Little Watham & Great Notley Surgeries
LITTLE WATHAM & GREAT NOTLEY SURGERIES
NEWSLETTER November 2007
STAFF NEWS
A message from Dr Lints:
I’m sure most of you already know that I am leaving the Practice at the end of November after 22 very happy years. I would like to thank you for giving me the privilege of looking after you and your families.
We originally came to Essex from Edinburgh, when my husband, Dr Alasdair Short, was appointed as a consultant in the newly created Intensive Care Unit in Broomfield. We arrived with two young children – their photos, taken by a patient, used to hang above my desk. Now they have returned to Edinburgh where Abigail is studying medicine and Cameron, architecture.
My new post as Head of the London School of General Practice is very challenging and exciting. I manage the training of almost 1000 trainees aspiring to become General Practitioners. The organisation is part of the University of London (UCL) and based within Senate House in Russell Square.
Having juggled two part-time jobs for several years now, this career move will actually give me more time off. Alasdair is keen that we develop some common interests for our eventual retirement – unfortunately that involves golf, which I’m not too keen on but am persevering with the lessons.
I shall leave with many happy memories.
Dr de Meza: We are very pleased to have Dr de Meza back with us on a part time basis after a long illness. At present we are unable to offer advance booking for Dr de Meza’s appointments.
Dr Grice is currently on maternity leave after the birth of her daughter in the summer. She will return to the Practice in March next year.
Dr Adiukwu is covering Dr Grice’s maternity leave.
Dr Pal is our new registrar who will be with us for a year.
Dr Vidya. Many patients have come to know Dr Vidya well during her time here as Registrar and locum for Dr de Meza. She proved to be a popular GP and has now joined the Practice as a salaried GP for a year.
Jenny Wellings, Practice Nurse, has returned from her maternity leave. Aside from practice nursing, Jenny also helps run our Diabetic Clinic.
Sharon Amos has joined the Practice as a Practice Nurse. She previously worked in the Community as a District Nurse
CHRISTMAS OPENING HOURS
The Surgery will be closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day. Normal hours will apply on all other days with just emergency appointments being available on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.
REPEAT PRESCRIPTIONS
During the busy Christmas period we would appreciate
three working days notice for repeat requests. We will revert to two working days notice in the New Year. You can order your repeat prescriptions on-line at or
MEDICAL EMERGENCIES
From time to time there are emergencies which demand the attention of numerous clinicians and support staff which inevitably disrupts the smooth running of the Practice and causes extended waiting time. On these occasions we would ask you for patience and understanding; one day you might be the patient in need of such emergency assistance. On this subject we would ask that if you attend the surgery with a serious health problem, such as chest pain, please notify the receptionist of your symptoms as you may need urgent attention.
PATIENT GROUP
We like to involve patients in practice matters and we therefore hold at least one meeting each year with patient representatives. If you would like to be considered as a member of our patient group please contact the Practice Manager, Margaret Boddy.
CHRISTMAS RAFFLE
This year we have chosen the Pseudomyxoma Research Fund which is a charity researching pseudomyxoma peritonei, a rare form of cancer. Our raffles are always very well supported both by staff who donate most of the prizes, and by patients who havealways been very generous in the purchase of tickets.
FLU VACCINES
With the flu season almost upon is we are relieved to have completed our vaccination programme for this year. We held two walk-in clinics, which ran very smoothly and involved the vaccination of almost 2,000 patients. We hope to continue the clinics on the same basis in forthcoming years.
APPOINTMENTS
Most appointments to see a doctor are available for booking on the same day as the appointment. However, to accommodate patients who find this inconvenient we do make a third of doctor’s appointments available for pre-booking. Appointments for nurses and health care assistants can be booked up to two weeks in an advance.The telephone lines open at 8am for appointment booking. Calls are held in a queue and answered in strict rotation as quickly as possible. Appointments do become booked very quickly and patients are advised to telephone early to guarantee an appointment.
Little Waltham surgery is open Saturday morning for emergency appointments between 9.00am – 10.30am and pre-bookable nurse appointments are also available.The availability of pre-bookable appointments has to be carefully balanced against the increased numbers of failed attendances that we encounter each time we increase availability.This is constantly under review and we hope to be able to improve the system soon with on-line booking.
CHOOSE & BOOK
The Practice now offers most hospital appointments via Choose & Book. This means that you can choose an appointment from one of four hospitals and choose the date and time for your appointment enabling you to fit your treatment in with other commitments, at home and at work. You will also be able to check the status of your referral and to change or cancel your appointment easily over the phone or on the internet.
The Business of General Practice
During October we made 6412 appointments available which averages 267 each day. Of these, 216 were booked but not attended by patients representing a loss of almost one full surgery day.
Running a surgery involves much more than just seeing patients. During October we handled approximately:
- 500 referrals
- 2800 communications from hospitals
- 95 medical reports, claim forms etc
- 650 Blood Tests
- 130 New Patients registered.
CHAPERONES
There are occasions when a doctor needs to perform an intimate examination which may cause some patients to feel a little uneasy. For your peace of mind trained chaperones are available; please feel free to ask for one to be present during your examination.
WEBSITE
Our surgery website holds lots of useful information and the option to request repeat prescriptions on-line.
OUT OF HOURS
For general advice call
NHS Direct on 0845 46 47
To see a doctor in an emergency contact Primecare on:
0844 7360 276
MID ESSEX
PRIMARY CARE TRUST (PCT)
The Primary Care Trust is responsible for the funding of all NHS services in the region:
Swift House
HedgerowsBusinessPark
Colchester Road
Springfield
CM2 5PF
Tel: 01245 398770
LITTLE WALTHAM SURGERY
30 Brook Hill, Little Waltham
Chelmsford, CM3 3LL
Tel: 01245 360253
Fax: 01245 361343
GREAT NOTLEY SURGERY
Notley Green, Great Notley
Braintree, CM77 8GS
Tel: 01376 341411
Fax: 01376 341511