Newsletter - January 2019

Published: 08 December 2018

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OUR PATIENTS

ChatHealth – Support for young people
Young people aged 13-19 can access ChatHealth which is a confidential advice and support text service. If you are a young person in need of support and wanting to talk to someone, simply text 07480 635443 to speak with a School Nurse (weekdays term time only).

Telephone advice and support to children, young people and their parents/carers is also available by calling the School Nurse Duty Desk on 0300 029 5050.

Pharmacy 2U
You may have received a leaflet in the post inviting you to get your repeat prescriptions from a company called Pharmacy2U. Pharmacy2U is a distance selling company (internet only) that has nothing to do with the surgery, and it is not funded or operated by the NHS. Patients should be aware that in choosing to use an online pharmacy like this, you cannot have any face-to face contact, they are only allowed to deal with patients by post, telephone or internet. Prescriptions are delivered via Royal Mail at your own risk. We believe that an internet business like Pharmacy2U is no substitute for your local

Christmas Lucky Squares in aid of Magpas
Thank you to all patients who brought our Lucky Squares and well done to those who won prizes. The grand total will be announced on our website shortly and included in next month’s edition of the Newsletter.

Christmas Tree
Many Thanks to Andrew and Mary Coe for donating the surgery another beautiful Christmas Tree.Changes to Nursing Team
As many of you may be aware, we said a fond farewell to Nurse Barbara Calvert at the end of November as she retired from her role at the Surgery. Barbara would like to thank all the patients for their well wishes and messages she received. We wish Barbara every happiness as she embarks on this new chapter of her life.

We would like to officially welcome Nurse Practitioner Claire Blewett into the surgery. Claire has a wealth of experience in triage having worked at Camdoc and other local practices, so you may therefore be listed for an assessment with Claire instead of receiving a GP appointment in the first instance. As a nurse practitioner she can also treat and prescribe medication for some minor illnesses, so is already proving a very valuable member of our team.

Use antibiotics on your doctor’s advice
Antibiotics are essential to treat serious bacterial infections, but they are frequently being used to treat illnesses such as coughs, earache and sore throats that can get better by themselves. Taking antibiotics encourages harmful bacteria that live inside you to become resistant. That means that antibiotics may not work when you really need them. Despite the risks of antibiotic resistance, research shows that 38% of people still expect an antibiotic from a doctor’s surgery, NHS walk-in centre or ‘GP out of hours’ service when they visited with a cough, flu or a throat, ear, sinus or chest infection in 2017.

Patient Participation Group (PPG)
We would like to invite our patients to have their say and input on the service we offer. The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday 24th January 2019. Please contact our receptionists or the Practice Manager for further information.

Carers Support Meetings
Meetings held on the first Wednesday of every month. If you are a carer, please pop along and get some support from other people in the local community. Refreshments provided, no need to pre-book and completely FREE! Please contact Sue Lawson at the surgery or email her at susan.lawson7@nhs.net for more information.

Cambridgeshire Hearing Clinics
The next Hearing Aid Clinics at Willingham Surgery are on Weds 16th January, Weds 20th February and Weds 20th March from 2:00pm-4:00pm. No appointment necessary, just pop along for your free NHS hearing aid batteries and for help and advice regarding hearing loss.

A&E is not an alternative to a GP appointment. If we are closed, please call 111.