ST JOHNS MEDICAL CENTRE
PRACTICE NEWSLETTER
May 2013
May 2013
Booking Appointments - We are currently experiencing an increased
demand for appointments which we are trying to meet and would like to
inform our patients of all the options available. We have taken notes of your
comments and have tried to make booking appointments easier by offering
same day appointments, appointments that you can book up to two weeks in
advance, you can book your appointment at reception or you can register to
book your appointments on-line (ask the receptionist for an application
form) we have added telephone consultations to the doctors surgeries to deal
with more patients, we have a duty doctor each day who will try and deal
with problems that are medically urgent.
You can also make good use of our practice nurses, for example we have a
nurse practitioner, asthma nurse a diabetic nurse, family planning/sexual
health nurse a nurse who specialises in changing complex dressings and two
Health Care Assistants who do various clinical aspects such as suture
removals, BP checks, hearing tests minor dressings, bloods etc.
We have a scheme with the pharmacist for patients who are suffering from
everyday common illnesses ask a receptionist for a minor ailments form this
form will enable the pharmacist consult with you and prescribe your
medication. (Medication is free for patients who qualify for free
prescriptions).
If we are unable to assist you we are advising that you can use the New
Cross Walk-in Centre based at the Waldron Health Centre, you can ask the
receptionist for more details and to get directions.
Getting Though On The Phone – We are currently in the process of
developing new staff rota’s working towards increasing the number
receptionists who answer the phones in the mornings and afternoons. We
also have an automated self check service available in reception to help
reduce long queues in reception. We can only offer our apologies if you
have been effected by having difficulties getting through on the phone to
make an appointment. Our promise to you is to continue to review the
services that we provide to a high standard of quality care.
NHS CUTS – Like other parts of the NHS Service our practice has been
affected by the need for the NHS to make savings of £20bn in the next three
years. We may also be required to undertake additional services both in
added health monitoring and work from secondary care as hospitals will stop
undertaking certain aspects of care and send patients to their GPs. This will
be made more difficult if the A&E department at Lewisham Hospital has
been downgraded.
New Electronic Prescription Service (EPS) – This is a new service were
you can sign up with a pharmacist of your choice to enable you to collect
your repeat prescription directly through the pharmacist without having to
place an order at the surgery first. The Pharmacist will automatically receive
your prescription electronically from the surgery when it is due to be
renewed.
Planning Ahead When Discharged From Hospital
Please try to help us to help you, by ordering your medication started in
hospital as soon as you get home. We are informed within 24 hours of your
discharge from hospital (if University Hospital Lewisham UHL) and a little
later if from another hospital. The surgery doctor will receive a summary of
all medication prescribed by the hospital consultant within a 24hr period.
If you require to an aftercare appointment with the Practice Nurse or Health
Care Assistant to have your dressing changed or sutures removed you will
have to book your appointment asap as we cannot always guarantee to book
your appointment if you have only given us a day or same day notice.
The New NHS 111 Number – If you need medical help fast but it’s not a
life threatening situation, you can call the new NHS111 number. When you
call 111, a trained advisor will ask you questions to find out what’s wrong,
give you medical advice or direct you to someone who can help you. Like an
out of hours doctor or a community nurse.
If the advisor thinks your condition is more serious they will direct you to
hospital or send an ambulance. You can call 111 at any time of the day the
call is free from landlines and mobiles.
It is hoped that by the end of 2013 111 will have been taken over from
NHS Direct and will be used all over the UK.
You will only be able to call 999 in an emergency for example, when
someone’s life is at risk or someone is seriously injured.
Call 111 if you need medical help fast, but it is not life threatening- for
example if you don’t know who to call for help, need medical advice or
reassurance.
If your health needs are not urgent, you should call the surgery as usual.
Lift Problems – We offer our sincere apologies for any inconvenience
caused during the recent breakdown of the lift. There was a serious problem
involving major works and we hope that this will be the end to the life
problems.
Thanks to Day Lewis Pharmacy for the use of their consulting room.
Staff News – Congratulations to Dr Norris who gave birth to a beautiful
baby girl last December, both are doing well. Dr Norris hopes to be back
from maternity leave in August but meanwhile, Dr Saha (one of our former
GP Registrars) is acting as her locum.
Goodbye to Dr Rajeswaran who left St Johns for pastures new in Canada,
where her husband has a research post.
Farewell Message from Dr Symonds After 3.5 years, my time at St Johns
has come to a close. I’ve had the privilege of meeting so many different and
wonderful people and it has been an honor to have worked here and play a
tiny part in some of your lives. I do wish each one of you health and
happiness in the months and years to come and thank you again for the
opportunities you have given me.
St Johns Essential Medical Facts S – Strongest muscle in the human body is the tongue
T - Toenails grow 4 times slower than fingernails
J – Jelly like organ the brain is 80% water
O – On average, we speak approximately 5000 words per day
H – Human thigh bones are stronger than concrete
N – Nerve impulses to and from the brain travel as fast as 170 mile per hour
S – Sneezes regularly exceed 100mph
M – Monday is the day of the week when the risk of heart attack is greatest
E – Ears continue to grow throughout your entire life
D – Daily an adult body produces 300 billion new cells
I – It takes 17 muscles to smile and 43 to frown
C – Coughs clocks in at about 6mph
A – Average lifespan of a human hair is 3 to 7 years
L – Longest bout of hiccups recorded lasted for 65 years
C – Capillaries in the human body are approximately 37,000 miles long
E – Each person produces enough saliva in their lifetime to fill 2 swimming
pools
N – New-born babies see the world upside-down
T – The surface area of a human lung is equal to a tennis court
R – Razorblades could be dissolved by the acid in your stomach
E – Every minute three hundred million cells die in the human body
Dates for your Diary
 Next Patient Participant Group Meeting will be on………..
 Sunday 7th July Race for Life (Cancer Research UK) on Blackheath
5km/10 run or walk. Female Staff at St Johns have taken part in this
fun event for many years.
 September 2013 Rotavirus to be included in the infant immunisations
programme
 As from the 1st April the Primary Care Trust (PCT) will cease to exist.
Services previously undertaken by Lewisham PCT will now be
organised by South London Commissioning Board who have local
group’s e.g for Lewisham that are responsible for delivery at local
level. Gps will be very much more involved in decisions and
planning than before.
 The NHS 111 number will be introduced for SE London on………..
Summer-Bank Holiday Closure – The surgery will be closed on the
following dates
Monday 27th May
Monday 26th August
Patient Survey – We have made notes of issues raised in our practice
survey and would like to thank our patients for making valued
comments that we are currently working towards.