Five Oaks Family Practice

FIVE OAKS FAMILY PRACTICE

EDITION SIX

WHATS GOING ON THIS SEASON

HEALTH topics

FLU VACCINES

Should I get the Flu Vaccination?

For most people, flu is unpleasant but not serious. You will usually recover within a week. However, certain people are at greater risk of developing serious complications of flu, such as bronchitis and pneumonia. These conditions may require hospital treatment.

The flu vaccine is offered free to people who are at risk, to protect them from catching flu and developing serious complications.

At-risk groups

It is recommended that you have a flu jab if you:

1. are 65 years old or over,

2. are pregnant (see below),

3. have a serious medical condition (see below),

4. are living in a long-stay residential care home or other long-stay care facility (not including prisons, young offender institutions or university halls of residence),

5. are the main carer for an elderly or disabled person whose welfare may be at risk if you fall ill,

6. are a frontline health or social care worker (see below).

If you are the parent of a child who is over 6 months old and has a long-term condition on the list below, speak to your GP about the flu vaccine. Your child's condition may get worse if they catch flu.

Pregnant women

It is recommended that all pregnant women should have the flu vaccine, whatever stage of pregnancy they're in. This is because there is good evidence that pregnant women have an increased risk of developing complications if they get flu, particularly from the H1N1 strain.

Studies have shown that the flu vaccine can be safely and effectively given during any trimester of pregnancy. The vaccine does not carry risks for either the mother or baby. In fact, studies have shown that mothers who have had the vaccine while pregnant pass some protection to their babies, which lasts for the first few months of their lives.

People with medical conditions

The flu vaccine is offered free to anyone who is over 6 months of age and has one of the following medical conditions:

a) chronic (long-term) respiratory disease, such as severe asthma, COPD or bronchitis,

b) chronic heart disease, such as heart failure,

c) chronic kidney disease,  chronic liver disease, such as hepatitis,

d) chronic neurological disease, such as a stroke, TIA or post-polio syndrome,

e) diabetes,

f) a weakened immune system due to conditions such as HIV, or treatments that suppress the immune system such as chemotherapy,

If you live with someone who has a weakened immune system, you may also be able to have a flu vaccine. Speak to your GP about this.

If you care for someone (not employed to care) who is elderly or disabled, speak to the Practice about getting vaccinated against seasonal flu. You should also ensure that the person you care for has the flu jab.

Children

A annual nasal spray flu vaccine will be offered to all children aged 2 and 3 as part of the NHS childhood vaccination programme.

It may also be offered, subject to availability, to children aged 2-18 with long-term health conditions like diabetes, heart disease and lung disease.

Children aged 6 months to 2 years with long-term health conditions are not able to have the nasal spray and will get the injected flu vaccine instead.

SPREAD THE WARMTH

'Winter wrapped up' is a guide to keeping well and staying warm in winter, and a part of Age UK's Spread the Warmth campaign.You can access the guide at the Age UK site at:www.ageuk.org.uk/get-involved/spread-thewarmth/get-ready-for-winter/

Or you can call Age UK on 0800 169 65 65 to ask for a copy of the guide to be sent to you, or an elderly family member. The guide includes a pull-out thermometer to help ensure your home is kept at a comfortable and safe temperature.

Greater Manchester Minor Ailments Scheme- Quick Reference GuideGreater Man

The Greater Manchester Minor Ailments Scheme is open to patients registered with the practice. The scheme is available from participating GM pharmacies, without an appointment.

The scheme is free to access and those patients that do not pay for their prescriptions who will receive any recommended medication free of charge. Patients who do pay for their prescriptions will pay the usual charge or the retail price depending on which is cheaper.

Participating Pharmacies

PHARMACO / 84-90 STANLEY STREET / HIGHER OPENSHAW / M11 1LE
ROWLANDS PHARMACY / 400 ALAN TURING WAY / BESWICK / M11 3BE
SUPERDRUG STORES PLC / 7-9 PICCADILLY / CITY CENTRE / M1 1LY
THE CO-OPERATIVE PHARMACY / 139-141 DROYSLDEN ROAD / NEWTON HEATH / M40 5NT
THE CO-OPERATIVE PHARMACY / 9 OLD CHURCH STREET / NEWTON HEATH / M40 2JF
THE CO-OPERATIVE PHARMACY / 183-187 VICTORIA AVENUE / BLACKLEY / M9 0RB
TIMS AND PARKER / VALENTINE MEDICAL CENTRE / 2 SMETHURST STREET, BLACKLEY / M9 8PP
TIMS AND PARKER / 87 MOSTON LANE EAST / NEW MOSTON / M40 3GP
WHITEMOSS PHARMACY / 247 CHARLESTOWN ROAD / BLACKLEY / M9 7BD
WILKINSON PHARMACY / 384 HOLLINWOOD AVENUE / NEW MOSTON / M40 0JD
WILKINSON PHARMACY / 321 MOSTON LANE / MOSTON / M40 9NL
WILKINSON PHARMACY / 203 LIGHTBOWNE ROAD / MOSTON / M40 9DD
WISE PHARMACY / 376 CHEETHAM HILL ROAD / CHEETHAM HILL / M8 9LS

Minor Ailments Scheme- Quick Referenc

Friends & Family Test

What is the Friends and Family Test?

The Friends and Family Test is a feedback tool which offers patients of NHS-funded services the opportunity to provide feedback about the care and treatment they have received. The FFT tool combines a simple question, asking patients how likely they would be to recommend the service they have received to their friends and family, with at least one supplementary follow-up question to enable patients to provide further detail about their experience. The introduction of the FFT across all NHS services is an integral part of “Putting Patients First”, the NHS Business Plan for 2013/14-2015/16. We will be asking patients who have a consultation with a doctor or nurse at Five Oaks Family Practice if they could take the time to answer these questions

This can be done in two ways:

1. Complete the questionnaire using the touch screen in the main reception area

2. Go to our website: www.fiveoaksfamilypractice.co.uk Click on Friends and Family Test and complete. All submissions are anonymous.

This information is collated monthly and the total number of responses are submitted back to NHS England.

SHINGLES VACCINE

This year the Government has asked GPs to offer shingles vaccinations to patients aged 70 and 79. Other patients in their 70’s will be offered this one-off vaccine in the coming years.

If you wish to be vaccinated, please contact Reception to make an appointment with a Practice Nurse.

Further information can be obtained from the NHS Choices website at www.nhs.uk.

If you were aged 70 or 79 on 1 September 2013, but became 71 or 80 before attending vaccination, you can still be vaccinated.

If you were aged 71-78 on 1 September 2013, then the next opportunity to be vaccinated is when you are aged 79.

Health hot topic!

Eat Well, Move More, Live Longer What is Change4Life

These days, ’modern life’ can mean that we’re a lot less active. With so many

opportunities to watch TV or play computer games, and with so much convenience and

fast food available, we don’t move about as much, or eat as well as we used to. Change

4 Life, helps you easily change unhealthy habits to make fun, healthy choices for yourself and your family

Change4Life for your kids

Nine out of 10 of our kids today could grow up with dangerous amounts of fat in their bodies. This can cause life threatening diseases like cancer, type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Sign up for the smart restart challenge and keep your family on track to a healthy future. Lots of ideas, emails and text support, kids zone with loads of activities.

Change4Life for you

By the time we reach middle age, the majority of us could do with losing at least a bit of weight. Being overweight isn’t just about the way we look. It can lead to more aches and pains, problems sleeping and people report a loss of energy and confidence. It also increases our chances of getting heart disease, type 2 diabetes and some cancers. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Middle age comes to everyone – ‘middle aged spread’ doesn’t have to.

Go online today http://www.nhs.uk/change4life/Pages/change-for-life.aspx for further information, activities, recipe, meal planners, exercise ideas. You can find lots of local activities to do with their post code checker.

It’s all free!

PRACTICE NEWS

FAREWELL

We say goodbye to Dr Rachel Young this month who will be leaving us for pastures new and working closer to home. Dr Young has been a dedicated hard working Doctor for over 20 years with the practice and she will be greatly missed by both colleagues and Patients. We wish her every happiness and success for the future.

OTHER TOPICS OF INTEREST

CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU

The Practice had been selected as pilot site for a new initiative being run by the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) in North Manchester. The CAB have installed a telephone help line in the practice for Patients who have problems in completing forms, housing and benefit applications. Energy Advice their Energy Team can help people to manage their energy bills, access support to clear fuel debts and provide white goods, and get help through schemes such as Warm Homes Discount to keep warm and well this winter. Patients will have instant access via the phone line to a dedicated CAB advisor and if you need a face to face appointment a CAB adviser will make arrangements to see Patients at the surgery. The CAB have supplied a large advertisement board which has been placed in reception and will contain information leaflets on the service they offer.

PATIENTS PARTICIPATION GROUP (PPG)

The Practice has recently re-launched the Patients Participation Group and held its first meeting on 6th December 2016. The meeting was well attended and members actively discussed a number of topics and there were a number of suggestions for improvement put forward to Practice these included

Suggested improvements:

· Message screen to display waiting times

· Receptions TV screens to display services offered

· Larger font on screens to display names

· Name badges for Reception Staff

Anothersuggestion was thePatient Participation Group members are willing to act as champions for other Patients registered with the practice who felt they are unable to communication with the Practice directly to go through the group. A suggestion box for the PPG will be placed in the main reception area so that other Patients can raise their concerns on what they feel is wrong or indeed tell us what we have got right directly with the Group. The PPG will bring these to the Practice at future meetings or soonerif necessary.

Manchester Extended Access Service

The practice, working in collaboration with Manchester Extended Access, is pleased to offer access to GP, Nurse and HCA appointments during the evenings and on Saturdays.

To book appointments ask the Receptionist who will arrange an appointment at a time that suits you best. The appointment may not be with your usual GP or Health Care Professional but they will have access with consent to your medical records and can issue prescriptions if required and deal with other matters appropriately should the need arise. The extended access service will be particularly useful for working people, school children and carers etc., For more information on the Manchester Extended Access Service please visit manchesterpcp.co.uk/thereforyou or alternatively

Alternatively visit our website www.fiveoaksfamilypractice.co.uk and click on the link to Manchester Extended Services.

YOU CAN’T KEEP IT, PLEASE CANCEL IT

During the 3 months of September 2016 to November 2016 we had a total of 699 missed appointments where patients did not attend their GP or Nurse appointments. Furthermore these Patients did not have the courtesy to contact the surgery to cancel the appointment they could not attend and make it available for someone that needed an appointment. 699 appointments equates to 113.5 hours of GP/Nurse time wasted. This also means that 699 other people who needed to see a doctor or nurse could have taken their place if the appointments had been cancelled.

We respectfully request that you show some consideration in the future to both Doctors/Nurses holding consultations and other Patients who need an appointment by cancelling in good time any appointments that you cannot attend.

We are monitoring our appointments system very closely, and any Patients that we find to be continually missing appointments will leave us no alternative but to remove them from our list.

NHS 111

In April NHS 111 was introduced nationally to make it easier for people to access local health services when they have an urgent need. It provides a simple, free to call, easy to remember number (111) that is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

In Northumberland NHS 111 has been working well – calls are being handled by staff who work for North East Ambulance Service or Northern Doctors Urgent Care (the out of hours GP service)

When you ring 111 the call will be answered by a team of fully trained call advisers, who will ask questions to assess the symptoms and give appropriate healthcare advice or direct you to the local service that can help you best. Depending on the reason for calling and when the call is made this may be: