Our Services

Social Prescribing is a non-medical service that aims to improve wellbeing, health and social welfare. Social Prescribing Link Workers do this by helping people to access relevant organisations, services and groups that exist in the local community.

Social Prescribing can help you:

• Be more socially connected
• Be more active
• Live well and more independently
• Be healthier
• With your finances
• Explore support for mental wellbeing

Please contact your GP surgery for more information and to request referral into the social prescribing service.

First contact physiotherapists can help people with musculoskeletal issues such as back, neck and joint pain by:

• assessing and diagnosing issues
• giving expert advice on how best to manage their conditions
• referring them onto specialist services if necessary

Referral to the First Contact Physiotherapist can be complete via your GP surgery reception team. You do not need to see a GP for referral. Please contact your GP surgery for more information.

First Contact Mental Health Practitioners are a short-term, non-crisis mental health service based within your GP surgery. They can offer mental health advice, support, consultation, and liaison across the wider local health and social care system, including acting as a first point of contact in primary care for patients.

First Contact Mental Health Practitioners can help you to access local mental health and wellbeing services and can provide brief psychological intervention where appropriate.

Referral to the First Contact Mental Health Practitioner can be complete via your GP reception team where appropriate. Please contact your GP surgery for more info.

The Frailty Integrated Neighbourhood Team (FINT) are a team of healthcare professionals supporting GP practices, which includes a Nurse Practitioner, a Clinical Pharmacist, and 2 Care Co-ordinators. The aim of the FINT is to enhance the health, care and wellbeing of residents currently living in a Richmondshire PCN care home. They do this by supporting the GP Practices and Care Staff, residents, and families.

Richmondshire Primary Care Network includes 8 GP Practices. 5 of these Practices have care homes aligned to them:

• Scorton Medical Centre – Scorton Care Home, & Elizabeth House
• Quakers Lane Surgery – Nightingale Hall
• The Friary Surgery – The Terrace
• Harewood Medical Practice – Maple Lodge Care Home
• Catterick Village and Colburn Surgery – Rosedale Lodge, & Hillcrest

The Frailty Integrated Neighbourhood Team:

• Conduct weekly ward rounds led by the Advanced Nurse Practitioner. The Nurse Practitioner (NP) delivers a weekly ward round to the Care Homes supporting residents with any acute illness or long-term condition management, including prescribing and supporting in end-of-life care. The NP supports the care home staff in delivering best care by offering advice and plans to follow.
• Implement Medicines management. The Clinical Pharmacist annually reviews each resident in their birthday month to optimise medication. They visit each care home weekly to deal with medication queries at the home. This includes visiting patients and may mean altering dosages and prescribing new medications.
• Support residents to ensure they continue to receive good quality care
• Implement Personal Care Support Plans to ensure residents continue to have a good quality of life. This is a residents own care plan detailing what matters to them, an overview of general health, important care details and current medications.  This can be used by other health professionals as an overview of the resident and their health.  There is a section for the resident's personal goals which can be related to health, or social care, and can include things like hobbies, activities, family.  The Care Co-ordinator will help the Care Home and the Resident reach their goals.
• Produce Future Care Plans to ensure residents and families wishes are fulfilled. This includes talking to residents and families to discuss delicate issues like DNAR (Do Not Resuscitate), and EHCP (Emergency Health Care Plans) to avoid unplanned admission to hospital, where appropriate.