It is important patients with chronic conditions like diabetes, COPD, and asthma are reviewed regularly. Our General Practice nurses Orlaith, Denise, Paula, Laura and Geraldine run the chronic disease reviews.
Patients with Diabetes are seen in Virtual or Face-to-Face Group Clinics. This could be a new concept for some. We know that the feedback of patients who participated in virtual or face-to-face clinics has been very positive and there is growing evidence that it improves patient outcomes https://www.groupconsultations.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/asystemapproachtoembeddinggroupconsultations.pdf
The group clinic gives people the opportunity to get answers to their specific questions and there is a group discussion about health issues too. People will spend longer with the clinician than during a one-to-one appointment. People find having more time for questions and the chance to learn from other people’s experiences and share their own mean they learn more, cope better and often succeed in keeping themselves well.
The Group clinic lasts around 60 minutes and there are usually 6 to 8 people in a group.
Here is a clip on how Virtual Group Clinics run:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwBPrWeLe0E
To keep personal information private, people are asked to check their privacy settings on their device. For more about how to keep safe whilst using on-line systems: https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/guidance/video-conferencing-services-using-them-securely and https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/collection/top-tips-for-staying-secure-online and people are asked to look at the Maple VGC agreement and Frequently asked Questions on Group Consulting included in this section of the website.
When you attend for your blood appointment the phlebotomist or receptionist will organise a suitable appointment with you for your review.
Some people may find it daunting to use the Internet or link into a video platform (we use PEXIP- a secure and approved (by the Western Trust) platform). If you are over 65 years of age Pauline from mPower can offer you support to get over the technical hurdle-Direct line: 028 66 344042 Mobile: 07584 142197, otherwise speak to lead receptionist Rosemary as she could offer you a Face-to-Face group clinic appointment instead.
To prepare for your VGC session on type 2 Diabetes we suggest patients have a look at the information on the Diabetes UK website https://www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-to-diabetes.
VGC agreement FAQ video Group consulting Maple
Patients with COPD or asthma are still offered a one-to-one telephone or face-to-face review, but we envision that we will convert to Group clinics soon as there is a lot of evidence it works much better for everybody involved especially for patients.
If you feel your chronic disease review is overdue please contact the practice or contact us via AccuRx.
