Tuesday 6th August - we said farewell to Dr Ruth Cole, ST3, who has completed her GP training and is moving on to pastures new within a local Practice in Aberdeen. 

Wednesday 7th August - we welcomed back Dr Daniyal Amjad, ST3, who is in his final year of GP training. We also welcomed our newest GP trainee, Dr Wan Ling Loh, who is in her first year of training and will be with us for 6 months. 

We are delighted to announce that Dr Ola has permanently joined our team here at Albyn, effective from 5th June 2024. Dr Ola will be working Monday to Thursday. Please join us in making her feel welcome. 

A new service has launched today for those aged 18+ who live in Middlefield, Northfield, Heatheryfold or Cummings Park. Services include minor illness, minor injury (burns, cuts, sprains), complex wound care (infected wounds or ulcers), general health and lifestyle checks and review of long-term conditions such as diabetes or asthma/COPD.

A link practitioner will also be available for support and guidance on the following; financial issues (benefits, debt management, budgeting, etc), support groups (bereavement, carers, AA), housing and homelessness, volunteering opportunities and so much more. 

This service does not replace your GP practice. It is for those who maybe struggle with accessing their GP or with their mobility for example. 

As of 12th February 2024, B12 injections will be administered at the Vaccination Centre within the Bon Accord. To allow time for this change to be communicated and implemented, we will continue administering injections until 31st March 2024. Any appointment due after this time will need to phone the Vaccination Centre - 0800 030 4713

From January 2024, the way our reception staff handle calls will be evolving. The team will now ask you a series of questions to determine the most appropriate source of help. These questions will be in conjunction with guidance from the clinical team, allowing us to ensure everyone receives the care they need.

In some cases, the outcome may be a familiar one involving an on-the-day phonecall from our Acute Care team. In other cases, you may be redirected to lesser-known services such as Pharmacy First or NHS Inform for self-help guides. 

NHS Grampian has a huge volume of resources available for patients. Our aim is to highlight these services to aid us in ensuring our appointments and clinical time is utilised in the best way possible. This in turn allows us to be avalable for those who need it most.

We appreciate your support and patience as we go through this transition.

Effective from Monday 16th October 2023, the phone lines will close from 5pm to 6pm for all routine enquiries. Only urgent enquiries will be dealt with. The eConsult service will remain available between 8am and 6pm Monday to Friday. All prescription requests can be done through our automated service which is available 24/7/365 by calling 01224 565400. Our phone lines will re-open from 8am on weekdays.

Albyn Medical Practice now have an official Facebook page. Please click the link below to be taken to the page. We will be posting updates about the Practice and information from the wider NHS service. 

Albyn Medical Practice | Facebook

NHS Grampian have released the video below as part of a media campaign to advertise and inform of other primary care services available to patients, alongside your GP.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yz8XHZAaSPQ&t=7s

We have currently suspended booking of appointments online. This allows us to check the reason for your appointment and deal with this by phone if appropriate to prevent patients visiting the practice if this is not needed.

Prescriptions can still be ordered using this service - please ensure that you advise us which pharmacy you would like to pick up your prescriptions from.

How are practices working now?

All appointments are being triaged - this means that people with the greatest need are being seen first and that face-to-face appointments are reserved for those who really need them.

Why do receptionists ask personal questions?

Put simply, because they have been asked to! Anyone that is tasked with answering a call at a GP practice must maintain strict confidence and only ask questions to help you get the right treatment.

What is Triage?

The Duty medic will assess all the information from every eConsult and phone query and decide who needs to be seen in person, who needs a phone consultation, who needs to be seen via video and who can be directed to a community pharmacist etc.

Where else can I get help?

NHS Inform has a wealth of information to help you help yourself: https://www.nhsinform.scot/.

Community Pharmacists (chemists) can help with many common ailments and illnesses and can prescribe some medicines too - click here for more information on Pharmacy First and how it can help you.

Please be patient

Primary Care Teams have been on the frontline and have been working incredibly hard throughout the pandemic. Many of them are exhausted and they really are doing their best to help you.

Just like you they want to get back to as close to normal as possible as soon as possible, but we are not there yet.