Download Spring Orchard July 2016

SPRING ORCHARD FOVANT
NEWSLETTER – 43
July 2016
I always look forward to the Chalke Valley History Festival and this years was as rewarding as ever. The
speakers were universally excellent, able to express themselves eloquently with passion and of course an
enormous depth of knowledge on their subject. Such entertainment more than compensated for the awful
weather and the mud was said to have outdone Glastonbury!!
Access to your medical records
One of the key principles of the NHS in the 21st century is to improve transparency in all aspects of healthcare.
In the last couple of years it has become the norm for patients to receive a copy of your out-patient letter from the
consultant. Many of you routinely ask me for copies of your results and other medical information. For many
years now I have purposely turned the computer screen so that you can read your entries of your records should
you wish to and of course I always talk you through your blood results – showing you the green white and red !!!
The NHS is now taking this openness still further and all patients are now able to access more of their personal
medical records should they wish to do so. We have for a while now offered online access for patients to order
repeat medication, book appointments and view your summary card record. We can now offer access to your
detailed coded record.
So what does your detailed coded record contain in addition to the above? Well don’t hold your breath but at least
it is the first step in greater openness – you will now be able to see your test results, immunisations, blood
pressure values, problems and diagnosis and procedures codes. It still doesn’t allow you access to the day to day
consultations or your hospital letters etc – but I’m sure it will only be a matter of time before that happens.
If this is of interest to you, please come in and fill in the application form. To ensure confidentially and security of
YOUR records this can only be done in person. Once everything is in place you should then be able to view your
record within 48 hours.
Pressures on Salisbury Hospital
It was only a couple of months ago that I wrote about the increasing delays in care at Salisbury. This is not just a
Salisbury issue but is being mirrored throughout the country and is a reflection of the lack of investment in the
NHS and increasing demand that our ever aging population makes. In the first couple of months of this new
financial year Salisbury hospital has experienced one of its busiest periods ever with enormous demands on
casualty and more and more people being admitted to hospital itself. One of the other problems is that because
there are not enough carers in the community, more and more patients are languishing in hospital – fit to be
discharged but not being able to get home because there is no-one to care for them. So last week there were
over 80 people stuck in hospital and taking up hospital beds who should be at home. That may not sound very
many but it is the equivalent of 4 wards being blocked. Is there anything we/you can do?? Well try and avoid the
hospital as much as possible and if you do end up there, try and get out as soon as possible – if family are able to
support you for a few days when you get home then that will help dramatically and get you home much faster than
waiting for social services to put in the care which unfortunately now will often take at least a couple of weeks.
Sarah
The more observant of you will have noticed the reappearance of Sarah back at Fovant to help the team. She
had a secondment to Wilton for a few months but we are delighted to welcome her back and hopefully she will be
able strengthen our management team which works unheralded behind the scenes to make the surgery hum
along!!
I live in hope that the sun will reappear this summer so I can make my annual exaltation of slip slap slop for skin
protection against the UV rays – but I feel that I’m more likely to spot the proverbial flying pigs than sunshine!!
Andy Hall