Our GP Registrar Dr Twemlow recently completed her GP training placement with us. We liked having her with us so much that we will be keeping her to work some Locum sessions for us when we get busy and need more appointments for our patients.
We will be welcoming our new GP Registrar in February. Dr Clare Patel will work with us for 6 months full-time. We look forward to her joining our as she comes with a wealth of experience and knowledge.
A carer is defined as, someone who, without payment, provides help and support to a partner, relative, friend or neighbour, who could not manage to stay at home without their help due to age, sickness, addiction or disability.
Is this you?
Our practice has a procedure for how carers are identified and we have a referral protocol to social services for assessment of carers support needs or to other local support such as carers centre.
We have a ‘carer’s self referral form’ that you can complete in the surgery or we can send it out to you. Let us know if you are a carer and we will make sure that you have all of the help and support that you need.
Further information can be found on www.carers.org
Seasons Greetings to all of our patients. Our festive opening times are as follows:
Monday 19th December – 8am to 6pm
Tuesday 20th December – 8am to 6pm
Wednesday 21st December – 8am to 6pm
Thursday 22nd December – 8am to 6pm
Friday 23rd Dcember – 8am to 1pm
Saturday 24th December – CLOSED
Sunday 25th December – CLOSED
Monday 26th December – CLOSED
Tuesday 27th December – CLOSED
Wednesday 28th December – 8am to 6pm
Thursday 29th December – 8am to 6pm
Friday 30th December – 8am to 1pm
Saturday 31st December – CLOSED
Sunday 1st January – CLOSED
Monday 2nd January – CLOSED
Tuesday 3rd January – 8am to 6pm
Remember to order your medications in time!
If you are over 65 or fall into one of the ‘at risk’ categories then you MUST get your flu vaccination this autumn. If you are pregnant you should come to the surgery for your free vaccine too. The flu outbreak last year left many people seriously ill and some people died. We are running flu clinics in October and November, details are below. Protect yourself this winter against the flu. If the clinic times are not convenient for you just give us a call and we will arrange a time for you to come in that is convenient for you.
Who should have the seasonal flu vaccine?
The vaccine is available free of charge to the following at risk groups:
* People aged 65 and over
* All pregnant women
* Children aged 6 months to 5 years
* Carers
And for people who have:
* Diabetes
* A chest problem or breathing difficulties (such as asthma, bronchitis or emphysema)
* A heart problem
* Kidney disease or liver disease
* A neurological condition (such as Parkinsons’s or motor neurone disease)
* A lowered immune system due to disease (such as cystic fibrosis of Crohn’s) or treatment (such as cancer treatment)
* had a stroke
* a problem with the spleen (such as sickle cell disease) or if the spleen has been removed
You should also have the vaccine if you:
* Live in a residential or nursing home
* Are the main carer of an older or disabled person
Flu Clinics 2011
(For Branch End Surgery patients only)
Wednesday 5 October 2011
Methodist Church 9.00 – 10.30
Branch End Surgery 2.00 – 5.00
Monday 10 October 2011
Branch End Surgery 2.00 – 5.00
Thursday 13 October 2011
Branch End Surgery 8.30 – 12.30
Tuesday 18 October 2011
Branch End Surgery 8.30 – 12.30
2.00 – 5.00
Thursday 20 October 2011
Golf Club 9.00 – 10.30
The generic name of a medicine is the actual name of the active ingredient, rather than the ‘trade’ or the ‘brand’ name which is chosen by the manufacturer. For example, Panadol® is one brand name for the medicine paracetamol.
When new medicines first become available there is usually only one manufacturer that has the patent to produce that particular branded medicine. When that patent expires other companies can manufacture the same medicine as a ‘generic’ product. The medicine is manufactured to the same tight quality controls and contains the same active drug ingredients. However, the appearance, packaging and name will be different from the branded medicine. Competition between different manufacturers means that medicines prescribed by a generic name usually costs much less for the NHS to buy – however the generic medicine will have the same effect on your health condition as the branded product.
Brand Switches – Sometimes if it important that a patient receives a particular brand of a medicine. This is usually because very small changes in the way the medicine is absorbed into the body may change how effective the medicine is. It is usually only in specialised areas of medicine that the same brand of medicine should be used, for example organ transplantation. If such a medicine is prescribed by its generic name it is likely it will be switched to the branded medicine instead.
Group Switches – there may be several different drugs in the same group of medicines. When there is no difference in the clinical effectiveness between these drugs the Trust will recommend that the cheapest is prescribed. For example, changing from colour coated prednisolone EC to uncoated tablet would give the NHS £380,000 to reinvest in other treatments without reducing the clinical effectiveness of the drug.
Dose Changes – the Trust may change patients’ doses of medicines to ensure best value for money. This might mean a patient who is prescribed a low dose of medicine to be taken twice a day could be prescribed a higher strength to be taken once a day. Alternatively a medicine taken once a day may be changed to a lower dose to be taken twice a day. It will be just as clinically effective and less expensive.
Tablet and capsules – sometimes the same medicine may be available in both tablet and capsule form – and both would be just as clinically effective as the other. If there is a difference in cost, we will recommend that the less expensive product is prescribed.
Stopping some medicines – The Trust will be stopping some drugs where there is a very limited clinical evidence base. In some cases they are not recommended by the Dept of Health, and the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) has said they should not be used. This means that there is insufficient evidence to suggest they are clinically effective – in other words that they work. For example, the Trust is stopping the prescription of gamolenic acid (evening primrose oil) for period related breast pain. Often these products are available to buy from health food shops and community pharmacies.
