Warrengate Medical Centre
Riverside Medical Centre
Dr Nayyar & Partners
W
elcome to the second issue of our new Practice Newsletter, which is published quarterly. The newsletter is to provide patients with any news, information and forthcoming events. If you have any suggestions as to what you would like to see in your newsletter please inform a member of staff.
Flu Clinics
We are holding 3 Saturday clinics this year, appointments are necessary. The dates/times are as follows:-
Saturday 27 September 2014 8am – 12noon & 1pm – 5pm
Saturday 4 October 2014 8am – 12noon & 1pm – 5pm
Saturday 11 October 2014 8am – 12noon
You are eligible for a flu jab if you are over 65, have a long term condition (eg Asthma or Diabetes), or are pregnant. If you are unsure of your eligibility, please ask a member of our Reception team or check posters on display in practice.
Please note that the surgery is open for flu vaccinations only and that other services will not be available.
Shingles Vaccination
If you are aged 70 or 79 years of age you will be eligible to receive a shingles vaccination. You will receive an invite if you fit the criteria. Appointments are available to book and we encourage anyone who receives an invitation letter to book an appointment. If you do not wish to receive the vaccination please let us know so we can document this in your medical records.
Pertussis (Whooping Cough) Vaccination
If you are pregnant and approaching your 28th week and you have not received a letter from the practice inviting you in for the vaccination, please contact the surgery at your earliest convenience to arrange an appointment. The vaccination will protect your baby from birth until they receive their primary immunisations.
If you have previously had a pertussis vaccination in a prior pregnancy and are pregnant again, you will need to be vaccinated again, regardless of how recently you had the previous vaccination.
Health Awareness Events
The following health awareness campaigns will be running over the next few months (please note that this is a brief snap shot of events).
September Children’s Cancer (whole month)
Meningitis Awareness Week (15-21 September)
World Heart Day (29 September)
October Breast Cancer (whole month)
Stoptober (whole month)
World Mental Health Day (10 October)
November Movember (Men’s Health Awareness Month, whole month)
Lung Cancer Awareness (whole month)
Alcohol Awareness Week (17-23 November)
Nurse Practitioner
Did you know that we have an Advanced Nurse Practitioner.
Elaine Harrison is our Advanced Nurse Practitioner. Elaine is a prescribing nurse and can deal with any presenting acute illness or injury, she work Monday Tuesday & Wednesday and has daily appointments, some of which can be booked in advance.
Staff Training Days
Please make a note of the dates below when the surgery will close.
· Wednesday 15 October
· Wednesday 19 November
We will close at 12 noon on the day of training and re-open the following day at 8.00am. If you need a Doctor in an emergency please telephone NHS 111.
Cancer Screening Programmes
If you receive an invite for Breast Screening, Cervical Screening (Smear) or receive a Bowel Cancer Screening Kit, don’t ignore it.
Make an appointment for your check up. A few minutes of your time can be life saving. Finding cancer early makes it more treatable
Surgery Opening Times
Please note that we are open at the following times:-
Monday / 08.00-18.00Tuesday / 08.00-18.00
Wednesday / 08.00-18.00
Thursday / 08.00-18.00
Friday / 08.00-18.00
Telephone triage (Assessment)
We provide telephone triage to determine the most appropriate treatment/appointment every morning from 8am until 12 noon – if we can’t offer an appointment we can provide you with a telephone triage appointment where our nurse or GP will phone you back to assess your symptoms and book an appointment as needed or advice on self management.
Telephone Consultations
Did you know that you can book a telephone appointment with a GP rather than a face to face consultation? Many medical problems can be safely managed over the phone. If the GP thinks you need to be seen, he/she will book an appointment for you to come to surgery.
Patient Representation Group
The practice has been working closely with members of our Patient Participation Group who will be coming into the Practice to speak to patients about their experiences. We hope to be able to reflect on any comments and make improvements where needed.
On-Line Services
Did you know you can now book & cancel your appointment and order your prescriptions on-line by visiting www.riversidemedicalcentre.co.uk If you would like access to this facility, then please ask at Reception. Please note that you will need to show one form of identification before we can generate your login details.
SMS Text Messaging
The practice is continuing to send text reminders to patients for pre-booked appointments. If you would like to be reminded about your appointment the day before it is due, then please provide us with your mobile telephone number and a text message will be sent to you the day before your appointment.
If you do not wish to be included in this service, then please inform the Receptionist.
Missed Appointments
In the period 01 April 2014 to 31st August 2014, 1336patients failed to attend for their appointment. This equates to 236 hours of wasted time which could have been used by other patients.
AppointmentsMissed / Time
Wasted
April / 398 / 52 hours
May / 311 / 55 hours
June / 231 / 39 hours
July / 240 / 54 hours
August / 156 / 36 hours
Totals / 1336 appointments / 236 hours
If you need to cancel your appointment, then please contact the surgery. If you have access to our on-line services, you can cancel your appointment through this facility.
Staff News
The practice is a ‘training’ practice in the local area, and we are pleased to welcome the following GPs as part of their rotation training:-
Dr Hadia Aslam (12 month rotation)
Dr Saadia Hayat (12 month rotation)
We said farewell to Dr Z Shah, Dr M Dunn & Dr S Samara who have moved to other local Practices to continue their training – we wish them well.
Winter Newsletter
The Winter Newsletter will be published November/early December.
Please let us know if there is any information you would find useful or if you would like to know more about our services.
British Summertime ends on Sunday 26 October 2014. Please remember to put your clocks back 1 hour.
Autumn 2014 Practice Newsletter Page 3 of 4