Market Harborough Medical Centre Patient News Inside This Issue Flu & Pneumonia Jabs Spring 2009 Pneumonia - Don’t Delay, Vaccinate Today BSF Support Community Matron Extended Hours Registrations On-line Booking Patient Care Messaging Chlamydia Blood Tests Private Services Prescription Review FREE Cancer Treatment Pneumonia is the fourth biggest killer in the UK affecting 11 in every 1000 adults. It is more common in the Winter months. Symptoms Symptoms can vary but commonly include: - Cough with phlegm (thick mucus) - Wheeze - Rapid heartbeat - Temperature - Generally feeling unwell - Sweating & shivering - Pain in chest - Loss of appetite The elderly are likely to show fewer symptoms and will not always have a temperature. Prevention The best way to prevent pneumonia is by the vaccination of those people in higher risk groups: - Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine for the under 2’s as part of their immunisation programme. - Pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine for over 65’s as a one off injection. If you haven’t had your pneumonia jab book one today! Travel Cervical Screening Ear Wax Smoking Cessation Warts & Verrucae Medical Records Over the Counter Remedies Patient Forum This years flu vaccination programme has gone really well. We have administered over 4,600 flu jabs since September 2008. The 2009 programme will start in October so if you are in an ‘at risk’ group make a date in your diary to contact the surgery for your jab. Flu Vaccinations BSF Bike Ride Dr Blake was one of 21 cyclists to take part in a 300 mile London to Paris charity bike ride in aid of the British Skin Foundation (BSF). He raised a massive £5,500. The route took him through the pretty Kent countryside, medieval market towns of northern France together with the famous Somme and Agincourt battlefields, finishing at the Eiffel Tower. Dr Blake described his achievement as ‘an experience of a lifetime’. He is already looking forward to taking part in another ride. Many thanks to everyone who took the time to sponsor such a good cause. If you would like any information on other BSF events you can visit their website at, www.britishskinfoundation.org.uk For further information on what’s happening at the Medical Centre why not visit our website at www.marketharboroughmedicalcentre.co.uk New Community Matron Extended hours We now have a new Community Matron Jill Reeve. Jill was previously working as a District Nurse in Leicester. Jill’s role is to improve the quality of homecare for those suffering chronic illnesses and in doing so reduce the need for patients to be admitted to hospital. Our extended hours service is proving very popular particularly with many of our patients who have to commute and those who find it difficult to get time off work during standard surgery hours. We have two Doctors working on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings together with alternate Saturday mornings. These appointments are pre-bookable only. Evening appointments are from 6.30pm - 8.00pm Saturday appointments are from 8.00am - 11.00am If you have registered with our on-line booking service these appointments can also be booked on-line. New Registrations Please allow a minimum of two weeks for your registration to be fully processed. To register you will need your Medical Card or a GMS1 form (the GMS1 form can be collected from the surgery or downloaded from our website at, www.marketharboroughmedicalcentre.co.uk). You will also be asked to complete a New Patient Questionnaire (this can also be collected from the surgery or downloaded from our website) and provide proof of address and identification. On-Line Scripts & Appointments Patient Care Messaging Don’t forget you can now book appointments and do your repeat prescriptions on-line. No more queuing or waiting on the phone. All you have to do is come down to the surgery to get registered on the system. You will be given the log-in information and off you go. Appointments and prescriptions can be done via our website at, www.marketharboroughmedicalcentre.co.uk We are introducing a Patient Care Messaging (PCM) service. This is a text messaging service which allows us to send you appointment reminders to help reduce the ‘Did Not Attend’ rate. We will also use the service to send you information about related health promotions. All we need from you is your mobile number which will be recorded on your registration details when you next contact the surgery. FREE Chlamydia Screening If you are under the age of 25 and sexually active you can be checked for Chlamydia and treated free of charge. It is very important to treat the infection. Although initially most people show no symptoms, over time it can cause more serious and permanent problems. The test is simple: • • • Pick up a sample pack and information leaflet which are found in the foyer of the surgery. Fill in the form, pee in the pot, pop it in the basket adjacent to the nurses rooms. Results can be given to you by, text, phone, email or letter, whichever you prefer. This test is only for Chlamydia. If you think you may have any other sexually transmitted diseases you need to speak to the Nurse or Doctor. For further information on what’s happening at the Medical Centre why not visit our website at www.marketharboroughmedicalcentre.co.uk Blood Testing Facilities Private Services There are open access blood clinics during week days at: Leicester General Hospital from 8.30am-5.00pm Kettering General Hospital from 8.30am-4.30pm Corby Diagnostic Centre from 8.30am-3.30pm Please note that some certificates, forms and insurance claims are private which are not paid for by the NHS. They are a private arrangement between you and your GP. When handing in these forms please allow a minimum of two weeks for completion. A copy of our fee charges can be found on our website at, www.marketharboroughmedicalcentre.co.uk or please ask to see a copy. Just turn up with your form and they will take your blood. Annual Prescription Review All patients who have any prescribed medicines on repeat prescription need to have an annual prescription review (this includes those patients under the care of a Consultant). The date of the annual prescription review is on the bottom of your repeat prescription. This review will usually be carried out by a nurse in your birth month. Some patients will require blood and/or urine tests prior to their annual prescription review appointment. FREE Cancer Treatment The Government has announced as of 1st April 2009 cancer patients will be exempt from prescription charges in respect to all approved prescription items. Exemption certificates can be supplied by the Medical Centre and will last for 5 years. Please ask for a form at the Reception or Dispensary desk. Travel The Practice has travel clinics running every week. Please remember to book into one of our clinics well in advance of your date of travel. Patients are advised to check out our website at, www.marketharboroughmedicalcentre.co.uk (see Travel Vaccinations on the Home Page), prior to booking your appointment in order to establish what injections you may require. There is a full price list on the website for those injections that do not come under the NHS. You will find that we also hold a range of competitively priced ‘travel medicine packs’ in our Dispensary. The Practice is also able to administer the Yellow Fever vaccination. Payment must be made on the day of your appointment and prior to treatment. Payment is by cheque or cash only. We do not process credit/debit cards due to the high charges levied by the banks. Don’t Miss Your Routine Cervical Screening There has recently been an increased awareness of the importance of attending for your routine smear test. You are eligible for a free cervical screening test if you are aged between 25 and 64: Age Group Frequency of Screening 25 First invitation 25 - 49 3 yearly 50 - 64 5 yearly 65+ Only screen those patients who have not been screened since age 50 or have had recent abnormal tests We realise some women under the age of 25 who are not currently routinely screened may be worried. The possibility of developing cervical cancer under the age of 25 is very low. Although we cannot offer routine smears to the under 25’s any woman under 25 who is concerned about her risk of developing cervical cancer can have a smear carried out privately at one of the local private hospitals and should speak to their GP. If you require more information you can visit the National Screening Website at, www.cancerscreening.nhs.uk Or contact the National Screening Office on 0114 271 1060 For further information on what’s happening at the Medical Centre why not visit our website at www.marketharboroughmedicalcentre.co.uk N HS MHMC 67 Coventry Road Market Harborough Leicestershire LE16 9BX Phone: 01858 464242 What is ear wax? Ear wax forms a protective coating of the skin in the ear canal. Small amounts are made all the time. Flakes or crusts of wax break off and fall out of the ear from time to time. The quantity of ear wax made varies greatly from person to person. Plugs of wax form in some people. This may Ear wax cause a feeling of fullness and dulled hearing. A plug of wax is not a serious problem but more of a nuisance. You only need to remove wax if it is causing symptoms such as dulled hearing or discomfort. Note: do not try to clean the ear canal with cotton wool buds, etc. This can make things worse as you will push some wax deeper inside. It may also cause an ear infection. Let the ear ‘clean itself’. What can I do if wax builds up and causes problems? Ear Drops Ear drops alone will often clear a plug of wax. You can buy drops from pharmacies. For example, sodium bicarbonate, almond oil or olive oil ear drops. It is advisable to treat one ear at a time. Warm the drops to room temperature before using them (let the bottle stand in the room for about half an hour.) Pour a few drops into the affected ear. Lie with the affected ear uppermost when putting in drops. Stay like this for 2-3 minutes to allow the drops to soak into the wax. The wax is softened and it often breaks up if you put drops in 3-4 times a day for about 14 days. Do not put cotton wool in the ear after using drops. Flakes or crusts of wax usually fall out bit by bit. Ear syringing is rarely needed and can be damaging to the ear. Smoking Cessation Are you keen to give up smoking? It has been shown that you are more likely to give up smoking if you attend a Smoking Cessation Clinic. Maureen Anderson runs a Smoking Cessation Clinic every Tuesday afternoon at the surgery together with Saturday mornings between 10 and 12 at the Council Offices. There are no clinics on a Saturday before a Bank Holiday. We offer Smoking Cessation Clinics here at the Surgery run by the Practice Nurses. Please contact Reception for an appointment. Copies of Medical Records Copies of medical test results incur a fee. Please write to the Practice Manager giving a few days notice for any requests. Treatment of Warts & Verrucas Warts and verrucas are a common skin condition. They are harmless and usually get better on their own if you give them time. This may take a year or two in some cases. We are more than happy to see you about a skin lesion that you are not sure is a wart or a verruca. However, if we identify the lesion as a wart or verruca, we will ask you to either just leave it alone and let it clear up by itself or to use over the counter treatments such as acid based treatments e.g. ‘Bazuka that Verruca’ or newer aerosol treatments that freeze the wart. Patient Forum Over the Counter Remedies Available from our Pharmacy for anyone to buy are a variety of ‘over the counter’ remedies including child and adult analgesics, ear drops, decongestants and pregnancy tests. There will be a Patient Forum taking place in May. If anybody is interested in taking part or has any suggestions please write to the Administration Manager at the above address. Alternatively please visit our website at, www.marketharboroughmedicalcentre.co.uk and click on the suggestion box. For further information on what’s happening at the Medical Centre why not visit our website at www.marketharboroughmedicalcentre.co.uk