Due to continued clinical staffing shortages at Victoria Park Medical Centre, we have taken the difficult decision to temporarily provide a reduced service at the Practice from Monday 2 August 2021.
This is not a decision which has been taken lightly, but our priority is the safety of our patients and to ensure those most in need of care are able to continue to access the support they need.
What this means for registered patients at the practice
At present, there is no immediate action registered patients need to take.
Patients who have GP appointments booked which will be impacted by the temporarily reduced service will be contacted by the surgery directly.
Appointments booked with a nurse practitioner will continue as planned at the Practice. If an appointment needs to be altered the surgery will contact you directly.
Please do not contact the surgery to enquire about an appointment you have booked, the surgery will contact those affected directly.
The Practice’s online services, other than prescription services, will also be turned off during this time.
Individual patients may be contacted to make arrangements for their ongoing care.
How you can access care
Patients who require same day urgent care can continue to contact the surgery in the usual way. Patients will be triaged by the surgery and arrangements will be made for care to take place at the most appropriate alternative practice or healthcare service as required.
If you need urgent medical help or advice but it’s not a life-threatening situation you can also call the NHS 111 service by dialling 111. NHS 111 is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Calls are free from landlines and mobile phones.
For immediate, life-threatening emergencies, you should call 999.
If you have any further questions
We have updated our patient Q&A document to help answer any questions you may have.
To allow staff to focus on contacting patients who have appointments booked or require urgent care, we would ask you not to contact the surgery directly if you have any queries regarding the temporary reduction in service.
If you have any questions regarding the future provision of services at the practice please contact the CCG’s Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) on 0800 085 1067 or email somccg.pals@nhs.net
Practice staff are working incredibly hard to support patients and to ensure those most in need of care are able to access the support they need. Please allow them to continue to do their jobs without fear of abuse.
Please be assured that Somerset CCG is continuing to work with the practice, local practices and NHS England and Improvement to review the options to ensure we can continue to provide safe ongoing local access to GP services.
We will continue to provide updates to patients regarding any next steps or if any action is required by patients.