THE PRACTICE IS HAVING A NEW TELEPHONE SYSTEM ON 1ST MARCH THERE MAY BE A
SHORT TIME WHEN YOU ARE UNABLE TO CONTACT US BY TELEPHONE ON THAT DAY.
TIME IS RUNNING OUT TO BOOK IN FOR YOUR FLU JAB
We will be returning our unused vaccine to the supplier at the beginning of March. If you would still
like your flu jab then please ring or call in at the surgery to book an appointment with the nurse for
your NHS flu jab
CARE QUALITY COMMISSION INSPECTION
We had our CQC inspection on 11 August 2016 and were awarded a rating of Good. The full report
on the visit can be viewed from our website.
WASTED CLINICAL TIME THROUGH NON ATTENDANCE OF APPOINTMENTS
The practice lost 25 hours last month through patients not attending for their appointments. Please
help us to offer a better service by cancelling appointments you are not able to attend so that
someone else can benefit from them. We now write to patients who regularly fail to attend for their
appointment to try and help them understand the impact this has on the practice. If a patient fails to
attend on more than 3 occasions within a 12 month period, this could lead to them being removed
from the practice list.
ONLINE ACCESS TO YOUR MEDICAL RECORDS
Did you know that just like online banking, you can look at your GP records on a computer, a tablet
or a smartphone, using a website or an app. You can choose to:


Book and cancel appointments with your doctor online, when it suits you.
Order repeat prescriptions. Some patients have found that they save money and time as they
don’t need to make a special trip to their surgery to order repeat prescriptions.
Look at part of your GP records online. You can look at your records whenever you want,
even from the comfort of your own home. The type of information you will be able to see will
depend on the access that you sign up for.
Online services are free to use and are just another way of contacting the surgery. You can still ring
us or come into the surgery in person like you do now.
Please see our website for more information or ask at Reception.
FRIENDS AND FAMILY TEST
3 patients filled in the friends and family test during January and the breakdown of the results is as
follows:When asked how likely they would be to recommend the surgery to family or friends the response
was:Extremely likely
②
Likely
①
When asked whether the practice had improved over the past 12 months the responses were:
Unfortunately getting to see a doctor of your own choosing is getting nigh on impossible so I
cannot in all honesty say the practice has improved.
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Everyone can go to their pharmacist for free advice or
to buy a medication for a minor ailment
Your pharmacist can also help you decide whether you
need to see a doctor or if self treatment is enough.
They may suggest a treatment that you can purchase
from the pharmacy or receive for free through the Pharmacy First‘ scheme if you qualify*.Most
pharmacies are open throughout the day and there are some that are also open until midnight and at
weekends.
If you qualify for free prescriptions you could receive free treatment from your local participating
community pharmacist for the following conditions without having to see your GP (Participating GP’s
and Pharmacies) ;
*
*
*
*
*
Athlete’s foot
Dental pain
Haemorrhoids
Insect bites/stings
Temperature/fever
*
*
*
*
*
Bacterial conjunctivitis
Diarrhoea
Hay fever
Sore throat
Threadworms
*
*
*
*
*
Constipation
Earache
Head lice
Teething
Thrush
*Qualification for free medication through ‘Pharmacy First’ is subject to pharmacy participation and if
the patient qualifies for free NHS prescriptions. You can check eligibility for free NHS prescriptions
here; prescription costs and eligibility.
NAMED GP FOR ALL PATIENTS
We are required to allocate all patients a named accountable GP who has responsibility for the coordination of all appropriate services required under the GMS contract based on their clinical
judgement. Your named accountable GP will be the doctor you are registered with. Having a
named GP does not prevent you seeing any other doctor in the practice. Your named GP will not be
available at all times and if your needs are urgent, you may need to discuss them with an alternative
doctor.
For completion of insurance forms etc it is quite acceptable to enter Parkside Surgery as your doctor
or any of the partners at the practice. Currently the partners are Drs Antonov, Hall & Worley.
INFORMATION SHARING
There are several different ways we may need to share your information. If you would like further
information please ask at reception for a leaflet or visit www.nhscarerecords.nhs.uk
ADVANCED NURSE PRACTITIONER MINOR ILLNESS CLINIC
A new service to make it easier for patients to access advice and treatment as quickly as possible for
minor and acute problems.
Advanced Nurse Practitioners (ANP) are experienced nurses who, through further education and
specialist training, have developed their skills and knowledge in order to offer extended services to
patients. While not being a replacement for Doctors, they can provide nursing services that
incorporate some aspects of care previously provided by Doctors. Their role is to compliment the role
of the GP’s. All Advanced Nurse Practitioners are Independent Nurse Prescribers which mean they
are able to sign their own prescriptions. If the Nurse Practitioner feels you need to see the GP, they
will arrange for you to be seen.
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ARE YOU A MILITARY VETERAN?
Military Veterans – Priority NHS Care
The UK Government has pledged to support Military Veterans with priority NHS care.
Who is defined as a veteran? ‘ A veteran is someone who has service in the armed forces for a
least one day in the regular or reservist forces’. There are around 4.5m veterans in the UK.
When servicemen and women leave the armed forces, their healthcare is the responsibility of the
NHS.
All veterans are entitled to priority access to NHS hospital care for any condition as long as it is
related to their service, regardless of whether or not they receive a war pension.
Veterans are encouraged to tell their GP about their veteran status in order to benefit from priority
treatment if appropriate.
Health related issues for veterans can manifest in a number of ways.
IF YOU ARE A MILITARY VETERAN, PLEASE LET RECEPTION, YOUR GP OR NURSE KNOW
SO WE CAN UPDATED YOUR MEDICAL RECORDS.
STAFF TRAINING
We will be closed from 1.30pm on 22 March, 10 May, 12 July & 18 October
Please ring 111 if you need medical advice after 1.30pm on these dates.
ACCESSIBLE INFORMATION STANDARD
We want to ensure that our patients who have a disability, impairment or sensory loss can read and
understand the information we send them.
If you find it hard to read our letters due to your disability or if you need someone to support you at
appointments, please let us know.
We can then add the information to your medical records so that other NHS organisations that you
attend will also be aware.
Please tell the receptionist if you need information in a different format or communication support
and we will do our best to arrange this for you
CAR PARKING
The car park is used by all visitors to the Health Centre – please use when attending
appointments/visiting the centre only
SMS TEXT MESSAGING
We can send you a reminder of your appointment details the day before your appointment by text
message to your mobile phone. If you would like text message reminders please ask at reception
and we will “sign you up”. You will need to ensure that we have your up to date mobile phone
number either by advising us at reception or completing the “Update your Records” form on the
Practice Website www.parksidesurgery.co.uk
CHANGE OF ADDRESS OR OTHER
PERSONAL DETAILS
ELECTRONIC PRESCRIBING
If is very important that you let us know
when you change your address, phone
number, email address etc so that we can
update our records. If you are referred to
the hospital and we have an incorrect
address this could mean you miss your
appointment.
This is a system whereby instead of a paper copy of
your prescription being printed it will be sent
electronically straight to the pharmacy of your choice.
This should avoid problems with paper copies being
mislaid and then sometimes causing a delay in you
getting your medication. You need to discuss this with
the pharmacy that you would prefer to collect your
medication from.
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PARKSIDE PATIENT PARTICIPATION GROUP
Who are we?
We are a small group of patients who meet on a monthly basis to help the practice and the patients.
What do we do?




We help with the annual patient’s survey to find out how you feel about the practice.
We support the ‘flu’ clinics.
We hold coffee mornings where patients can come and chat to us.
We invite professionals to come and explain about serious illnesses such as Oral Cancer and
Prostate Cancer.
What don’t we do?
 We don’t get involved in medical matters.
 We don’t discuss our own, family or friends medical problems.
We would welcome new members of all ages who feel they could help?
Meetings during 2017 will be on 14 March, 9 May and 11 July. They start at 6.00pm and are held at
the practice.
Please contact either Heather on 0784 064 0240 or Janet on 0772 962 4374
COFFEE MORNING
We are holding a coffee morning on Tuesday 11th April between 10.00 – 12.00. Please drop in for a
free coffee or tea and meet some of the members’ of the group.
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