The Ridgeway Surgery
Newsletter
Issue 10, February 2018
The Patient Participation Group (PPG) meets quarterly in the Surgery Waiting
Room and new members are always welcome. You can just turn up or
email . The next meeting is on
Tuesday, 13th March.
Healthcare Navigation
The new booking system,being asked a few questions when you call in or phone
to book an appointment, is designed to help direct you to the most appropriate person at the Practice depending on your need and urgency. This can also save appointments and make good use of resources. The Reception staff have been trained for this system and all information given is strictly confidential.
Minor Illnesses
If you are in need of help with managing minor illnesses, don’t forget that
local Pharmacies can offer you advice and treatment about coughs and colds, diarrhoea/constipation, earache, toothache, indigestion and many other conditions which could help clear up the problem quickly and save you time. They can also talk to you about services such as travel health, healthy living, emergency contraception and advice on prescription medicines.
If you suffer from hay-fever, the Practice can now no longer prescribe antihistamines for acute hay-fever sothese will need to be purchased at a Pharmacy.
Waiting Room
Once you have checked in at Reception, you are registered in attendance and will be called for your appointment. There are sometimes delays before your allocated appointment time but often the Doctor or Nurse can catch up quite quickly and you are advised not to leave the building, even for a short time, as you may miss your appointment. If you do need to go outside, you must tell the Receptionist because for Fire Regulation purposes, you are recorded as still being in the building.
Flu Vaccinations
Although we are nearing the end of the Flu season, it is still not too late to get vaccinated. If you’d like to receive a vaccination before stocks run out, please contact Reception as soon as possible.
Volunteering could be good for you….
It seems that there’s now good evidence to suggest that volunteering can bring benefits to both the person volunteering andthe people and organisations they support. It is thought that it can improve your self-esteem and motivation which in turn can bring health benefits and boost quality of life. It is also a good way to meet new people and broaden your social life at the same time as offering valuable services where needed. There’s a huge range of opportunities out there, you may know people who are already enjoying being a volunteer. Could this be for you too?
Toenail Cutting Service
If you’d like help with toenail cutting, Age UK offers a service in Redditch. This is at Community House in Easemore Rd at a cost of £10. To book an appointment, please call the Redditch office on 01527 584653. Alternatively, if you’d like a home service visit, this will cost £16 and you need to call the Bromsgrove office on 01527 871840 to book an appointment.
Travel Vaccinations
Please remember to book 6-8 weeks ahead of travel for your vaccinations to allow time to make sure that you receive full immunity.
Community Travel
Are you having difficulty getting to the Alexandra or Worcester Hospitals forappointments? There is now a pilot scheme called Community Transport Connections, which can help patients who are eligible because of mobility limitations or who have no other means of transport available. For more information or to register for this service, you will need to call 0300 3239965,
Mon-Fri 9am-4pm.
Once registered, you will be able to use this service, provided by Volunteer
driversin cars. There is a charge for each journey.