Welcome to High Glades Medical Centre.

High Glades Medical Centre in St. Leonards, East Sussex and forms part of the Sydenham House Medical Group.

To view The Sydenham House Medical Group website please click on the following link http://www.sydenhamhousegroup.co.uk/index.aspx

 Our team at High Glades Medical Centre are proud to offer the highest standard of patient-centred healthcare.  

We run many clinics for the management of chronic diseases such as Asthma and Diabetes and offer a wide variety of other medical services including Antenatal and Postnatal care, Minor surgery, Childhood vaccinations and Well-person check-ups.

In addition to everything you need to know about the Practice, you will also find a wealth of health-related information in the menu on the right hand side. Please have a look around and do send us some feedback if you like. We can use your ideas to improve our online services and further develop the content of this site.

All patients have to have an allocated GP, this is not to say you cannot see any other GP. 

UPDATE:

Practice Update April 2018

High Glades Merger with Silver Springs Medical Centre

From 30th April 2018 High Glades and Silver Springs will be merged.

This will not effect any of the current services provided by your GP Practice.

Please continue to contact your Practice in the usual way for both appointments and prescriptions.

Practice update November 2017

On November the 1st we will be allocated a large number of patients from the former Cornwallis practice. Our ability to accommodate the extra patients safely whilst managing our existing patients has been carefully planned for. However, there may be changes to our services in the coming months for all our patients.

Our staff will have an increased workload and will appreciate your patience and support. We will not be taking on any new patients until we feel it is safe to do so.

Our priority as a team of clinicians is patient safety and quality of care rather than trying to meet all patient expectations at first.

New patients that are vulnerable or have complex needs will require careful consideration from a senior GP. As a result Dr Fox will be less readily available to the current patients in order to carry out this work. Dr Fox will also be providing supervision and training to the new clinical staff coming on board.

The Clinical Team

Our clinical team consists of six regular GPs, Paramedic practitioner and Frailty practitioner. Supporting us we have a further three GPs and Nurse Practitioner from Silver Springs. We also have doctors at different levels of training to become GPs. We will encourage patients actively to see the correct person with the right skills for the problem you describe. This may not be the exact GP you requested. Your prefered choice of clinician will always be taken into account depending on their capacity.

The Reception and Administration team

Have the hardest job in the practice! They understand our systems and aim to get you the answer you require on a realistic timescale. You will always be treated in a courteous manner. The more information you are willing to share will help this process and often without having an appointment.

They do not however control resources and overall pressure on the practice so please be patient with them. We have a zero tolerance approach to abusive behavior towards all our staff.

Our medicines policy

New patients will have their repeat medication reviewed by our pharmacy colleagues. Those that we feel are on medications that are either inappropriate or a risk to health will be advised on stopping or switching medication.

Prescription requests take up to 72 hours to arrive at your chosen chemist. They will usually happen quicker if you are signed up to the electronic prescription system (EPS). Patients who have a last minute prescription that is ‘ life threatening’ can still discuss this with their regular chemist who can liaise with us.

Home visits

GPs themselves are able to see on average 4 patients in the time it takes to do one home visit. Requests for visits will be taken before 11am. They will always be triaged and discussed amongst the clinicians. The most appropriate clinician will then be allocated to visit. Terminally ill patients will usually see a GP.

Your ‘Named GP’

Like most practices today our surgery has never offered a specific GP to patients all the time and we offer a team based system, although there is a named GP on your records. All patients that are assessed by the clinical team to be Frail or vulnerable will be case managed as they always have been.

Telephone triage and follow up appointments

In order to improve efficiency and allow urgent problems to be dealt with in a timely fashion most days we offer telephone triage. The majority of follow up appointments and results will be managed by telephone where examination is rarely needed.

Prebookable appointments

In the short term with our new patients we will see a reduction in these whilst we assess demand. They usually get released up to a week in advance with certain clinicians. Such appointments in the future will not be available to patients who do not attend ( DNA) frequently who will have to book GP appointments through the triage system.

Frailty and Nursing home practitioner

We have created a new role for experienced clinicians in complex issues for the the elderly. They will often be the first contact for our nursing home population and run pre booked clinics for patients aged over 75 or those younger but fragile.

Building capacity and infrastructure

Many patients will realise parking at Highglades is difficult at times. We have created 2 new clinical rooms and 2 further consultation rooms on the 2nd floor. Moving more of our work online and telephone is one way to help. The Essenden road site currently remains closed whilst we consider the improvements we would like to make. We welcome new members to the PPG to join in our ongoing constructive discussions on how Essenden Road, Highglades and Silver Springs should be used in the future.

Patient participation group (PPG)

Our PPG is combining with Silver Springs in view of our confirmed merger in April 2018. We welcome and need new voices especially from our recently allocated patients and longstanding Highglades patients. Those interested in joining can contact practice manager June Harding or email the Highglades practice.