1. Art and Diseño

The Elms Medical Centre Newsletter
Fax: 01244 313497
Hoole Road Chester CH2 3NH
JANUARY 2015
Fax: 01244 313497
www.elmsmedicalcentre.co.uk
FOUNTAINS PHOTO UPDATE
WAITING ROOM
CLINIC ROOM
STAFF ROOM
OFFICE AREA
The Elms News
IF YOU OR YOUR FAMILY HAVE GOT ANY OF THE CONDITIONS BELOW YOU MAY BE ABLE TO GET
ADVICE AND TREATMENT FROM YOUR LOCAL PHARMACY.
ACNE
HEAD LICE
FEVER
ATHLETE’S FOOT
INDIGESTION
HAY FEVER
COLD & FLU
DYSPEPSIA
WARTS/VERRUCAE
CONJUNTIVITIS
IMPETIGO
THREADWORM
CONSITPATION
ORAL THRUSH IN INFANTS
VAGINAL THRUSH
COUGH
SORE THROAT
PILES
DIARRHOEA & VOMITING
ECZEMA/DERMATITS
PAIN
YOU DON’T HAVE TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT. YOU CAN GO ALONG AT A TIME THAT SUITS YOU. TO
FIND OUT MORE VISIT YOUR LOCAL PHARMACY.
We would like to welcome Lucy
Fearon, Natasha Roberts and
Rosanna Birks our 3 new Apprentices
who have joined the surgery.
The surgery also raised £41.00 for
Save the Children & so far £58.00 has
been raised for the start of our
fundraising for a new 24 hour blood
pressure machine.
EXTENDED HOURS – GP APPOINTMENTS
All patients registered with a GP Practice in West Cheshire can now book a routine appointment, up to 2 weeks in
advance, in the evenings and on Saturday mornings. The service is provided at one of four locations in West
Cheshire;
Chester: Monday to Friday & Saturday Morning, Ellesmere Port: Monday to Friday & Saturday Mornings, Helsby:
Monday and Tuesday, Tattenhall: Wednesday & Friday Evening, Tarporley: Thursday Evening & Saturday Morning.
To make an appointment telephone 01244 385422. Appointments are available between 6.30pm – 8.00pm Monday
to Friday and 10.00am – 12.00pm on Saturday mornings.
RISE IN MISSED APPOINTMENTS
STAFF TRAINING DAYS
Having trouble getting an appointment? Can’t see the Doctor, Nurse or
Phlebotomist when you want?
Perhaps it’s because 134 people who booked appointments last month
didn’t turn up. That was around 17 hours of clinical time wasted.
Please consider other people if you are unable to attend or no longer
need your appointment.
To cancel telephone 01244 351000 or cancel your appointment online
(you need to be an on-line user with us to do this). This will provide us
with the opportunity to offer another patient that appointment.
The next scheduled training days for
the Practice are as follows:
28th January 2015
24th February 2015
18th March 2015
30th April 2015
Please note that the surgery is closed
on these afternoons from 12.00pm
and will re-open at 5.00pm
QUESTION & ANSWER
Q: WHAT IS THE ROLE OF A RECEPTIONIST?
A: Our receptionists are usually the first point of contact
and are here to help you. They have a lot of information to
hand and in most cases will be able to help with your
enquiry. Please understand that they are constantly
balancing the needs and expectations of patients and
Doctors in an ever changing environment. They ease the
flow of patients to doctors and keep the practice running
smoothly. Sometimes they need to ask for further
information. They are bound by the same rules of
confidentiality as the doctors and nurses. They have to
respect the privacy of patients and have a right not to
encounter abusive or violent behaviour.
PPG MEETINGS SCHEDULED FOR
2015/2016
Monday 9th February 2015
Monday 11th May 2015
Monday 7th September 2015
Monday 11th January 2016
OUR HEARTS CAN’T SURVIVE WITHOUT LOVE
OR A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE – NATIONAL
HEART MONTH FEBRUARY 2015
February is National Heart Month. The British Heart
Foundation state that there are about 2.6 million people in
the UK living with Coronary heart Disease (CHD), and every
single one of us has a heart which means every one of us is
at potential risk.
There are many different types of heart conditions.
Managing your diet, keeping fit and watching your blood
pressure are a few important facts to help reduce the risk
of developing coronary heart disease, stop gaining weight,
reducing the risk of diabetes and high blood pressure.
Everyone should aim for a well-balanced diet; plenty of
fruit and vegetables, starchy foods such as bread, rice ,
potatoes and pasta (wholegrain when possible), milk and
dairy products, meat, fish, eggs, beans and other non-dairy
sources of protein and only a small amount of food and
drinks high in fats and/or sugar. Preventing heart disease
– keeping your heart healthy, whatever your ages is the
most important thing you can do to help prevent and
manage heart disease.
Patient Access is a secure internet system whereby
patients can perform online tasks such as booking
appointments, ordering repeat prescriptions and we
are planning to offer from the 31st March 2015 for
patients to view areas of their medical records such
as summary of information relating to medical
conditions, allergies and adverse reactions. If
patients require access to other areas of their
record they will need to speak with a GP. Please
contact the practice to arrange this. There will also
be a facility to download or print the information.
You can register for this in two ways; ask at our
reception and we can provide you with a letter with
instructions on how to register or register online @
https://patient.emisaccess.co.uk and for more
information about patient access, go to
http://www.patient.co.uk/patient-access.asp
If you register to use Patient Access without getting
your details from the practice, you will have limited
access to the available services. Please note that
you must visit the practice to confirm your
registration within 1 month, otherwise your
application will be rejected and you will have to reregister for the service.
Are you caring for a loved one with
dementia?
Find out about your benefit entitlements
If someone in your family has had a diagnosis of
dementia, you can find out more about the support
and benefits to which they and their carers are
entitled. People with dementia may be eligible for
benefits such as Attendance Allowance or Personal
Independence Payments. People who are caring for
people with dementia may be able to claim Carer’s
Allowance. You can find more information and
advice on benefits, entitlements, financial and legal
information for carers on the website:
www.nhs.uk/carersdirect/Pages/CarersDirectHome
A government benefits calculator can also be found
at: www.gov.uk/benefits-calculators
ELECTRONIC PRESCRIPTION SERVICE (EPS)
CHANGES TO THE WAY YOU COLLECT YOUR PRESCRIPTION
The NHS is introducing the Electronic Prescription Service. This could make collecting prescriptions easier and more
convenient for you. This service gives you the option to ‘nominate’ the place you choose to get your medication or
appliance from to that they can receive your prescriptions electronically. This could save you a trip to your GP
practice just to collect a prescription form – particularly if you have regular prescriptions. Different GP practices,
pharmacies and dispensing appliance contractors will start using the service at different times.
The Elms will be going live form 15th January 2015.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR YOU?
If you collect your repeat prescriptions from your GP you will not have to visit your GP practice to pick up your paper
prescription. Instead, your GP will send it electronically to the place you choose, saving you time.
You will have more choice about where to get your medicines from because they can be collected from a pharmacy
near to where you live, work or shop.
You may not have to wait as long at the pharmacy as there will be time for your repeat prescriptions to be ready
before you arrive.
IS THIS SERVICE RIGHT FOR YOU?
Yes, if you have a stable condition and you:
don’t want to go to your GP practice every time to collect your repeat prescription.
collect your medicines from the same place most of the time or use a prescription collection service now.
IT MAY NOT BE IF YOU:
don’t get prescriptions very often.
pick up your medicines from different places.
HOW CAN YOU USE EPS?
You need to choose a place for your GP practice to electronically send your prescription to. This is called nomination.
You can choose:
a pharmacy.
a dispensing appliance contractor (if you use one).
your dispensing GP practice (if you are eligible).
Ask any pharmacy or dispensing appliance contractor that offers EPS or your GP practice to add your nomination for
you. You don’t need a computer to do this.
Can I change my nomination or cancel it and get a paper prescription?
Yes you can. If you don’t want your prescription to be sent electronically tell your GP. If you want to change or cancel
your nomination speak to any pharmacist or dispensing appliance contractor that offers EPS, or your GP practice. Tell
them before your next prescription is due or your prescription may be sent to the wrong place.
Is EPS reliable, secure and confidential?
Yes. Your electronic prescription will be seen by the same people in GP practices, pharmacies and NHS prescription
payment and fraud agencies that see your paper prescription now.
Sometimes dispensers may see that you have nominated another dispenser. For example, if you forget who you
have nominated and ask them to check or, if you have nominated more than one dispenser. Dispensers will also
see all the items on your reorder slip if you are on repeat prescriptions.
For more information visit www.hscic.gov.uk/epspatients, your pharmacy or ask in Surgery.
79%
OF PATIENTS FELT
74.5%
THEY WERE TREATED WITH
COURTESY DURING THEIR
VISIT
OF PATIENTS HAD
CONFIDENCE IN THE
HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL
THEY SAW
72% OF PATIENTS FELT THAT
WHEN THEY HAD AN IMPORTANT
QUESTION THEY RECEIVED AN
ANSWER THEY COULD
UNDERSTAND