Download Newsletter Spring 2014

NEWSLETTER
Charities A-Z: Arthritis Research UK
This charity supports research into arthritis and provides an
information service . It publishes leaflets about arthritis, types of
arthritis, drugs used for arthritis and complementary and
alternative medications. There are many tips to help living with
arthritis.
Contact the Charity on 0300 7900400
Copeman House, St. Mary’s Gate, Chesterfield S41 7TD
www.arthritisresearchuk.org
“Do you know” : Answers:
1.
Big toe 2. Leprosy 3. Irregular heart beat 4. Bottom of foot
5. Pancreas 6. On your heel 7. Collar bone 8. Face (cheek
bone)
The Smithy Surgery
Patient Participation
Group
Spring 2014
Walks for Health
Walking is good for your mental and physical health. Even 15 minutes
walking as briskly as you can in the fresh air every day will help you to
keep fit and active and prolong your life.
Both Tameside and High Peak, Glossop, offer guided walks you can join,
ranging from easy to strenuous.
www.walking forhealth.org .uk will direct you to local walking groups.
Walks around Glossop are listed in the Glossop Chronicle every week.
Walks in Tameside can be found at www.tameside.gov.uk/countryside/
walksandtrails
The Peak District Walking Festival takes place from
26th April to 11th May www.visitpeakdistrict.com
Listening to Patients
The PPG would like to increase membership.
There are levels of membership to suit everyone.
You can receive minutes of meetings via email and agree to
be contacted/consulted on PPG matters
You can attend meetings every month and take part in
discussions
You can help with various PPG activities eg arranging and
welcoming speakers, writing articles for the Newslettter.
Contact the PPG via email at:
[email protected] OR leave a message at reception
In January, our local CCG (Clinical Commissioning Group—for Tameside
and Glossop) held an open meeting at Bradbury House Glossop.
The CCG is the new body which will be commissioning healthcare services
in our area, essentially replacing the local NHS Trust. The “Listening 2
Patients” meeting was an opportunity for patients to influence CCG
priorities. Three members of The Smithy Surgery PPG attended.
We were given a brief overview of the role of the CCG and this was
followed by a workshop session with smaller groups, each led by a local
GP. Groups considered how patients feel about various aspects of their
healthcare, giving them a chance to indicate their priorities. Although each
table had a different topic, ours, for example, was “Urgent Care”. The
same message kept recurring: we would like faster and more local access
to healthcare services and professionals, both in and out of hours. This is,
of course, a tall order. It will be interesting to see the outcome!
ce
acti
Staf
fP
le
rofi
Wendy Swann
Practice Manager at The Smithy
Do You Know …….
Pr
We are all familiar with the contact we have with the receptionists, nursing staff and doctors but seldom have contact with the Practice Manager
(The PM). She is, however, a very important member of staff, responsible for
the day to day smooth running of the practice.
Wendy is the longest serving employee of the practice, where she has
worked for 22 years - 11 years as receptionist and 11 years as PM. Before
that, she worked in the family engineering business looking after the firm’s
accounts.
Wendy has a Diploma in Practice Management. She has an Assistant
Practice Manager to support her and is a member of Tameside and
Glossop Practice Managers Forum.
The PM’s duties are varied. Wendy is responsible for paying bills, keeping
accounts, organising salaries and pensions and drawing up duty rosters.
She is involved in the recruitment of all staff. She is responsible for the maintenance of all office systems and standards of practice , which is an
expanding area given the demands of the recent reorganisation of the NHS.
During her time at The Smithy, Wendy has overseen the introduction of two
new computer systems. The second of these only took place in January 2014
and Wendy says that in general, the system is “bedding in” well.
Over the years, life has become much busier in the practice and one
aspect of the arrival of new technology is that communication and work
generally has speeded up. Emails, for instance, often require an instant reply.
On the other hand, Wendy says technology has also helped considerably in
cutting down missed appointments with the introduction of “memory
jogging” via mobile phone texting.
Despite the pressures, Wendy still enjoys her work, even after 11 years. In
her leisure time she is fond of baking and is a member of English Heritage,
visiting, when she can, sites of historical interest.
1.
What is your Hallux
2.
What is Hansen’s disease better known as
3.
What is Arrhythmia
4.
What does Plantar refer to
5.
Where are the Islets of Langerhans
6.
Where would you develop a Haglund’s Node
7.
What is your Clavicle
8.
Where is your Zygomatic arch
The Smithy Patient Survey 2104
The Patient Participation Group will be carrying out another patient survey this
year, asking for your opinion about various aspects of The Smithy Surgery. In
the near future, the surgery may be inspected by the Care Quality Commission
(CQC) and this year, the survey is angled to provide evidence the CQC is looking
for to assess the surgery.
We will carry out this survey during one week and PPG volunteers will be in the
surgery asking you to fill in (anonymously) patient
questionnaires. The results will be collated and compared to last year’s results.
The results will be displayed on the noticeboard and will be published on the
surgery website.
GPs, Nursing and administrative staff are always very pleased to
receive your opinions. They discuss them at a practice meeting and
Work on areas where patients feel there is need for improvement.