ALDERGATE MEDICAL PRACTICE
Who should have the flu jab?
Flu is an unpredictable virus that can cause mild orunpleasant illness in most people. It can cause severe illness and even death among vulnerable groups includingolder people, pregnant women and people with an underlying health condition.
Certain people aremore likely todevelop potentially serious complications of flu, such asbronchitisandpneumonia. These peopleare advised to have a flu jab each year.
For otherwise healthy people, flu can be very unpleasant. Most people will recover from flu within a week or two.
People who should have a flu jab
The injectedflu vaccine is offered free of charge on the NHSto people who are at risk. This isto ensure they are protected againstcatching flu and developing serious complications.
You are eligible to receive a freeflujab if you:
- are 65 years of ageor over
- are pregnant
- have certain medical conditions
- arevery overweight
- are living in a long-stay residential care home or other long-stay care facility
- receive acarer's allowance, or you arethe main carer for an elderly or disabled person whose welfare may be at risk if you fall ill
- are afront-line health and social care worker. It is your employer's responsibility to arrange vaccination for you
65s and overand the flu jab
You are eligible for the flu vaccine this year (2016-17)if you are aged 65 and over on March 312017–that is, you were born on or before March 31 1952. So, if you are currently 64 but will be 65 on March 31 2017, you do qualify.
Pregnant women and the flu jab
If you're pregnant, you'readvised tohave the injectableflu vaccine, regardless of the stage of pregnancy you've reached.
That's because there's strongevidence to suggest pregnant women have an increased risk of developing complications if they get flu.
If you're pregnant, you will benefit from the flu vaccine because:
- it reduces your chance of gettingserious complications of flu, such as pneumonia, particularly in the later stages of pregnancy
- it reduces your risk of having amiscarriage, oryour baby being born prematurely or with a low birth weight because of the flu
- it will help protect yourbabyas they will continue to have some immunity to flu forthe first few months oftheir life
It's safe to have the flu vaccine at any stage of pregnancy from conception onwards. The vaccine doesn't carry any risks for you or yourbaby. Talk to your GP, midwife or pharmacistif you want more information.
Read more about theflu jab in pregnancy.
Flujab for people withmedical conditions
The injectedflu vaccine is offered free of charge on the NHS to anyone with a serious long-term health condition. That includes these types ofillnesses:
- chronic (long-term) respiratory diseases, such asasthma(which requires aninhaled or tablet steroid treatment, or has led to hospital admission in the past),chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), orbronchitis
- chronic heart disease, such asheart failure
- chronic kidney disease
- chronic liver disease, such ashepatitis
- chronic neurological conditions, such asParkinson's diseaseormotorneurone disease
- diabetes
- problems with your spleen – for example,sickle celldisease or if you have had your spleen removed
- a weakened immune systemas the result ofconditions such asHIVand AIDS, or medicationsuchassteroid tabletsorchemotherapy
This list of conditions isn't definitive. It's always an issue of clinical judgement.
Your GP can assess you individually to take into accountthe risk of flu exacerbating any underlying illness you may have, as well as your risk of serious illness from flu itself.
The vaccine should always be offered in such cases, even if you are not technically in one of the risk groups above.
If you live with someone who has a weakened immune system, you may also be advised to have a flu vaccine. Speak to your GP or pharmacist about this.
Fluvaccine for children
The flu vaccine is recommended for:
- children over the age of six months with a long-term health condition
- children aged two, three and four plus children in school years one, two and three.
Children aged between six months and two years of age who are eligible for the flu vaccine should have the flu jab.
Children eligible for the flu vaccine aged between two and 17will usuallyhave theflu vaccine nasal spray.
Practice Partners and Staff
Doctors
Dr Grahame JC BruceMBChB Aberdeen 1981
Dr Bruce joined the Practice in 1987. He is the Senior Partner of the Practice; and also a GP trainer.
Dr Elizabeth A Odber (f)
BM, DA Southampton 1983. MRCGP
DrOdber graduated from Southampton University in 1983. She joined Aldergate Medical Practice in 1990. She has worked as a clinical assistant in dermatology and runs the cryotherapy clinic for the Practice.
Dr Arup Deshpande
MBChB Manchester 1988. MRCGP
Dr Deshpande joined the Practice in 1991. He has a special interest in Information Technology. Heis also a GP Trainer.
Dr Martyn I King
MBChB Leicester 1998
Dr King was born and bred in Tamworth and became a Partner in 2003, he originally trained as a GP Endoscopist.. He has a clinical interest in Minor Surgery, Dermatology and Aesthetics and owns a Private Medical Aesthetic Clinic. He is a member of the British College of Aesthetic Medicine, Board Member for the British Association of Sclerotherapists.
Dr Angela Meehan (f)
MBChB Leicester 2002. MRCGP, DRCOG, DFFP
Dr Angela Meehan graduated from Leicester Univeristy in 2002. She worked in both Leicester and Burton before joining the Practice in 2005 as a trainee. She has been a Partner in the Practice since 2011 and is lead doctor for Child Protection and Diabetes. She has a special interest in Diabetes, Women's Helath and contraception and also works as a GP trainer.
Dr Nik Mann
MBChb – Birmingham 2004
Dr Mann joined the Practice in August 2012 as a Salaried GP and is now a GP Partner.
Dr Juliette Harris (f)
MBChB 1999 University of Leicester
Dr Harris joined the Practice in March 2014 as a GP Partner.
Dr Sara Rees (f)
MB BCH 2006 - University of Wales
Dr Rees joined the Practice inAugust 2014 as a Registrar, in August 2015 she was employed as salariedGP.
Dr Rees became a partner in August 2016
TRAINING DOCTORS
The Practice is involved in the training of new general practitioners. These are doctors who have completed extensive hospital training and all are qualfied and hold the appropriate UK GMC registration. They are supervised by their trainers who are Dr Deshpande and Dr Meehan.
We also accommodate FY2 doctors (foundation year), these are doctors who havecompleted whatused to beknownas 'house jobs', they may want to becomegeneral practitioners but some wish to specialise in other fields, it is really important they have experience in the community.
Nurse Practitioners
Anne Bruce
Advanced Nurse Practitioner
Fiona Davis
Advanced Nurse Practitioner
Samantha Blackwill
Advanced Nurse Practitioner
Nurse practitioners are experienced nurses who have undergone further training. They work independently, but, closely alongside the doctors and will refer patients to GP's when necessary. Nurse Practitioners will assess, examine, diagnose,prescribe medicationand treat many conditions including:
Coughs, colds, chest infections, sinusitis, common childhood illnesses, female health problems, sickness and diarrhoea, muscular aches and pains.
Practice Management
Jayne GregoryPractice Manager
Anne-Marie Thompson
Finance Manager
Amanda Markgraaff
IT Manager
Reception
Receptionists provide an important link for patients with the practice and are your initial contact point for general enquiries. They can provide basic information on services and results and direct you to the right person depending on your health issue or query.
Jayne Davis
Reception Supervisor
Kathryn Strong
Reception Supervisor
Amanda Ryan
Rachel Llewellyn
Amy Llewellyn
Amy Smith
Clare Roberts
Tina Jones
Nina Pogorzelski
Mary Davies
Secretaries
Julie Smith
Niki Barnes
Sallyann Critchlow
Nurses
Jayne Furber
Nurse Manager
Karen Barker
Annabel Bradford
Michelle Parrish
Practice nurses are qualified and registered nurses. They can help with health issues such as family planning, healthy living advice, blood pressure checks and dressings. The practice nursesrun clinics for long-term health conditions such as asthma or diabetes,minor ailment clinics and carry out cervical smears.
Healthcare Assistants
Jane Heard
Carol Sherriff
Healthcare assistants support practice nurses with their daily work and carry out tasks such as phlebotomy (drawing blood), blood pressure measurement and new patient checks. They may act as a chaperone when a patient or doctor requests one.
Phlebotomists
Rebecca Woulfe
Practice Policies
Confidentiality & Medical Records
The practice complies with data protection and access to medical records legislation. Identifiable information about you will be shared with others in the following circumstances:
- To provide further medical treatment for you e.g. from district nurses and hospital services.
- To help you get other services e.g. from the social work department. This requires your consent.
- When we have a duty to others e.g. in child protection cases anonymised patient information will also be used at local and national level to help the Health Board and Government plan services e.g. for diabetic care.
Reception and administration staff require access to your medical records in order to do their jobs. These members of staff are bound by the same rules of confidentiality as the medical staff.
Freedom of Information
Information about the General Practitioners and the practice required for disclosure under this act can be made available to the public. All requests for such information should be made to the practice manager.
Access to Records
In accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998 and Access to Health Records Act, patients may request to see their medical records. Such requests should be made through the practice manager and may be subject to an administration charge. No information will be released without the patient consent unless we are legally obliged to do so.
Complaints
We make every effort to give the best service possible to everyone who attends our practice.
However, we are aware that things can go wrong resulting in a patient feeling that they have a genuine cause for complaint. If this is so, we would wish for the matter to be settled as quickly, and as amicably, as possible.
If you are a registered patient you can complain about your own care, you are unable to complain on behalf of others without their written consent.
To pursue a complaint please contact the practice manager who will deal with your concerns appropriately. Further written information is available regarding the complaints procedure from reception.
Violence Policy
The NHS operate a zero tolerance policy with regard to violence and abuse and the practice has the right to remove violent patients from the list with immediate effect in order to safeguard practice staff, patients and other persons. Violence in this context includes actual or threatened physical violence or verbal abuse which leads to fear for a person’s safety. In this situation we will notify the patient in writing of their removal from the list and record in the patient’s medical records the fact of the removal and the circumstances leading to it.
Emergency Surgery
In response to complaints and suggestions about the appointment system, the practice has chosen to adopt a walk in emergency surgery.
Any patient with an URGENTproblem, wishing to be seen on the same day, may choose to attend between 8.30am and 10.30am on a sit and wait basis.
Patients will be asked to give a reason for the appointment and will be seen in order of clinical priority.