Practice Updates

The practice will be closed for the Bank Holiday weekend from Friday 24th August 2012 18:00. For urgent problems during this time, contact NHS Direct, the Walk In Centres or GatDoc. For advice please see the Out of Hours pages.

The practice will re-open on Tuesday 28th August 2012 at 08:30

Summary

The practice will be open as normal on 21st June 2012.

At Glenpark Medical Practice, we remain committed to providing the very best medical care. Whilst we support the aims of the Industrial action, the practice believes that the interests of patients should be put first.

What is the practice position?

The partners support the aim of the industrial action, that is, to persuade the government to return to the negotiating table instead of imposing changes to the NHS and, in this instance, the pension changes.

However, the partners believe that patients should not be unduly affected by change, so we will be open as normal. You will still be able to get an appointment with the nurses on that day as normal. Similarly, you will be able to book advance appointments, order and collect prescriptions and so on.

If you have an appointment already booked, this will not be cancelled.

The practice will be providing urgent and emergency appointments as normal. Some of the doctors will be participating in the industrial action.  For this reason, on the 21st June 2012, we would ask that you do only contact the surgery to speak to the oncall doctor or book an ‘on the day’ appointment for problems that genuinely need dealing with on the day.

What does the industrial action mean to the rest of the NHS?

You may have heard in the news that the British Medical Association has called a day of industrial action on Thursday 21st June 2012. It is not a strike: all doctors will be going to work as normal and there will be normal cover for emergency and urgent problems. Doctors participating in the industrial action will not be providing non-urgent work (such as reading mail, completing reports). This may create disruption to some patients.

What is the Industrial Action All About?

This is extracted from a letter from the Chairman of the British Medical Association: "It is with great regret that we, UK doctors, have been forced to take industrial action in order that our voice is heard by the Government... Despite agreeing to major reforms in 2008, that made the NHS pension scheme fair and sustainable, doctors are now being asked to work much longer, up to 68 years of age, and to contribute much more of their salary, up to 14.5 per cent, for their pensions. These contributions are up to twice as much as those of civil servants on the same pay, for the same pension. We are not look for preferential treatment from the Government, but we do want fair treatment."

Other health unions have already taken industrial action. This is something that affects all workers in the NHS, some of whom are amongst the poorest paid in the country.

If you want more information, go to www.bmaaction.org.

Gateshead Primary Care Trust and Gateshead Clinical Commissioning Group arrange training sessions for all the surgeries in the Gateshead area. On these days the surgery will be closed from 1pm. For urgent problems after this time, contact NHS Direct, the Walk In Centres or GatDoc for advice please see the Out of Hours pages.