Autumn-Winter 2015/16
The Humbleyard News
The Newsletter of the Humbleyard Practice: Cringleford, Hethersett & Mulbarton Surgeries
Flu Season
We are fast approaching “flu season”. You may be eligible for a free vaccination if you are;



aged 65 years and over
pregnant
aged 6 months to 64 years and defined as “at risk” due to an underlying health condition
(particularly long-term heart, respiratory disease, diabetes, chronic kidney or liver disease).
If you are eligible for a free vaccination, your surgery will either text you, if we have an up-to-date
mobile telephone number for you, or write to you and invite you to attend a flu clinic. Please look
out for a text or letter, it will inform you what you need to do to receive your vaccination at the
earliest opportunity we can provide it. Children under 17 will be given the nasal vaccination.
NHS England is continuing with its program to eventually vaccinate all children under 17 years old.
The roll out of this initiative is being phased over a period of time. This year the nasal vaccination
will be offered to children who are in a specific age group regardless of whether they have any
other underlying health condition. If your child is included in this program you will receive a letter
from the surgery you are registered with inviting your child to receive the nasal flu vaccine.
We will increasingly be using a text messaging service to communicate information to our patients.
Please speak to the receptionist the next time you visit your surgery and provide your up-to-date
mobile telephone number to enable us to do this.
Antibiotics and Minor Ailments
Antibiotics are important medicines used to treat infections caused by bacteria.
Some bacteria can adapt and survive the effects of the antibiotic drug, in other words the bacteria
becomes "antibiotic resistant" which means that the antibiotic will no longer effectively treat the
infection. Inappropriate use and prescribing of antibiotics is also a contributory factor to these
drugs losing their effectiveness at an increasing rate.
To try to slow down this resistance we all must take action. Antibiotics must;



only be prescribed where there is a clinical need to do so
be taken at regular intervals as prescribed until the course of medication has been
completed
not be saved for later or shared with anyone else
Your doctor will only prescribe antibiotics for bacterial infections not viral infections like the
common cold. Therefore, please do not ask for antibiotics, let your doctor decide on the best
course of treatment for you.
Norfolk’s Living Well
Why wait for New Year to make changes to your lifestyle?
Norfolk County Council’s Public Health Team funds and supports a number of services locally to
help you make healthy choices and hopefully help you avoid some preventable diseases in the
future.
Their website www.norfolkslivingwell.org.uk has a lot of information and advice about your health
or your child’s health. You can search for local services within your area that offer help with losing
weight, smoking, alcohol consumption and many other services. There is also a regular newsletter
you can sign up to receive.
So don’t wait until January, make some changes now!
Stoptober – Movember – Decembeard
You may have heard of the above pseudonyms being used nationally for the months of October,
November and December. They are names given to promote awareness of health campaigns
which run for the entire month.
Stoptober (in October) – this is a stop smoking campaign which runs for the whole of October.
The idea is that if you are smoker you use October to kick the habit. Throughout the month, there
will be campaigns throughout the media encouraging you to give up smoking in favour of a
healthier lifestyle. If you would like more information NOW about the help available to you, please
visit the NHS Smokefree website at www.nhs.uk/smokefree
Movember (in November) – is a global campaign run by The Movember Foundation and
promotes awareness of issues surrounding men’s health. In November, men raise money by being
sponsored to grow a moustache for the entire month. There is a national media campaign with
many high profile males taking part. The funds are then used by the foundation to fund men’s
health programme’s targeting prostate and testicular cancer as well as mental health. If you would
like more information regarding how you can get involved this November then visit their website at
https://uk.movember.com/
Decembeard (in December) – has been developed by two charities Bowel Cancer UK and
Beating Bowel Cancer. Bowel cancer is the second biggest cancer killer in the UK, but if caught
early it is highly treatable. In December men are ask to grow beards and raise sponsorship money
which could fund the training of GPs in early diagnosis or provide people recovering from bowel
cancer with help and support alongside many other initiatives. If you would like more information
about bowel cancer or how to get involved in Decembeard then visit the website at
www.bowelcanceruk.org.uk
Missed Appointments
During March 2015 to August 2015 The Humbleyard Practice lost a total of over 321 hours,
approximately 107 morning clinics, due to patients not turning up for their appointments.
Please help us to help you by ensuring appointments are not wasted.