- Diabetes
- Dietitian
- Evening and Weekend Access
- Mental Health
- Pharmacy
- Podiatrist
- Social Prescriber Link Workers
- Video Group Consultations
What is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a serious condition where your blood glucose level is too high. It can happen when your body doesn’t produce enough insulin or the insulin it produces isn’t effective. Or, when your body can’t produce any insulin at all.
Although diabetes is a lifelong condition, some types can be put into remission, and our PCN is committed to improving the health of our patients living with diabetes, and preventing complications.
Know your risk of Type 2 diabetes
Every two minutes someone finds out that they have Type 2 diabetes, a potentially serious health condition that can cause long-term health problems. It can lead to sight loss, kidney failure, loss of a limb, and makes you at least twice as likely to have a heart attack or stroke.
Click the following link to see if you are at risk
How Can We Help?
We have dedicated diabetes clinics in each practice. The clinics are held every week, and we also have ad hoc appointments with the diabetes nurse consultant, and/or a GP.
Our 3 PCN pharmacists are involved with our PCN diabetes programme, working within the competency framework advised by The Royal Pharmaceutical Society, and in weekly supervision with the GP clinical lead.
We offer a minimum of 2 formal reviews a year. These involve diabetes related physical examinations, blood and urine tests, annual eye screening, and medication reviews. We engage our patients as partners in goal setting and in creating a diabetes care plan.
We signpost and support patients with accessing the Know Diabetes service, and are working with organisations such as Age UK to improve digital skills, and assistance with broadband access for our patients who are digitally disadvantaged.
The PCN refers to the REWIND programme. This is 12-month programme for patients with Type 2 diabetes who want to lose weight and put their diabetes into remission. We are responsible for deprescribing for these patients, and for close monitoring through the year.
A major focus for the PCN is in screening patients for pre-diabetes, and in engaging these patients who are at high risk of developing diabetes, in the National Diabetes Prevention Programme.
We are able to refer patients to the NHS Digital Weight Management programme and we are working with the local authority to improve access to gyms at subsidised rates
I am Angelica, the PCN Dietitian, I am registered with the Health Care Professional Council and I am a member of the British Dietetic Association (BDA). I have over ten years of postgraduate experience in the NHS across a wide variety of settings in London.
My main areas of interest are:
- Weight Management
- Diabetes
- Malnutrition
- Gut Health, including Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS); I have undertaken specialist training on the low FODMAP diet.
My holistic approach enables me to provide individualised evidence-based dietary modification advice, and treatment plans to my patients, to treat their conditions, while encouraging a balanced diet and a healthy relationship with food.
Angelica Jamieson, Registered Dietitian
Need to see a GP or nurse in the evening or at the weekend?
Our GP services are available to all of our patients six days a week through a rotational service. You can schedule appointments with a GP from your own practice at five different locations, either in the evenings or on Saturdays.
During our regular opening hours, simply call our receptionist to book an appointment at one of these locations for an evening or Saturday appointment. If you require assistance outside of our opening hours, please contact 111 to schedule an appointment with a GP.
Additionally, on Saturdays, all of our sites offer pre-bookable appointments with Practice Nurses and Healthcare Assistants (HCAs). You can arrange these appointments through your practice.
Please note that using these services will not affect your registration with the practice.
| Practice Details | Opening Times |
|---|---|
| Hammersmith Surgery 1 Hammersmith Bridge Road London W6 9DU | Mon – Fri: Rotating days Rotating Saturdays: 09.00 – 17.00 |
| North Fulham Surgery 82 Lillie Road London SW6 1TN | Wednesday: 18.30 – 20.00 Rotating Saturdays: 09.00 – 17.00 |
| West Kensington GP Surgery Milson Road Health Centre 1-13 Milson Road London W14 0LJ | Monday: 18.30 – 20.00 Rotating Saturdays: 09.00 – 17.00 |
| Sterndale Surgery Milson Road Health Centre 1-13 Milson Road London W14 0LJ | Tuesday: 18.30 – 20.00 Rotating Saturdays: 09.00 – 17.00 |
| Ashchurch Surgery 134 Askew Road Shepherds Bush London W12 9BP | Thursday: 18.30 – 19.00 Rotating Saturdays: 09.00 – 17.00 |
What is ‘mental health’?
Mental health is defined not just in terms of the absence of mental disorder, but is a state of wellbeing in which every individual realises his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community.
How we can help?
Each surgery has a named Mental Health lead GP who oversees the delivery of comprehensive care to our patients with a variety of mental health needs.
We are committed to offering annual physical health checks to each patient with a diagnosis of a Serious Mental Illness (SMI) or Complex Common Mental Illness (CCMI), as well as offering support for their mental and social wellbeing as needed.
Our PCN has gained a Mental Health practitioner (MHARRS), who works on site at each practice to help carry out the annual mental health reviews, as well as providing advice and support to all members of the team within the practices and building relationships with our SMI and CCMI patients. The MHARRS practitioner is jointly employed by PCN and the local Secondary Care Community Mental Health Team (MINT), so they provide a vital link between the GP practices and the MINT team.
Each practice has a monthly Microsoft Teams meeting with the MINT, during which they can discuss patient referrals and concerns with a Consultant Psychiatrist and Senior Psychologist, as well as the other members of the MINT team. This has led to excellent personal connections between the GPs and the Secondary Care team, and provides more supported care for our patients. GPs are also encouraged to contact the MINT team as and when needed for additional support.
Pharmacists in our surgeries, deal with day-to-day medication queries as well as carrying out long term condition reviews for example reviews for patients with high blood pressure, asthma and diabetes. They also carry out Structured Medication Reviews.
A structured Medication Review involves reviewing each medication that the patient is taking in a holistic way, thus looking at whether the medication is actually needed, the monitoring required for each medication, any adverse effects and any other issues with the medication that may affect the patient’s lifestyle and ultimately their ability to take their medication and manage their condition.
Please contact your surgery if you have any concerns or queries regarding your medication.
My name is Andrew. A qualified podiatrist with extensive experience working in the NHS. I have worked from a junior podiatrist level where I developed the foundation to my clinical practice; which is to follow a holistic diagnosis and patient centered care approach. I subsequently worked as a specialist podiatrist responsible for the management of high-risk podiatry caseloads.
Some examples of where my competency lies and what sorts of conditions I can assess, diagnose and treat include musculoskeletal foot and ankle pain or problems such as plantar fasciitis, Morton’s neuroma, ankle sprains, etc., as well as trauma wounds or systemic pathology related ulcers. I am also qualified to conduct minor surgeries to treat in-growing toenails where necessary and can provide safe foot health education to help our patients adopt a preventative approach to their foot health care.
It is my hope that my addition to the PCN will help to provide greater access to care for our patients with the aim of improving their mobility and quality of life.
Andrew Aziz BSc Pod, MRCPod
What is Social Prescribing?
Social Prescribing is a holistic approach to healthcare that brings together the social and medical models of health and wellness. It provides a formal pathway for health providers to address the diverse determinants of health, using the familiar and trusted process of writing a prescription
Social Prescriber link workers help to reduce health inequalities by supporting people to unpick complex issues affecting their wellbeing. They enable people to have more control over their lives, develop skills and give their time to others, through involvement in community groups.
It is estimated around a fifth of visits to a GP are linked to problems in people’s lives such as loneliness, debt, housing issues, work, relationships and unemployment. The Social Prescriber role will help support people who go to see their GP often with social, emotional or practical needs, where a prescription for medication often doesn’t help. Social Prescribers talk to the patients who are referred to them, and find out what help or support they need; from money worries and relationship difficulties, to counselling and social groups to tackle loneliness and isolation.
How Can We Help?
We have dedicated Social Prescribing Link Workers in each practice. If you feel that you may benefit from this service, speak with your surgery, who can refer you.
During the pandemic significant progress has been made on offering virtual alternatives to face-to-face contact. This has helped minimise transmission of infection and is an approach welcomed by patients. Where it is more appropriate, uptake of virtual alternates has made face-to-face easier contact to provide.
Group consultations have long been considered a valuable tool for maintaining health for groups of patients such as those living with a long-term condition. A national programme has been exploring the use of virtual group clinics, and, during the pandemic, nurses at participating practices have driven an expansion of virtual consultations to offer a safe way to continue to support their patients.
The Hammersmith and Fulham PCN runs group consultations, both virtual and face-to-face. These sessions are increasingly popular, and allow patients to communicate with each other and to share experiences, as well as having presentations on a variety of topics such as low carbohydrate diets, intermittent fasting, behavioural change, the pillars of health and more.
If you have been diagnosed with a long term condition, such as diabetes and would be interested in joining a VGC, please let your surgery know.