Sandra, 64 Female

Sandra’s husband was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2012. As his disease progressed, their GP helped to co-ordinate services such as a home assessment, access to respite care and eventually help getting him into a rest home. Sandra was put in touch with an Alzheimer’s support group. Sandra also took advantage of being able to access their GP via phone to seek instant advice when she needed it.

“Having all this support has been marvellous & getting him into the home has meant I can be back as his wife, rather than just a carer”

Dr Andy Williams, Feilding Health Care

Doctor Andy Williams at Feilding Health Care believes the HCH model of care works best when the clinician knows their patients. “If you know the patient, you can take the history over the phone, which means you just need to carry out the clinical examination upon arrival. It’s a more efficient way of operating.” One of the requirements of the HCH model, GP triage checks that the GP is available to their patients via phone for a specified time slot each day. This ensures continuity of care and more efficient patient management. The GPs are also encouraged to take ownership of their appointment books so that they have more control over their day, something Andy describes as essential to making the model work. He also believes the introduction of the patient portal re-establishes the patient/doctor relationship, by increasing patients’ direct access to their doctor, however it’s important the Doctor is already familiar with the patient before engaging these services.