The practice takes pride in providing high-quality long-term care for our patients. It is important everyone understands why we do this and how it can help you.
What is a long term condition?
- This is a health condition that requires ongoing management and cannot be cured, though it can often be controlled with medications and other therapies.
- These conditions typically last longer than a year and can significantly impact on the person’s daily life especially if not well managed.
- Examples may include:
- Diabetes
- Lung disease
- Heart disease
- Arthritis
- Mental health conditions
- Cancer
- Primary care was originally set up to manage long-term health problems and we have developed skills over the many years to support our patients live a longer healthier life.
How will my condition be monitored?
- The way we manage your long-term condition will be dependent on the underlying problem.
- For most conditions, we offer a routine annual review which we aim to do in your birth month.
- We have complex administrative systems in the background which can identify patients who are due reviews and any tests associated.
- We will normally send you out an invite and with this we will advise if you need any tests in advance such as blood tests or other examinations.
- Most of the chronic health conditions are managed closely by our experienced nursing and pharmacy team with input from the GPs where appropriate.
How will I know when to attend?
- We contact all patients who are due their review. Where possible, we will contact you by text message or email.
- We will send out letters where we do not have a mobile phone number or email address.
- We generally aim to offer you a review in your birth month so this will help you know when to expect it.
- If a patient has not attended, we have a duty of care to chase this up to ensure we offer you the best possible care.
Why is it important to attend?
- Many long-term conditions require monitoring tests such as bloods. This is because the medications you may be taking require monitoring to ensure you are on the correct dosing and it is not affecting any other part of the body.
- It is a good opportunity for you to have a review of your condition, ensure you understand the underlying health problem and support you in managing it long-term.
- We do encourage patients to have ownership for their condition and feel confident to manage it where possible.