The Newsletter of the Humbleyard Practice: Cringleford, Hethersett & Mulbarton Surgeries
Autumn 2014
The Humbleyard News
The Newsletter of the Humbleyard Practice: Cringleford, Hethersett & Mulbarton Surgeries
Flu SeasonFlu can be unpleasant, but if you are otherwise healthyit willusually clear up on its own within a week.
However, flu can be more severe incertain people such as:
· anyone of the age of 65 years and over.
· pregnant women.
· people with an underlying health condition (particularly long-term heart, respiratory disease, diabetes, chronic kidney or liver disease).
· people with weakened immune systems.
For these “at risk” groups of people, a free flu vaccination is available every year on the NHS to ensure they are protected from flu and its complications. If you are eligible for a free vaccination, your surgery will write to you and invite you to attend a flu clinic.
This is the second year that a nasal vaccination will be offered to children. Any “at risk” child aged between 2 – 4 years (dependent upon your child’s date of birth) and any “at risk” patients aged 18 months to 18 years will receive a letter from the surgery you are registered with inviting your child / young adult to receive the nasal flu vaccine.
For those of us who do not receive the vaccination, prevention is the most effective way to slow the spread of flu; here are a few helpful tips.
· Flu is highly infectious and is spread by coughs and colds so use tissues to cover your nose and mouth when you cough or sneeze and put the tissues in the bin.
· Make sure you wash your hands regularly with soap and water.
· Clean your surfaces at home and work including telephones and door handles to get rid of germs.
Please visit the NHS Choices website at www.nhs.uk for more information.
The Humbleyard Practice Minor Surgery Facilities
We are very fortunate to have an excellent minor surgery facility at our Cringleford surgery. There is a purpose built, well equipped treatment room which provides services to all patients registered with our Practice (Cringleford, Hethersett and Mulbarton surgeries).
We are able to offer a full range of minor operations available under the NHS. This means that our patients can be assured that they can be treated for some minor conditions locally, in a timely manner and by doctors they may be familiar with.
Friends and Family Test (FFT)
NHS England is introducing the Friends and Family Test (FFT) to General Practice on 1st December 2014.
The principle is that people who use NHS services should have the opportunity to feedback on their experience and that the feedback can then be used to improve services.
Therefore, all patients will be asked when they visit the surgery to complete a short questionnaire primarily asking if they would recommend their GP practice to friends and family. There will also be space for the patient to add their own comments, anonymously if they wish to do so.
The Practice will then submit data to NHS England on a monthly basis and the results for the Practice will be made public and published on NHS Choices and through the Practice websites for each surgery. The results will also appear in each surgery waiting room.
For more information about how this initiative works already within the NHS please visit NHS Choices website www.nhs.uk and search “friends and family test”.
Staffing News
In June, we said farewell to Dr Naheed who left the partnership to have a baby. Dr Naheed gave birth to a healthy baby boy during the summer.
We successfully recruited a new female GP, Dr Katie Cohen, who joined us in mid August.
Originally, from Norfolk, Dr Cohen trained at Kings College London Medical School, returning to Norfolk in 2008 to complete her GP training. She joined The Humbleyard Practice in August 2014. She lives with her husband and growing family and loves family days out exploring the Norfolk countryside with them.
Missed Appointments
If you find you no longer need an appointment please cancel online or telephone the surgery and let us know. This appointment can then be used for someone who does need it.
We strive to ensure patients can be seen in a timely manner and share their frustration when we are unable to meet the standard we wish to achieve. We are increasing staffing levels across the Practice, but demand for appointments continues to increase. The amount of appointment time which is wasted by non-attendance is significant and contributes to an already overstretched service.
Across the Practice between January 2014 and the end of June 2014, we lost over 106 hours of doctor’s appointments, over 139 hours of nursing appointments (including specialist diabetic nurse and midwifery) and more than 57 hours of phlebotomy appointments. In total 1483 appointments were missed.
Please help us to help you get the appointment you need when you need it by cancelling your unwanted appointments.