Disabled Access & Facilities

1. To provide the highest standard of medical services tailored to our practice population.

2. To treat all patients and staff with dignity, respect and courtesy, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity or disability.

3. To ensure that patients are seen by the most appropriate healthcare professional in a timely manner.

4. To focus on prevention of disease by promoting good health and empowering patients to make informed choices about their health and wellbeing.

5. To provide patients with an experience and environment that is comfortable, friendly and professional.

6. To understand and meet the needs of our patients, involve them in decisions about their care and encourage them to participate fully.

7. To ensure that all members of our team have the appropriate skills and training to carry out their roles effectively.

8.To promote a supportive working environment that values the contributions of all staff.

9. To maintain compliance with all Care Quality Commission regulations under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

10. To maintain robust information governance procedures, safe medicines management and have systems in place for managing patient queries, feedback and complaints.

11. To work collaboratively with our local Integrated Care Board, local hospitals, community providers and social care services.

Dear Patient,
We would like to let you know about an upcoming change to the way patients contact Castleton Health Centre online.
From 22 June, we will be moving away from PATCHS as our online consultation and request platform. Following this change, the PATCHS link will be removed and disabled, and a new Accurx link will be available on our website. This will allow patients to submit non-urgent requests for medical help, advice, and administrative support directly to the practice.
Many patients may already be familiar with Accurx, as we used it extensively during the COVID-19 pandemic. We are making this change because Accurx offers improved functionality and provides a better experience for both patients and practice staff.
What are the benefits of Accurx?
With Accurx, patients will be able to:
·    Submit non-urgent requests for medical help and advice online
·    Request administrative support without needing to call the practice
·    Receive secure text messages from the practice
·    Be sent links to book appointments at a time that suits them
·    Access appointments more conveniently without needing to wait on the telephone
·    Booking appointments through text message links
As part of this change, you may receive a text message from the practice containing a link to book an appointment.
These links are safe, secure and sent directly by Castleton Health Centre. They allow you to view available appointments and choose a suitable time that works for you, reducing the need to call the practice and giving you greater flexibility when arranging your care.
We understand that some patients may be unfamiliar with this process, but please be reassured that appointment booking links sent by the practice are a legitimate and secure way to access our services. 
Important Accurx should only be used for non-urgent requests. If you require urgent medical assistance, please contact the practice by telephone, call NHS 111, or dial 999 in a medical emergency.

Following recent changes to the GP contract, we are currently reviewing how appointments are provided across the practice to ensure that our appointment system continues to meet the needs of our patients and aligns with national requirements.
We have listened carefully to feedback from patients and recognise that there are opportunities to improve how patients access our services. As part of this review, we are exploring new ways of working that could significantly improve the patient experience whilst ensuring that access to care remains our highest priority.
We are working closely with our Patient Participation Group (PPG) to help shape these improvements and ensure patient views are at the heart of any changes we make.
We will continue to keep patients informed as this work progresses and will communicate any changes well in advance of implementation.
Thank you for your continued support and understanding as we work to improve the services we provide.

Chronic Disease Reviews and Annual Health Checks
If you are on a chronic disease register, such as for conditions including diabetes, asthma, chronic heart disease, hypertension, or other long-term conditions, you will be invited to attend an annual review, usually around your birth month.
These invitations may be sent via text message. We kindly ask that you respond in a timely manner to help ensure your care remains up to date and that you do not fall out of sync with your regular monitoring.
As part of these reviews, you may be asked to provide blood pressure readings, urine samples, or other routine tests. It is important that these are provided when requested so that we can safely and effectively manage your condition. This is part of our duty of care in providing your annual review.

Shared Care and Medication Monitoring
For patients who are being managed under a Shared Care Agreement for specialist medicines, it is essential that you attend timely blood tests and monitoring appointments when requested.
Without up-to-date monitoring results, we are unable to safely continue prescribing certain medications.

Castleton Health Centre Partners