Puddletown Surgery Newsletter Christmas 2013

Opening Times for Christmas and New Year

Over the Christmas period the Surgery will be open as usual, only closed on Christmas Day, Wednesday 25th and Boxing Day Thursday 26th December. We will be open as normal on Friday 27th December.

At New Year the Surgery will be closed on Wednesday 1st January and will re-open on Thursday 2nd January 2013.

If you are unwell while the surgery is closed, always ring 111. This is the new NHS number for all urgent calls. In the event of an emergency dial 999.

Ordering Repeat Prescriptions Dr Lara Wear

Don’t worry we are only closed In February 2014 we will be welcoming our third GP for two days!! Trainee to the Practice. Dr Wear will be here on a six- month placement, until August 2014.

However, the weeks preceding She qualified from Imperial Christmas are the busiest for our College London in 2007 and dispensary team and this December did her initial hospital training in Surrey and Sussex, where we ask you again to please order your she grew up. Following this repeat prescriptions well ahead of she spent 2 years specialising time and allow a few extra days in Paediatrics in Cape Town before you come to collect if at all South Africa and is now based possible. in Dorset for GP training.

Patient Survey 2013

Our Patient Participation Group conducted their let us know and we will arrange for a copy to be annual survey here in the surgery during October. sent out to you. The survey was completed by over 259 patients. Some surveys were completed online on our We will use the feedback in the survey to identify website. The results are being analysed now and areas where we can improve services to our the resulting report will be posted on our patients and an action plan will be drawn up. website, www.puddletownsurgery.co.uk, in January. There will also be copies in the waiting We are most grateful to those of you who kindly room for you to peruse. If you aren’t on the completed our survey and to the members of our internet and don’t often come in to the surgery Patient Participation Group for running this and would like to see a copy of the report, please process in such a professional and efficient way.

The Doctors The Doctors and andstaff staff wish wish you all you a all very a very Happy Happy Christmas Christmas and and New New Year Year!

The Practice Website—www.puddletownsurgery.co.uk

Don’t forget to visit our Practice Website. You can do lots of things that we hope will make your life a lot easier, including booking appointments and ordering repeat medication. If you experience any problems, support and training can be given. Please do telephone us if you need help.

Volunteer driving team needs more drivers

The team of local volunteers that provides transport Piddletrenthide and Melcombe Bingham. for patients who are unable to get to their medically- The service is entirely volunteer-based and operates related appointments needs more drivers. on weekdays only. If you are able to spare some time The scheme has been successful at helping frail and on a regular basis between Monday and Friday and elderly people to get treatment but there is an urgent have a car, NeighbourCar’s driver co-ordinator, need for more drivers. Puddletown NeighbourCar is Francis Copeman, will be delighted to hear from you. getting more and more requests for help, not only You can reach him on 01305 848499 or at from Puddletown but also from people living in the [email protected]. surrounding villages who are registered with the You will not be overloaded with requests: no more Puddletown surgery. So we need more drivers from than one lift a week on average. The cost of your fuel those communities as well as from Puddletown. will be fully met and you will be fully insured. Drivers are particularly needed in Piddlehinton,

Care Data

The NHS has developed an information system that will make increased use of information from medical records held here in the Surgery and in other care settings with the intention of improving health services.

The new system will provide joined-up information about the care received from all of the different parts of the health service, including hospitals and GP practices.

Your date of birth, postcode, NHS number and gender (NOT your name) will be used to link your records in a secure system, managed by the Health & Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC). Once this information has been linked a new record will be created. This new record will not contain information that identifies you. The type of information shared, and how it is shared, is controlled by law and strict confidentiality rules.

It is important that you read the leaflet How information about you helps us to provide better care so that you understand how information in your medical record can be used. These are available from the Surgery. Alternatively visit www.nhs.uk/caredata.

Charity Book Scheme

Since we set up our Charity Book Sale we raised an impressive £1,112.42 for the British Heart Foundation, before changing to support Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance. So far we have raised £507 for Air Ambulance. Thank you to all those who have donated and purchased books. Please keep on bringing them in!!

PuddletownPuddletown Surgery Surgery Athelhampton Athelhampton Road Puddletown Road Dorchester Puddletown Dorset DT2 Dorchester8FY Tel: 01305 848333Dorset Fax: DT2 01305 8FY 848061 e-mail [email protected] Tel: 01305 848333 Fax: 01305 848061 e-mail [email protected]