Summer Newsletter
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
MAJOR OAK MEDICAL PRACTICE SUMMER 2021 NEWSLETTER Contents Practice News (Meet the Team) 2 Practice Manager Update 3 New role at the Medical Practice 4 New Staff Member at the Medical Practice 4 Your Health, Your Way 4 Dementia Awareness 5 Major Oak Facebook Page 5 6 Quick facts about Menopause 6 Prescription Ordering 7 Help relieve reception pressure 7 Did Not Attend Appointments 7 Edwinstowe Summer Fayre 2021 8 Samples 8 Shingles Vaccination 8 Tackling Loneliness 9 The Key to boosting your immune system 10 MenACWY Vaccination 12 Data Opt Out 12 Sun Awareness 12 The Friends and Family Test 13 Kids Zone 14 PRACTICE NEWS Clinical Team: Dr W M Mikhail Senior GP Partner Dr G Singaravel (Dr Gopi) GP Partner Dr E Gabrawi GP Partner Dr Jayamaha GP Trainee (Another new registrar is starting in August 2021) Sarah Townsley Nurse Prescriber Claire Hedges Practice Nurse Teresa Brentnall GP Assistant/Admin Supervisor Lydia Walker Practice Phlebotomist Mohammed Shabir & Michael Wong Clinical Pharmacists Paul Scothern First Contact Physiotherapist Victoria Davis, Dawn Spence Social Prescribers and Sally Lee Reception / Administration Team: Jacquie Mikhail Practice Manager Helen Vick Reception Supervisor Lisa Antell Receptionist Bethany Short Receptionist Paula Pang Receptionist Charlie Telford Receptionist Clare Thomas Audit Administrator Gail Fenton Medical Administrator Lisa Hinds Medical Administrator Lynn Pyatt Medical Administrator Monday: 08:00 – 18:30 Tuesday: 07:00 – 18:30 (On Tuesdays the reception will not be open for queries between 7am—8am) Wednesday: 08:00 – 18:30 Thursday: 08:00 – 18:30 Friday: 08:00 – 18:30 2 Practice Manager’s Update Dear patients and carers Thank you for all your patience, understanding and support over the year. It has been incredibly challenging for everyone but you have been amazing in your support of the practice. You have been patient with us when we have had to adapt to the new ways of working. Thank you for wearing your face mask when you come into see us and thank you for understanding that the waiting room is empty because we are trying to protect you and the staff. We continue to be offering the same, if not more, appointments; we have a selection of telephone, video consultations and Face to face consultations. Our staff are working extremely hard trying to manage in this difficult time and we appreciate your kindness and consideration of this when contacting the practice. We are trying our very best to provide care for you and your families. Attending the surgery It remains important that we minimise any risk of transmission of COVID whilst any of us are attending the surgery. We are still mandated to ensure that patients are fully screened for COVID symptoms prior to entering the surgery. This is why our reception team ask you about the symptoms or the reason before offering you an appointment and this is likely to continue for the foreseeable future. We will continue with the telephone triage system but this does not mean we will not see you if needed but means we will continue to minimise the number of patients in the building at any one time. It remains essential that all patients (unless exempt) wear a face mask when attending the surgery and attend alone (unless they are unable). All staff have now received their two COVID vaccinations and all staff are required to be tested twice weekly for COVID. We do however continue to have staff and members of their families test positive at times. This continues to mean that clinical staff have to work from home at times due to needing to self-isolate. Please stay safe and look after each other! Jacquie Practice Manager 3 New staff members at the Medical Practice We would like to welcome the following new members of staff:- Physiotherapy FCPs: Paul – our new First Contact Practitioner - has joined the prac- tice this week. He is with us on Tuesdays for telephone and face-to-face assessments. A first contact practitioner (FCP) is an experienced physiotherapist who has the advanced skills necessary to assess, diagnose and recommend appropriate treatment or referral for musculoskeletal (MSK) problems on a patient’s first contact with healthcare services e.g. when they visit their GP surgery. Patients with MSK complaints can be booked in to see an FCP by a GP receptionist, GP or online. An FCP offers expert MSK assessment and diagnosis, however, is also integrated within the multi-disciplinary team in each GP practice. If appropriate, an FCP may prescribe a programme of exercises, refer for blood tests or X-ray, administer steroid injections, or refer a patient to an appropriate secondary health service e.g. rheumatology or orthopaedics. All FCP’s are trained to identify ‘red flag’ symptoms which may require medical attention. Your Health, Your Way Your Health Your Way is Nottinghamshire’s new Integrated Wellbeing Service funded by Nottinghamshire County Council and delivered by ABL Health. They are here to help all residents of Nottinghamshire (excluding Nottingham city) get more active, eat healthier, manage your weight, drink less alcohol and stop smoking. They offer realistic and practical support for people to make life long healthy behaviour changes. If you would like to refer yourself or someone you know follow the link below: https://yourhealthnotts.co.uk/ 4 Dementia Awareness Alzheimer’s Society Memory Walk Join thousands of others all across the UK who are walking for a world without dementia. Come together with friends and family at Clumber Park Memory Walk, 03 October 2021 or Wollaton Park Memory Walk on 19th September 2021. Memory Walk is a family-friendly sponsored walk and a fantastic way to make a real difference to people affected by dementia. It is a great opportunity to come together with friends and family to make a real difference. Sign up for free today and receive a brilliant digital fundraising pack, with plenty of tips and useful resources, plus a Memory Walk t-shirt! Challenge yourself to raise £160, or as much as you can, and make a real difference to people affected by dementia. The Memory Walk team is here to support you every step of the way, so sign up today and together we’ll walk for a world without dementia. It’s free to sign up and accessible to all. Memory Walk | Alzheimer's Society (alzheimers.org.uk) Major Oak Facebook Page The practice are now in the process of updating the Facebook page. We will publish information on this page of services available to patients as well as up to date news and relevant links. Please follow us on Facebook as the more followers we have, the wider the information gets shared. 5 6 Quick facts about the menopause The menopause is a natural part of ageing, and occurs when a woman stops having periods and is no longer able to have children. It’s a gradual process which happens over months or years. Why does the menopause happen? The menopause is a normal part of the life cycle, where levels of the hormone oestrogen decline with age, so periods become less frequent and eventually stop altogether. This means a woman is no longer able to get pregnant. What are the symptoms? A change in the pattern of your periods is the first sign of the menopause. Other symptoms include hot flushes, night sweats, anxiety, memory problems, vaginal dryness and changes in sex drive. Symptoms vary between individuals – some women will experience mild symptoms while others may have symptoms that have a big impact on their everyday life. 6 Quick facts about the Menopause 1. The menopause is caused by changes in hormone levels which take place as a woman gets older. 2. Menopausal symptoms include hot flushes, mood changes, memory problems and changes in sex drive. 3. The length of time that symptoms last for varies between individuals, but averages about 4 years. 4. Treatment is available to help with symptoms if you want it. 5. A healthy diet and regular exercise, alongside simple behavioural changes, can improve some symptoms. 6. Talking helps – friends, family and professionals can give support and guidance. Treatments for menopausal symptoms Your GP can offer treatments and suggest lifestyle changes if you have severe menopausal symptoms that interfere with your day-to-day life. These include:- Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) Tablets, skin patches, gels and implants that relieve menopausal symptoms by replacing oestrogen. Vaginal oestrogen creams, lubricants or moisturisers for vaginal dryness. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) A type of talking therapy that can help with low mood and anxiety eating a healthy, balanced diet and exercising regularly – maintaining a healthy weight and staying fit and strong can improve some menopausal symptoms. To read more about the symptoms on the NHS website see link below:- https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/menopause/symptoms/ 6 Prescription Ordering During the Covid-19 pandemic we would appreciate it if you could kindly request your prescription via our online services or by drop- ping the request through the letterbox near the front door. This is so we can free the phone line for urgent calls. Requesting prescriptions on the online service is quick and easy to do, once you have submitted your request, the prescriber will deal with the request within 48 hours. It will then be sent to your nominated Pharmacy for collection. If you are unsure who your nominated Pharmacy is or you need to change this to a another Pharmacy, then please contact our Reception on Tel: 01623 822303. Help Relieve Reception Pressure Test Results Please call after 11 am to enquire about any investigations results. If you are registered for the online services, you will be able to see your results.