support digital improvements within general practice.
We have been reviewing patient feedback received via Friends & Family feedback, NHS Choices, the National Patient Survey 2023 and in person or over the telephone to understand common issues and look at ways in which we can improve access for our patients.
With guidance and support from the Digital Transformation Team, we identified the following areas to focus on and have formulated the following plan:
Telephone Queues
Patients have been unhappy with lengthy telephone queues, particularly at the start of the day when urgent appointments are released.
To address this, we will be introducing a new telephone answer message, with a shorter welcome message and improved guidance and signposting for our patients, directing them to the most appropriate information or advice depending on their medical needs.
Appointment Availability
Feedback from patients has shown that some patients may have to wait up to 5 or 6 weeks for a routine appointment to see a GP. Our plan to address this is to introduce a new system where routine appointments will be released on 2-week rolling basis. Routine appointments will be released each day for GP appointments in 2 weeks’ time.
We are committed to providing at least 50% of our routine GP appointments available to book online via the NHS App or Patient Access. In addition to this, we will also be releasing a number of “on the day” Telephone Triage appointmentsfor online booking each weekday to help release capacity on our telephone lines. This will enable our staff to answer urgent calls from patients and other care providers in a timely manner.
Later routine GP appointments, between 5pm – 5.30pm, will be introduced during the week to provide greater access for patients who work, commute or attend school / college / university.
We will continue to have access to the local Extended Access Hubs who provide additional GP, Nurse and HCA appointments during the evenings and weekends. As well as these local services, we are also able to utilise a new “Same Day Urgent Care” GP service offering both telephone consultations and face to face appointments. This service is currently located in Mead House, Hayes.
PATCHs Not Available
Feedback from patients indicates that access to PATCHS may not be consistent and, on occasions, may have been unavailable for a number of days.
We will endeavour to provide a consistent number of PATCHS available each weekday. However, access to these will depend on the daily level of patient demand and may need to be closed at short notice to accommodate unexpected clinical staff sickness.
PATCHS are released at 7.30am each weekday for both admin and non-urgent clinical enquiries and can be access via the NHS App or our website.
Following the embedding of these improvements, we will be reviewing our system reports and seeking patient feedback so we can continue to monitor access and address any issues.
Thank you for your on-going support.
Flu Vaccination
Protect Yourself with Flu Vaccination
As the flu season approaches, it is crucial to protect yourself and your loved ones by getting a flu vaccination. The flu vaccine is a safe and effective way to reduce the risk of getting the flu and its complications.
Who can have the flu vaccine?
The flu vaccine is given free on the NHS to adults who:
are 65 and over (including those who will be 65 by 31 March 2024)
have certain health conditions
are pregnant
are in long-stay residential care
receive a carer’s allowance, or are the main carer for an older or disabled person who may be at risk if you get sick
live with someone who is more likely to get a severe infection due to a weakened immune system, such as someone living with HIV, someone who has had a transplant, or is having certain treatments for cancer, lupus or rheumatoid arthritis
Children aged 2-3 year olds
How to get the flu vaccine
If you’re eligible for an NHS flu vaccine, you can:
Some people may be able to get vaccinated through their maternity service, care home or their employer if they are a frontline health or social care worker.
You may receive an invitation to get vaccinated, but you do not have to wait for this before booking an appointment.
The flu vaccine for people with long-term health conditions
The flu vaccine is offered free on the NHS to people with certain long-term health conditions, including:
Talk to your doctor if you have a long-term health condition that is not in one of these groups. They should offer you a flu vaccine if they think you’re at risk of serious health problems if you get flu.
Where to Get Vaccinated
Please call us on 01895 632 677 as there may be flu slots available throughout the week.
Over the counter medications
Your GP, nurse or pharmacist will not generally give you a prescription for over the counter medicines for a range of minor health concerns. Instead, over the counter medicines are available to buy in a pharmacy or supermarket in your local community.
The team of health professionals at your local pharmacy can offer help and clinical advice to manage minor health concerns and if your symptoms suggest it’s more serious, they’ll ensure you get the care you need.
Please help the NHS to use resources sensibly. Please click on the link below for further information:
Smoking cessation services are available in Hillingdon through community pharmacies and through the Smoking Cessation Clinic at Hillingdon Hospital. The pharmacy setting provides an alternative for patients who are unable to attend group sessions.
The pharmacy based service involves a one-to -one consultation with a trained pharmacist at weekly intervals for six weeks. The pharmacist will be able to prescribe nicotine replacement therapy.
The Hillingdon Hospital Clinic has quit rates at four weeks of around 60 %. Appointments can be made on the following helpline – 0800 169 7541
We offer a travel advice and immunisations services.
If you are travelling abroad we ask that you carry out the following prior to booking your appointment:
Please obtain a copy of your immunisation history via the Patient Online Access portal (if you are registered). Alternatively, request a copy of this at reception
Please check the immunisations that you need for your trip on the following websites:
Please complete the Travel Pre-Assessment form (a copy can also be obtained from reception)
The information can be used to determine if an appointment is needed.
If you do need vaccinations we advise you to book at least 6 weeks in advance in order to ensure vaccinations are effective for the time of travelling.
Please note there is a charge for some vaccinations. Please speak to a member of the reception team to find out the up to date information.
Osteopathy is a manual therapy that works on restoring the function of the muscles and joints of the whole body using gentle and/or manipulation techniques.
Anne Wright is a registered Osteopath who operates her private practice from the Medical Centre. She has practised in Ruislip for over 20 years and offers help with conditions such as joint strains, arthritis, sciatica, muscle spasms and headaches. She also uses cranial osteopathy which is a gentle technique for use on adults, children and babies.
Non-urgent advice: For further information
For any additional information or to book an appointment, please telephone: 01895 677179
The NHS Health Check is a health check-up for adults in England aged 40-74. It’s designed to spot early signs of stroke, kidney disease, heart disease, type 2 diabetes or dementia. As we get older, we have a higher risk of developing one of these conditions. An NHS Health Check helps find ways to lower this risk.
The NHS Health Check is a free check-up of your overall health. It can tell you whether you’re at higher risk of getting certain health problems.
Our NHS Health Checks are carried out by our Health Care Assistants
Did you know you can access your medical record via the NHS app, to find out more, view the video below:
Medical/Insurance Reports | Forms | To whom it may concern
If you have a medical/insurance form that you need a Doctor to complete, please fill in an online consultation form here
If you would like to request a To whom it may concern letter, or request for a full copy of your medical records and prefer not to use the NHS app, please submit a request via Blinx Online Form
Please note, we require consent when providing information to third parties, so please ensure you have signed the consent form included on your report before handing it in.
Please note: we advise up to 2 weeks for medical/insurance, forms, lettersto be completed from the date we receive payment.
Subject Access Requests (Copy Notes)
If you have a Subject Access Request (need to request copies of your medical history), please request this in writing by submitting a request via Blinx Online Form
Non-urgent advice: Please Note
Requests can take up to 30 days to complete, please keep this in mind when requesting. This can be extended to an additional 30 days, depending on the size record/request.
Additionally, we do not charge for these requests; however, in certain cases we may ask for a fee to be paid i.e. the request is unfounded, excessive, repetitive. For more information regarding this please see our Policies.
Family Planning
Family planning appointments are offered every week. If you are unable to attend a weekday appointment we also offer weekend appointments at our hub sites.
We offer advice on all aspects of family planning and our services include Emergency Contraception, Oral Contraception, and Injectable Contraception. If you are on the pill please check your blood pressure every 12 months, a blood pressure machine is available in reception.
If you run out and are not able to see us immediately and you do not have an up to date blood pressure reading, we will give you an additional supply for one month only.
Sexual Health and Contraception Services for Hillingdon
London North West University Healthcare provides sexual health services across four boroughs, HIV care and a range of outreach services via our partner organisations.
Dr Shapiro offers a Cryotherapy clinic on a Tuesday afternoon – once per month. This clinic is for the treatment of superficial skin problems using specialised freezing techniques. Appointments for the Cryotherapy clinic should be made after an initially consultation with on of the doctors.
We ask all patient to complete a consent form and bring it to their cryotherapy appointment. This form can be obtained from a member of the reception team or by downloading a copy by clicking the button below.
Please contact us on 01895 632 677 to arrange an appointment.