Greetings!. Greetings one and all and welcome to our August 2016 Newsletter, the third of four to be published throughout this calendar year. Please read on for opening times over the Bank Holiday; how to select the most appropriate medical care; news from the practice and much more. We are always looking to improve our communication channels with our patients and if you do have any suggestions items you d like us to include in the newsletter, then please contact the surgery. Hellos and Goodbyes We are pleased to welcome our new Support Team member, Claudine, who recently joined our team. If you ve not met Claudine already, I m sure when you do you will be as equally delighted as we are to have her on board. Claudine does have experience in customer facing roles but we appreciate your patience, as always, as she familiarises herself with her new role. On a less cheery note, we say our fond farewells to our cleaner, Jackie, who has provided us with great service (and with a smile!) over the past few years - we wish her all the very best with her future ventures. We also say goodbye - albeit on a temporary basis - to our HCA Nurse and Support Team member, Gemma. Gemma, is currently expecting her fourth child, as you may be aware from our previous newsletter and or/website newsfeed (visit http://www.drstocktonandthomp son.co.uk/) and Facebook page (please visit us at: https://www.facebook.com/clou ghstreet/) and I m sure you ll join us in wishing her all the very best during her upcoming maternity leave. August Bank Holiday Weekend - Opening Times Please be aware of the following departures from our normal opening times over the August Bank Holiday weekend: Friday 26th August Open as normal (8.00-18.30) Saturday 27 th August Closed (as normal) Sunday 28 th August Closed (as normal) Monday - 29th August Closed Bank Holiday Tuesday 30th August Open as normal (8.00-19:00) Please ensure that if you are currently taking medication that you have enough to last you over the holiday period by ordering your prescriptions at least two working days in advance. Otherwise, have a safe and fantastic bank holiday weekend! Best wishes The Surgery Team Missed appointments As with most NHS organisations, and with a growing patient list, we are under increasing pressure to meet the demands placed upon us. This situation is being exacerbated by the number of appointments missed without notification (officially known as DNAs, standing for did not attend ) which, at our Practice, has totaled over 2000 missed appointments in the last year alone. Remember the NHS is funded by YOUR money so with the cost of appointments estimated at around 45 per time, this equates to over 80,000 of wasted public money. So the message is simple: please keep your appointment or, or if you can t make it, cancel it! We can ALWAYS use cancelled appointments, almost regardless of the amount of notice given. There are a number of different ways you can cancel your appointments: Text us: 07780793149 Phone us: 0161 654 4103 Email us: drstocktonandthompson@nhs.net Fax us: 0161 654 6571 Please help us to protect your NHS under increasing economic pressure. Drs Stockton & Thompson Clough Street Middleton Manchester M24 2YJ Tel: 0161 654 4103 Text: 07780793149 Fax: 0161 654 6571 Email: drstocktonandthompson@nhs.net Web: www.drstocktonandthompson.co.uk Help Us To Run On Time! You may attend for an appointment and have to wait a little longer to be seen; we thank you for patience on these occasions. Unfortunately, to ensure that practices have enough appointments to offer patients, the recommended allocation of time per appointment for doctors in England is 7 minutes with their patient and 3 minutes to record entries into their medical records. As you can appreciate, this is extremely tight. However, you can help us to run on time by ensuring that where possible only 1 problem is discussed with the doctor. If you do have more than 1 problem then we would suggest an additional appointment is made You can also help by ensuring you arrive on time for your appointments; please note that patients more than ten minutes late for an appointment will be asked to rebook.
Well done Lorelle! Congratulations to our HCA nurse and Support Team member Lorelle, who has successfully completed the next level of her nursing training. We look forward to her putting some of the new skills she has learned into action over the coming months and wish her all the very best with her future studies. In the meantime, though, she should give herself a big pat on the back! Cancellation List: Do You Know How It Works? As you may be aware, we launched our cancellation list service a couple of years ago and this has proved very popular with our patients. If you contact us for an appointment on the day and we have no more available, you will be offered a slot on our cancellation list. We will then contact you should a cancellation occur. This means that you don t have to keep ringing us to check whether there have been any cancellations and also helps to ensure we have increased availability for our patients. To ensure this service works smoothly, this is an on the day cancellation list only and patients will need to ring up each day to be placed on the list for that day. Patients can also specify certain times and doctors, however obviously this will decrease the chances of a cancellation specific to your requirements occurring. Please note that we will only contact you should a cancellation arise. Please continue to cancel your unwanted appointments to ensure the continued success of this service. Award winners! HMR CCG held its annual special thanks and recognition awards (STAR) on Friday 24th June at Rochdale Masonic Hall and we are delighted to announce we won the STAR Team award! This was awarded in recognition of the hard work involved maintaining our service provision during a testing time for the Practice following the fire at the surgery. We would also like to take the opportunity to thank all our patients for their patience and understanding during this period, without which none of this would have been possible; this is as much your award as it as our own. The picture shows the award being presented to our very own Dr Peet; our Practice Manager, Victoria Buckland; and our Practice Nurse, Colette, by HMR CCG Chief Officer Simon Wootton- well done everyone! Minor Surgery Clinics Dr Stockton continues to provide a minor surgery clinic at the practice for the removal of ingrowing toe nails, skin tags, cysts or moles; please contact the surgery to make an appointment for an initial consultation. We have now received replacements for the surgical equipment damaged in last year s fire and further clinics are scheduled for the following dates: Saturday 3 rd September; Saturday 1 st October; and Saturday 19 th November. Aged Over 60? Don t Miss Out On Your Bowel Cancer Screening! About one in 20 people in the UK will develop bowel cancer during their lifetime. Regular screening has been shown to reduce the risk of dying from bowel cancer by 16% If you have not been screened in the last 2 years and are aged over 60 then ring 0800 707 6060 to book! Sponsored Walk Middleton Heartline Club Dr Stockton; Dr Thompson; and Finance Manager, Pete Thompson, took part in a 3 mile sponsored walk through Rhodes Woods on July 16 th in aid of Middleton Heartline Club, along with club members and their families. We would like to offer our hearty congratulations to the club organisers, as they managed to raise over 2000 in sponsorship. This fantastic charity - as featured in the May 2016 newsletter - offers support to those who've suffered with heart disease in the past. Members meet twice a week (Wednesdays and Friday, 10 am to 12 Noon) at Middleton arena and for just 2 a time can benefit from a fantastic range of activities, facilities and support, plus - as we found out - great company! For details about how to become involved, please call the club direct on 0161 728 5060 or 0161 643 2942. Pictured (courtesy of Dr Thompson) are Val Screeton (Ladies Rep for the club and a patient at the surgery); Dr Stockton (and children!); and Pete Thank You from Marie Curie! We would like to pass on the thanks we received from Marie Curie to all the generous souls who contributed to their flower appeal at the surgery, enabling us to raise 29.50. This donation will go towards providing specialist nursing care to cancer sufferers in Middleton and the surrounding area, a fantastically worthy cause, I m sure you ll all agree. Prescriptions To ensure you receive your regular medications on time, please order your medication at least two working days before you are due to run out. We do appreciate that people forget to order every now and again and will make every effort to process your prescription as soon as possible on such occasions but please be aware this does cause added pressure to our doctors and support staff. You can order your prescriptions within or outside of our opening times, via text (Tel: 07780 793149) or email (drstocktonandthompson@nhs.net) - please quote your name, date of birth and the medication you require. Alternatively you can put your order in at the surgery reception. Please note we do not accept prescriptions requests over the phone, except for patients who are housebound.
Choose Well How to ensure you select the appropriate healthcare As you may be aware from articles in the press and perhaps your personal experiences, NHS Services are under continual pressure to meet the demands placed upon them. In addition to ensuring you cancel unwanted or unneeded appointments as early as possible to ensure they can be utilized by another patient, The Choose Well scheme has been created to help advise patients as to how to select the most suitable treatment or healthcare organisations for the symptoms that they themselves, a family member or a friend are presenting. Whilst your family G.P. and local hospital are always available and willing to help, sometimes self-care, pharmacies; NHS walk-in centres and Urgent Care Centres are a more appropriate option. Please read on for more information. Further advice is also available at : http://www.choosewellmanchester.org.uk/ What we do: GP surgeries such as our own provide a wide range of family health services, including: advice on health problems; vaccinations; examinations and treatment; prescriptions for medicines; and referrals to other health services and social services. We also provide health education; offer advice on smoking and diet; run clinics; give vaccinations; and carry out simple surgical operations If a GP cannot deal with your problem themselves, they'll usually refer you to a hospital for tests, treatment or to see a consultant with specialist knowledge. G.P. Appointments: G.P. appointments at our surgery are by appointment only and are generally booked in advance, at your convenience; there are other NHS services such as walk-in-centres and minor injuries/urgent care-centres (please see details below) which you can attend on the day without an appointment, if you feel you wish to be seen sooner but this is not our primary remit. We do have a limited number of urgent slots bookable on the day which are for URGENT conditions only; these are booked in time order and would expect you to attend at the time offered if your condition was urgent. Examples of urgent conditions: Persistent vomiting Ear Pain Feverish children - please see the full guide below for what to do if your child has a temperature If you do have an urgent condition and are unable to obtain an urgent slot, our Support Team can still ensure you get triaged by a healthcare professional by passing a message through to the doctor. You can also ask to go on our cancellation list and we will contact you if an appointment becomes available.
GPs are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you need to see a GP outside normal surgery hours you can still phone the surgery - you'll be directed to NHS111 (please see below) and subsequently, if deemed necessary, to the GP out-of-hours service. The out-of-hours service runs from 6.30pm to 8.30am on weekdays and all day at weekends and on bank holidays. There are also some pre-bookable GP appointments available across the borough out of hours please ring the surgery to find out more. Self-care Self-care is the best choice to treat minor illnesses and injuries. A large range of common illnesses and injuries can be treated at home simply with over-the-counter medicines and plenty of rest. Dr Chris Duffy, local GP and Chair of NHS Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale CCG, provides the following advice about self care: I'd encourage everyone to have a basic medicine and first aid kit in the house to enable you to deal with minor illnesses like coughs and colds at home. If you're unsure, visit your local pharmacist for advice. For detailed advice please visit: http://www.choosewellmanchester.org.uk/self-care/ Pharmacies As well as providing prescribed medication, your local pharmacist can also give expert, confidential advice and/or over the counter medicines for minor ailments such as coughs and colds; bites and stings; asthma and eczema; some allergies; headache; minor infections; diarrhoea and period pain. NHS Choices NHS Choices is a dedicated website where you can find up-to-date and expert advice on a range of illnesses and complaints, as well as details as to how to find your nearest NHS services, such as GPs, dentists, pharmacists and walk-in centres. Please visit: http://www.nhs.uk/pages/home.aspx NHS 111 This free telephone service is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year for fast, free medical advice when it's not an emergency. Walk-in centres Walk-in services can offer assessment and treatment of minor illnesses and injuries which are not serious enough to require a visit to A&E; no appointment is needed. Local centres can be found at: Middleton Health Centre, Middleton Shopping Centre, M24 4EL (0161 655 7434): Open 8am-8pm Monday and 8am-6pm Saturdays and Sundays Bury Urgent Treatment Centre, Moorgate Primary Care Centre, 22 Derby Way, BL9 0NJ: Open 8am-10pm, seven days a week Oldham NHS Walk-in Centre, Integrated Care Centre, New Radcliffe Street, OL1 1NL: Open 8am-8pm, seven days a week
Minor Injuries Units/Urgent Care Centres These facilities are for urgent, but non-life-threatening situations, for example: severe rashes; wounds, burns, and bites; sprains, fractures, and sports injuries. Your nearest such care centre is: Rochdale Urgent Care Centre, Rochdale Infirmary, Whitehall Street, OL12 0NB: Open 24 hours, seven days a week A&E and 999 services Accident and Emergency and 999 services are for serious, life-threatening conditions that need immediate medical attention only, such as: Choking Chest pain Suspected stroke Blacking out Blood loss Information for you, if your child has a temperature What is a temperature? A fever is common in children and most children recover quickly and without problems. A fever is when the body s temperature rises above normal. The average normal body temperature taken in the mouth is 37ºC but anywhere between 36.5ºC and 37.2ºC is normal What to do if your child has a temperature: You can give either paracetamol or ibuprofen for discomfort or distress but not for the sole reason of reducing the temperature. If the child does not respond to the first medication, you can also give the other. Trying to cool your child with a wet cloth or sponge is not recommended as shivering can cause the child s temperature to rise further. Give regular fluids, including breast milk if the child is breast-fed. Do not under dress or over-wrap your child. For example when indoors a single layer of clothing (i.e.) a t-shirt and blankets is normally fine. If your child suffers any of these symptoms then call 999 immediately: If they are grey, very pale or blue If they won t wake up or respond when talking to them If they have a continuous high pitched or weak sounding cry If their breathing rate is above 60 breaths per minute (appears very fast) Non-blanching rash (a rash that won t disappear when pressure is applied, for example rolling a glass over the skin Fitting
Bloody or black vomit You should contact your own G.P. (or NHS 111 if your surgery is closed) if your child shows any of the following symptoms They don t respond normally when you try and talk to them or won t wake up easily Their breathing rate is above 50 breaths per minute (less than 12 months) or above 40 breaths per minute (older than 12 months) i.e. appears short of breath. Their breathing becomes noisy or they can t talk in full sentences Their mouth and eyes appear dry They have only one wet nappy in12 hours or pass urine only once in 12 hours Their temperature goes above 39ºC despite taking paracetmol/ibuprofen They have uncontrollable shaking They develop a swollen red joint, arm or leg, or refuse to walk. Poor feeding in babies (less than half of their usual amount of milk.