Willow New Year Newsletter- 2024
Willow Practice wish you all a Happy & Healthy 2024!
This is our New Year update. We apologise in advance for its length but it has been a while since our last newsletter and there have been changes in Primary Care and Willow Practice specifically.
Partnership Changes
We are sad to announce that Dr Sudhan Roy left her position as GP Partner at Willow Practice at the end of October 2023 due to moving from the area.
Dr Roy shall be very sadly missed by the staff and patients at the Practice and we would like to thank her for her years of service and direction in her capacity as a GP Partner.
However, we are delighted to confirm that Dr Tindall agreed to join Dr Mandy Baum as a GP Partner and has taken on this position as of the 1st November 2023. This ensures that all of our patients continue to receive the high levels of care and service for which the practice is known.
We wish both doctors the very best for the future.
Adult Immunisations
We still have a fridge full of flu jabs that we have bought in for our patients but have either opted to have at local chemists or have decided not to have their flu jab this year.
If you’ve not yet had your flu jab and are on the eligible list – it’s not too late!
Last week the number of people in hospital with flu increased by almost two thirds and thousands of hospital beds are taken up by patients with flu (https://www.england.nhs.uk/2023/12/flu-increases-again-as-winter-pressures-bite-amid-strikes/). Protect yourself, your family and also help the NHS by allowing us to give you your flu jab.
You shall continue to receive invites with a booking link until you have either been vaccinated, advised us that you have had it elsewhere or declined for this year. Please phone reception to book if you don’t wait to await the next text message.
Pneumonia and shingles vaccines are also available in the practice. If eligible, please protect yourself at the earliest opportunity by booking an appointment.
To check if you are eligible and to book your Covid booster please use this website https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/covid-19-services/covid-19-vaccination-services/book-covid-19-vaccination/ or ring 119.
Child Immunisations
(including Flu nasal sprays and Baby and 1 year Imms & Pre-school Boosters)
The practice has nasal flu sprays to protect children aged 2-3 years of age, please request an appointment by submitting a Patchs request via our website or by emailing [email protected]
The NHS stresses the importance of timely child immunisations according to the programme in protecting children throughout childhood and into later life.
The programme recommends immunisations at or just after 8 weeks of age, 16 weeks of age, 1 year of age, 3 years and 4 months of age (PSB).
The reason for the pre-school booster (PSB) age 3 years 4 months is because immunity from the vaccines administered in the first year of life will be diminished by that age.
Please make sure your child has their vaccines at the appropriate time. Any questions or doubts please speak to a nurse or doctor as there is a lot of dubious misinformation on the internet. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vaccinations/nhs-vaccinations-and-when-to-have-them/.
Annual Health Reviews
For long term conditions, whilst we realise that receiving repeated messages to book an appointment can be an inconvenience, it is extremely important that you attend your reviews when invited, once you have done so, the invites shall stop. The Practice has a duty of care to review you and is audited on this. They allow us to check that you are physically well as well as the opportunity to review the effectiveness and dosage of any medications you might be on.
Please do book in if you are contacted for review.
Our GPs are currently performing about 60-70% of consultations face to face, while still doing quite a lot of consulting on the phone. Please say whether you want to be seen in person or whether a phone call is preferred. You have a choice here though for any new or urgent problems we really do believe it is usually safer face to face.
Contact Details
The majority of people now have a mobile phone and email address. Please can you make sure we are updated with any changes so we can contact you if needed.
Weight Management Invites
In the coming weeks, we shall be sending out links and invites to a local weight management service to some patients to offer assistance to them to attain a healthier weight and lifestyle. Please be reassured that these invites are based upon a number of factors, not just your weight. This is another area on which the Practice is audited by the local NHS.
Routine Repeat Prescriptions
Please use the On-line Access, Patchs or in writing. We have now reverted to not taking requests over the phone unless prior agreement for very elderly housebound, or palliative care situations.
Practice Staff Changes
GP Registrar
Dr Sophie Knight has returned to the Practice.
New Salaried GPs
Dr Henry Wong
Reception
Sunita & Sharini
Primary Care Networks
Over the last few years GP Practices have been working with other local practices in ‘Primary Care Networks’ known as PCNs. Economies of scale in this way has enabled the delivery of Covid Vaccines, extended hours opening, and employment of additional staff such as Physiotherapists, Pharmacists, Social Prescribers, Physicians’ Associates, Mental Health Specialist Nurses along with other and upcoming Specialists. The Pharmacists in particular have been working in Maswell Park, helping with medication reviews, asthma reviews etc.
This has been positively received and saved GP appointments for patients for whom seeing the GP is the most appropriate action.
Our Reception staff are in training to deliver Care Navigation therefore if you request assistance and are offered an appointment with a specialist care provider such as above rather than a GP, please be reassured that this can often save you having to be referred by the GP which can cause delays in treatment by the most appropriate specialist.
Bone, Joint, Muscle, Tendon Problems etc
We have a selection of First Contact Physiotherapist whom you can consult about such problems, so the Reception team may offer this to you if more appropriate than speaking to a GP. If necessary, they can refer you on to secondary care for further investigation and assistance if appropriate.
Pain management Clinics
A new Service has now been launched locally to support patients who are suffering from chronic, ongoing and persistent pain. If you think that this could help, please request via Patchs or [email protected]
FAQs Received From Patients
Why can I not request a specific doctor when calling for an emergency appointment?
We are unfortunately only able to provide a limited amount of urgent appointments each morning and afternoon. Any urgent requests from patients are allocated equally between available GPs to ensure that any demand and workload is shared fairly between them.
Be reassured that all of our GPs have access to your records and can offer you the help you need.
Why can’t I get a prescription for an over-the-counter medicine?
Your GP, nurse or pharmacist will generally not give you a prescription for over-the-counter (OTC) medicines for a range of minor health conditions. The team of health professionals at your local pharmacy can offer help and clinical advice to manage minor health concerns. If your symptoms suggest it’s more serious, they’ll ensure you get the care you need.
The NHS currently spends around £136 million a year on prescriptions for medicines that can be bought from a pharmacy or supermarket, such as Paracetamol and hay fever medicines. By reducing the amount it spends on OTC medicines, the NHS can give priority to treatments for people with more serious conditions, such as cancer, diabetes and mental health problems.
Why should I have a shingles vaccine?
A vaccine to prevent shingles, a common, painful skin disease is available on the NHS to people in their 70s. The shingles vaccination is expected to reduce your risk of getting shingles. If you do go on to have the disease, your symptoms should be less severe and the illness shorter.
Shingles can be very painful and uncomfortable. Some people are left with pain lasting years after the initial rash has healed. Shingles is can also be fatal for some over 70 year olds who develop it.It’s fine to have the shingles vaccine if you’ve already had shingles as the vaccine works very well in people who have had shingles before and it will boost your immunity against further shingles attacks.
Should I have the Pneumovax?
If you’re 65 or over, you should have been offered a type of pneumococcal vaccine. This one-off vaccination is very effective protecting you against serious forms of pneumococcal infection.
Non-urgent advice: And Finally!
We have also updated our ‘Help Us to Help You’ information sheet.
By following the advised steps within this, we should be able to keep holding times down on the telephones enabling patients who have urgent needs to receive help from the team as quickly as possible.
By way of an update, average holding times in the last 3 months were:
- December 2023- 4 minutes & 19 seconds
- November 2023- 4 minutes & 2 seconds
- October 2023- 3 minutes & 10 seconds
The above includes 1.5 minutes of our introductory message which includes important advice for all callers.
All of these are below our target of less than 10 minutes, but as there are busier times, such as mornings, please try to use alternative ways to contact us for non-urgent, admin etc requests and do kindly continue to hold until the Reception team is able to get to your call.
Best wishes
From all the Clinical and Admin staff at Team Willow