HIGHLANDS SURGERY NEWSLETTER Spring 2017 Inside This Issue 1 Virtual GP service (babylon) 2 Website Did Not Attend 3 Who to contact when you are not feeling well 4 Who to contact when you are not feeling well (cont.) 5 Diabetes 6 Diabetes cont. Hay Fever 7 2017 Health Event 8 PRG Meeting dates & Information Virtual GP Service (babylon) Are you interested in having a consultation with a doctor more quickly and at a time which does not disrupt your daily activities? If so, then our virtual GP service may be of interest to you. This service gives patients the opportunity to see a doctor (via video link) or talk to a doctor by telephone (over 16 year olds only) at a time that is convenient to you and from the comfort of your own home. We are now nearing the second anniversary of our virtual GP service (babylon) and we want to thank all of you who have registered yourselves and your family members for this service. Many of you have used the service and found it to be a great way to speak to a doctor quickly about any health issues you may have had. If you have not already done so, you can download the app to your smart phone or tablet or go on to the internet and use the service through the website and register you and your family so that should the need arise for you to use the service you will already be registered and able to go ahead and make an appointment. Our virtual GP service (babylon) is available from 8.00am until 8.00pm 7 days a week (hours may vary during Bank Holidays). For more information please see our website or collect a leaflet from the surgery.
PAGE 2 Our Website Are you interested in finding out more about all our services and how they can help you? For those of you with access to the internet, we have a website which is full of useful information. Here you can find out about our surgery, our Patient Reference Group, get leaflets and forms and much more. If you register with us for Patient Access you can now order prescriptions and book appointments with the doctors or nurses using our website. This means you no longer have to contact the surgery direct for these services. For more information please see our website or collect details from the surgery. Please visit us at: www.highlandsurgery.nhs.uk Did Not Attend Please don t be a statistic, if you can t make your appointment or don t need it anymore, please contact us to cancel it. To Cancel your appointment please: Phone our dedicated phone line on 01702 509140 Or Text our dedicated mobile on 07503 597682. Or email us at Reception.mailboxf81112@nhs.net Please remember it may be you needing an appointment quickly and if someone else has cancelled theirs you may be able to get one sooner, so please cancel it and help us reduce waiting times for appointments.
PAGE 3 Who to contact when you are not feeling well If you're feeling unwell but are not sure where to go, make sure you seek the right help and advice. Choose the right service for your needs. Self-care Treat yourself at home for things like a grazed knee, sore throat, cough. Self-care means keeping yourself fit and healthy as well as knowing how to take medicines, treat minor illnesses and look for help when you need it. If you have a long-term condition, self-care is about understanding the condition and how to live with it. Visit NHS Choices to find out how a well-stocked medicine cabinet can prepare you for most common ailments. www.selfcareforum.org offers guidance on self-care. NHS 111 If you need medical help fast but it's not an emergency, NHS 111 can help by giving advice and/or access to the most appropriate services such as dentist, pharmacy, community services and GP services. NHS 111 can also dispatch an ambulance if needed. To access this service please dial 111 from you telephone. NHS 111 is free from landlines and mobiles 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Pharmacist Visit your local pharmacist for things like diarrhoea, minor infections, headache, earache, coughs and colds, runny nose, warts and verrucas. You could save yourself time and trouble with a visit to your pharmacy. Instead of waiting for a GP appointment, you can visit your local pharmacist at any time - just walk in. Pharmacists can give advice or, where appropriate, medicines that will help clear up the problem. If your problem is more serious, your pharmacist will recognise this and advise you to see your GP instead.
PAGE 4 Highlands Virtual GP Service (babylon) Our virtual GP service (babylon) is available from 8.00am to 8.00pm 7 days a week (also available on Bank Holidays). You can make an appointment to speak to a doctor via telephone or web based app or website. For more information visit: www.highlandsurgery.nhs.uk Or www.babylonhealth.com GP surgery/health centre Visit your GP for things like continuing ear pain, fever, stomach pain, vomiting and other illnesses. GPs look after the health of people in their local community and deal with a whole range of health problems. They also provide health education, offer advice on smoking and diet, run clinics, give vaccinations and carry out simple surgical operations. Out-of-hours health services The out-of-hours period for GP services is 6.30pm to 8am on weekdays and all day weekends and on bank holidays. If your GP surgery or dentist is shut but you need assistance urgently, NHS 111 can book you an appointment with an out-of-hours GP if necessary. A&E or 999 A&E and 999 should only be used for serious emergencies like choking, chest pains, heavy bleeding, if you can't breathe, serious burns, fractures. Book an appointment on line or order your repeat prescriptions on line go to www.highlandsurgery.nhs.uk for more information.
PAGE 5 Diabetes Do you wish to reduce the chances of having your foot/lower leg amputated? Are you aware that your chances of having an amputation are increased if you develop diabetes? Are you aware that if you are overweight your chances of developing type 2 diabetes with all its consequences are hugely increased? Diabetes is important to identify and manage. We are facing an epidemic and we are striving to quickly highlight patients at risk and treat patients effectively. Diabetes is a condition where the amount of glucose in the blood is too high. This results from the pancreas not producing enough insulin to meet a patients needs. Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas that allows glucose (sugar) to be used as the body's fuel. There are two main types of diabetes: Type 1 diabetes (body unable to produce insulin) Type 2 diabetes (body unable to respond well enough to insulin) When diagnosed you will see a health care professional to ensure each year you are being checked for eight key areas of the body that diabetes effects. These are also guided by National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE). People aged under 40 are much less likely to receive these care processes and those under 65 are less likely to achieve their treatment targets. (National Diabetes Audit 14/15) It is important to ensure you are coming to appointments and that these processes are being done. The eight care processes are: See Care Processes on next page. In any class of diabetes there is an important role for healthy living, balanced diet including fruit and vegetables and exercise. Type 1 diabetics will all be on insulin as there is a lack of production; some may also be on metformin to assist in sensitising the body to insulin. Type 2 diabetics will be managed initially with tablets of which there are several newer drugs. These work in various different ways of which will be explained if/when prescribed. Diabetes is a progressive condition and if control not achieved (medicines will only play a small part!) then there is a requirement for insulin. If you have any further questions please ask one of the doctors/nurses.
PAGE 6 Hay Fever Do you wish to reduce the impact of hay fever? The hay fever season is upon us and for those of you who have this condition here are a few reminders/suggestions to help avoid exposure to pollen:- Keep an eye on the pollen count (often included in weather reports) and stay inside as much as possible when the pollen count is high. If possible wear wrap-around sunglasses to help prevent pollen getting in your eyes. Keep car windows closed and switch on air conditioning (if available) to prevent pollen entering the car. Keep bedroom doors and windows closed in mid-morning and early evening when pollen levels peak.
PAGE 7 2017 PRG Health Event Are you or any of your family/friends concerned about Anxiety & Depression? If so, why not attend our health event on this subject where you can find our more and ask questions you may have? Every year Highlands Surgery PRG holds health events. These are informal events where speakers give talks on various aspects of a condition. There are also stall holders there from various organisations to assist attendees with information either on the subject matter or on other health topics. Over the last few years these events have become very popular and the feedback from those that attend is always very positive. Our 2017 event is on Understanding Anxiety and Depression and will be held on 21 June 2017 at Belfair s School from 7.30pm We are looking at inviting patients who may be interested in learning more about these conditions and the effects they may have on those around the sufferer. We are holding this event in June and will display posters in the surgery and send out invitations to our patients whom we feel may wish to attend. If you do not receive an invitation you are still very welcome to attend. Once the posters go up in the surgery you can advise reception that you would like to attend and we will reserve space for you. We will also put details on our website. YOU can help the NHS economise think Some medications such as paracetamol and ibuprofen cost the NHS significantly more to prescribe than they would to buy over the counter. Each prescription costs around 8 in administration fees to process plus the cost of the drug to the NHS. Last year, prescriptions for paracetamol cost the NHS in south east Essex 362,000. We all have an individual responsibility to look after ourselves, improve our physical and mental wellbeing and change how we use NHS services. This is why, when you only need items now and again, it is better to buy over the counter for pennies instead. It also reduces pressure on GPs from patients seeking appointments when they could simply visit their local pharmacist instead.
PAGE 8 Other items that can be bought over-the-counter instead of via an NHS prescription include: Cough and cold remedies Antihistamines (used to treat allergic health conditions) Nasal sprays Indigestion remedies Dandruff remedies Head lice remedies Haemorrhoids (piles) medication Teething remedies Are you interested in contributing to improving our surgery and the patient experience? If yes why not attend the Patient Reference Group (PRG) meetings. For more information please see below. Our Patient Reference Group meets monthly to discuss issues and ideas for improving our surgery and the patient experience. We meet at the Estuary Club (opposite the surgery) at 12.30pm-1.30pm on the last Tuesday of each month and these are the dates for 2017 (these may of course be subject to change but please see our website for any updates). 25 th April 2017 30th May 2017 27 th June 2017 25 th July 2017 29 th August 2017 26 th September 2017 31st October 2017 28 th November 2017 December to be confirmed Everyone is welcome to join us. You do not need to advise us in advance of your intention to come, please feel free to just turn up. Your contribution would be appreciated. If you would like to join our group, please collect a form from the surgery. Virtual Members Like to be involved in the PRG but don t have the time or availability to attend our meetings? Then why not join our virtual PRG group? Our virtual PRG group gets agendas, minutes of meetings and other general information via email. You can then respond with comments or ideas that will then be fed back into our meetings. If you would like to join our Virtual group, please collect a form from the surgery.