The Hadleigh Practice Newsletter: October 2024

Autumn is the time of change 

As one of the newer partners I still have patients ask me how long I’ve been working at the practice and whether I’ll be staying, despite it now being 7 years! Time flies when you’re having fun. Despite being many years away from being “senior partner”, to ease the pressure off our colleagues we are now sharing the role of “newsletter writer” so we can all contribute and share our thoughts.                             

Autumn is the time of change - changing leaves and changing temperatures

This year is a time of change for me personally as I am expecting another child after recently moving house- but also changing demand, with the increase in viral illness and increased demand on services ramping up with so-called “winter pressures”. 

To keep our patients well and help with the “winter pressures” its important to look after yourselves- keep yourselves warm!

2024 vaccination programme

The 2024 vaccination programme is underway with patients already booked into scheduled ‘flu clinics, with the most vulnerable prioritised and those eligible invited. As in previous years there is one flu vaccine for the 65-year-olds and over and another for the under 65-year-olds. Invites have been via letter or text message.

With the increasing demand the surgery has changed as we try to work smarter and utilise technology more with questionnaires and text messages replacing typical appointments- aiming to see the people we really need to see and minimise any waiting time where we can. Remember to keep your contact details up to date and check your inboxes!

Please do be reassured however that we still have non digital approaches in place for the patients that are not able to not use technology fully or at all.

COVID vaccinations

Bookings are also now open for COVID vaccinations at The Hamworthy Club, you can call 119 or visit https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/covid-19-services/covid-19-vaccination-services/book-covid-19-vaccination/ to book. Unfortunately, our reception team are unable to answer any COVID-related questions, and remember these clinics are for the COVID vaccine only and NOT the flu vaccine. Please continue to attend the surgery for the flu vaccine. 

Working Smarter

Working smarter also means streamlining processes, i.e. getting our patients seen by the right people. This may be a big change for some who are used to seeing their regular GP for everything that troubles them.

The right person isn’t always the GP: We now offer more appointments than ever, including GPs, nurses, prescribing nurse practitioners and pharmacists, first contact musculoskeletal practitioners, physiotherapists, a social prescriber, and mental health practitioners.

Many of these have expert knowledge in specific areas so they are a great asset to the practice. Our reception team will help direct you to the right people when you call.

GP NHS Contract

There has been much reported in the media regarding the dispute between GPs and the government, all around the GP NHS contract. I would like to reassure everyone that our chief concern is, and always will be, the care of our patients. After a vote via the union for doctors, The British Medical Association, there was overwhelming support by GPs to ‘work to their contracts’. Ultimately any action taken by GPs involves protecting your practice to protect future patient care- and save general practice. 

Our new Health Secretary Wes Streeting has acknowledged that the NHS is “broken”, and hopefully change is coming to fix it. We hope that collective action by GPs with the support of their patients we can make sure the only change we see is for the better. 

Keep warm, safe and positive. 

Dr Harmer

Published: Oct 3, 2024