Download The practice does not normally accept requests for prescriptions by

Patients
First
The newsletter for patients of
The Grange Practice
List Size
11,827
SUMMER 2015
STAFF NEWS
We are still looking for a replacement for Dr Ward, in the meantime, Dr Ward is working as a
locum at the practice alongside Drs’ Carnegie; Ivil, Haq, Sohail and Tasou. We will also be
welcoming a new locum GP from mid-August – Dr Michael Bannon. Occasionally other locum
doctors will also help provide cover. We have a new full time Nurse Practitioner – Ruth, she
replaced Sharmani and will be working full time. Her specialist areas are Asthma and COPD.
NEW PATIENT REGISTRATIONS
As we move ever closer to the list size of 12,000 patients agreed with the ‘old’ Primary Care
Trust in 2006, we will now be closing our list to new patients on a regular basis each month to
ensure that we can safely provide care for our existing patients.
SUMMARY CARE RECORD
Please let us know if you do NOT want your basic medical records (patient details, allergies,
adverse reactions and medication) available to the Out of Hours GP/Accident and Emergency.
If you do give consent, the clinician treating you is still obliged to ask for verbal consent each
time they access the information, unless you are unconscious and it is a medical emergency.
BLOOD TESTS
If one of our doctors requests that you have a blood test, please ensure that you ask for the
request form if you DO NOT intend on having your bloods taken here. The computer software
has now been changed by the hospital so that the tests are ordered electronically and can
only be accessed in the surgery for the foreseeable future. If you do subsequently decide to
go to the hospital, you will need to come back to the reception desk to request that the form is
printed off for you – this may not be done immediately if the desk is busy. Our Phlebotomist
will only be able to take your blood at any appointment with her and will NOT be able to
undertake other checks such as Blood Pressure.
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EMPLOYEE NEWSLETTER
FRIENDS AND FAMILY TEST UPDATE
Since the beginning of December 2014, patients have been able to leave feedback via the
internet or in paper form regarding the practice. We would appreciate it if as many patients as
possible gave feedback using one of these methods to enable us to evaluate the service our
patients are receiving.
After you have attended your appointment, you may also receive a text message asking for
basic feedback, we would be grateful if you would respond.
TELEPHONE SYSTEM
The practice is current getting quotations to overhaul the existing telephone system in the
hope of improving access for our patients. We are also again increasing the staffing levels to
help with the speed in which the telephones are being answered. Please bear with us during
this period and be assured that the Patients’ Reference Group is working with us in this area.
ON-LINE ACCESS TO INFORMATION.
If you wish to, you can now use the internet to book appointments with a GP, request repeat
prescriptions for any medications you take regularly and look at your medical record online.
You can also still use the telephone or call in to the surgery for any of these services as well.
It’s your choice.
You can also have access to some parts of your electronic medical record. You can request
access to your medication list, allergies and adverse reactions. In the future, you may be able
to access other parts of the medical records.
If you want to sign up to on-line access, you will need to get a request form and patient
information leaflet from reception, this MUST be returned in person with the photographic
identification and proof of address. Anyone under the age of 16 will not be set up with access
to medical records due to issues around when a child becomes competent and therefore has
the right to restrict access. A parent/guardian may still request access for those under 16
years of age but it will be considered on a case by case basis as to whether it is appropriate.
Once the form is completed and ID verified, the request will then be passed to the
Management team to action and/or discuss with the GP.
PRESCRIPTION REQUESTS
During the month of June, the practice generating 4,661 prescriptions (200 more than in
February this year) – a significant number of these requests will have been handled by the
prescription team before the doctor signed them. We try our best to get all prescriptions
turned around in 2 full working days, but this is not always achievable, particularly if we have
computers breaking down, printers breaking down or staff sickness. If you are having a
pharmacy requesting your prescription and then collecting it, you must allow an extra 2
working days (one for the request and one for the collection). Please accept our apologies if
your prescription is delayed or does go missing but hopefully you can appreciate this will
sometimes happen when we are generate such a large number each month.
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EMPLOYEE NEWSLETTER
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Training Afternoon Closures
The Practice will be closed on Wednesday 30th September and Thursday 22nd October from
1pm for training. We will reopen the following day at 8am on. If you require medical services
whilst we are closed, please contact NHS111 by dialing 111.
Saturday Drop in Flu Clinics
We will be holding our traditional Saturday drop in clinics for patients eligible for the flu
vaccination on the 26th September and 3rd October from 8:30am until 2:30pm and on Saturday
17th October from 8:30am until 12noon. To be eligible, you must have one of the following
diagnoses: Asthma, COPD, Diabetes, Heart Disease, Chronic Kidney Disease, Chronic Liver
Disease, Neurological disease such as TIA or Stroke, are Immunosuppressed or have had a
Splenectomy.
Patients who do not have one of the above conditions but will be aged 65 or above on the 31st
March 2016 or who are Pregnant are also eligible to receive the vaccination. Only registered
carer’s with the practice that DO NOT WORK as a carer may also be eligible – if you fall into
this category, please ask at reception.
The Patient Group will be with us at times during the flu clinic if you want to talk to them about
anything and also we will have refreshments available and a raffle to raise funds for the
Alzheimer’s Society.
Appeal from the Grange Patient Reference Group
Honorary Secretary:
A vacancy exists for a Honorary Secretary for The Grange Patient Reference Group (GPRG).
It is a voluntary position ideally suitable for a patient looking to give a small amount of their
time (one meeting per month) to our group committee where you will be required to take
minutes, set out agendas etc. Full support will be given to the suitable applicant who in the
first instance should apply to The Honorary Secretary of GPRG, either in writing to the surgery
direct or by email at [email protected] giving brief details of your experience and background.
All applications will be acknowledged.
An insight into the different roles within the Practice
The Patient Group thought that patients may be interested in having articles from different
staff members or doctors each publication so we have put together an overview of the day in
the life of reception:
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A Typical Reception Day
EMPLOYEE NEWSLETTER
The day starts at 7:30 am with turning on the lights and unlocking the doors, we then have to
sort out all of the hundreds of signed prescriptions into the relevant collection box, writing the
pharmacy collection prescriptions into a book for audit purposes; some have to be put into the
post, this is very time consuming and by the time the job is finished its easily Ten to Eight and
patients and pharmacy collection staff have started to arrive for appointments with the nurse,
or wanting appointments for that day. Another staff member will have sorted out all the name
plates for all the doctors, nurses and various other sessions we have on each day. We have to
check the sample fridge for any samples that may have been left over ready for the early
morning sample collection.
8:00 am ticks over on the clock and the manic rush starts as each available phone begins to
blast the calling tone, with eager patients awaiting on the other end to call for an appointment
that day, the phones will physically not stop ringing constantly until about mid-morning when
sometimes there’s a lull, however some days are so busy the lull never comes and it’s just
constant call after call, it can be very stressful as you are multitasking; trying to help with all
the past queries from the calls before and dealing with the current call, some days it appears
an endless task.
Out on the front desk, there will be a queue of people wanting either an appointment,
prescriptions, to book in for an appointment, to register, blood results or a general query. We
can spend a lot of time looking for misplaced prescriptions or chasing around to get an urgent
one signed and ready for today as the patient may have run out or had a change in
medication.
Occasionally a patient will turn up to the desk requesting that they are seen by a doctor almost
immediately, this can be very difficult as we are usually already fully booked for the day and
you feel that it puts you right in a sticky situation as you feel for the patients but when there
isn’t a slot available you cannot just make one appear. Sometime you will offer the patient
multiple choices but none are acceptable and then the patient gets frustrated and can get
annoyed with us – but we try our best and will offer a telephone call or message the doctor.
Whilst dealing with all the phones or patients arriving and queries we will be pulled off by other
tasks like being a chaperone or to photo copying a document for someone which makes a
further build up in the queue, time consuming registration process’s, taking deliveries and
online registrations. We always try and do our best for patients but that is not always
appreciated.
Sadly, we do have some patients that can be very difficult, abusive and rude even though we
are just trying to help. But then I feel it makes it all worth it when someone turns round and
says ‘Thank You’, it honestly does mean a lot and makes you feel great.
GPRG Newsletter
Obitary:
It is with sadness that we report the death of John Gibbs on the 28th.April 2015. As a member
of The Grange Patient Reference Group since 2012 he held the position of Honorary
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Secretary
and currently
EMPLOYEE
NEWSLETTER
that of Honorary Treasurer. The committee were represented atPAGE
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funeral service, where the chapel at the Thanet Crematorium was overflowing with friends and
family wishing to pay their last respects. Our thoughts and condolences are with Sylvia, his
wife and his immediate family.
John made a valuable contribution in helping to finalise the Constitution of the newly formed
patient group and the practice owe a considerable debt to him for his wisdom and expertise in
making the committee the success that it is today. I personally found him to be a source of
knowledge and where nothing was too much trouble in putting something together often at
short notice. He was clearly well liked and a popular figure with those that both worked
professionally with him in the past, and more recently in dealing with practice partners,
management and fellow committee members in the group.
In recognition of the outstanding contribution made by John, together with former group
member Ken Bailey who died in the summer of 2013, the committee have agreed to donate a
garden bench in their joint memory. It will be suitably inscribed with their details. This will be
placed by the garden path as you approach the surgery from the car park and adjacent to a
similar bench, where patients can sit at leisure. A presentation ceremony will be arranged with
the respective families.
Robin Hills, Chairman GPRG.
Sun Safety
Skin cancer is one of the most common cancers in the UK, and it’s a
growing problem. Here’s how to protect your skin and reduce your risk.
In 2006, more than 90,000 people were diagnosed with skin cancer in the UK.
More than 10,000 of these were malignant melanoma, the most serious type of
skin cancer. Each year, around 2,600 people die from skin cancer.
Skin cancers are caused by damage from the sun’s ultraviolet (UV)
rays. Protecting the skin from the sun can help prevent these cancers.
How does the sun damage skin?
UV rays penetrate deep into the skin and damage cells. These cells are then at
risk of becoming cancerous. You can’t feel UV damaging your skin and it
happens even when the sun doesn’t feel hot.
Getting sunburnt causes the top layers of skin to release chemicals that make
blood vessels swell and leak fluids. Skin turns red and feels hot and painful, and
severe sunburn can lead to swelling and blisters.
“Sunburn is dangerous at any age, but it's especially harmful in children and
young people,” says Katy Scammell of Cancer Research UK’s SunSmart
campaign.
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“Sunburn in childhood can greatly increase your risk EMPLOYEE
of developing
NEWSLETTER
skin cancer later in life.”
After you've been sunburnt, the skin peels to get rid of damaged cells.
Eventually, it will heal and look healthy, but permanent damage may have been
done. Some experts believe that just one episode of blistering sunburn before
the age of 20 can double your chance of getting malignant melanoma.
Who's at risk?
Skin cancer can affect anyone, but people most at risk have:
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fair skin that burns in strong sun
red or fair hair
a lot of moles or freckles
a personal or family history of skin cancer
already had sunburn, especially when young
People with naturally brown or black skin are less likely to get skin cancer as
darker skin has some protection against UV rays. However, skin cancer can still
occur.
Check moles for change
Keep an eye on any moles or freckles you have. If they change at all (for
example, get bigger or begin bleeding), see your GP as this can be an early sign
of cancer. The earlier skin cancer is caught, the easier it is to treat, so see your
GP as soon as possible.
Be safe in the sun
Sun damage doesn't just happen when you're on holiday in the sun. It can
happen when you’re not expecting it, for example when you go for a walk or sit in
your garden. “Sun protection is something you need to be aware of every day in
the summer,” says Scammel. "Whether on holiday or at home, you can protect
yourself by following the SunSmart messages.”
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Spend time in the shade between 11am and 3pm.
Make sure you never burn.
Aim to cover up with a T-shirt, hat and sunglasses.
Remember to take extra care with children.
Then use factor 15+ sunscreen.
Report mole changes or unusual skin growths to your GP.
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