Marylebone Health Centre

Marylebone Health Centre

Practice News Update September 2014 Issue no10

Producedjointly by the Patient Partnership Group (PPG) and the Practice Team of the Marylebone Health Centre (MHC) www.marylebonehealthcentre.co.uk

From Jacqueline Glasser
Chair, Patient Partnership Group
With the unseasonal last few weeks I am reminded that winter is not that far off and we should start to think about how best to protect ourselves from the usual coughs and colds etc, and generally feeling down which can affect both young and old.
Eating well is essential: ensuring that you eat regularly, have your five potions of fruit and vegetables a day and if you can't get out in bad weather stocking up in advance with tinned soups, dried food goods, sweet dried fruits such as dates or raisins.
Keep warm by seeing that your living room is between 18-21 C (64-70F) and the rest of your home at a minimum of 16C (61F). Cold weather can lead to serious health problems such at heart attacks, strokes, pneumonia. Keep active and move around at least once an hour. When you go.out wrap up well and when it's really cold wear a hat as you can lose a lot of body heat through the head.
Depression can be exacerbated at this time, particularly Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). If that is affecting you, try to get out in the middle of the day and do some activity. There are lamps you can buy that simulate daylight which can be helpful. If you are over 65 and feel lonely or isolated, Age Concern (020 3004 5610) operate the Befriending Scheme where you are put in touch with a volunteer who shares similar interests and be suitable to answer any specific needs, such as going shopping, going for walks, attending medical appointments. It has been proved the scheme has a positive impact on a person's health, both physically and emotionally. /
Ask the Experts Event - DEMENTIA
Monday 6th October 2014 5-7pm
Crypt Hall, St Marylebone Parish Church
A discussion on Dementia and what this means for sufferers and their family and carers. How to identify and diagnose the condition, medication and support. There will be representatives from local Dementia in the Community services, GPs, Geriatric Nurses, Consultants, Social Services and a carer of a patient with Dementia. Each expert will give a brief presentation about their service which will be followed by a question and answer session. This session is shared work with colleagues at the Cavendish Health Centre.
The next Event will be Osteoporosis/Keeping Well/Avoiding Falls.
Please let us know if there are other specific health related subjects on which you would like the PPG to organise a forum by emailing -we
PPG MEETING DATES 2014: 29th September, 10th November, 22nd December
Meetings are held in the Crypt Hall from 6-8pm .All patients are welcome
Central London Clinical Commissioning Group(CLCCG)
Information regarding the local commissioning group can be found on their website www.centrallondonccg.nhs.uk
Important CCG dates:
Please refer to their website which will be updated shortly with dates for your diary.
To enhance the work we are doing to support patients and the local community who have or who are affected by Dementia, the Parish Team are holding the next monthly meeting of their Memory Cafe at St Marylebone Parish Church on Tuesday 16th September from 2.30-4.00. This is an opportunity to meet other sufferers and their families/carers and to receive practical advice and support. To find out more about this meeting contact: Rev.Edward Thornley
0207 935 7315.
The Out of Hours service offered to our patients is managed by London Central & West, Unscheduled Care Collaborative (LCW) who are based at St. Charles Hospital. LCW also manage the local 111 service. When we are closed patients should callthe surgerynumber (0207 935 6328) and you will be redirected to the Out of Hours service automatically.
Patients can also call 111 which you should use for non emergency situations as opposed to using A&E. A&E should only be used in case of an accident or an emergency.
Monday to Friday, with any urgent matter or where a patient needs to speak to a doctor the same day, you can phone between 9.00 - 10.30am and you will be able to speak to the Duty Doctor, who is there each day, who will be able to advise you and arrange for you to be seen at the Practice the same day if clinically indicated.

Cancellations: Please cancel any appointments you are unable to attend, whether at the Practice or a hospital, in order that we can use the slot for someone else. Remember: we reserve the right to remove you from the Practice if you miss two appointments in a row without notice.

New Stop Smoking Clinicat Marylebone Health Centre
If you are a smoker and would like to stop smoking you can receive help here at the new Stop Smoking Service at the MHC.You can make an appointment through the receptionist or alternatively ask your doctor or nurse to refer you.
The clinic runs every Thursday from 4.30pm to 7pm and it involves 6 sessions. The first session will last 30 minutes, and subsequent ones 15 minutes.
You will be seen by a Stop Smoking Advisor who will provide you with personalised treatment involving medication and psychological support.
The medication, although optional, has been shown to be very effective in helping people deal with the nicotine cravings. In the first session, you will be able to discuss the different types of medication available and identify which is the most appropriate for you.
In addition, the Stop Smoking Advisor will help you to identify tools and techniques to cope with the psychological and behavioural components of smoking. You will be receiving support through the most difficult period of quitting your smoking habit. In fact, research has shown that people who get this type of pharmacological and psychological support are 4 times more likely to stop smoking than when trying to give up by themselves.
So if you are a smoker and don’t want to remain a smoker for the rest of your life, this is your opportunity to do something about it. Make an appointment at the reception and take the first step towards being smoke free!
Book Appointments on line(service available again from end of September 2014)
Thank you for bearing with us while we changed our IT systems from Vision to Systmone.
The Systmone on line booking/cancelling appointments service will shortly be available. If you wish to be registered for this service please visit our website or speak to Reception. You will require an email address for each person in your household.*We are sorry but the details which we held for you on Vision are not transferable, so we do have to ask you to repeat the process.
Many patients have changed email addresses from the original ones we have been given, so this is an ideal opportunity for us to update your current information and you can also receive emails from PPG if you wish to about new services. Just let us know. Once registered you will then be able to book or cancel your GP appointments online.
Prescriptions: to order repeat prescriptions on line please visit our website and register for on line repeat prescription requests. www.marylebonehealthcentre.com
Wellwatch(WW) is a service that aims to keep patients with long term health needs in Westminster area well for longer and help them avoid the need for hospital care. The patients are supported via face to face contact with one of our Health and Social Care Coordinators in the GP practices or over the phone.
Wellwatch supports patients who have one or morelong-term conditions. WW cannot see people under 18 years’ old, pregnant patients, those with active mental health psychosis or disease (so past or stable mental health problems are notexcluded), patients undergoing treatment for cancer, those on the End of Life Care register.
The Wellwatch team, made up ofGPs,a senior nurse,a health and social care coordinator and anadministrator, will offerpeople healthcare assistanceand direct them to community and voluntary care services that they might benefit from.
If you would like more information about Wellwatch,please contact one of the team on 0333 240 0586 between 9-5pm Monday – Friday, or email us
Staff changes;
Bradley’s Receptionist apprenticeship placement ended at the end of August 2014. We welcome Yakup Seyer, as our new apprentice Receptionist. Yakup started in May 2014 to ensure his training was underway before Bradley left us.
Jolanta Dastikaite is the new evening Receptionist who started working with us from 24th June 2014.
Nurse Kelly Hunt has now returned to us after her maternity leave and we said goodbye to Nurse Mille Borup, who covered the period of time that Nurse Kelly was away. Mille does come back from time to time.
Jeremy San Augustin the Health Care Assistant is now back at the Health Centre since her period of extended leave.
Dr Brigid McGaw, Registrar, and Dr Alice Hare, F2, are our new doctors post qualification on rotation at the Practice.
Please extended a warm welcome to all our new staff.

Named GP for patients aged 75 and over
You may be aware that from April 2014 all practices are required to provide patients aged 75 and over with a named GP who will have overall responsibility for the care and support they receive from us.
We have started to write to patients in this age group with the name of their ‘named GP’. Where a patient sees a particular GP regularly we have tried to allocate them to that doctor.
The named GPs will continue, as we do now, to work with other relevant health and care professionals, who are involved in providing care, to ensure that each care package meets individual needs.
If you have any questions, or wish to discuss this further with us, please contact us on 0207 935 6328 and speak to Gill, Saiqa or Jeanette. /
Access to Nurses by Telephone
Did you know that Mondays to Thursdays (not Friday) you can contact the Practice between 12 and 12.30pm and speak to a Practice Nurse.
The Nurse can give you advice on a range of health related topics from Travel Health, Contraception, Information about breast and cervical screening, provide you with your results of recent tests and discuss a range of other issues.
Please ask at Reception for further information.
Get your free Influenza (‘flu) Vaccination-The ‘flu is a highly infectious illness that spreads rapidly through the coughs and sneezes of people who are carrying the virus. It remains a major cause of illness especially in the elderly and those with chronic diseases. Immunisation has shown to reduce the risk of contracting the flu and the possible complications of such as pneumonia.
As part of the National Flu programme the vaccine is offered free to a number of groups. These include those aged 65 and over, pregnant women, children aged two to four, carers and those with chronic diseases such as diabetes, lung, heart, liver or neurological disease and immunosuppressed patients.
If you are entitled to a free vaccine you will have received an invitation letter from the Practice. Please make sure you attend for your jab to ensure you are protected for as long as possible.
The walk flu in clinics will be held
8.15am-11.30am & 2pm-4.30pm on 23rd and 30th September
8.15am-11.30am & 2pm-4.30pm on 1st and 2nd October
7.15am-11.30am & 2-4.30pm on 24th and 26th September 2014.
From the 6th October there will be a range of appointment only flu clinics so please attend early to ensure you receive your vaccine.
Please look out for posters, on the Practice website or speak to Reception for more information.

If you don’t want to have a flu jab or have your jab privately or elsewhere please let us know
Complementary Therapy Services at Marylebone
As you know when Professor Pietroni established the NHS GP service at the Marylebone Health Centre his vision was to have GPs and Nurses providing traditional medicine whilst working alongside practioners of complementary treatments and medicines. This integrated and holistic approach to care is still embedded within the practice today.
Marylebone Health Centre Only Services We have Chrissie Melhuish providing Massage Therapy on a Wednesday. Peter Finegan offering Osteopathy clinics on a Tuesday morning, and Euan MaClennan holding herbal medicine clinics on Mondays and Fridays.
These clinics are funded by the Partners and are for the sole use of those patients registered with us.
These services are very much appreciated by the clinical team and patients at the Health Centre and we are pleased that we are able to continue to offer these services free of charge to our patients.
Additional CT services-Additionally we had, with Cavendish Health Centre, hosted services, (acupuncture and additional massage and osteopathy) for patients across the Westminster locality which was funded by the local NHS commissioning body. These services were open to any patient who was referred by their GP to us and included patients registered with us. NHS Central London Clinical Commissioning Group have now withdrawn the funding for these additional services and we are sorry to inform you that these services will no longer be available from 1/9/201,4.
Patients not registered with Marylebone Health Centreealth CentreH should speak to their own GP about alternative services available to them.
Patients registered with MHC should speak to a GP about
making an appointment to see one of our practioners when necessary

Emma Playford Patient Participation Group (PPG) Development Officer for Westminster’s Clinical Commissioning Group gives us an insight into the importance of PPGs.
What is a Patient Participation Group? A group of patients and practice staff who meet at regular intervals to discuss ways of making a positive contribution to the services and facilities offered by their GP Surgery.