The Future of General Practice

Did you know:-

• waiting times to see a GP or practice nurse are soaring
• Funding for general practice is plummeting
• Up to 100 practices in the UK - serving 700,000 patients face closure

You may also be aware that there is an acute shortage of doctors coming into GP training and a significant lack of local GPs able to cover as locums when our own doctors are on holiday, off sick etc.  

Dont let this be the future of general practice.  Join the campaign today by signing the petition at

www.putpatientsfirst.rcgp.org.uk
or sign the RCGP petition at our reception desk

you can also write to your local MP to share your concerns.

As our local LMC representative, Dr Gurney recently attending the national LMC conference held in York. The conference is an opportunity for representatives to create policy for future General Practitioners Committee (GPC) and  British Medical Association (BMA) action fro the following year.   Please follow this link to the BMA web site to watch GPC Chair Dr Chaand Nagpaul's keynote speech and webcasts of the two day conference in full.

National Carers Week

We are supporting carers and offer health and well being checks.  If you are a carer please contact us to book your appointment.  If you need support to attend a health and well being check or any advice concerning carers and your caring role please contact Devon Carers

Devon Carers is an information, support and short breaks service run by eight organisations working together to improve the quality of services for all carers in Devon; give us a call to find out how we can support you.  

Helpline (open Mon-Friday 8am to 6pm and Sat mornings 9am to 1pm)

  08456 434 435

 Benefits to carers include:

contact with someone to give you advice and support;

access to Flexible Breaks Grants for help towards a holiday, hobby
or leisure activity;

access to the Take a Break sitting service, providing subsidised short
breaks to give you time off from caring;

a Carer Alert Card to ensure the person you care for gets help if
something unexpected happens to you

a regular newsletter with information about events in your area. 

When we are closed over the end of May bank holiday

As the bank holiday approaches it is worth thinking about what you would do if you or a member of your family became unwell over the holiday period.  We recommend that you:-

• stock up on over the counter medicines.  Your pharmacist can also give you advice on treatments and products available.
• check you have enough prescription medicine to see you through the holidays and if you are going away pack enough for at least the duration of your holiday. 

If you need medical assistance when we are closed you can:

• phone the  NHS 111 service for medical advice by dialling 111.
• pop in to your local pharmacy for advice and over the counter medication.
• If your problem is urgent phone the NHS 111 service by dialling 111. To avoid putting undue pressure on this service, please only phone  if your problem cannot wait until we reopen.
• phone 999 immediately in the event of a life threatening, medical emergency.

Please avoid using emergency/urgent services and hospital A&E departments for routine problems or for problems that can wait until we reopen.

We are closed on Monday 26th May 2014 . Otherwise we are open as usual.

Staff training

The surgery will be closed between 1pm and 2pm on Tuesday 20th May 2014 for staff training.  We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause

When we are closed over the early May bank holiday

As the bank holiday approaches it is worth thinking about what you would do if you or a member of your family became unwell over the holiday period.  We recommend that you:-

• stock up on over the counter medicines.  Your pharmacist can also give you advice on treatments and products available.
• check you have enough prescription medicine to see you through the holidays and if you are going away pack enough for at least the duration of your holiday. 

If you need medical assistance when we are closed you can:

• phone the  NHS 111 service for medical advice by dialling 111.
• pop in to your local pharmacy for advice and over the counter medication.
• If your problem is urgent phone the NHS 111 service by dialling 111. To avoid putting undue pressure on this service, please only phone  if your problem cannot wait until we reopen.
• phone 999 immediately in the event of a life threatening, medical emergency.

Please avoid using emergency/urgent services and hospital A&E departments for routine problems or for problems that can wait until we reopen.

We are closed on and Monday 5th May 2014 . Otherwise we are open as usual.

Dr Russell and her canoe

Good luck and best wishes to Dr Sarah Russell and her husband who will have a very busy Easter holiday taking part in the Devises to Westminster International Canoe Race.  They are raising funds for  Devon Air Ambulance Trust.     If you would like to show your support and generosity you can do so online at www.justgiving.com/jackandsarahrussell or text JRSR99 £5 to 70070

The Devizes to Westminster International Canoe Race starts in Devizes, Wiltshire and finishing just downstream of Westminster Bridge in central London, opposite the Houses of Parliament. The race has been held annually over the Easter Weekend since 1948.

The race is 125 miles long and has 77 portages. The first 52 miles are along the Kennet and Avon Canal to Reading, the next 55 miles are on the River Thames to Teddington. The final 17 mile section is on the tidal portion of the Thames.

The race is a severe test of skill, physical and mental stamina and planning which produces a memorable sense of achievement for those successfully completing it.  To find out more go to http://www.dwrace.org.uk/index.php

Devon Air Ambulance Trust raises funds to keep two helicopters flying in Devon. Independent of Government funding, operating costs of the service are met by public fundraising/donations. Paramedics provided by South Western Ambulance Services NHS Foundation Trust, supported in part by the Charity.

When we are closed over the Easter bank holidays

As the bank holiday approaches it is worth thinking about what you would do if you or a member of your family became unwell over the holiday period.  We recommend that you:-

• stock up on over the counter medicines.  Your pharmacist can also give you advice on treatments and products available.
• check you have enough prescription medicine to see you through the holidays and if you are going away pack enough for at least the duration of your holiday. 

If you need medical assistance when we are closed you can:

• phone the  NHS 111 service for medical advice by dialling 111.
• pop in to your local pharmacy for advice and over the counter medication.
• If your problem is urgent phone the NHS 111 service by dialling 111. To avoid putting undue pressure on this service, please only phone  if your problem cannot wait until we reopen.
• phone 999 immediately in the event of a life threatening, medical emergency.

Please avoid using emergency/urgent services and hospital A&E departments for routine problems or for problems that can wait until we reopen.

We are closed on Friday 18th April and Monday 21st April 2014 . Otherwise we are open as usual.

Dr Cole and Dr Gibbons

We are very sad to announce that Dr Cole and Dr Gibbons have decided to resign from the practice and will leave in July/August 2014.  We know that this news will come as a shock to some patients, particularly to those who have recently transferred from Dr Long’s list.  We can reassure you that Dr Cole and Dr Gibbons have not taken their decisions lightly and not without much thought and deliberation.  They are leaving to spend more time with their young families with a more flexible commitment to general practice.  We are recruiting for new doctors and will be able to update you on our progress as soon as possible.

You may not be aware that while we are open from 0800 until 1830 our doctors start their day much earlier and finish much later.  This is so that they can complete the administrative work to support their patients’ clinical care (referrals, follow ups, research, phone calls, letters, reviews, meetings) and visit patients at home and in Ottery Hospital.  Our GPs also have other commitments such as training and examining medical students, training GP registrars, research projects and staff support and education.  In addition some of our GPs work on projects outside the practice such as clinical commissioning and prescribing.  They also work collaboratively with other practices and providers including community health teams (nursing, mental health teams, school nurses, health visitors),  secondary care consultants, nursing homes and pharmacists.  As GP Partners they spend time strategically developing their business and monitoring the operation of the services we provide and the back office functions to support these services eg finance, personnel, premises and IT.

Web site maintenance

Our web site will be  taken offline at 22:00 on Friday 4^th April and will be online again by 08:00 on Saturday 5^th April.  During this time you will be unable to access the website.  If you wish to order a prescription or book an on line appointment please to  https://systmonline.tpp-uk.com/Login  We are sorry for any convenience during this down time.

Registration letters from NHS England - please respond if you get one

Message from NHS England

The NHS is carrying out work in Devon, Cornwall and Isles of Scilly to make sure the patient details on GP lists are accurate.  Letters are being sent to some patients, but not all.

If you do receive a letter, please either confirm your details or submit any changes. Changes can be made by returning the form in the prepaid envelope. If the details are correct, you can confirm by freepost, by freephone, via text message or online.

It is important to respond to the letter, as GP lists do get out of date over time. If we don’t have an accurate record of your name and address, then we or a hospital may not be able to contact you with important information.

We may also need to contact you:

·         with test results

·         to invite you for bowel, breast or cervical screening to protect against cancer, for example

·         to offer vaccination against infectious diseases such as flu or measles, mumps and rubella

·         to give you an appointment as part of your plan to stay healthy if you have a long-term illness

Please respond to the letter within four weeks, so the NHS can be certain about your details. Otherwise, the NHS will assume that you have moved away, and begin the process to remove you from the practice list.