ST JAMES SURGERY, 89 WASH LANE, CLACTON-ON-SEACO15 1DA

THE SURGERY, CHURCH SQUARE, ST OSYTH CO16 8NU

PATIENT NEWSLETTER NUMBER 8 – JULY 2011

Welcome to our latest newsletter. It is a little early for me to be giving the flu dates as I did in our last newsletter in September last year but we will be holding clinics again in October as usual and if you are over 65 or suffering from a chronic condition such as diabetes or heart disease, please telephone us in September to make an appointment at the clinic. Full details of who is eligible for a free jab and the dates of the clinics will be on our website as soon as we have confirmed them. Ladies who are pregnant are also being encouraged again, by the Department of Health, to have a flu vaccination.

New Telephone System

Many of you will have realised that we have a new telephone system. We had planned this and the new telephones had been installed ready for us to have training and then……we were struck by lightening! This meant that we had no phones as the old system was blown up and would not work. We were very fortunate because we were able to get the new system up and running within a couple of hours which meant that we could receive calls. Unfortunately we did not have the planned training on how to use the phones so we have muddled through and I wish to apologise to anyone who was cut off; this was not our intention! I hope that you will find the system easy to use and you can now contact prescriptions and the secretaries directly. The dedicated prescriptions line is 01255 444455 and this is open from 8.30 to 5.00 p.m. The dedicated secretaries line is 01255 444466 and they are normally there from 9.00 a.m. to 3.00 p.m. Our dedicated appointments line has been out of action for nearly two weeks but we believe that it is also now up and running again 01255 422482.

Dr Arslan Mahmood

It is with regret that Dr Arslan Mahmood has decided to leave St James to take up a position nearer to his home. He will be leaving us at the end of August this year. We are all very sorry to see him go and wish him all the best for the future.

Dr Jane Slawson and Dr Praveen Tatavarthi

We are, however, delighted to be able to announce that we will be joined by Dr Jane Slawson, who is currently working at the Hollies at Great Bentley and Dr Praveen Tatavarthi, who is currently working at the Mayflower surgery in Dovercourt. Both Dr Slawson and Dr Tatavarthi will start at St James on 1st September. We look forward to them joining our surgery team.

Patient Participation Group (PPG)

Would you like to have your say about the services provided by St James and St Osyth surgeries? We are setting up a patient participation group as we would like to hear your views. As a member of the PPG we may contact you every now and again to ask a few questions about how the surgery is doing. If you are interested in joining the group, please visit our website where there is more information and a form to complete, or ask for a form at reception. Further details will follow when we have established a group.

Practice Website –

Our practice website has now been running for 2 years. During this time it has grown in popularity with many of you using it. As most of you will know it does give useful information about the surgery, useful information relating to your health as well as being able to order your prescriptions and make appointments online. During the last 6 months we have had over 55,000 hits and last month 900 people used it to order their prescriptions. If you have not already done so, please visit the website on You can also send us your comments and suggestions via the website.

Home Visits

Recently the doctors have noticed an increase in requests for home visits. These are done entirely at the discretion of the doctor and they ask that you give the receptionist as much information as possible when you request a visit. You may then receive a telephone call from the doctor or nurse to find out more information. Your doctor requests that you please telephone before 10.30 to requesthome visits.

Nurses

We have recently had some educational successes: our Nurse Practitioner, Julia, has completed and passed her nurse prescribing course which means that she can prescribe for minor illnesses. Our Diabetes nurses, Carol and Shelley, have also completed and passed a course which allows them to commence diabetic patients on insulin. We congratulate them on their success and know that these skills will benefit many patients at the surgery.

Smoking Cessation

I know I have mentioned this before but once again the surgery has exceeded its target for smoking cessation. Barbara really does get good results so if you smoke and you have ever considered giving up, please make an appointment to see Barbara.

Thank you for your time. Heather Knappett, Practice Manager