We have all faced a challenging time over the last year or so, but we are hopefully putting the worst of the pandemic behind us now.  This means that we can begin to look forward to introducing some changes to the way General Practice has been asked to run during the pandemic.

In March 2020 GP practices were told by the Government to change the way they worked to keep patients and staff as safe as possible during what was a very scary and uncertain time.  These changes included being asked to carry out appointments either on the phone or video wherever possible and offering face to face appointments for examination or treatment when medically necessary. The emphasis nationally in healthcare has been to provide urgent care as a priority whilst limiting routine interactions.

We are extremely proud to be ​playing a major role in running the Covid vaccination clinics in Ledbury and it has been such an achievement to see so many patients vaccinated so quickly. The team at Ledbury Health Partnership, and our General Practice colleagues in East Herefordshire, have worked tirelessly using Ledbury Community Hall to deliver a safe and effective vaccination programme that has enabled thousands of patients to receive protection against the coronavirus.   Although this has placed an additional pressure on our time and resources, it has been vitally important in protecting the community and the health of our patients.

Not only have we had to change the types of services that we can offer and adapt to running a new vaccination programme, we have also seen the demand on GP surgeries increase by a further 23% across Herefordshire, compared to the same period last year. GPs have been consulting with more rather than fewer patients, but this has often been remotely rather than always face-to-face.

We are very pleased to be able to announce that over the next few months the services being offered at Ledbury Health Partnership will be changing.  We are hoping to reintroduce a greater capacity for routine care appointments, both with the GPs and Nurses.  We ​are also delighted to welcome our patients back to our reception area, whilst remaining vigilant and conforming to current Government guidelines on how to stay safe including the rules around hands, face, space and fresh air.

We understand the frustration felt by our patients regarding how difficult it has been to book a routine appointment with a GP.  We apologise that our service has had to operate differently for such a long time, but it is important to remember that this was done to keep everyone safe and limit the opportunity to spread the coronavirus further in our community.  We would like to thank you all for your patience during this time ​and for your understanding whilst we are in the process of adapting our systems to welcome you back to the practice for routine care.

In order to improve access to health and social care and release GP time for the care of patients with complex medical needs, when you contact the surgery our fully trained Patient Service Advisors will provide information to help you to access the support that is right for you. This will help you to see the right person, to provide the right care, in the right place, at the right time as efficiently as possible.  This includes signposting you to a person or service within the Practice as well as other NHS organisations, social care and in the community.

With many thanks and very best wishes to you all.

Keep safe and take care.

The team at Ledbury Health Partnership