Health professionals
Trent View Medical Practice provides patients with access to a wide range of qualified and experienced health professionals:
♦ General Practitioner (GP)
The GP is a highly skilled doctor who supports patients throughout their lives. They help you to manage your health and prevent illness and are trained in all aspects of general medicine. This includes child health, mental health, adult medicine, the diagnosis and management of acute medical and surgical problems. Some GPs have specific interests in particular disease areas. Some also carry out practical procedures such as minor surgery.
GPs act as a patient’s advocate, supporting and representing a patient’s best interests to ensure they receive the most appropriate health and/or social care.
GPs also provide the link to further health services and work closely with other healthcare professionals. They may arrange hospital admissions and referrals to specialists and they link with secondary and community services about your care, taking advice and sharing information where needed.
All doctors must be registered with a licence from the General Medical Council (GMC) to practise before they work in the UK. To remain in practice, doctors must continue to meet the professional standards set by the GMC, show that they are competent and show that they keep their knowledge and skills up to date.
♦ Advanced Nurse Practitioner (ANP)
The ANP is an independent prescriber. They are educated at masters level in advanced practice and are assessed as competent in practice, using expert knowledge and skills. They have the freedom and authority to act, making independent decisions in the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of patients. To practise in the UK, a nurse must be registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council and is expected to uphold and act in line with the Council's professional standards of practice and behaviour (the Code).
♦ Paediatric Advanced Nurse Practitioner (PANP)
The Paediatric Advanced Nurse Practitioner is a registered nurse who has completed advanced education and clinical training in paediatrics. They have the expertise to diagnose and treat complex medical conditions in children and adolescents, prescribe medications, and provide preventive care and education to families.
♦ Nurse Practitioner (NP)
The nurse practitioner (NP) is a registered nurse who is trained and qualified to assess patient needs, order and interpret diagnostic and laboratory tests, diagnose disease, formulate and prescribe medications and treatment plans.
♦ Urgent Care Practitioner (UCP)
The Urgent Care Practitioner is either an Advanced Nurse Practitioner or Nurse Practitioner.
♦ Mental Health Nurse (MHN)
The MHN is a registered nurse who specialises in providing care and support to patients with mental health conditions. They provide mental health assessments, counselling and therapy, and prescribe medication. They also work with other health professionals, such as our GPs, psychiatrists, and social workers, to develop and implement treatment plans for patients.
♦ Practice Nurses (PN)
The registered PNs are our long term condition management team and they specialise in routine reviews for three main long term diseases, Diabetes, COPD and Asthma while also providing vaccinations and cervical screening.
♦ Nurse Associate (NA)
The NA is a clinical support role created to deliver hands on person centred care, including wound management, cervical screening, and vaccinations. To practise in England, a nurse associate must be registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and is expected to meet the standards of proficiency set by the NMC.
♦ Health Care Assistant (HCA)
The HCA is qualified up to NVQ 3 and is able to provide a wide range of services including spirometry, ECGs, blood testing, dressings, ear syringing, diabetic screening, well person checks, and vaccinations.
♦ Clinical Pharmacist
The clinical pharmacist goes beyond the traditional responsibilities of a pharmacist, extending their role beyond dispensing and order processing. They possess the qualifications to optimize medication choices, establish appropriate doses, and supervise fellow pharmacists. They undertake medication reviews, resolve day-to-day medicine issues and consult with and treat patients directly. This includes providing help to manage long-term conditions, advising those taking multiple medicines and delivering clinical advice about treatments. They will also assist with communication across a patient’s care pathway and manage medicines shortages by suggesting suitable alternatives where appropriate. To practice as a pharmacist, individuals must hold a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree, a four-year qualification. Additionally, they must successfully pass two licensing exams. To practise in Great Britain, all pharmacists must be registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) and have satisfied the GPhC that they meet their requirements.
♦ Pharmacy Technician
The pharmacy technician prepares medicines and other healthcare products for the supply to patients. They also take an active role in providing patients with guidance on taking medicines and help manage the supply of medicines and devices in a pharmacy and assist pharmacists with advisory services. Pharmacy technicians need to complete a GPhC approved integrated competency and knowledge-based qualification/course. To practise in Great Britain, pharmacy technicians must be registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) and have satisfied the GPhC that they meet their requirements.
♦ First Contact Physiotherapist
The First Contact Physiotherapist (FCP) has an expertise in the assessment and management of musculoskeletal conditions. You can self refer to arrange an appointment directly with a physiotherapist, which means you won’t need to wait for a referral from a doctor.
♦ Social Prescriber
The Social Prescriber (also called social prescribing link worker) works with GP practices to ensure that the wider needs of patients are addressed. They connect patients to groups, activities and services in their communities to meet their social, emotional and practical needs that affect their health and wellbeing. They are the bridge between your GP and all the non-healthcare services available in your community. As a patient at Trent View Medical Practice, you can self refer to make an appointment with a Social Prescriber without having to see a GP first.
♦ District Nurse
The District Nurse is a senior nurse who manages care within the community. They lead teams of community nurses and support workers, as well as visiting house-bound patients to provide advice and care such as palliative care, wound management, catheter and continence care and medication support. District nurses are able to prescribe medication to patients in a similar way to GP.
♦ Community Midwife
The Community Midwife provides comprehensive pregnancy, birth and postpartum care in the community or out-of-hospital setting. They are based in a local clinic and see pregnant women and women and baby’s up to six weeks after the birth. Community midwives are more likely to work with you throughout your pregnancy, from your first appointment until care is taken over by a health visitor. They provide antenatal, intra-natal and postnatal care to women and their families, and are specialists in providing maternity care where there are no complications. To practise in the UK, a midwife must be registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council and is expected to uphold and act in line with the Council's professional standards of practice and behaviour (the Code).
♦ Health Visitor
The Health Visitor is a registered nurse who has undertaken additional training in community public health nursing to become specialist community public health nurse. Health visitors lead the Healthy Child Programme (0-5) and are fundamental in ensuring every child has the best start in life.
Their role will routinely include working with families with a new baby from late in the antenatal period up to five years of age. They will use their expertise and training to identify needs and determine risks and work with clinical and public health colleagues to make sure the right support is provided as early as possible. They may work with at-risk or deprived groups such as the homeless, addicts or travellers.
They will usually provide individual support and advice for families in their homes. But they will also facilitate clinics and groups with different professionals, including early years practitioners, children’s social care professionals, GPs, school nurses, allied health professionals, and voluntary services to support the needs of children and families.