FLEETWOOD SURGERY
West View Health Village, Broadway,
Fleetwood, FY7 8GU
01253 957555
PATIENT PARTICIPATION GROUP
NEWSLETTER
Welcome to the first newsletter from your Patient Participation Group
(PPG). The PPG meets every two months with Practice staff and our
joint aim is to produce information about the way in which the Practice
operates so that you have all the information that you need. This
leaflet has been designed with you, our patient, in mind. The surgery
was delighted to win GP Practice of the year 2015 in August but we all
want to keep improving so that we can meet your needs.
Fleetwood Surgery Opening Times
The opening hours of the surgery are 8.30am to 6pm Monday to Friday
with the provision of weekend appointments (see below). Out of these
hours please call 111 which is available 24 hours a day 7 days a week.
In the event of a serious, life-threatening illness, such as chest pain or
shortness of breath, phone 999.
At the weekend
It has recently become possible to offer weekend appointments under
a pilot scheme until April 2016. This means that you may not have to
take time off work to see the doctor, as weekend appointments can be
booked via Reception. There are also some nurse appointments for
smear tests available.
Local Pharmacies
Minor injuries and illnesses such as tummy upsets can be dealt with by
your local Pharmacist who will have a private area to discuss/examine
your problem. In some instances they can also issue medication.
Repeat prescriptions can be requested on line or by phoning our
dedicated phone line 01253 957551 between 10am and 12 noon daily.
Please ensure that you phone between these times.
Practice Staff News
As you may already be aware, Dr Kwun is retiring at the end of
September and he leaves with thanks from patients and staff alike who
all wish him an excellent retirement. This alters our GP situation at the
present time and the remaining GPs are Dr Syed Maqbool Ali, Dr
Adam Janjua and Dr Imran Ali, supported by Dr Ayo Akinduro who is a
GP Registrar. The practice has also been lucky enough to secure the
services of a lady GP for one day a week and some of you may
already have met her - Dr Jacky Panesar. The Practice is still trying to
secure another GP as well but as you are probably aware there is a
national shortage of GPs, and for this reason we all need to make sure
that we are using all our people to the very best effect.
Did you know, for example, that you can have a telephone consultation
with the doctor, and the practice is also looking at the use of video
consultations?
Our nurses, Sisters Johanne Coward and Dawn Taylor are able to help
with a range of health issues which include weekly diabetes,
cardiovascular and respiratory clinics; smear tests; vaccinations; family
planning advice and health promotion including weight loss advice.
Healthcare Assistants Sarah Groves and Debbie Watson will see new
patients for registration, undertake health checks, blood tests, blood
pressure, ECGs, flu vaccinations, dressings and some chronic disease
checks.
Our Receptionists are your first point of contact whether you are
phoning or calling in. As mentioned earlier, they only want to know
why you want to see the doctor so that they can make sure that the
doctor is the right person for you to see and you are seen within
appropriate timescales – what you discuss with the Receptionist is
entirely up to you.
There is a private room for you to discuss any
private or confidential issues and you need only ask. The PPG will be
conducting face-to-face chats with patients in the near future to find out
your views. In the meantime, if you wish to make your views known
straightway please contact Liz Thompson,
There is a Pharmacist, David Mabaya, who works with the Practice
once a week on a Wednesday, and David is available should you wish
to discuss your medication(s) and the Reception team can organise a
call back from him too.
Mental Health Nurses
We are really pleased that additional funding has been secured to
provide two Mental Health Nurses who start with us in October, and we
would like to welcome Angela and Lauren to the clinical team.
Student Nurses
The practice will begin to welcome Student Nurses from October so
you may see more fresh faces around the place.
FAQs
How long will it take for my result to come back?
The general timescale for test results are:
 X-ray
2 weeks
 Blood test
5 days
 Urine test
5 days
 Biopsy
1 week
 Smear test
Sent straight from the laboratory
It is important to note that test results arranged by Hospital Consultants
are not usually reported back to the Practice, therefore your first point
of contact should be the Consultant’s Secretary.
Who do I talk to if something goes wrong?
Contact Liz Thompson, Practice Manager, who would be pleased to
discuss any issue you may wish to raise. She is available for a chat
when things go right too.
What can I do on line?
There is a wealth of information on line. Please visit
Fleetwoodsurgery.nhs.uk as a first stop. Ask at Reception for details
of how to get secure access to order prescriptions and book
appointments on line using the Patient Access site. There is also a
Facebook page that you can view and like.
News Update
What is the Electronic Prescription Service?
Instead of printing your prescription, it can be sent electronically to the
Pharmacy of your choice. This is particularly useful for repeat
prescriptions as it means you do not have to call into the surgery to
collect your prescription.
Retirement
Receptionist Sheila is retiring in October after 14 years with Dr Ali’s
Surgery. Her patient knowledge and vast experience is going to be
missed!
Flu jabs
Open sessions are to take place on Saturday 3rd October and 17th
October between 9am and 12.30pm. These are drop in sessions and
you can call in at any time without an appointment. Members of your
PPG will be helping out at these clinics so feel free to ask us any
questions.
Future PPG newsletters will provide information but also offer an
insight into the working day of staff members. We will aim to deal with
questions and give details of the role and responsibilities of the PPG
and how you can get involved
THE NEXT NEWSLETTER (EARLY DECEMBER) WILL INCLUDE:
 A day in the life of a member of admin staff
 Profile of one of the medical team
 Role and responsibilities of the PPG and how to get involved
 PPG member facts
 Christmas opening arrangements
If you are interested in learning more about any of the issues which
appear in this newsletter, please contact Liz Thompson who will put
you in touch with any member of the PPG.
This newsletter has been produced by the Fleetwood Surgery PPG in the interest of
promoting excellence in communication.