Traditionally when we have felt unwell we would make an appointment to see our GP. As the NHS has developed and our demands on it have grown, a number of other roles have been introduced. 

Many of these are specialist in nature and this means that having an appointment with someone with special training or an interest related to your health issue is more beneficial than the generality of a GP. 

There will be times when it will be necessary to see the doctor, but often there are other people at the Practice who can provide more specialist care and faster, this then allows our GP team to focus on those who need their care the most.

Below is a description of some of the other members of our healthcare team and how they can assist you. 
 

Mental Health Support Workers

Providing support to patients who are struggling to cope with low level stress, anxiety and depression.

We have a resident Mental Health Support Coordinator called Evie who works with you to help you to begin actively taking steps towards your own recovery.

A Care Coordionator or GP referral is required into the service, please call and make an appointment if you would like to discuss this.   

For long term mental health conditions this will remain under the Crawley ATS Team.

Social Prescribing

Social Prescribing is an opportunity to talk at length about any worries that might be affecting health and wellbeing in a safe environment. The service supports individuals to make positive changes in their life and within their communities by linking them to volunteers, activities, voluntary and community groups, and public services that can help. You might be worried about housing and finance, suffering from loneliness or keen to find out about local courses.  

To find out more information about social prescribing, visit the Crawley Community Action website.

First Contact Physiotherapist

We have a resident First Contact Physiotherapist called Nic who attends Ifield Medical Practice every Wednesday.  A first contact practitioner (FCP) is an experienced physiotherapist who has the advanced skills necessary to assess, diagnose and recommend appropriate treatment or referral for musculoskeletal (MSK) problems on a patient's first contact with healthcare services e.g. when they visit their GP surgery.

Physician Associate

We have a full time Physician Associate available at the practice.  Physician associates are medically trained, generalist healthcare professionals, who work alongside doctors and provide medical care. Physician associates are practitioners working with a dedicated medical supervisor, but are able to work autonomously with appropriate support.  

Physician associates work within a defined scope of practice and limits of competence. They:

• take medical histories from patients
• carry out physical examinations
• see patients with long-term chronic conditions
• formulate differential diagnoses and management plans
• perform diagnostic and therapeutic procedures
• develop and deliver appropriate treatment and management plans
• request and interpret diagnostic studies

Currently, physician associates are not able to:

• prescribe
• request ionising radiation (eg chest x-ray or CT scan).

Wellbeing Advisor

Our patients also have access to a Wellbeing Advisor who can offer interventions to actively support behavioural change, particularly for individuals with long-term conditions where lifestyle change could help. Such advice may focus on weight management, adhering to a treatment regime, becoming more active or managing mood. Support is also on offer for those who would like to take a preventative approach to  reducing their risk of heart disease, stroke, cancer and type 2 diabetes through following a health lifestyle. A GP can refer to the Wellbeing Team, or you can self-refer via the Crawley Wellbeing website.

Pharmacy Team

We have a resident Clinical Pharmacist who focuses on day-to-day medication queries from patients, and hospital letters and discharges, and ensure all patients are monitored appropriately for the medications they are taking. She also will focus on Structured Medication Reviews for those on complex and problematic polypharmacy in particular.