***SAVE THE DATE***
Menopause & HRT Webinar
Monday 28th February
7pm
Delivered by Dr Kathryn Patrick – GP & Clinical Lead at Buttercross Health Centre
TO JOIN THE WEBINAR, PLEASE CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING LINK:
Menopause & HRT Webinar
Author: Sophie Tonks
Cervical Screening
Two women die every day from cervical cancer, but getting your screening can help stop it before it starts.
So remember, if you missed your last one, book an appointment with your GP practice now.
To find out more visit https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/cervical-screening/
Help Us Help You – Screening saves lives
Inhalers
***CALLING ALL PATIENTS WHO ARE PRESCRIBED INHALERS***
It is estimated that 15% of the total General Practice carbon footprint in the UK is due to the prescribing of inhalers.
Aerosol inhalers use carbon-based propellants, meaning that many inhalers contribute to the global carbon footprint and therefore impact climate change.
Did you know that one Ventolin Evohaler has the same carbon footprint as driving a small, petrol car 175 miles?
Dry powder inhalers do not have any propellant, and therefore do not significantly contribute to climate change. Some brands are totally carbon-neutral.
The NHS has committed to reducing its carbon footprint by 50% by 2025 and this will not be possible without a large proportion of patients switching over to dry powder inhalers.
Dry powder inhalers are easy to use and most patients are able to use them without any problem. Many patients prefer them to aerosol inhalers.
If you are prescribed an aerosol style inhaler we would like you to consider taking the following action:
- Do NOT stop taking your current inhaler
- Put through a request on askmyGP entitled ‘eco-friendly inhalers’
- either Liz (Asthma Nurse) or John (Clinical Pharmacist) will be in toInhaleruch in due course to discuss how to safely switch to a suitable dry powder alternative (please note, it may take longer than usual to respond to these requests as more clinically urgent requests will be prioritised)
You can read more information about this issue here:
January 2022 Newsletter
Opening Hours
Dear Patient,
We have temporarily changed our askmyGP in hours service times to support the surgery manage demand:
Monday – Thursday 07.30 – 14.00: (closed to new requests outside of these hours)
Friday: 07.30 – 12.00 (closed to new requests outside of these hours)
Sat – Sun: Closed to new requests
Whilst still enabling good access for patients, this change will support the surgery to effectively work through all of the requests submitted. We are hopeful that once demand settles we will again review the out of hours option for the system. Please also remember that the surgery operates a 3 working day/72 hour initial response time – to support us contacting you, please inform us of your availability when submitting your request.
Once we have reached full capacity of what we can safely deal with today, we would ask that if you have a non-urgent query, please submit a request the next working day via this site.
If you feel that you have an urgent concern that cannot wait until tomorrow, you can still call the surgery until 18:30.
PLEASE DO NOT EMAIL IN CLINICAL REQUESTS AS WE ARE UNABLE TO RESPOND TO THESE DUE TO SAFETY ISSUES.
Many thanks for your co-operation.
The Buttercross & Ilchester Team
Half Day Practice Closure
Please note that Buttecross Health Centre will be closed from 1PM – 4PM on Wednesday 17/11/2021 sorry for any inconvenience caused.
COVID BOOSTER VACCINATION UPDATE
COVID BOOSTER VACCINATION UPDATE
You are eligible if you are:
– over 50
– a health and care worker
– a young adult with certain health conditions
You must have had your second dose at least 6 months previous and your flu vaccination at least 7 days previous if had already
Please contact 119 to book or to make an enquiry (not the surgery), or if you have received a text invite please use the link to book at a local hub
The surgery will only be vaccinating their nursing/care/residential home patients and staff, housebound patients and those with severe mobility issues.
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-vaccination/book-coronavirus-vaccination/book-or-manage-a-booster-dose-of-the-coronavirus-covid-19-vaccine/
Covid: Which children are being vaccinated and why?
People aged 16 and 17, and children aged 12 to 15 who are eligible, will be contacted by a local NHS service such as a GP surgery to book their vaccination appointments.
Some walk-in COVID-19 vaccination sites are offering the vaccine to people aged 16 and 17. You can check if a site is available near you at https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-vaccination/coronavirus-vaccine/
See this post by the BBC for more information about children receiving the vaccine Covid: Which children are being vaccinated and why? – BBC News
National blood bottle shortage
A supplier to the NHS has advised us of a global shortage of some equipment used for taking blood tests.
Anyone who needs a test for urgent health problems, will still get one but where your clinician recommends that it’s safe to do so, then you may be asked to come back for a test at a later date, or your appointment may be rescheduled.
Given the nature of the shortage, we cannot give an exact date for when the test will be rescheduled, but please be assured that if your condition or symptoms require it, then you will get a test, and we will be re-booking your test when supplies become more easily available.
If your condition or symptoms change or get worse, please contact the NHS as you would normally
Support your surgery
Support your surgery so it can be there to support you
GPs, their teams and patients have faced an extremely challenging time during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Face-to-face contact has had to be limited across all NHS services to protect you and keep you safe from the risk of infection.
We know that it’s been frustrating for some of you who have not always been able to book a face-to-face GP appointment. Despite lockdown measures lifting, we must be honest and tell you that the pandemic has not ended, the threat of COVID–19 remains and general practice will continue to struggle to meet the growing needs of patients.
This isn’t the way we want it to be. But there are millions of patients whose treatment has been delayed now seeking help, more tests to administer and more bureaucracy, as well as millions more vaccine appointments to deliver in the coming months.
We can’t meet this challenge, without more support. General practice desperately needs help, which is why we’re calling on the Government to provide the funding needed to provide better
services, more GPs, and staff to see you promptly, and sufficient safe space in waiting areas and for staff to see you.
Your GP surgery needs your support, so it can be there to support you. Please take a minute to sign our petition and show your support for your local practice by www.bma.org.uk/supportyoursurgery
