Take an interactive look through the toolkit

Hello there, and welcome.

My name is Andrew and I’m going to be your guide.

Today, I’m going to walk you through this new and efficient GP partnership tool that has been designed especially for you. Yes, you!

This tool will not only help you to be more organised for your GP appointments, but will also help to establish and solidify a partnership between you and your General Practitioner, making sure that you are both equally involved in making decisions about your health.

Let’s get started, ooh, and don’t forget to have a pen handy.

If you get lost on the journey, you can always go back to the previous page.

Pages 1 and 2 are introductory pages that give you the information you need to know regarding:

1. A) How this booklet is useful for you
2. B) How to prepare for your appointments
3. C) How to fill in the booklet

It is very important to understand that this booklet is not meant to be a labouring task, but a tool that helps to alleviate any fears and pressures that come with visiting the GP.

Many people often find that they forget to mention something on the day, or haven’t recorded essential details down for the day that would all be crucial to their appointment.

But we’re here to help make sure that you won’t have to find yourself in that position again.

Let’s dig in!

Page 3 is a really important page to begin with that should be filled in completely where possible.

At the top right corner, there is a space for you to put your NHS number. If you don’t have it to hand, don’t worry, just ask your GP when you next see them.

Your NHS number is unique to you as it helps healthcare staff and service providers identify you correctly and match your details to your health records. Make sure to put that in as soon as possible. If you don’t have it to hand, ask your GP for it when you next meet.

Underneath are spaces to provide the name and contact information of health providers, support groups and your carer, try to fill in all the boxes you can as this is very helpful information to share with your GP.

Page 4 Here, again, you have an ample amount of space to fill in information, this time for your diagnosed conditions and medications.

There are 4 sets of boxes for this, but if you need more space, you can always draw a horizontal line to halve the boxes to write in any other diagnosed conditions you have.

Before we move on swiftly to Page 5, it is important to note that there is a rectangular box at the bottom of Page 4 labelled ‘other medications’. This space is for any other medication you feel doesn’t fit in with any other conditions, but that you take. No worries at all, pop them in the box at the bottom and we’ll move on to Pages 5 and 6.

Pages 5 and 6 provide useful questions you may want to ask your GP with regard to medication, treatment, diagnosis or advice, e.g. ‘How can I manage my condition?’ and ‘Will it affect those close to me?’ To name a few.

It also lists statements you may use to let your pharmacist, nurse or doctor know any information you want to share e.g. ‘I have received treatment from other specialists’.

However, if you find that you have thoughts, questions, queries or anything else you would like to mention, we’ve got a blank rectangular space for further information.

We told you we’ve got you covered!

Page 6 Whilst some of you may be encouraged to skip this part, we encourage you to enjoy filling out this section.

It’s easy to focus on what is hard and grim, but we want you to have a reminder of what brings you joy, makes you smile, and makes you feel good.

Whether walking, dancing, gardening, watching television, seeing a friend or other, we want to know.

Don’t be ashamed to record what things bring delight to you. It’s important for you and also important to us to know that you have things that make you happy.

Pages 7 to 12 provide 6 pages for ‘pre-appointment notes’.

The difference between Pages 7 to 12 and Pages 5 to 6 is that Pages 5 to 6 allow you to write out all the issues, questions, statements and difficulties you have in general.

Your ‘Pre-appointment notes’ allow you to make specific notes you want to share in each appointment.

There are 3 sections to each ‘Pre-appointment notes’ pages: ‘Appointment’, ‘Actions agreed’ and ‘Progress’. 

‘Appointment’ is the section you fill in before your appointment concerning what you’re worried about and what you’d like to discuss, as well as anything you don’t understand.’

‘Actions agreed’ can be filled in with your practitioner or by yourself. ‘Progress’ is used to help you track what you have and have not done in regard to what was agreed with your Practitioner.

Easy!

Page 13 is there for you to create a Health Diary for the next twelve months.

You may like to write down eye appointments, dental check ups, hospital admissions and details of support groups.

You can track progress, make notes and share it with your practitioner, if you feel it will help.

Pages 14 to 17 provide you with 4 pages for making notes, reminders and sharing other things that are on your mind.

Plenty of space to get everything in writing to help you observe trends and understand conditions better.

Examples could include: medical appointments, tests and examinations so that you can share them with your GP.

The more you feel able to share; the more your GP will be able to help you.

Page 18 is filled with a range of organisations that offer support, advice and information including, Diabetes UK, Mind and Age UK.

The 12 organisations are for you to contact should you want to and are not obligatory, but are worth checking out.

I hope you have found this tutorial useful and enjoyed journeying this booklet with me, I certainly have enjoyed my time with you, and hope this tool allows your GP appointment process to run much more smoothly.

And remember, you can use this booklet for every appointment, not just your next one.

Take care now.