Sunday, December 23, 2012

Christmas Opening Hours

Coleridge 

Monday 24th December - 08:30 - 18:00
Tuesday 25th December - CLOSED
Wednesday 26th December - CLOSED
Thursday 27th December - NORMAL OPENING HOURS
Friday 28th December - NORMAL OPENING HOURS

Monday 31st December - 08:30 - 18:00
Tuesday 1st January - CLOSED
Wednesday 2nd January - NORMAL OPENING HOURS

Whimple

Monday 24th December - NORMAL OPENING HOURS
Wednesday 26th December - CLOSED
Thursday 27th December - NORMAL OPENING HOURS
Friday 28th December - NORMAL OPENING HOURS

Monday 31st December - NORMAL OPENING HOURS
Wednesday 2nd January - NORMAL OPENING HOURS

Newton Poppleford

Monday 24th December - CLOSED
Friday 28th December - NORMAL OPENING HOURS

Monday 31st December - NORMAL OPENING HOURS
Friday 4th January - NORMAL OPENING HOURS

Monday, December 17, 2012

On Wednesday 19th December, the Surgery will be closed between 1pm and 2pm for staff training.


In an EMERGENCY please dial 999
If you have an URGENT problem please ring: 01404 814447
And your call will be transferred to Devon Doctors on Call
For Medical Advice please ring: 0845 46 47

Right Care, Right Place at the Right Time


Monday, December 3, 2012

On Tuesday 11th December the Surgery will be closed between 12:30pm and 4pm for Staff Training.

In an EMERGENCY please dial 999
If you have an URGENT problem please ring: 01404 814447
And your call will be transferred to Devon Doctors on Call
For Medical Advice please ring: 0845 46 47

Thursday, November 22, 2012

New doctors starting!

We are delighted to announce that as of the 3rd December we are being joined by three new doctors!

They are Dr Vanstone (who will work alongside Dr Kerr when he is not here). Drs Bailey and Russell will work together to replace Dr Waterfall.



Monday, October 1, 2012

Anne Maher

On the 29th August 2012 we said goodbye to Anne Maher who retired after 30 years of service. Anne joined the practice in 1982 and in 1989 was appointed Practice Manager. During 21 years as our Practice Manager, Anne managed the many changes to patient services, staff, doctors and premises until in 2010 she retired from her role to take up a new part time role as Business Development/Project Manager. We would like to thank Anne for her longstanding commitment to the practice and our patients an we wish her a long and happy retirement.

Saturday, September 22, 2012

Seasonal Flu

Please make an appointment for a flu injection now if you:
  • Are over 65 years old
  • Live in a residential or nursing home
Or if you suffer from the following conditions:
  • Chronic respiratory disease
  • Asthma
  • Suppression of your immune system (eg Splenectomy, Chemotherapy)
  • Chronic heart disease
  • Chronic renal failure
  • Diabetes mellitus
  • Stroke
  • Multiple Sclerosis or Central Nervous System Degeneration
Or are:
  • A registered carer
  • Pregnant
Please telephone 01404 814447 after 10am or book online using SystmOnline.

Dr Tom Waterfall

I am very sorry to announce that I will be leaving the Coleridge Medical Centre at the end of the year. I have been offered a partnership in Moretonhampstead and have decided to take on the challenges of working in a small rural GP practice on Dartmoor. I have had a wonderful time in Ottery and will miss both the staff at the medical centre and the patients who I have got to know over the last 6 months.

The partners are currently recruiting another GP to take over when I leave and provide an excellent service for all our patients.

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

News From the Doctors - Dr Sophie Barrow

A GP registrar is a qualified, registered doctor who undertakes additional training to be able to specialise in general practice. Dr Barrow, our GP registrar will complete her training with us shortly and be leaving to embark on her career as a GP. We wish her well and hope she will come back to visit us from time to time. We will soon be welcoming a new GP registrar, Dr Andrew Senior.

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Talking to Receptionists about a Problem

You are not under any obligation to tell the receptionist what your problem is. However they are bound by the same rules of confidentiality as the doctors and nurses and from time to time they may ask you some questions in confidence. Knowing a little about the nature of your problem allows them to offer you the most suitable service available.

The Acute Same Day Service

Background
The Coleridge Medical Centre looks after the health and well being of almost 16,500 patients over a very wide and rural geographical area, known to have a high count of residents with long term and often complex health conditions.

Offering a consistent and high quality NHS service to that many people can be quite a challenge. Until recently patients with an urgent problem were seen at the end of GP's routine surgery. When you consider that up to ninety patients a day ask to be seen urgently there was often difficulty fitting these patients in to be seen. We also became concerned that waiting until the end of the day could delay treatment.

As a result of the ever increasing demand for same day appointments and a scramble at 08:30am to get an evening slot, we decided to adopt a new approach. The main benefit is that regardless of when you ring, you will always be able to talk to one of the On Call team; either a GP or a Nurse Practitioner. (If needed) they will always see you that day or at an agreed date in the future. This means faster access to care when it is needed most.

We call this new service the Acute Same Day Service.
So how does it work?
Every day a GP and up to two Nurse Practitioners answer all urgent requests for help. They will talk to you on the phone and, if needed, see you as soon as necessary.
If you are suddenly unwell we encourage you to use this service rather than wait to talk to your own GP who may be delayed calling you back.

So what do I do?
You call us on the usual number (01404 814447). A receptionist will answer your call and take a number we can reach you on. Please give her some brief details of your problem if you feel able to do so - this will help the On Call medical team enormously.

One of the team will then call you back. They will either help you over the phone and/or arrange for you to be seen.

You can call at any time. There is no longer any need to call first thing in the morning in order to be seen.

What is a nurse practitioner?
We have two highly skilled Nurse Practitioners, Christine Hellier and Phillipa Evans. Both Chris and Philly have many years nursing experience and degree qualifications to enable them to work as Nurse Practitioners who can independantly prescribe medication.
What do Nurse Practitioners do?
- See patients with a wide variety of problems
- Assess patients
- Examine patients
- Screen patients for early signs of illness as well as treat them
- Prescribe some medications
- Arrange necessary investigations
- Refer on to doctors or other services
- Arrange for a patient to be admitted to hospital

We recognise that this is a big change from the traditional GP service that many of you know and have valued over the years. We are very much committed to personal lists and will continue to provide routine appointments with your own doctor. However we are confident that our on the day team are highly skilled and experienced to be able to deal with urgent acute problems for you.

News from the Doctors - Dr Kate Gurney

Dr Gurney is delighted to have been offered a role as a 'Games Maker' volunteer for the Paralympics in late Ausgust. She will be working as a GP in the Sailing Village at Portland and Weymouth  looking after the athletes and their 'Olympic Family' for the 2 week duration of the Paralympics competition. It will be a very exciting opportunity and she has already been on some training days to understand how the medical services will operate during the Games period. However she awaits her new Games Maker uniform with some trepidation!

News from the Doctors - Dr Jean Brown

A message from Dr Jean Brown, following her recent retirement.
"It has been a privilege to work at the Coleridge Medical Centre for 28 years and be part of the life of the community with all its joys and sorrows. Thanks to those people who have sent such kind messages, and best wishes to all."

Patient Participation Group

Overview
A patient participation group was established in this Practice in December 2011 and meets periodically to consider the range and quality of services provided by the Practice.
The group met for the first time last December. We started by considering and agreeing the format for the next patient survey, and the additional questions we wanted to include. We met again in February 2012 to review the survey results and agree an action plan. We plan to meet at least quarterly ongoing to review progress generally and consider other shared areas of interest.

Aims of the Group
To maintain a small patient group of eight to ten members, who will meet periodically to consider the range and quality of services provided by the Practice. The outcome of the meetings and shared views will be displayed in the surgery, on the website and in the Practice newsletter.

Agreed areas of priority
Patient group members will be invited to engage periodically with practice representatives, to discuss and agree practice priorities, as well as help identify areas of focus for practice surveys, using the following headings; Patients' priorities and issues, Practice priorities and issues, planned practice changes.

Group membership
Our aim is to keep the group relatively small (ideally 8-10 members but no more than 12 maximum). We try to select patients who represent specific groups of patients in terms of their experience of the care and service that is offered by the Practice and the clinical staff e.g. Children and young people, families, the working population, elderly patients, ethnic minorities, patients with a long term medical condition or physical or mental disability, Carers etc. Young people are ably represented by two students from the local secondary school.

Links to other groups
Ottery St Mary Hospital League of Friends, Ottery St Mary Locality Health Team, Primary Care Health Team, Practice Partnership, Local Links, Health Watch, Health & Well being Boards, Devon Carers Centre.

How to contact the group
Members can be contacted individually or collectively via the Practice. We can forward messages to group members on your behalf. General issues can be addressed directly to the Practice by telephone - 01404 814447 or email coleridgemedicalcentre.co.uk

Joining the Group
If you are interested in becoming a member of our Patient Group, we would be pleased to hear from you, as we maintain a waiting list of interested patients.
Please contact Sue Stokess, Practice Manager on 01404 814447 or speak to any of the GP's.

Relevant Documents
Documents relating to Patient Participation can be found on the Practice website by clicking on the following links:
- Patient group ground rules/terms of reference
- Patient survey results - IPQ in Practice Questionnaire
- Patient survey results - Practice questions
- Annual report and action plan

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

EPS Electronic prescription service is now available in this Practice

What does this mean for me?

Your Doctor now has the ability to apply an electronic signature to a prescription instead of a handwritten signature, making it the legal entity against which medication can be dispensed. This will then be sent electronically to your chosen pharmacy or dispenser. You will need to nominate the place where you wish to collect your medication, which could be a pharmacy near to where you live, work or shop. Patients can go straight to the pharmacy of their choice to pick up their medication, without having to visit the practice or send in an SAE.


How do I nominate my choice of pharmacy?
By making a request to your pharmacy or the Receptionist or GP at the surgery. Patients can request for their nomination to be set, changed or removed at any time

What will we achieve from this?
Greater efficiency, safer working


Is this service right for you?
Yes if you have a stable condition and you:


• Don’t want to go to your GP Practice every time to collect your repeat prescription.


• Collect your medicines from the same place most of the time.


• Use a prescription collection service now.


Ask any pharmacy or dispensing appliance contractor that offers EPS or your GP Practice to add your nomination for you.


Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Carers Week

18th - 22nd June 2012

If you are a carer and need support please telephone 0845 434 435 for Devon Carers.

Thursday, May 31, 2012

A notice from Dr Kerr

Simon Kerr writes:...."Many apologies to those of you who are currently unable to see me in Ottery St Mary & particularly in Newton Poppleford. Subject to the passing of the Heath & Social Care Bill through the House of Lords earlier this year I have been helping to ensure the highest of clinical standards are provided to our patients locally here in Devon. I am spending time with NHS Devon staff & have taken lead roles in the services for Carers, addtional primary care support in A+E & the acute admissions unit in Exeter. I am engaging and co-ordinating regular joint working in the seven Eastern Devon GP practices & been integral to the construction of the N.E.W Devon clinical commissioning group. We have held public meetings in Honiton & Ottery St Mary to engage with local opinion & plan a third event in the Guildhall in Axminster in June.

The coalition's buzz-phrase "no decision about me without me" is about local clinicians steering healthcare in the direction to meet the identifed needs of their local populations. Inevitably this process will lead to some of us having less face to face time with patients overall but these changes have already led to services closer to patients here of which there are now many examples .

I am confident Dr Peter Milner who is currently locuming for me for three sessions/week will provide an excellent alternatve in Newton Poppleford over the forthcoming months, many thanks for your understanding"

The surgery will not be affected by the national Doctor's strike

You may have heard on the news that the BMA has asked all doctors to go on strike on the 21st June.

We would like to reassure all our patients that the surgery will be unaffected by this. All care, both routine and urgent, will continue as usual.


Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Coleridge Bank Hoiday opening hours -

Ottery St Mary

Friday 1st June - OPEN
Monday 4th June - CLOSED
Tuesday 5th June - CLOSED
Wednesday 6th June - OPEN

Newton Poppleford

Friday 1st June - OPEN
Wednesday 6th June - OPEN
Friday 8th June - OPEN

Whimple

Friday 1st June - OPEN
Monday 4th June - CLOSED
Wednesday 6th June - OPEN
Friday 8th June - OPEN

Monday, May 21, 2012

Coleridge Medical Centre is One Step Ahead!!

Here at the Coleridge Medical Centre, we are one step ahead with regards to online appointment booking and repeat prescription ordering!

 
If you haven't already signed up to the ColeridgeOnline service, bring a form of photo ID to Reception and a Receptionist will issue you with a username and password.
 
ColeridgeOnline allows you to book appointments with your GP and order your repeat medication.
It is quick and convenient!

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Bank Holiday

A Bank Holiday is fast approaching!

We will be closed on Monday 7th May 2012 and will re-open on Tuesday 8th May 2012.



*Please ensure you have ordered your repeat medication*

Monday, April 23, 2012

Whimple Branch Surgery Update

From April 2012, Whimple branch surgery will be open on Monday afternoons and alternate Thursday mornings. On Monday afternoons patients will be able to book appointments with Dr Dilley and Dr Barrow and with Dr Cox on alternate Thursday mornings.

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Online Booking

Patients who have signed up to our online services (ColeridgeOnline) are now able to view, book and cancel GP appointments. If you would like further information about how to sign up please visit our web site at http://www.coleridgemedicalcentre.co.uk/ Did you know you can also sign up for text message appointment reminders and online ordering for repeat prescriptions? We are holding our next 'line up and sign up' event, during the morning on Tuesday 17th April. Drop in to reception with a recognised form of ID and we will be able to give you your own log in for these services.

Nurse Practitioners

From April 2012 we hope to have two Nurse Practitioners working together every morning to assist the on call GP with requests for urgent appointments.




A Nurse Practitioner is a registered Nurse who has completed specific advanced nursing education (generally a Master's degree) and training in the diagnosis and management of common medical conditions. Our Nurse Practitioners are qualified to prescribe some medicines without referral to a GP.

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Partnership Changes

Dr Jean Brown
On the 29th March 2012 Dr Jean Brown retired from the Coleridge Medical Centre. Dr Brown was the first female doctor to join the practice in 1984. We are all very sad to see her go and wish her a long and happy retirement. If you would like to write your own message to Dr Brown, a book is available on our reception desk. We hope that Dr Brown's patients will continue their care with Dr Tom Waterfall.

Dr Tom Waterfall
Welcome to Dr Tom Waterfall who joined the Partnership on the 2nd April 2012. Dr Waterfall qualified from Imperial College in 2005 and has worked in Exeter and Torbay hospitals before completing his GP training in Chagford. He has a number of hobbies and interests including tennis, squash, wild swimming, rock climbing and the environment. He is married to a GP who works in Exeter and has a young daughter. He is looking forward to getting to know all of his patients and hopes to be able to live up to their expectations!



GP LOCUMS


Dr Sally Caswell

We are very sad to announce that Dr Sally Caswell left the practice on 30th march 2012. Dr Caswell has been working as a GP locum since June 2010 and more recently has taken on Dr Sigger's patient list. Dr Caswell's patients will continue their care with Dr Waterfall. We would like to thank Dr Caswell for the care she has provided for patients and we wish her all the very best for the future.

Dr Peter Milmer
We are very pleased to have Dr Peter Milmer working with us, looking after Dr Kerr's patients on Tuesday mornings and all day on Wednesdays. Dr Kerr's time out of the practice is due to his role as Chair of the Wakley Locality Commissioning Group and lead GP for Carers in Devon.

Monday, March 19, 2012

Typhoid Vaccine

We now have the Typhoid vaccine in stock. For more information or to book an appointment please call us on 01404 814447.

Friday, March 16, 2012

Health Alert




We have received an alert regarding the sale of the following bracelets that have been on sale at The Eden Project in Cornwall and another 36 retailers across the UK; urging customers to return the red and black bracelets made from the Jequirity bean, the deadly seed of the plant abrus precatorious. It contains the toxin abrin, a controlled substance under the Terrorism Act that if swallowed can kill in doses of just 3 micrograms.
Abrin is chemically similar to ricin, a chemical warfare agent. People who have bought the bracelets are being urged to bag them and then wash their hands and avoid touching their eyes. The Eden Project alone sold 2,800 bracelets over a year.



Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Dr Brown Retirement

After 28 years with the practice, sadly Dr Brown will be retiring at the end of March.

If you would like to write a farewell message to Dr Brown, please ask at Reception as we have a 'Farewell Book' available for patients.

A new partner has been appointed, Dr Tom Waterfall who will take over Dr Brown's patient list.

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Research at Coleridge

Many of you may not be aware that Coleridge is a memeber of the local NHS Primary Care Research Network. In Medicine we are constantly striving to find the most effective treatments for common conditions and reserach is a key factor which helps to provide this knowledge. As a practice we take great care to select studies which we feel will benefit our patients and help provide knowledge which will help us treat our patients better. We feel it is a great opportunity for you as patients to take part in studies which directly benefit you and improve treatment in primary care. From time to time you may be invited to take part in one of theses studies. there is no obligation to take part and if you decline it will not affect your treatment in any way.
We have just finished taking part in DUTY study which is aiming to find out if feverish children could be suffering from unsuspected urinary infections. We had lots of positive feedback from parents who participated in this study. We will soon be participating in a study to look at how best to treat cough in adults and children.

We will be keeping our website updated with the results of previous studies and up and coming studies so we'll keep you posted!
Lisa Gibbons GP lead for reserach

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

New service for Carers starting in March 2012

Carers support worker available at the Coleridge Medical

A Community Support worker from the Virtual Carers centre will be available at the Practice on a regular drop-in basis, to offer advice and guidance to patients who provide a Caring role.
This new service will compliment our existing services for Carers provided by the Nurses in our Carers team.
The drop-in sessions will be run on the first Tuesday and third Wednesday of each month, from 10-11am, starting on Tuesday 6th March, you will not need an appointment.

Virtual Carers Centre a Carers notice board has been provided by the Virtual Carers Centre for the waiting room. It is updated regularly and contains contact numbers and information for patients about further help and support available for Carers.

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Thank you to the friends and family of Mrs Shapter for their kind donation

We would like the thank the friends and family of the late Mrs Dorothy Shapter for their kindness and generosity.

Their collection at her funeral has allowed us to buy a cohort of automated blood pressure machines.

In line with the latest medical research and guidance, we will be using these to enable us to get accurate home blood pressure readings on our patients before making a final diagnosis of high blood pressure.



Wednesday, February 15, 2012

NHS Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Screening Programme

Are you male and 65 or over?

If so, you can have a quick, free and simple scan to see if you have an Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA)


What is an Aortic Abdominal Aneurysm?
The aorta is the main blood vessel that supplies blood to your body. It runs from your heart down through your chest and abdomen. In some people, as they get older, the wall of the aorta in the abdomen can become weak. It can then start to expand and from what is called an aortic abdominal aneurysm.


The following are not screened; Men who have already had aortic surgery (although aortic valve surgery is fine) & men who have a severe medical condition contra-indicating surgery.

The chance of having an abdominal aortic aneurysm can also increase if:



  • You smoke

  • You have high blood pressure

  • You have a sibling or parent who has, or has had, an abdominal aortic anuerysm.

It is estimated that around 1 in 25 men aged between 65 and 74 in England have an abdominal aortic anuerysm. This is about 4% of men in the age group.


Contact the South Devon & Exeter AAA Screening Programme on 01803 655441 or visit aaa.screening.nhs.uk for more information.

Monday, February 6, 2012

Line Up & Sign Up

If you would like to register for SystmOnline to be able to book Doctors appointments online, come and see Teressa at the Front Desk on Tuesday 7th February 9am - 12pm.


A form of Photo ID will be required to register

Friday, February 3, 2012

Tuesday Injection Clinics

Unfortunately Tuesday injection clinics are suspended until further notice, due to the shortage of the Pneumovax injection.

Typhoid Shortage

Due to an International shortage of the Typhoid vaccine, no vaccine is available at present.
Limited supplies are due to be available towards the end of February 2012.
We will update the sites as more information becomes available.

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Doctors Appointments Online

It is now possible to book Doctors Appointments Online.

In addition to being able to request your medication online we are delighted to announce that from Monday 6th February you will also be able to book routine appointments to see any GP.

If you have not already signed up for online access then please come to the front desk at any time to do so (form of ID required). For more information on how to register, contact one of our Reception Team.

We are very excited to be introducing this, we hope you will be too.

The following appointments can not be booked using SystmOnline:
- Smears
- Coil Fit/Removals
- Implant Fit/Removal
- Medicals i.e. HGV/Taxi/Adoption etc

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Carers Health and Well Being Checks

If you are a Carer then we can probably offer you additional help and support by arranging for you to have a Carers health check with one of our especially trained nurses. If you have not previously had a Carers check then please let us know by informing either a receptionist, nurse or your Doctor so that we can arrange to contact you to explain the process and if you wish, arrange an appointment.

Definition of a Carer - If you provide help and support without payment, to your partner, a child, relative, friend or neighbour, who could not manage without your help you are a Carer.

Since November 2011 we have been able to offer Carers a new style of health and well being check.

At the end of December 2011 we identified 275 Patients who are Carers according to our records. We are confident that there must be many more, and we need your help now to identify them.

All Carers who have not previously had a Carers health and well being check can be offered an appointment with one of our especially trained nurse. Once they have received this check, they will be offered a further review appointment in six months time.

Please follow this link to our website for more information about services to Carers - http://www.coleridgemedicalcentre.co.uk/carers.html