Contact Us Orchard Medical Practice Orchard Street Ipswich Suffolk IP4 2PZ Tel: 01473 213261 Fax: 01473 289405 www.orchardmedicalpractice.nhs.uk AUTUMN/WINTER 2013 Q: When should you use the Accident & Emergency Department? A: When it’s an Accident or an Emergency! You may have heard a lot recently about the problems that Accident & Emergency departments across the country are experiencing. Ipswich Hospital is constantly under pressure as a result of inappropriate use of Accident & Emergency services by patients. There are a number of reasons why patients choose the inconvenience of attending A&E, often they say its because they are unable to get an appointment with their GP surgery. A visit to an Accident & Emergency department routinely takes 4 – 6 hours. At Orchard Medical Practice we aim to ensure that patients are usually able to get an appointment with a doctor on the day. Before heading straight for Accident & Emergency pause a moment to check if it is the most appropriate place for you to attend. Can you get an appointment with a doctor or nurse in the practice ? Its always worth checking with the reception or having a telephone consultation to check whether you need to waste hours of your time sitting in an Accident & Emergency department. The surgery is open between the hours of 8am – 18:30pm Monday to Friday. We offer book ahead appointments on Saturday morning. If you need to seek medical help outside of these hours you should ring 111, they will give you the most appropriate advice on which type of help you should be getting. New Shingles Vaccine Did you know that 90% of adults raised in the UK have had chickenpox. The chickenpox virus stays inside your body and can recur as shingles later in life. Shingles can cause a painful rash. A number of people also suffer burning, stabbing nerve pain that can last few weeks, months or even years. The Department of Health now recommends shingles vaccination for patients aged 70 OR 79 years, Vaccinations will be available in practice from 1st September 2013 – please make an appointment with the practice nurse. If you want more information regarding this visit www.shinglesaware.co.uk How to avoid a cold There are 200 different cold viruses. Over time, the immune systems of older people learns to deal with a wider range of cold viruses. Young children however pick every cold going around until they too develop immunity. Most colds are passed on via hands. Preventative Tips No 1 Wash your hands after being in a crowded place or in the same room as someone with a cold. This really works. No 2 Don’t touch your nose and eyes unless you have to. Once the virus is on your hands it’s all too easy to transfer it to the eyes or to the nose. No 3 It is very easy to pick up cold virus by touching door knobs or handrails on the bus or Tube where the virus may survive for up to three hours. No 4 Wrap up in cold weather. It inhibits cold virus breeding in your nose. No 5 Take a walk to boost your immune system: even on a cold day. No 6 Finally, don’t waste money on Echinacea. Studies show no benefit. Vitamin C does not fare much better. 01473 213261 • www.orchardmedicalpractice.nhs.uk Flu Clinics Walk in flu clinics Saturday 5th October and 2nd November Starts at 9.15 – 12pm Children & Flu Vaccine Each year the NHS prepares for the unpredictability of flu. For most healthy people, flu is an unpleasant but usually self-limiting disease with recovery generally within a week. However, older people, the very young, pregnant women and those with underlying disease, particularly chronic respiratory or cardiac disease, or those who are immunosuppressed, are at particular risk of severe illness if they catch flu. In 2013/14 all two and three year olds (but not four years or older) on the 1 September 2013 will be offered flu vaccine, the recommendation is for these children to be administered a nasal flu vaccine called fluenz. When stocks of Fluenz become available they will be in short supply and will only be available to this age group. All children in at risk groups who routinely have the flu injection will continue to do so in the same way. Smoking We have dedicated smoking advisors in the surgery and appointments are usually available on a Tuesday afternoon. If you are considering giving up smoking please make an appointment to see one of our advisors. How to prevent diabetes Learn to read food labels No-one wants to become diabetic but modern life is increasing our risk of diabetes. Buying food with low sugar is the best way to protect our children and ourselves. Exercise is certainly good, but it is not the whole story. Sugars and fats in junk food, confectionery and soft drinks are another cause of concern. Many children are not getting the recommended daily intake of five portions of fruit and vegetables and there is an unhealthy trend towards larger portions at home, at school and in restaurants. Some bestselling ready-meals contain more sugar than a can of Coca-Cola, despite being described as “natural” Sauces, soups, high-fibre cereals and low-fat yoghurts can contain high sugar levels under NHS guidelines. Some have sugar as high as 20%, Which?, the consumer campaign group, said: “With a quarter of the population classed as obese it’s vitally important that people know what’s in their food. “Consumers are choosing ‘low-fat’ and ‘light options’ believing them to be a healthier choice but our research has found that in many cases they’re not living up to their healthy image.” Learn about how to read a food label on NHS Choices www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Goodfood/Pages/food-labelling.aspx#Nutrition Care Quality Commission Patient Participation Group The practice will shortly be reviewed by the CQC, part of the review concerns itself with infection control. Unfortunately waiting room toys and magazines are deemed to be carriers of germs and therefore are not considered appropriate use within doctors waiting rooms. Sadly we will therefore need to remove all toys and magazines and respectively ask that patients no longer bring in their unwanted magazines, for which we have been very grateful for in the past. The practice has a patient participation group that meets 3 – 4 times a year to discuss changes within the NHS and how these will impact on the services that we offer. When attending surgery remember to bring something with you to read or to keep your children entertained. If you feel that you would be interested in the joining the group please look on the practice website or ask reception for details. We usually post the dates of up and coming meetings about a month before the meeting is due to take place. You are welcome to just come along to these, we value your opinion. 01473 213261 • www.orchardmedicalpractice.nhs.uk Contact Us Orchard Medical Practice Orchard Street Ipswich Suffolk IP4 2PZ Tel: 01473 213261 Fax: 01473 289405 www.orchardmedicalpractice.nhs.uk Ordering Repeat Prescriptions WAYS TO REQUEST YOUR REPEAT PRESCRIPTIONS We aim to have prescriptions ready for collection after 4pm, 2 working days after receiving your request. When requesting your prescriptions using any of the following methods: you may wish to nominate a pharmacy to collect and process your prescription so that you can pick it up directly from the pharmacy of your choice. Please make sure that if you have made an arrangement with a particular pharmacy then you will need to write on your request which pharmacy you would like your prescription to go to, make sure that if it is part of a chain that you specify the name and road. If you are wanting a friend or relative to pick up the prescription for you, please indicate by writing ‘to collect’. In Person Put the completed right-hand side of your last prescription or a ‘Repeat Medication Request’ form in the box on the reception desk. Through Your Pharmacy Most pharmacies in Ipswich will take your repeat slip and collect your repeat prescription for you, but please confirm this with your pharmacy. If your medication remains fairly stable, please ask your pharmacist about ‘repeat dispensing’ as it may be possible to have your prescription authorised for up to a year and you will only need to request it when approaching the end of each period. Online This service requires prior registration; for details please see ‘Patient Access’. Please note that requests made using this method will still require 48 hours notice (working days) and will be ready after 4pm on the day of collection. By Post Send the completed right-hand side of your last prescription or a clearly written list of what you need to the following address. If you want the prescription posted back to you, please include a stamped, self-address envelope. Requests made via post without a SAE will be put into the box for collection in person; we do not automatically send these out. It is important that you put the correct postage on the SAE. Repeat Prescriptions Orchard Medical Practice Orchard Street Ipswich, IP4 2PZ If you have a significant amount of repeat medication, we recommend the return envelope be no smaller than DL size (one third of A4) to ensure it does not become too thick; this can delay your items in the post as a single stamp may not be enough. By Fax Fax the completed right-hand side of your last prescription or a clearly written list of what you need along with your name, date of birth and telephone number to: 01473 289405. How information about you helps us to provide better care Confidential information from your medical records can be used by the NHS to improve the services offered so we can provide the best possible care for everyone. This information along with your postcode and NHS number but not your name, are sent to a secure system where it can be linked with other health information. This allows those planning NHS service or carrying out medical research to use information from different parts of the NHS in a way which does not identify you. YOU HAVE A CHOICE. If you are happy for your information to be used in this way you do not have to do anything.If you have any concerns or wish to prevent this from happening, please speak to practice staff or ask at the reception for a copy of this leaflet “How information about you helps us to provide better care”. More information can be found here www.nhs.uk/caredata Appointment System A recent review of our appointment system implies that patients are generally happy with the access that the practice offers. Over the last few months we have tried to ensure that as well as offering a good range of on the day appointments, we have attempted to ensure that there is a wider range of appointments for next day and advance booking. Based on historical data we have found that our patients prefer to be able to book appointments on the day, therefore a greater number of appointments are made available for on the day booking. During a survey which we ran in the month of August many of those that responded showed a higher satisfaction with advance booking if they made the appointment on line. We can not always guarantee you an appointment at the perfect time with the doctor of choice but we do try to ensure that there is a range of appointments available with all doctors. Dementia Out of Hours Did you know that the risk factors that increase the chance of developing heart disease, stroke, diabetes and kidney disease also increase the chance of developing dementia. You can call NHS 111 when you need medical help fast but it’s not a 999 emergency. The111 service is staffed by a team of fully trained advisers, supported by experienced nurses and paramedics. They will ask you questions to assess your symptoms, then give you the healthcare advice you need or direct you straightaway to the local service that can help you best. That could be A&E, an out-of-hours doctor, an urgent care centre or a walk-in centre, a community nurse, an emergency dentist or a late-opening chemist. Evidence shows that taking action to adopt a healthier lifestyle can reduce your risk of developing dementia as well as other conditions. Pick up one of our leaflets in surgery about what you can do to reduce the risk of developing dementia. If you are concerned about dementia, speak to your doctor. If you are worried about someone, you should encourage them to see their doctor. Spotting the signs of dementia early means they can get the right treatment and support. If NHS 111 advisers think you need an ambulance, they will immediately arrange for one to be sent to you. Calls to 111 are recorded. All calls and the records created are maintained securely, and will only be shared with others directly involved with your care. For immediate, life-threatening emergencies, continue to call 999. Accident and Emergency department at the hospital should only be used in the event of an accident or other medical emergency. Standard Opening Hours Monday to Friday: 8am to 6.30pm Extended Opening Hours Saturday: 8am to 12.30pm Extended hours are for pre-booked appointments only. Telephone lines are not open. Out of Hours Numbers For medical issues call 111 For an emergency dentist call 111 Doctors Dr Sampath De Silva MBBS (1992) Columbo Dr Bulent Levent MD (1993) Izmir Dr Denys Greenhow (1988 London) MB BS MSc MRCP MRCGP DCH DRCOG DFFP St St St Helens Rope Dr Penelope Finn (1985 London) MBBS MRCGP MSc Dr Timothy Reed MA (Cantab), MB BS (1985 London) MRCGP DCH DRCOG rd St Orcha Carr St P Orchard Medical P Practice Bond Dr Vasantha Kunche (1998 India) MBBS MRCGP Cinema Walk Grimwade St Dr Denise Pattison MB BCh (1987 London) Dr Patricia Cahill (1987 London) MBBS rwell St Dr David Chittick MB BS (1988 London) BSC DCOG DCH DGM MRCGP d Upper O Dr Michael McCullagh MB BCh BAO (1982 Dublin) MSc FRCGP MICGP DFFP Woo dbrid ge R Star Lane Suffolk New College Fore St reet Key Stre et UCS Neptune Quay 01473 213261 • www.orchardmedicalpractice.nhs.uk