Finally the sun is shining and we are having longer days so it is time to get out more and enjoy the fresh air!! Walking in the sunshine is uplifting for your mood and also very good for your health.
PRACTICE NEWS
Many of you will be aware of the fire at Rosemary Street Health Centre on 17th March. Thankfully this occurred on the Friday evening when the building was empty so no one was harmed in any way. Our Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Policy came into play for real and I am very proud to say it worked really well. Business continued as normal apart from cancelling one Saturday morning clinic so we could assess the damage and organise the restoration.
Our Fire Doors limited the damage to only the stair well and landing and as I type now the final bits of decorating are being completed. Only new carpets to do and you would never know it had happened.
APPOINTMENT PROBLEMS
We have struggled over the past few months due to the lack of doctors and I would like to thank you all for your patience regarding the seemingly short supply of pre-bookable appointments.
Thankfully, we now have 3 new Registrars and 1 F2 joining us until August 2017. We are also very pleased to welcome a new part time GP, Dr Stephanie Hill from May and shortly after we will be hoping to welcome back Dr Owoseni Owolabi as a fully fledged full time GP.
Obviously this means there will be many more pre-bookable appointments available so do not forget to register for SystmOnline so you can see them first!!
PRESCRIBING UPDATE
Due to the financial struggle the NHS is facing we have had some prescribing restrictions imposed on us. To be honest, although frustrating for some patients, some of the changes do make a great deal of sense.
For example, we are no longer able to prescribe Gluten Free foods. But let’s face it, you can now buy these products absolutely everywhere and I think every restaurant I have been to and even most chip shops now offer gluten free options.
We are also being told to encourage patients to self medicate for seasonal allergies such as hay fever and limiting the prescribing of analgesia to only long term high dosage usage, not for acute problems.
More information on medicines for self care can be found in this leaflet –
Helping you to help yourself leaflet
REFERRAL UPDATE
Many of you may be experiencing a delay or at worse a rejection for the referral we have made for you. This is due to even more restrictions being imposed.
Many procedures now have to be triaged by a central clinical team before a decision is made to accept or reject the referral. This is causing a great deal of frustration for our clinicians who see it as an insult to their judgement.
Dr Smith has written a strongly worded letter to the Clinical Commissioning Group after having some of his referrals rejected due to the triage team requesting seemingly inappropriate information such as specific growth measurements of hernias. We are also encouraging all other GP Practices to voice their opinion on this procedure.
Patient Leaflet on Low Priority Procedures
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Any queries or concerns you have about CCG prescribing policies or referral processes should be directed to the Patient Experience Team (PET) on 0800 028 3693
Email: NSHCCG.Pet-North@nhs.net
or in writing to Patient Experience Team, NHS Newark and Sherwood CCG, Balderton Primary Care Centre, Lowfield Lane, Balderton, Nottinghamshire NG24 3HJ.
Well, that is all from me for your Spring Update so enjoy the better weather, stay healthy and keep happy.
Kind Regards
Nicola
Practice Manager