ST MELOR HOUSE SURGERY NEWSLETTER
AUTUMN 2012
www.stmelorhousesurgery.co.uk
Tel: 01980 622474
USE OF ACCIDENT AND EMERGENCY
Every time a patient attends
There are other options available.
Accident and Emergency at
If you attend A and E during
Salisbury Hospital it can cost
surgery opening hours or without
between £56 and £195. Please
accessing Out of Hours, and the
can you think before you attend
doctors feel that your
A and E. Could your problem be
attendance was in appropriate
dealt with elsewhere?
then you will be contacted and
Is it a real
life
threatening
WALK IN CENTRE
emergency?
available to you.
AMBULANCES
A reminder to all
patients – please
reminded
only dial 999 for an
again of the
ambulance if you
options
have a real life
SALISBURY OPEN 8.00 AM TO
threatening
8.00 PM EVERY DAY
emergency. We are
INCLUDING WEEKENDS AND
finding that patients
BANK HOLIDAYS.
are calling for
OUT OF HOURS – WHEN
THE SURGERY IS CLOSED 0300
ambulances for very
minor things. The
ambulance service is
111 5717
NHS DIRECT 0845 4647
finding it hard to
cope with the
PATIENT PARTICIPATION GROUP
(VIRTUAL)
Plain Talking
We have now entered into our
demand.
Ambulances are
available for
emergencies only.
our action plan can be found on
2nd year of our Patient
our website –
Participation Group. Details of
www.stmelorhousesurgery.co.uk
Autumn 2012
Thank you.
Autumn 2012
FLU CAMPAIGN 2012
Information can be found on our website. We are now making appointments for flu vaccinations. The same
criteria applies - the vaccine is available if you are 65 or over, or have a chronic disease – asthma,
emphysema, diabetes, stroke. The vaccine is available this year also to all women who are pregnant.
If you are not eligible for the flu vaccination and still would like to be vaccinated - Tesco, Boots or similar
locations will provide you with the flu vaccination usually for around £10.
It has been advertised in the media about a new flu vaccine for children. Please note this is not going to be
available until Autumn 2014.
Just another reminder to all of our patients. If you cannot attend the surgery for your planned
appointment, then please CONTACT the surgery and cancel.
We have approximately 100 patients each
month who do not turn up for their appointment for one reason or another. Everyone moans that we cannot
provide enough doctor appointments but if patients cancelled their appointments then there would
probably be enough for everyone!!!
MINOR ILLNESSES: We all suffer with colds and coughs and other minor illnesses at some point. There is
information on our website regarding how to treat and deal with minor illnesses and injuries. It is not always
necessary to see your GP.
Local pharmacists can also provide advice for minor illnesses. Quite often
colds/coughs and sore throats are what we refer to as viral infections and cannot be treated with antibiotics.
In fact antibiotics will have no effect on the virus at all.
Antibiotics in the modern world are being grossly over used. Therefore people are becoming more
resistant and it is becoming increasingly more difficult to treat patients because we are running out of
different antibiotics to use.
Prescriptions:
If you are 60 and over acute and repeat prescriptions are issued in monthly quantities. We do have a
number of ways on how to order repeat prescriptions
Via our website – www.stmelorhousesurgery.co.uk
Fax: 01980 622475
email: prescriptions.stmelor@nhs.net
telephone 0900 – 1100 Monday – Friday 01980 676347
As a practice we prefer that you use the above methods of ordering your repeat medication. Some
patients have signed up to local chemists to have their monthly prescriptions managed by them. This is
causing quite a few problems with the practice. It does not seem to run as smoothly as it should. What is
concerning is that the chemist will order everything on the repeat slip regardless of what the patient does or
does not need that month or indeed whether the medication has been changed.
If you are signed up to
the chemist and would like to change back to using the surgery then please let us know.
Autumn 2012
CONTACTING THE SURGERY FOR BLOOD RESULTS
Please try to contact the surgery after 2 pm for any blood test results.
Mornings are very busy and it
is always preferable to ring the surgery after 2 pm when it is less busy. Blood test results arrive at the surgery
electronically and quite often are only available for the receptionists to access later on in the day, once the
GP’s have read and filed the results.
BOWEL SCREENING PROGRAMME
This is a service that has been running for some time. This means that most people in their 60’s will
have already received an invitation to take part in the programme.
facility.
This is such an important screening
If you do receive an invitation to take part please ensure that you do give this the consideration it
deserves and participate in the screening.
.
WHOOPING COUGH VACCINATION FOR PREGNANT WOMEN
We have just heard from NHS Wiltshire of the programme for vaccination of
pregnant women against whooping cough. There are certain criteria and it is
probably best if any pregnant ladies should contact the surgery or speak to their
midwife about this vaccination.
.
Autumn 2012