October Questions of the Month
QUESTION – You advertise social prescribing but what does that actually mean ?
REPLY – In short, social prescribing is a way for us to connect you with non-medical support in the community to help with practical, social and emotional needs that affect your health and wellbeing.
What it actually means at our practice/PCN:
Who can refer: Any GP or practice clinician, our multidisciplinary team, and a wide range of local agencies (e.g. pharmacies, hospital discharge teams, job centres, social care, housing, fire service, VCSE groups). You can also self-refer.
Who you’ll see: A Social Prescribing Link Worker (part of our PCN team). They’re trained to spend time understanding “what matters to you”, not just your diagnosis.
What they do:
Assess your needs and what’s available locally.
Co-produce a simple personalised care and support plan with you.
Connect you to community groups and statutory services (e.g. debt or housing advice, carers’ support, bereavement groups, physical activity, arts/culture, employment/training, loneliness/isolation.
QUESTION – Out of surgery hours, if I have a medical issue can I just turn up at urgent care at Teddington memorial do I need to call 111 NHS first?
REPLY – Outside of GP surgery hours (8am–6.30pm, Mon–Fri), the safest route is:
If it’s an emergency or life‑threatening, call 999 or go to A&E.
For urgent but non‑emergency problems, use NHS 111 first (online or by phone). 111 will assess you and, where appropriate, can book you into an Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC) slot or advise the best local service. This helps you avoid long waits and ensures you’re seen in the right place.
Many urgent care/UTC services accept walk‑ins, but local access rules vary and capacity can be limited. Using 111 first is recommended as they can:
Tell you if Teddington Memorial’s urgent care service is open and suitable for your issue
Reserve you an arrival time if available
Direct you elsewhere if a different service is more appropriate
During our practice opening hours for urgent help, please call the practice; once capacity is reached you may be signposted to NHS 111, a local walk‑in centre or pharmacy as appropriate. Outside opening hours, use NHS 111 online or by phone.
