Produced in co-operation with PPG Group
May/June 2017 / Volume 1, Number 9
In This Issue
- Patient Access
- Electronic Prescribing Service
- Patient e-mail communication with the practice
- Important News
- Missed Appointments
- PPG Group looking for new members
- Overseas visitor pilot at London North West Healthcare NHS Trust
- Harrow Stop Smoking Service Closure
- Hay fever is a common allergic condition that affects up to one in five people at some point in their life (article from NHS choices website)
- Practice Clinical Pharmacist and information about the role
- Medication and Annual Reviews
- Where can I get a prescription prepayment certificate (PPC)?
- Patient Access –Repeat prescription requests available
- Parking facilities outside the Surgery
- Vaccinations update
- New Patient Registration
- Has your telephone number or address changed recently?
- Doctor Telephone Consultation Appointments and Telephone Triage Callbacks
- Travel Vaccinations
- Cervical Screening
- Test Results?
- Prescriptions
- Patients on Warfarin Medication
- Family and Friends Test
- Waiting to be seen for your appointment
- Non NHS requests
- Useful numbers
- What to do when your Surgery is closed?
- Health Checksfor Carer’s and Over 75’s
- Are You a Carer?
- Family & Friends Test
Tel: 020 8952 5073
Fax: 020 8905 6658
/ Patient Access
Patient Access is an online service offered by the clinical computer system to allow patients to perform certain tasks online. The system links into the practice clinical system and allows the patient, once they areregistered for the service to Book appointments online, request repeat prescriptions, alter contact details, without having to ring or call into the practice.Visit patient.info/patientaccessfor more details.
Bacon Lane Surgery currently offers the facility for patients:
- to book, view, amend, cancel and print appointments online
- to order online, view and print a list of their repeat prescriptions for drugs, medicines or appliances
- to view online, export or print summary information from their record, relating to medication, allergies, adverse reactions and Immunisations details
Simply bring in photo ID such as a passport or driving license to our reception staff and they will sign you up.
Electronic Prescribing Service (EPS)
- Are you interested in a convenient service for prescription ordering? Do you want to save yourself time in collecting your prescription or medication?
TheElectronic Prescribing system will allow your prescription to go electronically to yourchosen pharmacy(provided your review is up-to-date)
YOU DO NOT NEED TO HAVE A COMPUTER TO TAKE PART!
If you are interested in using the Electronic Prescription Service please speak to your preferred chemist or ask at reception for further details.
Patient e-mail communication with the Practice
Please note,we do not conduct e-mail consultationsat this practiceand thereforeIf you would like to discuss any medical matters please ring the surgery on 0208 952 5073 and speak to a receptionist to book an appointment or put your name on to the triage list to speak to a Doctor.Email is only between patient and administrative staff memberandpurely foradministrative matters. They should not contain any clinical questions or requests which may require further discussion eg for referral - if a patient has a clinical question or wants a referral they should discuss this in a consultation.
We bid you farewell, goodbye & good luck!
We would like to extend a warm welcome to our new Practice Nurse FilomenaDiCaprio.Missed Appointments
March 2017Doctor / 59
Nurse/Nurse Practitioner / 39
HCA / 23
Other–Clinical Pharmacist/Dietician/CMN / 16
Total / 137
This is a gentle reminder, if you cannot keep an appointment, please call to tell us, so it can be offered to another patient who does need to be seen. If you are running very late, it will be at the doctor’s discretion to see you at the end of their surgery session or to request that your appointment is rebooked. Thank you for your understanding.
PPG Group looking for new members ….
Why don’t you join our patient participation group? You can share your views and suggestions with the group. If you are interested Please call Chair David Bateman for details 0208 951 1784Overseas visitor pilot at London North West Healthcare NHS Trust
From Monday 1 May, London North West Healthcare NHS Trust will pilot a new process to better monitor and collect payment from overseas patients who are not eligible for free NHS treatment. This will bring the Trust in line with national NHS guidelines and with how other London NHS Trusts operate.The pilot will apply to maternity and cardiology services initially. All non-emergency patients will be asked to provide two forms of identification (proof of identity and proof of address) when they first present, and to complete, in advance, a pre-attendance form.
We would like to inform all our patients:
· If you have been referred to London North West Healthcare NHS Trust you should bring two forms of identification to your first appointment. This will comprise of proof of identity (their legal status in the UK) and proof of address. Further information including details of the documents which can be used are available on London North West Healthcare NHS Trust website
· Please also complete the pre-attendance form. This can be found on London North West Healthcare NHS Trust website
Please note no patients will be turned away or their treatment delayed if they cannot provide these documents, nor if they are not eligible for free care. Hospital overseas visitors team will work with patients to assess their eligibility, and to support them and discuss payment arrangements if they are not eligible.
London North West Healthcare NHS Trust have written to those patients already booked in for appointments in order to advise them of the process and the information required. This will also be included in future new appointment letters.
Harrow Stop Smoking Service Closure
While across health and social care, we all recommend that smokers give up; the Council is no longer able to offer smokers support or treatment.However, the website offers a few options available to smokers who want to quit:
• Specialist advice from the national Smokefree website; millions have used the Smokefree support to help them stop smoking.
• Download a Smokefree app such as or Smoke-Free by Dave Crane. Both apps are available for Apple and Android devices as are many others.
• Order a Quit Kit
• Signup for email or SMS support
• Call 0300 123 1044 and choose option 2 to speak to an advisor (in office hours)
Hay fever is a common allergic condition that affects up to one in five people at some point in their life.
(article from NHS choices website)Symptoms of hay fever include:
- sneezing
- a runny nose
- itchy eyes
You can have an allergy to:
- tree pollen, released during spring
- grass pollen, released during the end of spring and beginning of summer
- weed pollen, released late autumn
Hay fever treatment
There's currently no cure for hay fever, but most people are able to relieve symptoms with treatment, at least to a certain extent.
The most effective way to control hay fever would be to avoid exposure to pollen. However, it's very difficult to avoid pollen, particularly during the summer months when you want to spend more time outdoors.
Treatment options for hay fever include antihistamines, which can help to prevent an allergic reaction from occurring and corticosteroids (steroids), which help to reduce inflammation and swelling.
Hay fever can often be controlled using over-the-counter medication from your pharmacist. However, if your symptoms are more troublesome it’s worth speaking to your GP, as you may require prescription medication.
For severe and persistent hay fever, there's also a type of treatment called immunotherapy. It involves being exposed to small amounts of pollen over time, to build resistance to its allergic effects. However, this can take many months or even years to work.
Who's affected
Hay fever is one of the most common allergic conditions. It's estimated that there are more than 10 million people with hay fever in England.
You can get hay fever at any age, although it usually begins in childhood or during the teenage years. It's more common in boys than girls. In adults, men and women are equally affected.
You're more likely to develop hay fever if you have a family history of allergies, particularly asthma or eczema.
Self-help tips
It's sometimes possible to prevent the symptoms of hay fever by taking some basic precautions, such as:
- wearing wraparound sunglasses to stop pollen getting in your eyes when you're outdoors
- taking a shower and changing your clothes after being outdoors to remove the pollen on your body
- staying indoors when the pollen count is high (over 50 grains per cubic metre of air)
- applying a small amount of Vaseline (petroleum gel) to the nasal openings to trap pollen grains
Practice Clinical Pharmacistand information about the role
Femeeda our respiratory pharmacist has joined the team as a Clinical Pharmacist. What is a Clinical Pharmacist?Clinical pharmacists are highly qualified health professionals who train for many years to become specialists in medicines and how they work. They can work directly with you, as part of the general practice team, to make sure your medicines help you get better and stay well. Having a clinical pharmacist in the practice team means you can be treated by the best professional for your needs. All pharmacists are registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council.When will I see a clinical Pharmacist?
Clinical Pharmacists can provide expert advice on your medicines. They can help by making sure the medicines you are taking are right for you, reviewing yourmedicines andhelping you with lifestyle changes to help manage your condition. A clinical pharmacist can help with…
Managing long – term conditions
Reducing side effects from medications
Reviewing medicines you’re taking for a long-term conditions
Understanding changes to medicines
Managing common illnesses such as colds, hay fever and diarrhoea
To speak to the clinical pharmacist, please speak to reception.
For more information and case studies, please visit NHS England at or speak to a member of the practice team.
Medication and Annual Reviews
Some patients who have complex medical problems or who are on a lot of different medications are often required to attend the surgery annually to be reviewed by the doctor.This may involve you having some bloods tests done prior to being seen at the practice. You may receive a telephone call, a letter to your home or a reminder message on your prescription form or your Pharmacist might remind you to call the surgery to collect blood test forms or book the appointment. Failure to book a review appointment on time can often result in delays to issuing your medication when you request it after your review date has passed.
The right side of you prescription form will often tell you when your medication review is due by.
Where can I get a prescription prepayment certificate (PPC)?
If you live in England, there are four ways you can buy a prescription prepayment certificate (PPC):- online – complete a PPC (FP95) application form on the NHS Business Services Authority website and pay by debit or credit card
- by phone – call 0300 330 1341, and pay by debit or credit card or set up a monthly direct debit
- by post – pick up an FP95 application form from any GP surgery or pharmacy, or download and print the form (PDF, 6Mb), then send the completed form with your cheque or postal order to the address shown on the form
- at a registered pharmacy – using the FP95 application form; you can pay the pharmacy directly. You can check if your local pharmacist is registered by visiting the NHS Business Authority page;the link is under the title "From a pharmacy registered to sell PPCs"
Patient Access - Repeat Prescription Requests available
We offer simple online repeat prescription requestsat any time of the day, wherever patients are.
Patients choose from a list of eligible repeat items and view progress of repeat request. Please see our Practice website form more details
Parking facilities outside the Surgery
We would like to request that all patients allow sufficient amount of time prior to the appointments in order to use “Pay & Display” parking. The surgery cannot be held responsible for not working machine or for any patients who receive a Penalty Notice as this is administered by the council. At times, there is a shortage of parking and we would ask those patients who can walk to their appointment to do so.Thank you for your understanding in this matter.
Vaccinations update
Men ACWY Vaccine-At what ageshould teenagers andyoung peoplehave the vaccine?The Men ACWY vaccinationprogrammeis being delivered to teenagersand first-time studentsin a carefully planned programme over the next three years. The priority is to vaccinateall teenagersfrom school year 9 onwardsbefore they complete school year 13. There is also a catch-up vaccination programme for first-time students up to the age of 25.
Whooping cough vaccination in pregnancy
Pregnant womencan help protect their babies by getting vaccinated – ideally at 20 weeks, after the foetal scan, up to 32 weeks pregnant.New Patient Registration
The Practice is currently accepting new patients within our catchment area. Please speak to a member of the Reception team regarding the registration process and a suitable time to register.All new patients registering with the practice are required to complete a new patient formgiving details of past medical history, medication etc.We also require all patients to give one proof of identity and one address when they register.
You will need to provide following information and documents:
• NHS Number
• Passport
• 2 Proof of address (utility or council tax bill)
• Name & address of previous GP
• Previous home address
• Place of birth (town & country)
• RED book - Immumisation detailsfor children under16
If you are new to the UK and registering with a GP for the first time, you will be required to provide us with proof of settlement (this is additional to the documents as listed above).
If you do not have your NHS number, an additional form will be given to you for completion prior to registration.
Please note we do not register children under 16 years old without mother/guardian.
Has your telephone number or address changed recently?
Do we have your correct contact details?There may be occasions where we need to contact you urgently to discuss your test results or a referral or send an appointment confirmation and reminder text to your mobile. So it is very important that you please inform us of any changes as soon as possible, by completing a change of details form (available from reception).
Doctor Telephone Consultation Appointments and Telephone Triage Callbacks
Most Telephone Consultations are scheduled for the end of the doctor’s clinic, which is normally between 1-2pm and 6-7pm. However, there may be occasions when the Doctors have free time because another patient has not attended their appointment, so may they may call you in between patients or perhaps before they start their session.The same applies to Triage Callbacks, our doctors do try to call you back around the time you have requested or have been advised you will be called, but sometimes this may not be possible due to emergencies in the practice or other calls taking longer than expected and they may call you earlier or later than scheduled.
We understand you may have stepped out of work to receive a call that didn’t not come when expected and on the rare occasions when this happens, we apologise in advance for any inconvenience caused and the doctor will try to call you back again and leave a message (if possible) if they still did not get to speak to you. If that happens,
Please contact our reception team on 020 8952 5073 - option 1, who will handle your call accordingly.
Travel Advice and Vaccinations
Before you fly away on your exotic summer holiday break… be sure to check with our practice nurse that you are adequately immunised for your trip e.g. yellow fever or typhoid etc. Book an appointment today.Travel consultations are 15 minutes long. It is important to make that appointment with practice nurse as early as possible – at least 6 – 8 weeks before you travel – as a second appointment may be required with the practice nurse. Your second appointment needs to be at least 2 weeks before you travel to allow the vaccines to work. This is why we ask that you book in advance as soon as you know you will be travelling, so that we can accommodate the whole family/ travel party at the same time. As we approach summer time, please understand that appointments will be quickly booked up.
In the unfortunate and rare circumstances when we are fully booked and cannot see you, you may be asked to attend your local Travel Clinic instead, which can be found at some larger Boots and other Supermarket Pharmacies offering a travel advisory service.
You may also search the internet for convenient Travel Clinic locations to you or check with your local chemist for travel advice.
Cervical screening