Place-based care in the heart of Derbyshire
Walking is one of the easiest ways to improve physical and mental health and stay connected to our community, helping us feel less lonely and isolated. And by swapping a short drive for a short walk, you can also help reduce air pollution, congestion and road danger – and save yourself some money and keep active in the process!
Did you know that a 20-minute walk can reduce the risk of a number of preventable health conditions, including certain cancers, depression, heart disease and Type 2 diabetes?
To find out more, please visit National Walking Month | Living Streets
Stress and poor mental health are one of the biggest public health challenges that we’re facing. Sadly, even though that is the case, we are still not taking its impact seriously enough. We continue to separate mental health from physical health and vice versa. The reality is they cannot be separate – they are two sides of the same coin. There is no health without mental health and stress can lead to numerous health problems. From physical problems, like heart disease, insomnia, digestive issues, immune system challenges, etc to more serious mental health disorders such as anxiety and depression.
Stress Awareness Month has been held every April since 1992 to raise awareness of the causes and cures for our modern-day stress epidemic. It is the time when we have an opportunity for an open conversation on the impact of stress. Dedicated time to removing the guilt, shame, and stigma around mental health. To talk about stress, and its effects and open up about our mental and emotional state with friends, families, colleagues, and professionals.
Stress is primarily a physical response. When stressed, the body thinks it is under attack and switches to ‘fight or flight’ mode, releasing a complex mix of hormones and chemicals such as adrenaline, cortisol and norepinephrine to prepare the body for physical action. This causes a number of reactions, from blood being diverted to muscles to shutting down unnecessary bodily functions such as digestion.
Through the release of hormones such as adrenaline, cortisol and norepinephrine, the caveman gained a rush of energy, which prepared him to either fight the tiger or run away. That heart pounding, fast breathing sensation is the adrenaline; as well as a boost of energy, it enables us to focus our attention so we can quickly respond to the situation.
In the modern world, the ‘fight or flight’ mode can still help us survive dangerous situations, such as reacting swiftly to a person running in front of our car by slamming on the brakes.
The challenge is when our body goes into a state of stress in inappropriate situations. When blood flow is going only to the most important muscles needed to fight or flee, brain function is minimised. This can lead to an inability to ‘think straight’; a state that is a great hindrance in both our work and home lives. If we are kept in a state of stress for long periods, it can be detrimental to our health. The results of having elevated cortisol levels can be an increase in sugar and blood pressure levels, and a decrease in libido.
More information can be found at the Stress Management Society
To access any of these services, please contact your own surgery
Extended healthcare team video
Amber Valley Health provides the extended access service on behalf of the practices within ARCH PCN. Appointments are available at Church Farm, Steeple Drive Ripley – weekdays 6.00pm to 8.00pm and on a Saturday 9.00am to 5.00pm.
We have a mixture of face to face and telephone appointments available. Appointments should be booked through your own practice – if you specifically want to arrange one of these appointments, please ask for an appointment at 'the hub'. Unfortunately, we are unable to offer a walk-in service and all appointments are pre-booked.
We can also offer appointments with a pharmacist for medication reviews and queries and also with a practice nurse for cervical screening. We hope in due course to be able to offer a wide range of other appointments including long term condition reviews, childhood immunisations, blood tests, ear syringing.
Extended access appointments are held at 'the hub' at Church Farm Primary Care Centre, Ripley. Sat nav postcode is DE5 3TH. All appointments are subject to availability.
If you are unable to attend an appointment at the hub, we ask that you cancel this by contacting your own local practice.
The home visiting team is a new service (started January 2022) offering a dedicated visiting service to housebound patients on behalf of the ARCH PCN practices.
The team consists of Community GPs, Advanced Nurse Practitioners, Trainee Advanced Clinical Practitioners and administrative support. We also have a Geriatrician working within the team. The visiting service conduct daily home visits on the behalf of the 9 practices for all housebound patients, assessing and treating – including liaising with community services where required.
The team also have an Adult Care Officer in the team offering proactive care and support with health and social care plans. This role is different to the acute visiting team, providing a holistic assessment and signposting/referrals to relevant support for frail patients.
The service runs Monday to Friday 8.00am to 6.30pm and is accessed via your normal GP surgery.
We provide a First Contact Physiotherapy (FCP) service in partnership with Derbyshire Community Health Services (DCHS). This is a team of advanced physiotherapists who can help diagnose and arrange initial treatment for musculoskeletal problems.
They provide telephone appointments across the area as well as a face-to-face service at the following locations: Alfreton Primary Care Centre, Church Street, Alfreton DE55 7AH (check in at Parkside Surgery Reception), Heanor Memorial Health Centre, Ilkeston Road, Heanor DE75 7EA and at Ripley Hospital, Sandham Lane, Ripley DE5 3HE. You may be directed to this service by another clinician within our practices or can access directly via your GP reception team.
First contact physio video Information leaflet Book an appointment
Mental Health Practitioners (MHPs) provide a vital bridge between primary care and specialist mental health providers, providing holistic assessment, advice and brief interventions to patients with a range of needs. Mental health is a key area in need of support in Derbyshire. By hiring MHPs, we can begin to address this by helping our patients to have a say in their own mental health needs. Employing Mental Health practitioners ensures that patients get the specialist help and advice they may need, while also removing some of the strain put on GP appointments.
Here are some of the ways patients can benefit from visiting or talking to a MHP:
Some examples of the kind of issues our MHPs might work with include depression and other mood disorders, anxiety, relapse of previous mental health conditions, psychosis. Our clinical and reception staff will consider whether you require an appointment with an MHP or other practitioner in order to ensure your needs are appropriately met.
Amber Valley CVS provides social prescribing services for all GP practices in the ARCH primary care network. Our team of 4 social prescribing link workers take a holistic approach to wellbeing, meeting patients in their home and community and giving them time to focus on what matters most to them. Anyone who may be in need of additional services to manage their wellbeing can access the service, most frequently we see patients who are having difficulty with low level mental health, physical health, housing, finances and social isolation. Our team has welcomed a Children and Young People’s Social Prescribing Link Worker who will be supporting children aged 11-18.
Social prescribers use motivational interviewing techniques to enable patients to discover what matters most to them, coproducing a support plan for change and linking them to statutory and voluntary sector services to help make this change happen. This includes direct support to attend and engage with activities or services.
Patients are seen as often and for as long as needed to meet their goals (which do develop with time). This can range from weekly (or more frequent) contact to bi-monthly at different stages of their plan. Social Prescribers work with an average caseload of 60 patients.
In addition to supporting patients directly, social prescribers work with the local community to identify gaps in support and enable the community to come together to develop and provide services that members of their community need.
Self-referral is encouraged and referrals are taken from any community, statutory or public organisation – although the majority of referrals do come from GP practices. Our referral form can be accessed at below or just call our social prescribing team on 01773 512076.
Social prescriber video Referral form Information leaflet Ring the team
A Health and Wellbeing Coach (HWBC) can support you to develop the skills, knowledge and confidence to manage your long-term health condition in a pro-active way. We will talk to you about your current lifestyle and discuss ways of making manageable long-term changes that will help to improve either your mental or physical health, or indeed both. You will take the lead on setting some meaningful goals, and we will support you to implement them by listening to what matters to you and empowering you to make lasting changes.
If you would like to speak to a Health and Wellbeing coach for support then please contact your doctors surgery. You won’t need to speak to a doctor or nurse, you can ask to speak directly with the HWBC at your practice to arrange an appointment.
The PCN Pharmacy team comprises of Clinical Pharmacists (some are Prescribing Pharmacists) and Pharmacy technicians.
Our team provides a variety of work across the PCN including clinical medication reviews and structured medication reviews, prescription queries, post hospital-discharge letter reconciliation, medication synchronisations, processing clinical letters, high risk drug monitoring, specialist expertise on medicines and multidisciplinary team working.
In addition there is work carried out on the NHS priority areas such as heart disease prevention, chronic diseases and polypharmacy reviews and improving environmental sustainability. Our team members can be contacted through the practice reception teams across the PCN.
The following links will take you to official self-care advice from the NHS
The buttons below will take you to your surgery's website or dial the surgery number shown using your smartphone
Please note: the above email address is for contacting Amber Valley Health management on administrative matters only and not for clinical queries. If you are a patient with a clinical query, please contact your own surgery using the details above.
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