“It’s good news all round!” - Maidenhead MP Theresa May visits the Urgent Primary Care Service at St Mark’s Hospital
On Tuesday 14 March 2023, Theresa May MP visited the Maidenhead Urgent Primary Care Service to see improvements to the way same day minor injury and minor illness are being treated locally.
Mrs May said: “I enjoyed visiting the new Urgent Primary Care Service at St Marks. I’m pleased to say this is providing a much improved service for local people. The number of patients that can be seen is double the number seen through the previous walk-in service. More than that it offers a much greater range of care, providing not just treatment of minor injuries but also mental health and physio support as well as GPs.
“More patients, more care and it will take the pressure off A&E at Wexham Park. It’s good news all round!”
This same day service has been designed and developed by local GP practices - Maidenhead Primary Care Network - East Berkshire Primary Care (EBPC) and NHS Frimley.
There are a range of staff including GPs, nurses, physiotherapists, minor injury practitioners and mental health support workers that are able to cater to a wider range of medical complaints and concerns than before.
It offers 600 appointments per week, compared to the previous service model which could only offer a maximum of 370 appointments. In February 2023, the service saw a 97.2% utilisation of booked appointments.
Dr Huw Thomas, GP and Primary Care Partner Member from Claremont & Holyport Surgery for NHS Frimley, said: “We thank Theresa May for visiting the service and taking time to speak with staff and patients.
“We know how important this site is to local people and want to reassure residents that the service we have developed has evolved from the previous model ensuring local people are able to get the treatment they need locally closer to home, at the right place for them and in good time.
“This is a pilot service, and we continue to evaluate the impact to ensure the service provided meets the requirements of the population. We’ve had some extremely positive feedback from the people who have visited the service to date.”
A patient being seen by the Advanced Nurse Practitioner on the day spoke to Mrs May and said: “I didn’t know about this service until I phoned my GP practice, and they booked my daughter in for an appointment. The staff are lovely, and the service is nice and clean. By being booked in meant I didn’t have to wait very long to be seen.”
Dr Amandeep Dosanjh, local GP and Clinical Director of the Maidenhead PCN, said:
“GP practices across Maidenhead have been working hard to ensure they are transforming the way patients access care. An example of this is the roll out of a new telephony system across all practices in Maidenhead. This means patients are having to wait less on the phone for their call to be answered, but also able to benefits from other features like a call back option.
“The same day appointments at St Mark’s Hospital are bookable via GP practices. Booking appointments means we can assess and book patients into the most appropriate service. This leads to better outcomes for patients as they will be seen at the right place to meet their needs and be treated at the appointment rather than having to send people elsewhere for further care.”
Dr Dosanjh continued: “This collaborative service model helps us support our wider healthcare services. We can adapt quickly to demand and build capacity in the community in order to meet the needs of our local people so we can treat people closer to home.
“An example of this when we saw a rise of Strep A in the community in November. By working collaboratively as local GPs and with EBPC we were able to offer extra GP clinics here at the St Mark’s site. This meant we could work together to meet the urgent healthcare needs of local people at the time, whilst also enabling primary care to see and treat patients who were vulnerable, elderly and those with long-term conditions. It also meant parents and carers did not have to go to A&E as they were given booked appointments with a GP at this service."
People with minor illnesses such as chest infections, skin infections, or urinary tract infections will be booked into the service via their GP practice.
The minor illness service runs at the following times:
Monday to Friday: 8am – 8pm
Saturday: 9am – 5pm
Sunday: 9am – 1pm
For minor injuries, such as cuts and grazes, minor burns or minor head injuries, GP practices can direct patients to book into the service.
Minor injury appointments are available Monday to Friday from 9am – 5pm.
For more information, visit Urgent Primary Care Service - Maidenhead | Frimley Health and Care. You can also watch a video by Dr Aimee Lettis talking about the service https://youtu.be/EAp3Tw7cht0.