I an extremely thrilled to now be working for the Bolton GP Federation as their first Primary Care Network (PCN) Dietitian. I have always had a keen interest in nutrition, completing my undergraduate degree in Human Nutrition at MMU in 2014; further completing my MSc in Dietetics at Queen Margaret University in 2017. I have worked within the NHS as a Community Dietitian for over five years, and have been lucky enough to have had the opportunity to work within acute hospitals on the wards, nursing and care homes, community clinics and patients’ homes. I have experience in a variety of clinical areas, some of which include nutrition support, enteral tube feeding, oncology, IBS, diabetes and weight management.
From my experience, working as part of a multidisciplinary team is vital for delivering personalised patient-centred care, and working as a dietitian within primary care allows for timely, effective collaborate working. As a first contact practitioner working within the PCN, one of my roles is to educate staff on the role of the dietitian to ensure all practitioners are clear on the patients which are suitable for referral for dietetic intervention, but to also signpost and provide colleagues with appropriate resources to effectively enable patients to self-manage their conditions. In addition to this, I will be devising patient pathways for various clinical conditions to allow for streamlined practices across the PCN, encouraging the utilisation of already existing services.
Our First Contact Physiotherapy (FCP) Service in now live. This service will allow patients to receive input from an expert in the first instance. First contact physiotherapists are advanced physiotherapists who are clinically competent to manage and treat musculoskeletal problems which means you may not need to see a GP.
The specialist physiotherapist can assess you and suggest the most appropriate way to help you. They can also give you advice about any further investigations or treatment you may need and refer you to other services.
Our First Contact Physiotherapy Service will be able to see people with the following conditions:
- Joint pain
- Shoulder pain
- Tendon problems
- Muscle pain
- Sports injuries
- Knee problems
- Neck pain
- Soft tissue injuries
- Tennis elbow
- Back pain
- Osteoarthritis
- Trapped nerve
- Sciatica
Our First Contact Physiotherapy Service will be available for patients of all practices within Chorley Roads PCN.
The NHS have produced the following animation to explain how First Contact Physiotherapy works:
Our Social Prescribing service will support you to improve your health and wellbeing. Social Prescribers will help you to develop personalised and practical solutions to everyday issues.
What is Social Prescribing?
There are times when we all need support to address life’s challenges. Knowing how to access available support locally can make a big difference. Social Prescribing helps you to explore services, groups and activities that can support you to improve your health and emotional wellbeing. Addressing difficult issues needs extra time and support.
SOCIAL PRESCRIBERS CAN HELP BY:
- Giving you the time to explore and identify what is important for your health and wellbeing and the issues you’d like to address
- Providing support and encouragement to connect to services, groups and activities that can help
- They can speak with you on the phone or meet face-to-face (COVID restrictions allowing). And, they will work with you to create a personalised plan to help you to connect with services in your community.
AREAS THEY CAN SUPPORT YOU TO CONNECT WITH INCLUDE:
- Healthy lifestyles and active lives
- Arts, music, outdoors and creativity
- Befriending, counselling and other support groups
- Housing, benefits and financial support and advice
- Employment, training and volunteering
- Education and learning
- Getting involved in local groups and activities
- Accessing specialist services and support
SOCIAL PRESCRIBERS ARE:
- Someone you can talk to confidentially
- Someone who is practical, helpful and who will not judge you
- Someone who can help you decide what you’d like to do to improve your health and wellbeing
- Someone who can find you support and activities that will suit you
- Someone who can give you support along the way
Am I Eligible?
The service is available to people living in our area, aged 16 and over, who are experiencing issues affecting their physical or mental health and wellbeing.
How do I access the Service?
Please speak to your GP Surgery about how to access our Social Prescribing Service.
You can find out more about Social Prescribing by watching this video from the Healthy London Partnership:
If you would like more information about the service or how to access it in the future please get in touch.