MAJOR OAK MEDICAL PRACTICE
Winter
Newsletter 2016
Contents
 Practice News
 Meningitis Baby Watch
 Medicine Wastage – Your NHS needs your
help!
 Pressure Ulcer Awareness
 Keep an eye on the elderly this winter
 Kiddies Corner
PRACTICE NEWS
MEET THE TEAM ………
Clinical Team:
Dr W M Mikhail – Senior Partner
Dr G Singaravel (Dr Gopi) – Salaried GP
Dr D Evans – Locum GP (long term)
Sarah Townsley – Nurse Prescriber
Jo Griffin – Practice Nurse
Teresa Brentnall _ HCA
Cheryl Goodwin – Practice Phlebotomist/Receptionist
Reception / Administration Team
Jacquie Mikhail – Practice Manager
Maria Needham – Reception Supervisor
Dawn Walker – Administration supervisor
Scott Fox-Wilson – Receptionist
Amy Sunderland – Receptionist
Amy Hand - Receptionist
Emily Barker – Receptionist/Administrator
Tom Lee – Administrator
We would like to welcome Emma Matthews who will be joining the Reception Team as an apprentice
We are pleased to announce that Cheryl our Practice Phlebotomist will now also be
working as a Receptionist during the afternoons ……..
+
=
PRACTICE OPENING HOURS
Monday …………….. 8.00am – 6.30pm
Tuesday …………….. 7.00am – 6.30pm
Wednesday ……….. 8.00am – 6.30pm
Thursday……………. 8.00am - 6.30pm
Friday ……………….. 8.00am – 6.30pm
Saturday …….. One Saturday morning per month
Please note that as Tuesday 27th December is a bank holiday, we will be opening from 07:00 on the
29th December 2016 instead
Closure for Compulsory Staff Training
We will be closed from 12.00 noon on the following dates:



11th January 2017
8th February 2017
8th March 2017
Did you know you can register for on-line services such as …
Ordering repeat prescriptions and booking a Doctor’s appointment
ROUTINE APPOINTMENTS
Please help us to cut our waiting time for routine appointments, if you are unable to attend
your appointment or no longer need it, please let us know so that we can offer it to another
patient.
CHARGES FOR NON NHS WORK
But it only needs
a signature??
The NHS provides most health care free of charge. However there are a number of other
services for which fees can be charged. These are mainly for services not covered by the
NHS, such as medical reports for insurance companies or “to whom it may concern”
letters.
Doctors are involved in a whole range of non-medical work, largely on the basis that they
occupy a position of trust within the community, and are in the position to verify the
accuracy of information. If a GP signs a certificate or completes a report, it is a
professional duty that she/he checks the accuracy of such information. This may involve
examining the patient's entire medical record. This usually needs to be done in the GP’s
own time and can be very time consuming. A List of charges is displayed in the reception
area
MENINGITIS BABY WATCH
Meningitis and Septicaemia strike
Fast and are highly dangerous!!
How can I protect my baby?
Get you baby vaccinated, starting from 2 months of age. Vaccinations give excellent protection, but
cannot protect from all form on meningitis so it is important to recognise the signs.
What should I look out for?












Tense or bulging soft spot
High temperature (temperature could be normal or low in babies under 3 months old)
Very Sleepy, staring expression, difficult to rouse
Breathing fast or difficulty breathing
Extreme shivering
Pin prick rash/marks or purple bruises anywhere on the body. This rash can be harder to see
on dark skin so check the whole body including inside the eyelids and on the roof of the
mouth
Sometimes diarrhoea can occur
Unusual grunting sounds
Vomiting/refusing to feed
Irritable when picked up with a high pitch, moaning or odd cry
Blotchy skin, getting paler or turning blue
Cold hands and feet
Tumbler test
If a glass tumbler is pressed firmly against a septicaemic rash the marks will not
fade. You will be able to see them through the glass.
What should I do if I am worried about my baby?
Trust your instincts. If you think your baby has meningitis or septicaemia seek
medical help immediately.
PATIENT PARTICIPATION GROUP PAGE
FRIENDS & FAMILY TEST
(Patient Feedback)
Your PPG would like to remind patients how useful it is to the surgery to provide feedback (both
negative and positive) after surgery visits. Feed Back forms are available in the reception. Your
observations help the practice to improve and streamline services. You may remain anonymous
if you wish, however if a name and contact number is provided, this will enable the practice
manager to contact a patient in order to offer an explanation or solution if they have raised an
issue of particular concern.
It is also possible to post a comment on the NHS Choices Website. All comments received are
discussed at our 6 weekly PPG meetings and suggestions for improvements/solutions are offered
in the event of a criticism
Where a name and number is provided on the feedback form this remains confidential to the
practice staff. CONFIDENTIAL OR PATIENT IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION IS NEVER SHARED
WITH THE PPG
ACCIDENT & EMERGENCY
The CCG has a clear message for another
way that we as patients can help to save
money for our NHS and that is to avoid
using A&E for everyday ailments. A&E is a
service provided for medical emergencies
only. A&E departments are reporting that
people are presenting with symptoms that
could have treated either at home or with
advice from a GP or a Pharmacist.
Each visit to A&E costs the NHS around
£120 compared to £46 for a GP
appointment. Advice from a Pharmacist is
free of charge and they are well qualified
to give advice on treating minor ailments.
We, as patients can all do our bit to help
the NHS save money needed for vital local
health services.
HOW TO CONTACT YOUR PPG
MEMBERS
Should you wish to contact a PPG
member for a specific reason –
this can be done by handing in a
letter at reception (The PPG have
a correspondence tray in the
reception area) or alternatively by
leaving your contact details with a
member of staff who can then
pass this on.
Many Thanks
MEDICINE WASTAGE
UNUSED PRESCRIPTION
MEDICINES
COST THE NHS AN ESTIMATED
£300 MILLION EVERY YEAR!
This money could be better invested in
services such as the provision of…
 More Drug Treatment courses for Breast Cancer and Alzheimer’s
Or it would be enough to fund one of the following:
TIPS TO AVOID MEDICINE WASTAGE
11,778 more Nurses

 312,175 more cataract operations
 80,906 more hip replacements
The list is endless …..
Thank you for your co-operation
THINK …what do I need this month and
will I take it? DON’T JUST TICK THE BOX
“[ ]”
 If you don’t need the medicine, please
don’t order it... it can still be requested
at a future date
 Many people think that if they do not
order their medication every month it
will be removed from their repeat list
THIS IS NOT TRUE!
 Some medications are prescribed “as
needed” therefore you may not need to
order them every month.
 DID YOU KNOW...? Once you leave the
pharmacy premises, unopened
medicines that are not returned cannot
be re-issued and have to be
destroyed... Please check your
medication is correct before leaving.
PRESSURE ULCER AWARENESS
Could you know someone who may be sitting on
a pressure ulcer (also known as a pressure sore
or bedsore)?
 Have you heard a friend or family member complain about sore painful
skin?
 Have they lost weight, lost their appetite or do they have trouble
moving?
 If so they might have a pressure ulcer ……
Pressure ulcers most commonly affect people with poor mobility, poor
nutrition, poor hydration or suffer from incontinence or increased moisture on
the skin.
They commonly occur on bottoms, at the base of the spine and on bony places
such as heels, shoulders, elbows and ankles.
How can you check?
If you have any concerns encourage them to take a look at the surface of their
skin – if it is red, discoloured or they complain of numbness, itching, heat or
hardness then they may have a pressure ulcer.
Once developed, pressure ulcers can make people seriously
ill so it is vital to act early, as most are preventable.
KEEP AN EYE ON YOUR ELDERLY NEIGHBOURS THIS
WINTER
The first signs of winter are one of great excitement for many as thoughts of
sledging down hills and snowball fights come about.
But for elderly and vulnerable people, winter can be a miserable and often life
threatening time of year.
As well as having a detrimental effect on physical health, lack of social contact
during the cold winter months leave older people feeling flat and subdued –
leading to anxiety and depression.
If you have an elderly family member it is quite easy to check up on them and
make sure they are well, warm, have enough to eat and are living in
comfortable conditions.
But what about those who don’t have any family? It only takes a few minutes
to knock on a door and check but sometimes there are signs to spot before you
even step foot on the garden path.
 Curtains are still drawn during the day
 Newspapers left in the letter box or milk not being picked up from the
doorstep
 Lights left on through the night or alternatively no lights on at all
 A dog barking constantly
If any of the above apply and you can’t get any response from knocking on the
door then don’t hesitate to call the police and ambulance services. It’s always
better to be safe than sorry in these circumstances.
KIDDIES CORNER
Join the dots ……
As always we would like to remind
patients that this practice operates a
Zero Tolerance Policy.
Please remember it is not always the
receptionist fault!! .. They are most likely
just following orders or simply abiding
by the set policies and procedures.
Thank you for your patience!