Kimbolton Medical Centre Newsletter December 2014 IN THIS EDITION: Advice on how to stay well this winter. CQC feedback from the inspection team. Change to surgery opening hours. Patient Group meeting - Carers Evening report. Information on the family test—starts 1st December. Christmas opening. Staff changes: As you may know Dr McCullough and Dr Fells have now retired from the practice. We still have their retirement book for the next couple of weeks. Please speak to reception if you wish to add a farewell message. They wish to thank all the patients who donated to their farewell gift of garden centre vouchers, which they really appreciated and will put to good use. Dr Zahra Mownah, who was previously with us, has now joined us again and will be with us for the next year. And finally… As you may have guessed! Dr Lara Scattergood is pregnant and will be leaving us temporarily to go on maternity leave in January and I am sure you will join us in wishing her all the best. Whilst she is away cover will be provided by two local doctors and more details will follow regarding this. Pete Grantham IMPORTANT NOTICE From 1st January 2015 the doors of the practice will be open from 8.15am every weekday, instead of 8am on Monday and Friday. This does not make any change to the service we provide as the surgeries will start at 8.30am and the phone lines will be open from 8am as normal. Follow these tips to keep you, your family and those around you warm and well in extremely cold weather. To keep warm and well during spells of cold weather:        Draw your curtains at dusk and keep your doors closed to block out draughts. Have regular hot drinks and eat at least one hot meal a day if possible. Eating regularly helps keep energy levels up during winter. Wear several light layers of warm clothes (rather than one chunky layer). Keep as active in your home as possible. Wrap up warm and wear shoes with a good grip if you need to go outside on cold days. If you have reduced mobility, are 65 or over, or have a health condition such as heart or lung disease, you should heat your home to at least 18C and make sure you wear enough clothes to stay warm. It's a good idea to keep your bedroom at this temperature all night. If you're under 65 and healthy, you can safely have your house cooler than 18C, if you're comfortable. Extract from NHS England guidance The NHS Friends and Family Test From 1st December the NHS has introduced the family test. When you come to the surgery you will be asked to complete a form which asks ‘how likely you are to recommend our GP practice to friends and family if they needed similar care and treatment ?’ The information can be anonymous and you only have to complete the form once. The information will be used to see what you like and what you think we could improve. Christmas & New Year Openings The practice will be closed Thursday 25th & Friday 26th December & reopen on Monday 29th December and closed Thursday 1st January 2015 & will reopen on Friday 2nd January 2015 CARE QUALITY COMMISISON (CQC) SURGERY VISIT 5th SEPTEMBER The practice had a CQC inspection on 5th September 2014. Seven inspectors arrived on the day! Overall, although it was a challenging day and a thorough inspection, the team were very friendly and gave very positive feedback at the end of the day. As it was a pilot inspection no formal gradings were awarded, but we were informally graded as outstanding and good in most areas, which we were very pleased with. The practice will have another inspection within the next two years. Pete Grantham REMINDER ORDERING PRESCRIPTIONS With the holiday season approaching, the dispensary will be incredibly busy —please order your prescription in plenty of time. Please give at least 48 hrs (2 working days) notice. Please take into account we are closed on Thursday 25th December and Friday 26th December Thank you Prescription Pre-Payment Certificates If you have regular medication and you normally pay for your prescriptions you could save money by purchasing a pre-payment certificate. To set up a payment you can:    Call the prescription line on 0300 330 1341. You can go on line at www.nhs.uk/pcc. Pick up a leaflet from the dispensary. Charges 3 months = £29.10 12 Months = £104.00 1 Item is £8.05 Examples of savings: Even 1 item per month (4 weeks) is a saving of 65p per year. 2 items per month (4 weeks) is a saving of £105.00!! per year. FLU SEASON 2014 We still have a stock of flu vaccinations. If you are aged 65 or over, or under 65 and have a medical need, please contact the surgery on 01480 860205 to book an appointment. We are also administering the nasal flu vaccine for 2– 4 year olds. There is limited supply so the criteria is the child must be 2,3 or 4 (and not aged less than 2 or aged 5 and over) on 1st September 2014. Please contact the surgery to check eligibility and book an appointment. KIMBOLTON PATIENT PARTICIPATION GROUP The patient group held a very successful meeting on the 22 October. 22 patients attended and we had talks from Gemma Whitehouse a Carer Support Manager from the council and Angela Whitehead from the Carers Trust Cambridgeshire. In 2012-13 the Carers Trust provided over 100,000 hours of care breaks and also supported 3,500 people with care needs. They gave very informative talks on how both organisations can help the carers and those that are cared for. A major point that came from the discussions was that you may be a carer and not realise it! If you would like more information on this or any other carer related concerns please contact: Gemma Whitehouse Carers Support Manager on 01480 373278 Angela Whitehead Carers Trust Cambridgeshire on 0845 241 0954 or 01480 499090 Bea Slater from our reception team, is the carers champion at the surgery and can be contacted at the practice. . Hearing Aid Batteries As well as getting your batteries from the Hinchingbrooke Audiology department, you can now also get them from the surgery. Please be aware, only patients that have had their hearing aids provided by Hinchingbrooke Audiology are entitled to batteries from us. The 3 types of batteries we supply are A675/D6 and A13/D6 and A312/D6. Please bring your old batteries with you and your NHS Battery Book.