Wellbeing Team
Social prescribers, health coaches, OT and youth worker.
A non-clinical multidisciplinary team consisting of a Wellbeing Team Manager, Social Prescribers, Health and Wellbeing Coaches, an Occupational Therapist with a special interest in Mental Health supported by a Care Coordinator. The team supports the patient population of Torquay Primary Care Network working collaboratively with GPs and other healthcare professionals, community and voluntary organisations, as well as other service providers in the area.
Our team understand the social, economic and environmental factors that affect our health and have a good knowledge of supportive local resources in Torquay and the wider area. They work holistically to help patients take control of their own health and wellbeing to reach their self-identified goals by focusing on “what matters to you”.
Social Prescribers can help support patient with a wide range of social determinants by listening, supporting and connecting patients to community or local services. For example, housing, finances, isolation, activities and group.
Whilst a Health and Wellbeing Coaches can support with promoting positive lifestyles changes and overcoming barriers to improve health outcomes. Exploring underlying mental, physical and social connections to achieve personal aspirations and goals.
Occupational Therapist works with patents to support self-management of their daily occupations (activities) which may be inhibited due to short or long term mental and/or physical health difficulties.
Expert knowledge
Our expert team bring years of experience and skills in supporting and empowering individuals to make sustainable lifestyle changes to improve their health and wellbeing one step at a time. The team has an extensive directory of services in the local area to connect you to local services and groups.
Personalised care
We will provide you with guidance and support on your journey to health and wellbeing. Personalised care means people have choice and control over the way their care is planned and delivered, based on what matters to them and their individual strengths, needs and preferences.
Self management
We aim to help patients gain and use the knowledge, skills, tools and confidence to become active participants in managing their own health and wellbeing to reach their goals.
Accessing the Service
The team accepts referrals from staff at our 5 GP practices; Brunel Medical Practice, Chelston Hall Surgery, Croft Hall Medical Practice and Southover Medical Practice. Patients must be registered at one of the above practices and be over 18+years old.
The wellbeing team can support patients with the following
- Housing, finances, – signposting and guidance
- Isolation and Loneliness -connecting to community and purposeful activities
- Low level mental health intervention; depression, anxiety, stress & low mood – signposting, self-management tools, occupational balance, direction & purpose in life
- Education and volunteering – signposting and guidance
- Self-management of long term health conditions – chronic pain, diabetes, COPD etc
- Positive lifestyle changes- goal setting and motivation
- Lifestyle support – weight management, positive lifestyle changes, smoking cessation, physical activity, nutrition, live well, mobility etc
- Isolation – hobbies, connecting to community, activity, group, or peer support group
A wide range of clinical and non-clinical staff can refer to the wellbeing team service, so you do not have to make a GP appointment. Once you are referred, you will be triaged to the most suited member of the team for an initial appointment to listen to the areas of support that are unique to you. You will receive a number of follow up sessions to support you to engage in the resources, signposting, tools and self-management techniques to support you to achieve long lasting positive health and wellbeing outcomes.
What do our patients say?
- These appointments are helpful and really support me. I feel empowered and able more move forward with plans.
- Helping me create goals and having such a gentle approach with me giving me the confidence to move forward.
- Helpful suggestions for services in the local area regarding my particular situation which have assisted me greatly. My social prescriber was also very encouraging.
Evening and GP Appointments
As patients you can now book GP and Nurse appointments on weekends and in the evenings. Evening and weekend appointments are hosted by other Practices in Torbay. If you need to see a nurse or clinician outside the normal working hours, please speak to a reception at your registered surgery so they can see the availability for this.
Some of the PCN Practices offer early morning appointments which may also benefit patients, so it is worth checking this with your Practice to see if this is something they offer.
We have paramedics as part of our PCN Team, they are trained in nursing and paramedic skills. They are qualified to death with everyday health concerns and more serious conditions.
Paramedics help with home visits for housebound patients and also help practices to manage urgent appointments as well as the telephone triage calls. This helps free up time for GPs, so they are able to deal with more complex medical issues within the surgery.
Welcome to the PCN Pharmacy Team
We are a team of 5 pharmacists and 1 trainee pharmacy technician.
Hayley Cooper is the Lead Clinical Pharmacist for the PCN. Hayley has worked in primary care since Jan 2000 and has been an Independent Prescriber since 2008. She manages the team and provides clinical support and mentoring for the team.
Her previous experience includes community pharmacy, private hospital pharmacy, Associate Lecturer for Exeter University and University of Wales College of Cardiff (School of Pharmacy).
Emma Bloomfield is a PCN Pharmacist having joined the PCN over 2 years ago. Emma is a very experienced community pharmacist. Emma has recently finished an 18-month course to help her with the transition to Primary Care. Emma will hopefully be doing her Independent Prescribing course soon.
Alina Aliyeva is a PCN Pharmacist having joined the PCN over 1 year ago following some time in hospital pharmacy. Alina has just finished her Independent Prescribing and we are just waiting for her results. Following this she will start her 18-month course that Emma did.
Jamie Chan is a PCN Pharmacist who joined the PCN over 1 year ago and is an experienced community pharmacist. He is currently enrolled on the 18-month course that Emma did.
Lynn Ng also joined just over 1 year ago as a PCN pharmacist. She is an experienced community pharmacist. She is currently enrolled on the 18-month course that Emma did.
Emma Hill is a Pre Registration Trainee Pharmacist Technician apprentice. This is a long-winded way of saying she is a Trainee Pharmacy Technician. She has been with us for a few years now and due to finish her course by Feb 2024.
The four pharmacists work in the PCN practices across the week. They support the practices with medication queries, medication reviews, talking to patients about their medication, looking at hospital letters and checking the medication on the GP records have been altered.
They each spend a day with the Care Home Visiting Service (CHVS) offering pharmaceutical support and expertise to this team. They have also been part of the CHVS vaccination team for Covid and Flu.
On Fridays each week they work from our Pharmacy Office. This gives them time for training, team meetings with me and to do some work across all four practices. This includes responding to Drug Alerts send out by the NHS or doing quality improvement (QI)projects. Recent projects have included looking at medication used to reduce the risk of clots forming and discussing these medications with appropriate patients. Currently they are running 4 QI projects looking at the prescribing of antibiotics across the four practices to see if we comply with national guidance. This work is supported by Emma who does a lot of the searches and data quality work for them.
The Care Home Visit Service (CHVS) supports ten surgeries in the Bay area for Care Home Residents, the service is divides into two areas, acute and enhanced health in care homes (EHCH). There are 30 homes in the acute side and 30 homes in the EHCH side.
The CHVS is a multi-disciplinary team that consists of GPs, Nurses, Pharmacists, Pharmacy Technicians and Paramedics who work together to create “one service”. CHVS provides acute on the day urgent referrals, proactive care and intermediate care which supports the intermediate care team.
Care homes can make referral to the CHVS as well as the GP surgeries. Referrals should ideally be made be before 13:00 pm. The team closes the list for new referrals at 13:00 pm each day to allow the team to go on visits. The service is covered until 18:00 pm Monday- Friday.