NHSE has mandated that all ICBs commission Enhanced Access to deliver enhanced General Practice access to 100% of the population by October 2018.  National GP Patient Surveys shows that year on year there are increases in the numbers of patients who would like more flexible opening hours.

The Welwyn Hatfield Enhanced Access service is available 365 days a year including bank holidays.

Offering Enhanced Access to the registered patients of the Welwyn Hatfield locality involves practices coming together to provide services on a HUB basis and not at individual practices. To support this and the continuity of care on patients, each locality practice will need to ensure access for sharing patient records and have My Care Record (MCR) Information Sharing Agreements in place.

The ENHANCED ACCESS HUB is based at
Spring House Medical Centre,
Ascots Lane,
Welwyn Garden City,
AL7 4HL.

How to book an Enhanced Access Appointment?
Please contact your own GP surgery and request an Enhanced Access Appointment.

If you complete an eCONSULT you can mention that you would like an Enhanced Access Appointment. The GP practice will try there best to accomodate your request. 

How do I cancel an Enhanced Access Appointment? 
Please call the cancellation line: 01707 294358. 

We offer appointments with:

General Practitioners (GPs) - All our GPs are fully qualified and experienced clinicians. All medical problems that you would book to see your GP can be dealt with by our doctors. From time to time they may request that you are subsquently followed up by your own GP for continuity of care reasons.

Nurses (Practice Nurse and Nurse Practitioners) 
The nurses who work for our EA team provide a vast service between themselves which include the following:

New Contraceptive Pill consultation, Repeat Contraceptive Pill consultation, Emergency Contreception, Spirometry, Asthma Checks, Blood Pressure checks, COPD reviews, Diabetes Reviews, Minor Illness (Patients - 2 Years and above), Health Checks, Removal of sutures, ECG, Simple Dressing, New HRT prescription review, HRT Continuing prescribing consultation & Cervical Smears.

Clinical Pharmacist Practitioner
Our clinical pharmacists are able to see patients for:

New Contraceptive Pill consultation, Repeat Contraceptive Pill consultation, Emergency Contraception, Asthma Checks, Blood Pressure checks, COPD reviews, Diabetes Reviews, Minor Illness (Patients - 2 Years and above), Health Checks, Medication Reviews & Continued HRT Prescribing.

Information Governance and your medical records

In order to benefit from Enhanced Access appointments at the Spring House hub clinicians will need to access your medical records.

You will be asked to give your consent when you book or visit, so that the local GP or nurse can give you the best care, just like at your usual practice.  Your hub consultation will be saved into your record, along with any prescriptions, referrals or further action, so that your usual GP is kept up to date with your care.  Your consent will only be for the consultation/appointment you have booked and you will be asked to provide consent each time you book an Enhanced Access appointment.

A postcard produced by East and North Herts CCG summarising the "My Care Record" programme can be seen on following link:

MCR postcard

We are part of East and North Herts CCG - Here is a link to their policy on medical record usage:

http://www.enhertsccg.nhs.uk/how-we-use-information-about-you-fair-processing-notice