Frequently Asked Questions
This is the first of a new kind of information source for patients and the public. We hope this becomes the first place you come to for help with any problem or service that you need or want. We hope to try to show you the best way of getting what you need from the practice and the NHS Getting the best from this website.
Why you should visit and use this website
- Ease – instead of spending a long time on the phone or having to come to the surgery, you can just log onto the web-site and easily see what help and advice there is available
- Convenience – instead of being limited to when the surgery is open or when a staff member is free, you can log on any time 24 hrs a day, 7 days a week
- Order repeat prescriptions – from the comfort of your desktop. You can see when you last ordered any items. You choose what you need (as long as it is on repeat prescriptions). You can even send messages if you need to order early or more than what you usually get. You can see messages from the doctor. You can also see information about the medication you are taking
- Book appointments on-line – presently with a nurse for certain types of appointments and with the phlebotomist for blood tests that have been pre-arranged.
- Access your GP-held electronic health record
- Understand your health better
- Find links to high quality web-sites - designed to help you make better choices about your health
- Choose a hospital and book your appointment on-line
- Share your experiences - of things that have worked or not worked with other patients so that other patients can benefit from your wisdom and knowledge
- Send feedback to the practice or the patient participation group any compliments or any complaints so that we can know that we are doing well but also understand how we can improve things
- Enrol on an entry level computer course at the local library in Hyde - designed to help you to get the most from health informaion on the internet including accessing your health record and booking appointments on-line.
How do I get passwords for booking appointments and ordering repeat prescriptions on-line?
Ask the receptionist at either Thornley House Medical Centre or Haughton Vale surgery and they will provide you with your PIN numbers. You will then need to go on the internet, enter your PIN numbers and then create your own password.
How do I get access to my GP electronic health record?
See www.htmc.co.uk/getaccessnow to find out how you can get access to your records. If you have any problems then speak to the recepiotnist or preferably send an email to htmcpatient@nhs.net
What happens if I forget my passwords?
Don’t worry if you forget your password. You have 3 attempts to remember and then the system locks you out. This is to prevent fraudsters attempting to use a programme that just puts lots of combinations until the correct pass phrase is found.
If this does not work then you will need to go and speak to the receptionist at the surgery so that they can give you your PIN NUMBERS. Remember to give them your second password / PASS PHRASE if you have access to your full records too.
Please note - we cannot email your pin numbers to you as this is not safe. You have to come in person and collect your pin numbers from the receptionist. Once registered, try logging in and see if you can access your records
What happens if I do not understand an abbreviation in the medical record
Click here to see a list of abbreviations and what they mean.
Why do we want you to come here first?
Over the past few years the practice has instigated a number of changes to try to improve the service it offers. We have moved from being a mediocre practice to a very high performing one, which listens to patients and strives to provide an excellent service. But we can do even better. To achieve this, we need to work with patients to show you how to get the best from the practice.
How does this website help?
Simply by pointing you to some simple facts about how or why we do things, the chances are that you will find a better way that suits you but also fulfils our needs. For example, if you are on repeat medication then you should have a medication review every 6 months at least. So if you know when your last medication review was, you can then work out when your next one should be. If you know that you need blood tests prior to a medication review then why not get that done first – we will give you the protocols that we use so that you can monitor your own health. You know when your next MOT is or what your tyre pressures should be or when you are planning for your next holiday. We now want to show you how to schedule your healthcare so that you are always in control even when your health is not good.
How does this work for you?
The key is to understand the "Partnership of Trust”. As a patient, you are the "expert” on the problems or issues that are troubling you and how they are affecting you and those around you. You come to see your doctor or nurse and explain how you are feeling. They in turn are experts in knowing what options you may have. Some of these things may be things that you can do as part of self-management. Some things may require us to do certain things such as arrange blood tests or give you a prescription for some medicine. Or we may direct you to somebody else who may be able to help you such as the pharmacist, the optician or the chiropodist or a drop-in counselling service The partnership of trust occurs when we both get a shared understanding of your problem and then a shared understanding of a way forwards. These are all hopefully recorded in your medical record. If you then have access to your records on-line then you can view the plan at anytime in the future. That helps you to understand what to expect and be able to report back if things do not happen as you expect.
Why are we doing this?
Repeated patient surveys have told us certain things – patients want to see their clinician sooner and they want the clinician to run on time. Our desire to provide high quality clinical care has meant that we do everything that is needed for the patient but at the expense of running late in surgery and more and more appointments being used up for "routine care”. We want to try to move towards "pro-active” care where the patient is enabled to be as prepared as possible for the consultation so that we can be more efficient. Of course medicine is not like a cookbook and sometimes consultations will take longer than expected but we want to try to fit everything in within a 10 minute consultation. Patients who come prepared and with all things in place are more likely to leave within the allocated time and with a joined up plan that clinician and patient are happy with. Patients may also find that they do not have to come to the surgery as often.
What happens if you do not have the internet or even know how to go on the internet?
The internet is freely available at the local library. In conjunction with the local Care Record Development Board, we have even set up a course for people who do not know how to get on the internet or want to know how to learn more about their health safely. So there is absolutely no reason why you or your loved ones cannot access their records on-line.
We are keen to hear any further ideas you have
The success of the practice is very dependent on patients helping us to be even better. So we need you to give us further ideas. You can do this by sending comments or suggestions to your practice addressed to the Practice Manager, Patrick Jordan or ideally via this website.
Do something different – learn to access your electronic health record today!
Interested in learning how to access your health records online?
