Christmas Jumpers

We are joining ITV text santa raising money for  Save the Children, Make-A-Wish UK and Macmillan Cancer Support.  So prepare yourself if you are coming here on 18th December as we will be  wearing our Christmas jumpers.    We hope to at least raise a smile and hopefully some donations.  You can give directly to us or:

Text / SMS Message – You can donate £5 by texting the word SANTA5 to 70760 or donate £10 by texting SANTA10 to 70760.

Online – You can donate using the buttons at http://www.itv.com/textsanta/donate

and following the links.

Telephone – You can call 0300 123 6060 (standard geographical charges may apply) to donate using a credit or debit card.

Last date for online donations is 5pm on the 29th February 2016.

Latest news

Our newsletter has just been published and can be found on our website http://www.coleridgemedicalcentre.co.uk/news.aspx?pr=L83095 

Our news this time includes:
Latest news about the practice team
What to do when we are closed
Feedback from patients
Ottery St Mary Medical Trust Fund
Research
The practice statement on housing developments
Ordering prescriptions

Coleridge Medical Centre Christmas opening hours 2015

Coleridge Medical Centre Christmas opening hours 2015

         Thursday 24^th December                8.00am–1.00pm

                                                    1.00pm-2.00pm CLOSED

                                                    2.00pm-6.30pm

         Friday 25^th December                  – CLOSED

         Monday 28^th December                – CLOSED

         Tuesday 29^th December                – NORMAL HOURS

         Wednesday 30^th December             – NORMAL HOURS

         Thursday 31^st December               – NORMAL HOURS

         Friday 1^st January                      – CLOSED

         Monday 4^th January                    – NORMAL HOURS

In an EMERGENCY please dial 999

If you have an URGENT problem please ring: 

NHS 111 service by dialing 1-1-1

For Medical Advice please ring:

NHS 111 service by dialing 1-1-1

Coleridge Medical Centre would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Coleridge Medical Centre closed 1:00pm - 4:30pm Thursday 3rd December 2015 for staff training

Training Afternoon 

Please note on

Thursday 3rd December 2015

The Coleridge Medical Centre will be closed

between 1:00pm and 4:30pm for staff training.

In an EMERGENCY please dial 999

If you have an URGENT problem please

ring:

NHS 111 service by dialling

1 1 1

For Medical advice please ring:

NHS 111 service by dialling 1 1 1

The surgery will be open as normal from 4:30pm

Staff training Thursday 12 November 2015 1.00pm - 2.00pm

The surgery will be closed between 1pm and 2pm on Thursday 12th November 2015 for staff training.  We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

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.

Dr King

We have a book on reception for patients who would like to write a message to Dr King.

Message from Dr King

“As many of you may know, I was diagnosed with a brain tumour in December 2014 and have been off work since. I am sad to announce my retirement on health grounds from medical practice as from 21^st December 2015.

It has been a privilege for me to serve as a GP in Ottery St Mary for twenty years, and I will miss the patients and staff of the Coleridge Medical Centre, of Ottery St Mary Hospital, and the wider health community.

I would like to thank those people who have sent me letters and cards of support throughout my illness.

Wishing you all, health and happiness for the future.”

Staff training Wednesday 7 October 2015 1.00pm - 2.00pm

The surgery will be closed between 1pm and 2pm on Wednesday 7th October 2015 for staff training.  We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

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.

Had a phone call or visit from someone and they seem to know your medical history?

This advice sheet from NHS England South (SW) has been produced with the kind permission of the National Fraud and Cyber Crime Reporting Centre

Recently in the South West, NHS England South SW have received a number of reports from GP Practices regarding patients who have been “cold called” by representatives of various companies. These callers (both by phone and in person), seem to know the patient’s medical history and sometimes say that this information has been obtained from the GP Practice. No GP Practice will ever divulge your medical history.

If you receive such a call please report it to:
ActionFraud either via the online fraud reporting form or make your report by calling 0300 123 2040.

Who is National Fraud Intelligence Bureau?
The National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) sits alongside Action Fraud within the City of London Police which is the national policing lead for fraud.

Protect yourself from Fraud
Although fraud comes in many forms, there are some simple steps you can take to protect yourself from the crime.

1. Do not give any personal information (name, address, bank details, email or phone number) to organisations or people before verifying their credentials.

2. Many frauds start with a phishing email. Remember that banks and financial institutions will not send you an email asking you to click on a link and confirm your bank details. Do not trust such emails, even if they look genuine. You can always call your bank using the phone number on a genuine piece of correspondence, website (typed directly into the address bar) or the phone book to check if you’re not sure.

3. Destroy and preferably shred receipts with your card details on and post with your name and address on. Identity fraudsters don’t need much information in order to be able to clone your identity.
4. Make sure your computer has up-to-date anti-virus software and a firewall installed. Ensure your browser is set to the highest level of security notification and monitoring to prevent malware issues and computer crimes.

5. Sign-up to Verified by Visa or MasterCard Secure Code whenever you are given the option while shopping online. This involves you registering a password with your card company and adds an additional layer of security to online transactions with signed-up retailers.

6. If you receive bills, invoices or receipts for things you haven’t bought, or financial institutions you don’t normally deal with contact you about outstanding debts, take action. Your identity may have been stolen.

7. You should regularly get a copy of your credit file and check it for entries you don’t recognise. Callcredit, Equifax and Experian can all provide your credit file. An identity protection service such as ProtectMyID monitors your Experian credit report and alerts you by email or SMS to potential fraudulent activity. If it's fraud, a dedicated caseworker will help you resolve everything.

8. Be extremely wary of post, phone calls or emails offering you business deals out of the blue. If an offer seems too good to be true, it probably is. Always question it.

9. If you have been a victim of fraud, be aware of fraud recovery fraud. This is when fraudsters pretend to be a lawyer or a law enforcement officer and tell you they can help you recover the money you’ve already lost.

10. If you need advice about fraud, call Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 to discuss your situation with one of our specialist fraud advisers. To report a fraud, you can either use our online fraud reporting form or make your report by calling 0300 123 2040.

CLICK HERE to Report Fraud and Cyber Crime | Action Fraud

Housing Development Proposals - practice statement

We are increasingly asked for our views about the various developments, planning applications and proposals in and around Ottery St Mary.   We are also concerned that there are statements around to say that we are at capacity.  We do appreciate and understand the anxiety building proposals can bring upon the local community who are quite rightly concerned about existing infrastructure and over development of towns and villages.  On that basis, the GP Partners at Coleridge Medical Centre  have put together the following statement :

NHS England invests in practices on a per patient basis, so there is an investment mechanism for coping with increased population.  If a practice reaches ‘capacity’, then NHS England has the responsibility to commission additional capacity.  For example, this might mean additional investment in premises to cover expansion.

Our practice remains open to new patients.  We, like the rest of the NHS, are affected by an increase in workload and by difficulties in recruiting doctors and nurses.  These factors amongst other things have certainly impacted on the traditional ways of working and the access arrangements that patients have been used to.   However, we have developed a system to maintain the safety of our service and ensure that access to our clinicians is prioritised in line with patients’ individual needs and to make best use of our staff skills.  This is not about restricting access to GPs; it is about providing good, safe care to patients using a highly-skilled and dedicated team of clinical professionals. 

Furthermore, we have policies in place to assist in regulating our list size.  Therefore we are not taking part in the voluntary NHS scheme to allow out-of-area patients to register with us and we usually insist that patients leaving our practice area register with a practice closer to their new home.

We are currently in negotiation with Clinton Devon Estates and NHS England to build a new, larger branch surgery for Newton Poppleford.   The branch surgery is the subject of a bid for infrastructure funding which has been endorsed in principle by NHS England and is currently going through a ‘due diligence’ process ahead of final approval.  The intention would be to move from the existing small branch surgery to a new purpose-built one, which would offer increased capacity.

In the mean time, we would also encourage our patients to help us in the following ways:

• Look after your own health and please do use our ‘stop smoking’ service, take advantage of a free NHS health check and, if applicable, a carer’s health and well being check. 
• Please don’t wait for us to contact you.  Instead please do book your flu vaccination and routine checks for chronic and long-term conditions – ask us when your next one is due.
• Please attend your booked appointment at the allotted time and, if you need to, please cancel any unwanted appointments.   Our Nurse Manager recently reported that on the 2^nd September 2015, a total of 80 minutes of practice nurse appointments were lost to patients who did not turn up.   
• Please sign up to and use our online and automated systems, such as text reminders, online appointment booking, online ordering of repeat prescriptions and electronic prescription services.  You can also gain access to a summary of your own medical record.
• Please plan ahead so that you do not run out of your repeat medications and please book in when asked to so that we can review your medication.    If your review is outstanding, we may not be able to continue to prescribe any more medication until we have seen you.
• For advice on health conditions and the availability of local services, you can dial 111 at any time day or night. 

Sue Stokes
Practice Manager