Our Services

RUOK? Campaign

Aims to raise awareness of a range of mental health support available to children and young people in Dorset, including 24/7 crisis support, NHS Services and support from local charities. 

Call

• Connection: 24/7 Mental Health Helpline 0800 652 0190
• Samaritans: Always on-hand to listen 116 123

Text

• 24/7 Mental Health Support: Text 'SHOUT' to 85258

Chat

Wellbeing community with live chat (11-18 years) via Kooth

Search

Find more local support via the Dorset Youth website

Active Monitoring for Young People

Active Monitoring gives people ages 11-18, through a programme of 1-2-1 guided self-help sessions, the opportunity to explore their feelings and emotions with a friendly trained practitioner. For more information and details on how to refer please visit the Dorset Mind website: Young People Active Monitoring - Dorset Mind

The Active Monitoring Service became available within Purbeck in November 2022, and since then the service has proven to be hugely successful in supporting the young people of Purbeck.  94.4% of the young people accessing the service rated the service as positive, and 100% of the young people stated they would recommend the service to others.

Young People’s Feedback

Here is some recent feedback on the service.

‘I like talking to Grace and the booklets look like they will be helpful’

‘It is helpful for me to be able to talk to someone and be honest with them about how I am feeling’

‘Grace is very easy to talk to, I did not expect to talk about my dad and mum so easily’

Useful Links

• Apps and websites children & young people can contact directly
• Core: Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (Dorset)
• School Nursing text service for 11 to 19 year olds
• Discovery Project for 13 to 25 year olds
• Kooth is an online mental wellbeing community for 11 to 18 year olds
• Stormbreak: Take a step to better mental and physical health
• Project Wired for 11 to 18 year olds 
• The Mix for under 25 year olds
• Dorset Education Advice Line (DEAL)

Purbeck PCN Surgeries are working together with Healthy.io to offer a home self-test for kidney disease.

The service is for patients with diabetes to make ACR urine testing easier and more convenient. Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) affects 1 in 10 adults in the UK. The most common causes of CKD are diabetes and high blood pressure. Patients due an ACR test will receive an SMS message from Healthy.io. They can choose to accept or decline being contacted by Healthy.io.

Further information can be found on the Mindful Kidney website

Apps present a fantastic opportunity to provide us with valuable health information which can help us not only improve the quality of our healthcare, but also help us to live healthier lives.

The market is awash with apps, and we have no ability to see whether what is being downloaded will actually improve our health or if our personal data will be stored safely.

For that reason, NHS Dorset have partnered up with ORCHA (the Organisation for the Review of Care and Health Applications) to provide this site for you all to solve just those problems.

• Digital Services can Empower you to manage and improve your health. Health Care Apps give you a different approach via self-management information for health, care and wellbeing. 
• Orcha has a large selection of Health Apps to choose from, tailored to your individual health needs and platform operation system.
• It reviews around 500 apps every month, including automatic re-reviews of apps when they are updated.
• It is free to browse and use, with many apps available for free download.
• You can feel confident that any Health and Wellbeing app you download, has been thoroughly tested and scored by ORCHA for your peace of mind.
• Your Digital Lead has access to the library and, by using their professional licence, is able to recommend apps directly to you.

Find information and access to apps on the ORCHA website

If you’re a patient at one of our practices, you can use the NHS App to access a range of NHS services on your smartphone or tablet.

It doesn’t replace existing services. 

You can still contact us in the usual ways. But, once you have verified your identity in the app, you will have easy, 24/7 access to a growing range of health services and information.

Advice and information:

• search symptoms, conditions, and treatments 
• get health advice through 111 online 
• find NHS services near you 
• check your NHS number

Appointments:

• book and cancel appointments 
• check your referrals and hospital appointments 
• manage vaccinations 

Prescriptions:

• nominate a pharmacy and order repeat prescriptions  

Manage your health:

• access your GP health record securely 
• register your organ donation decision 
• take part in health research  

Send and receive messages:

• send an online form about your symptoms, conditions, or treatment directly to the surgery  
• receive messages and notifications 
• view messages from your GP surgery and get notifications through your phone or tablet 

Help someone else:

• link profiles. You can apply to access the health records, appointments and prescriptions of people you care for (including children) – or get help from someone you trust 

If you have any problems using the NHS App, you can select ‘help’ in the top right-hand corner of the app or visit the NHS website.

The aims of the EHCH team is to work collaboratively with the aligned care home GPs and various multidisciplinary teams (MDT) in order to provide person centred, holistic and proactive healthcare and support to care home residents, their carers and care home staff (residential and nursing homes).

We aim to improve communication channels between health and social care providers and the care homes, have regular MDT meetings and as this team evolves we hope to be able to provide a single point of contact service for care home staff and MDT members in order to streamline and provide efficient and timely intervention for care home residents, with this being offered equally across all Purbeck care homes.

The team will work together with the wider MDT and the care homes to develop personalised care plans and ensure pertinent information is shared with the relevant parties.

A first contact physiotherapist (FCP) is an experienced physiotherapist who has the advanced skills necessary to assess, diagnose and recommend appropriate treatment or referral for musculoskeletal services (MSK). Patients will now be able to contact their local physiotherapist directly at one of our surgeries, rather than waiting to see a GP or being referred to hospital.

Patients can see our physiotherapist by speaking to their GP practice receptionist or by being referred by their GP. By making it easier for patients to access physiotherapist, patients will have quicker access to diagnosis and treatment, helping them to manage their conditions more effectively and recover faster, so they can get back to normal life quickly.

Did You Know...?

You can now see a physiotherapist without going to a doctor first?

First Contact Physiotherapy is a new service, where Specialist Musculoskeletal (MSK) Physiotherapy is offered as an alternative to seeing your GP for MSK conditions.

This can also help decrease the waiting time for you to be seen.

The physiotherapist will:

• Assess you and diagnose what’s happening
• Give expert advice on how to self-manage your condition
• Refer you to other services if needed

The FCP can see:

• All soft tissue injuries, sprains, strains, or sports injuries
• Arthritis – any joint
• Possible problems with muscles, ligaments, tendons, or bone
• Spinal pain including low back pain, mid-back pain and neck pain
• Spinal – related pain in arms or legs, including nerve symptoms e.g. pins and needles or numbness
• Changes to walking
• Post-orthopaedic surgery

Mental health is about how we behave, think and feel. One in four people in the UK have a mental health problem at some point in their lives, which affects their daily life, relationships or physical health.

Crisis

If you have any concerns about your mental wellbeing or physical health please contact your General Practitioner (GP)

Other useful links

• Go to your nearest A&E department or call 999
• Contact The Samaritans free on: 116 123
• Call the Connection – a 24/7 mental health helpline: 0845 767 8000
• Local NHS URGENT mental health helpline: Dorset Healthcare University NHS Foundation Trust - 0800 652 0190 – 24/7 and free to call.

If you are worried about the safety of a child

• Call the NSPCC helpline: 0808 800 5000

If you are experiencing domestic violence

• Call the National Domestic Violence helpline: 0808 2000 247

Steps 2 Wellbeing

Many people experience difficulties with feeling low or depressed, finding it hard to motivate yourself or feeling more tired than usual. Steps 2 Wellbeing Service is a free, confidential NHS service for anyone aged 18+ who is registered at a GP surgery in Dorset. Offering a range of different types of treatment for people experiencing problems with low mood/depression, anxiety or stress. Some of the problems can include:

• Depression and low mood
• Anxiety (including social anxiety and generalised anxiety)
• Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Specific phobias
• Panic disorder
• Stress

They provide support either over the telephone, face-to-face, in groups or via the internet. The use of language or British Sign Language interpreters can be arranged if required.

• You can self refer to step 2 wellbeing here
• Telephone: 0800 4840500

Purbeck Community Mental Health Team (CMHT)

The CMHTs provide care, advice and information for people aged 18 and over with significant mental health problems, including:

• Schizophrenia and psychotic or delusional disorders
• Affective disorders such as mania, manic depression and moderate/severe depression
• Eating disorders
• Organic Mental Disorder
• Significant mental health problems following childbirth
• Phobias, anxiety disorder, Post-Traumatic Stress disorder and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
• Personality disorders that cause significant distress or risk to the individual or others

If you think you are suffering with any of the above or need help please contact your GP for an appointment and possible referral.

Adult PPG Leads

• Adult PPG Lead Bere Regis Surgery - Ms Clare Crocker
• Adult PPG Lead Corfe Castle Surgery - Mrs Mary Sabben-Clare
• Adult PPG Lead Sandford Surgery - Mrs Jan Sayers
• Adult PPG Chair Swanage Medical Centre - Mrs Margaret Broadhurst (Dr Margaret Guy)
• Adult PPG Lead Wareham Surgery - Mrs Sheila Lancefield
• Adult PPG Lead The Wellbridge Practice - Mrs Clare Smith

Youth PPG Leads

• Youth PPG clinical lead - Dr Ann Marshall
• Youth PPG Administration Lead - Mrs Jenny Whittle
• Youth PPG Adult Coordinator - Mrs Jan Sayers

Find out more about the PPG for your surgery

What is a Clinical Pharmacist?

Peter and Sabrina have all the equivalent training needed by a pharmacist you might see in a chemist but they have developed extra skills and undergone further training to enable them to work in Primary Care and help you manage your medicines and health better. This is a relatively new role to our practices so we are working together to help shape the service that will benefit everyone.

What is a Medicines Management Technician?

Heather helps to support the Clinical Pharmacists to ensure the delivery of safe, effective and efficient systems for repeat prescribing, medicines optimisation, reducing medicines waste and maximising patient outcomes.

When will you see us?

You may be referred to see one of our team by a nurse, or GP – or you may see them first. We call this triage. They are there to help your surgery teams and specialise in minor complaints, so they would be able to see you for things like coughs, colds, diarrhoea, ear ache, chicken pox, skin conditions or minor infections.  They can signpost you to the right over the counter medicine to buy, or – if the condition requires it and it is recommended to prescribe, they can write a prescription, or refer you onward to a GP.

Arranging your prescription queries

Together with the surgery team, they help monitor requests for repeat prescriptions, checking you’ve had the correct blood tests completed, issuing and helping to synchronise your medicines so that the pharmacy can fulfil your prescription request with ease.

Reviewing medicines

If you have been taking medicines for a long time, you may see a clinical pharmacist periodically.  We can review your medicines together, carry out health and blood pressure checks, and have time to talk together about the things that are important to you about your health and medicines.  If we have any apprehensions we can’t resolve – we’ll pass those to your doctor.

After hospital discharge

If your medicines have been started, or changed, in hospital, our Pharmacy team might talk to you to explain these changes, and make sure you understand how your new medicines will work for you.  They’ll be helping ensure that the information that comes from the hospital, gets transported to your GP records correctly, and that your new prescriptions are ready to go to the your preferred pharmacy when you need them.

Long term conditions

As Clinical Pharmacists , Peter and Sabrina can help you to manage your long term conditions too.  If you have a condition such as asthma, Type 2 diabetes, arthritis or high blood pressure they can discuss your medicines and make sure they are working optimally for you.  They can also refresh you on things that you may have forgotten like how to use your inhaler or getting the best from your glucose monitor, talk about doses and timings, side effects and what you can expect.  All those things that you were thinking that you didn’t want to bother your doctor with, or you forgot to ask in your usual appointment.

This service is currently under construction in a joint collaboration between Purbeck PCN, Dorset Healthcare community partners, Dorset CCG, SWASFT and other partners to design a sustainable service based around the needs of Purbeck residents

We aim to provide expert, individualised holistic Respiratory care to the population of Purbeck. This includes long term management, advice on daily life and challenges with respiratory disease, in addition to carrying out Spirometry and FeNO testing to enable our GPs to diagnose patients. The team provide services for all the GP Practices in Purbeck, working from Wareham and Swanage community hospitals ensuring that care is provided close to home and accessible. Patients can be referred to the team by any health care professional at their GP practice.

Long Covid

If you have been diagnosed with Long Covid, you can self-refer yourself to The Hope Programme which is a free self-management course to support you. 

You do not need to see your GP first, please see below for further details:

Hope Programme for Long Covid

Free self-management course to help you cope with your recovery from Long Covid.

This 8 session online course covers topics such as:

• Self management for long COVID
• Managing long COVID symptoms e.g. brain fog, fatigue and breathlessness
• Pacing and focussing on what matters to you
• Coping with stress, change and shifting your thinking
• Getting better sleep and mindfulness
• Communication and relationships
• Eating well and moving better
• Managing setbacks
• Using your strengths to make you happier

Meet others in the same situation and try range of interactive activities

• Goal Setting
• Gratitude
• Mood, Activity and Symptoms Tracking
• Journalling
• Online Forum

The course is delivered online via our platform.

Available 24/7 on any device - Sessions released weekly - Learn at a time and pace that suits you - Remain anonymous

• Book your place
• Or Phone: 024 7736 0153

Ways to Book

• Patient can self-refer via the Help & Care website
• Patients can self-refer by calling 0303 3030 153
• See further support from Wellbeing Swanage

A Social Prescribing Link Worker

A Social Prescribing Link Worker can help PCNs to strengthen community and personal resilience and reduce health and wellbeing inequalities by addressing the wider determinants of health such as debt, poor housing and physical inactivity, by increasing people’s active involvement with their local communities. This service is particularly helpful for people with long term conditions (Inc. mental health), for people who are lonely or isolated or have complex social needs which affect their wellbeing.

• Focusing on ‘what matters to me’ and taking a holistic approach, connecting patients to community groups and statutory services for practical and emotional support.
• This service is available for any age.
• Up to 5 x 30minute sessions currently via telephone or video call with the potential for supported navigation into groups etc, once face-to-face work has resumed.
• This service is based remotely during Covid-19 pandemic response.

A Self-Management Health/Wellbeing Coach

A Self-Management Health/Wellbeing Coach provides non-clinical health coaching to people with health conditions to support them to develop the knowledge, skills and confidence to become active participants in their day-to-day care so that they can reach their self-identified health and wellbeing goals.

• This service is available for over 18’s.
• We are currently developing a children & young people service in Purbeck that will offer support to under 18’s so watch this space for more information in due course.
• Up to 6 x 45minute sessions, currently via telephone or video call (face to face will resume when deemed safe to do so).
• This service is based remotely during Covid-19 pandemic response.

Client Feedback Comments

• ‘My thanks to Dr Bennett for referring me to this service and for recognising how much it could help me: He and Karen have literally saved my life I was so desperate.  Karen’s voice is often there with me long after our sessions helping me ongoing with some of the things we have talked about and suggestions: The positive journal and recognising the behaviour and unhelpful patterns I was in.  It has been the best support over and beyond what I ever imagined.  Thank you, Thank you, Thank you’
• 'I know what I have got to do and appreciate the time and information given to me on LWD.'
• 'The coaching has been fantastic I find myself thinking what would X (the coach) say to me?  I am practicing mindfulness and my mindset is different more positive and relaxing more. I have learned to make the most of who I am and not live in the past that I cannot change. I am going in the garden and have lost some weight. I feel I can take more control for myself and plan and prepare appointments so ask questions. Thank you so much.'
• 'I feel stronger and getting better every day. My confidence has increased and can drive again to London. I take each day at a time now and do things for me. thank you'
• From the daughter, ‘It has been lovely to meet up and talk to someone who is not involved but helpful and had good information and ideas thank you.’
• 'Thank you but I don’t want to continue with this service don’t feel like talking at the moment anymore.'
• 'Has helped so much, thank you.  Having sessions with you, helps me to articulate it and digest it and take action. I realise I have got to do this and this.  You pointed me to a couple of areas which helped me to continue my research and explore the avenues.  I feel I am getting more in control now.  You have helped me to digest what's happening in my life, how I'm handling it, not to compartmentalise but to put it in order.  Rather than tackling it in one go, address one thing at a time and then focus on the next, can look at the next one... I can get myself, my house in order and stop neglecting myself and that’s not vain or selfish.  I am just doing the housework on myself.  We are the ones who have got to take control - I am the only one who can do it.  I have to take control.’
• ‘I am on the way.  Thank you so much.  You really helped."