|
NEWSLETTER |
|
Welcome to the summer issue of the Burton Croft Newsletter
Surgery Success I am very proud to announce that Fiona Sutherland, practice nurse, has successfully passed her BSc (Hons) Community Specialist Practitioner – practice nurse, degree with a 2:1 pass. Fiona has put a lot of hard work and effort into her studies and we are all very pleased that they paid off – not least Fiona. She is planning to continue her learning and will be starting her Advanced Practitioners Course in September this year. Children in Need A number of the surgery team will be setting out on a sponsored walk on Saturday the 6th September, to raise money for Children in Need. They will be walking along the Leeds to Liverpool canal from Rodley swing bridge to Saltaire which is approximately six miles. If you would like to sponsor the team please make your pledge at reception. It is all for a very good cause. Embracing Technology We live in a very busy environment and as a result we often experience patients who miss their appointments. We lose between 50 and 100 appointment slots through patient non-attendance every month. In an attempt to combat this we have introduced a memory jogging service which sends a text message to your mobile phone to remind you of your appointment. This system can only be effective if we have your mobile phone details on record. We would, therefore, be grateful if you would take the time to update us with your telephone number when you are next in the surgery. We are confident that this simple system will cut down on lost appointments within the surgery making it easier for everyone to access our services. Dawn Stott Practice Manager
Practice Based Commissioning Practice Based Commissioning (PBC) is about engaging practices and other primary care professionals in the commissioning of services. Through PBC, front line clinicians are being provided with the resources and support to become more involved in commissioning decisions. The introduction of PBC is intended to lead to the provision of high quality services for patients in local and convenient settings. GPs, nurses and other primary care professionals are in a key position to translate patient needs into redesigned services that best deliver what local people want. Dr Sinclair, from the surgery, is continuing to lead and mould the local commissioning consortium H3+ to ensure local practices are engaged in shaping activities and making the best use of commissioning opportunities that will benefit both the patient and the NHS. There are now 31 practices within the H3+ consortium and they are managing a budget of in excess of £100m which puts them in a very strong and influential position, one that will help shape and change the services for the patient population of the practices involved. It will give them the chance to tackle inefficiencies within the current systems and address health inequalities in the community. The main aims are to : · Reinvest more resource in primary and community care · Effect service improvement by utilising the skills, talents and resources available through the consortium. · Improve working lives for those working in primary care and support practices to be more efficient for themselves.
They are developing a Patient/Public Involvement Group to gain ‘real’ input and feedback from the people who are using the services. They will be looking for local practices to work with them to identify and spread best practice; thus releasing secondary care commissioning resources for reinvestment in primary and community care and tackle the ten year gap in life expectancy faced by the 18,000 of our population living in deprived circumstances. This will include reviewing life style behaviours such as smoking, diet, exercise and alcohol intake. Practices will be asked to support secondary and primary prevention of vascular disease and smoking related illness e.g. chronic chest problems and cancer. They will be working with practices to : · Reduce smoking prevalence and target smoking cessation campaigns · Target prevention of cardio vascular diseases · Improve detection of cancers in local communities · Empower our communities to aspire to good health · Promote benefits advice As the consortium is now so wide spread it is pertinent that they focus on tackling health inequalities because of the diverse population that they serve. The ongoing focus of the consortium is to ensure that patients have access to new/improved services with shorter waiting times in more convenient locations. ITEMS OF NOTE In order to quash any rumors you may have heard about the surgery closing I would like to assure you that Burton Croft Surgery is not closing and has no intention of closing in the foreseeable future. There has been a lot of press coverage relating to poly clinics, walk in centres and Darzi centres all of which cause uncertainty for our patients. Here at Burton Croft the Partners and all the staff are committed to providing an excellent service to all our patients and we not closing! Medicines Waste Campaign We
will soon be running a medicines waste campaign within the surgery.
Every year the NHS counts the cost of unused
wasted medicines. This same amount of money spent on wasted medicines
could be used to fund other essential services, for example, heart
operations or cataract operations. It is estimated that 80% of the
waste medicines returned are those obtained on repeat prescription. Let’s look at an example. Say you order 10 items each month and you order another months supply early because you are going on holiday soon or its Christmas. At the end of the year you will have 2 months excess supply of your medicines, that is equal to 10 items x £10 x 2 months = £200 in unused medicines. If we all did that it’s easy to see how this would add up. The message is that you can help by following these simple steps: 1. Have your medicines reviewed regularly by your Doctor 2. Let your Doctor know if you've stopped taking any medicines 3. Try not to order your repeat prescription too early 4. On your repeat prescription cross out those items which you do not need. 5. When you collect the repeat prescription check its only for the items that you wanted - it can be easily changed 6. Return all unused medicines to your local pharmacy Its not just about reducing waste – it’s also about improving care. Following these simple steps can lead to a better understanding of your medicines, reduced risk of problems and it can also help you to better control your condition. So please help us to help you. Dawn Stott Practice Manager
ON LINE BOOKINGS We have had a great response to our on line bookings service with many patients signing up to this. If when you are booking an on line appointment and you want to see the doctor for more than one problem, please make sure you book out two appointment slots to accommodate your requirements. This ensures the doctor doesn’t run late for their next patient. FLU CLINICS Influenza, or 'flu', is a highly contagious acute viral infection that affects people of all ages. It typically starts suddenly with fever, chills, headache, aching muscles, general prostration and a cough or other respiratory symptoms. While most people recover without complications in 1-2 weeks, flu can cause serious illness and death, especially in the very young and the elderly. Flu epidemics occur mainly in the winter months and can result in widespread disruption to healthcare and other services. A vaccine is produced every year based on the strains of virus expected to be circulating. We will be running flu clinics at the surgery again this year, a timetable is shown below, and would encourage everyone to book onto a clinic if they fall within the at risk category. This includes : · Over 65s · People wit respiratory disease · People with heart disease · People with kidney disease · People with liver disease · People with diabetes · People with a history of stroke, multiple sclerosis or some diseases of the nervous system · People with a weak immune system Timetable for clinics : Wednesday 1st October 08 1.30 – 3.00pm Thursday 9th October 08 1.30 – 3.00pm Saturday 11th October 08 9.00 – 11.30am Wednesday 15th October 8.30 – 11.00am Thursday 23rd October 08 1.30 – 3.00pm We will also be running mini clinics throughout November for those people who are unable to attend during October. Ann Cross Nurse Team Leader
FOR US TO LOOK AFTER YOU ……. YOU HAVE TO LOOK AFTER YOURSELF It is important that you take responsibility for you and that you have minimum requirements within your medicine cabinet at home. You should have the following staple medication at home: Paracetamol Aspirin
Plasters/bandages
Children’s paracetamol suspension
What is Choose and Book?Choose and Book is a service that lets you choose your hospital or clinic and book an appointment. When you
and your GP agree that you need an appointment, you can choose which
hospital or clinic you go to. You will also be able to choose the date
and time of your appointment. · You can choose any hospital in England funded by the NHS (this includes NHS hospitals and some independent hospitals). · You can choose the date and time of your appointment. · You experience greater convenience and certainty. With Choose and Book, the choice is yours.
·
There is
less chance that information will get lost in the post because more
correspondence takes place through computers What does Choose and Book mean for me?As well as giving you a choice of hospital, date and time for your appointment, Choose and Book will also give you the ability to: · Plan and manage around your existing appointments, if you are currently undergoing treatment · Fir your treatment in with your other commitments, at home and at work · Choose appointments that fit with your schedule · Check the status of your referral and to change or cancel your appointments easily over the phone or on the internet. How does Choose and Book work?When you and your GP agree that you need an appointment with a specialist, Choose and Book shows your GP which hospitals or clinics are available for your treatment. Your GP discusses with you the clinically appropriate options which are available for treating your medical condition. If you know where and when you would like to be seen, you may be able to book your appointment before you leave the surgery. You will be given confirmation of the place, date and time of your appointment. You may want more time to consider your choices. If so, you can take the appointment request letter away with you and book your appointment later. In some cases you will need to telephone your chosen hospital directly to make your appointment. This is because the hospital computer does not link to Choose and Book. This will change over time as the old hospital computers are replaced with new ones. Can I book all my appointments through Choose and Book?When you and your GP agree that you need an appointment with a specialist, you can book your first outpatient appointment using Choose and Book. CALLING FROM ABROAD A number of patients have experienced difficulty when trying to contact the surgery from overseas. Please see below a number for the surgery that can be used when calling from anywhere in the world, should you need to. 0044 870 111 4515
|
