Grace Allport
EDA
Component 2 Learning Aim A
BTEC Tech Award HSC
Part A Health and Social Care Services
Primary Care Services
Primary care is the first point of contact for a patient if they are in need of medical
advice, care or attention. This first point of contact is usually within the NHS, as this
is easily accessible to most people in the UK. Professionals who work in primary
care have a range of knowledge on different medical issues and problems. They are
well equipped with a plethora of knowledge and are able to refer a patient towards
secondary care if they may need it.
To access primary care, a patient must make an appointment to see the healthcare
professional in their local area. This ensures they can have a specific time to see
their health care professional and allows them to receive support and advice when
they are in need of it. Some types of primary care include: a GP (general
practitioner), walk-in-centres, A&E, opticians, dentists, etc. Primary care
professionals can offer physical, mental and psychological help and promote and
protect an individuals health and wellbeing.
GP (General Practitioner)
A GP, also known as a general practitioner, is a specialist in general medicine, and
will have knowledge on a range of different medical problems and issues, rather than
just one particular area. A GP can help refer a patient to secondary care if they
require any external or further medical attention (such as physiotherapists, dietitians,
etc). They take into account a patient's physical, psychological and social needs and
can help support them by diagnosing them, referring them to secondary care,
prescribing medication, giving advice on suitable treatments, etc.
A GP can be accessed through booking appointments, which may be tough
considering GP’s are increasingly popular and can sometimes be delayed due to
patients missing appointments or having a lot of patients wanting appointments. If an
individual requires more urgent care and cannot wait at least a few days to get an
appointment with a GP, it is best for them to go to A&E.
Amiya Dutta suffers from dementia which could cause her to be forgetful or
experience mood swings when visiting the GP. Due to needing ‘round-the-clock’
care, Amiya can receive emotional support from her husband Rajiv when she visits
the GP as she can feel more comfortable and calm. A GP can help assess how
1
,Grace Allport
EDA
Component 2 Learning Aim A
BTEC Tech Award HSC
Amiya is feeling and help her with her dementia, and this could include: medical
advice and treatment, giving advice for the future, how to maintain and cope with her
dementia, and more.
A GP could also give Amiya drugs for her dementia to help combat any (problems)
she has with dementia. A GP will ensure she gets the right amount prescribed to her,
and they will take responsibility for helping Amiya with any problems or complications
she has with her dementia. To ensure that Amiya benefits from her visits at the GP,
she could get longer appointments to maximise the time she gets with the GP so she
can fully understand and feel comfortable with the GP. As well as this, Amiya should
visit the same GP each time she has an appointment, as this will mean she is
familiar with and is comfortable with seeing the same person.
Amiya also has incontinence, and a GP can help Amiya to feel more comfortable
with this problem, such as bladder training, helping her with potentially changing her
lifestyle, helping her with incontinence pads, etc. Amiya’s incontinence would need to
be raised to a GP, who could solve this issue by giving her medication, give her
advice with exercise or help her maintain a healthy, nutritious diet, etc. A GP can
also give information to Amiya and Rajiv about local help they can get, such as from
charities or informal carers.
Rajiv Dutta suffers from severe headaches and this leads him to have problems with
looking after himself and Amiya, and the pain regularly disrupts his daily activities. A
GP could help Rajiv with his headaches by carrying out physical examination of
Rajiv's eyes, coordination and vision in order to determine if Rajiv needs any change
of medication or to be referred to any secondary health care professional. Rajiv also
finds it difficult to go to a GP, and this may cause him to feel anxious or worried to go
and may potentially skip appointments. To ensure that he feels more comfortable
and less anxious when going to the GP, he could bring a friend or family member
with him to reassure him and encourage him. It may be likely that Rajiv may need to
bring Amiya with him to an appointment due to potential inability to find alternative
care for her, and this support from his wife Amiya can be comforting and reassuring
knowing he has someone with him while having an appointment. Rajiv could also get
a support worker to come to the appointments with him in order to help settle his
anxieties knowing that he has a professional carer looking out for him.
Due to Amiya and Rajiv living in a busy city, it may be hard for them to get
appointments due to there being lots of people also trying to get an appointment. As
a result, it may be hard to find appointments at suitable times which cater their
2
, Grace Allport
EDA
Component 2 Learning Aim A
BTEC Tech Award HSC
schedule/routine, and this may lead to them having to go to the GP at times which
don't suit them.
Walk-in-centres
A walk-in-centre does not require a patient booking an appointment prior to visiting,
which offers flexibility to the patient if they have anxieties about visiting, need to see
a GP at an unexpected/urgent time, etc. A walk-in-centre can help with medical
issues which are urgent and need immediate support, however it is not serious or
life-threatening. It offers NHS services such as: free consultations, treatments for
minor injuries, health information and advice. It could have short or long waiting
hours, depending on how many people are in need of medical support/advice that
day. It is different from A&E as this service is only for minor and non-urgent medical
problems.
A walk-in-centre may not be suitable for Amiya due to the nature of her dementia, as
it could cause her to feel confused or scared when in a new, busy environment. As
well as the potential for long waiting times to see a doctor, it may be quite stressful
for both Amiya and Rajiv if they are unable to see a doctor and may be quite
time-wasting if they are unable to get an appointment. It could cause Amiya to feel
confused as to why she is waiting for something, and may feel uncomfortable waiting
for a long time. It may also cause Amiya confusion if she has to see a different
doctor or nurse each time she needs to visit a medical professional, and this may
cause her to feel uncomfortable or anxious. Rajiv may be able to use a
walk-in-centre if he needed support with his headaches. This would be beneficial as
it means he may be able to get help without having to make an appointment.
However, this may mean he has to bring Amiya with him and this may cause her to
feel confused if they have to wait long waiting hours to see a medical professional.
A walk-in-centre may also be busy due to them living in a large city, and this may
lead to patients waiting for a long time. This may not be suitable for Amiya as her
dementia may cause her to feel confused or lost. As a result, it may be easier and
more beneficial for Amiya and Rajiv to go to A&E if they are in need of medical
attention urgently.
A&E
A&E is available in large hospitals and deals with genuine life-threatening
emergencies, illness or injuries (e.g severe bleeding, severe burns, strokes, major
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