Surgery News
At St Wulfstan Surgery we thought it was time to refresh the reception area!
Of course the Christmas tree has made an appearance!
We have Removed a pillar from the reception area to make it more open.
A fresh lick of lighter paint.
And some new artwork from local Photographer, James Carro, now graces the walls. A big thank you to James, the artwork is absolutely stunning, so feel free to have a look next time you are in the surgery.
Merry Christmas to our wonderful patients and staff!
Staff at St Wulfstan Surgery wore their best Christmas Jumpers to work on 10th December to raise money for Save the Children.
Save the Children support children in over 100 countries to transform their lives. Their ambition is that by 2030:
no child dies from preventable causes before their fifth birthday
all children learn from a quality basic education
violence against children is no longer tolerated.
We are pleased to say we raised £25 for this worthy cause. If you would like to see more of what Save the Children do please visit their website www.savethechildren.org.uk
Please note the following opening hours for the surgery and Southam Pharmacy.
Please ensure to allow plenty of time to order your repeat prescriptions over the Christmas period.
Please also note changes to extended hours - as it is a bank holiday, there will not be a Saturday morning surgery on 1st January. Instead, Dr Viswa will hold a telephone surgery on Saturday 8th January. Our early bird surgery that week will be on Tuesday 4th. These appointments can only be booked in advance.
Friday 24th December
open as usual
Monday 27th December
closed
Tuesday 28th December
closed
Wednesday 29th December
open as usual
Thursday 30th December
open as usual
Friday 31st December
open as usual
Monday 3rd January
closed
Friday 24th December
8.30am - 5.30pm
Saturday 25th December & Sunday 26th December
closed
Monday 27th December
closed
Tuesday 28th December
10am - 4pm
Wednesday 29th December
8.30 am - 6.15pm
Thursday 30th December
8.30 am - 6.15pm
Friday 31st December
8.30 am - 5.30pm
Saturday 1st January & Sunday 2nd January
closed
Monday 3rd January
closed
Please visit the following link to find the closest pharmacies should you need one over the Christmas period.
We are delighted to welcome Dr Baker to our GP Team!
She will start working with us from next week and she shares our passion for delivering outstanding, high quality care!
Now a few words from Dr Baker:
“Hello, I’m Dr Baker and will be starting at St Wulfstan very shortly, which I’m looking forward to. I have an interest in women’s health and looking to develop this further, whilst at the practice.
On a personal note I enjoy spending time with my 2 children under 5 and exploring all the amazing parks in Warwickshire with them! ”
We are really proud to have been told that St Wulfstan Surgery has achieved the highest level of flu vaccination amongst the 116 practices in Coventry & Warwickshire in those aged 16+!
We have managed to vaccinate 97.2% of adults aged 65+, and 95.8% of adults aged 50-64 years.
These incredible achievements are only made possible by the hard work and dedication of our amazing staff, and the support of our wonderful patients - that’s teamwork!
So we would like to thank you all!
If you have not yet had your vaccine then its still not too late, please give reception a call and we would be happy to help.
To find out if you are eligible for the Flu vaccine please visit NHS.uk
At St Wulfstan Surgery we pride ourselves on offering you an efficient service.
As such, and to help us keep offering an efficient service we would like to kindly remind patients to turn up to appointments on time - this applies to both telephone and face-to-face appointments.
Whilst the overwhelming majority of our patients are prompt and on time, we do still suffer the consequences of some who are late or never show up.
The consequences of being late include;
Loosing your appointment slot
The knock-on effect of delaying appointments for all other patients waiting to see us that day
Increased congestion within the practice meaning people may then need to wait outside
Increased pressure on staff
The consequences of not turning up or answering the phone mean someone else has missed the opportunity for us to help them.
Of course, sometimes you may not be able to attend an appointment with good reason. In these cases please cancel your appointment via the NHS App, Patient Access or by calling reception as soon as you can.
Help us to keep helping you!
Following the Government announcement on 29th November, the NHS is developing plans to extend the Covid-19 booster vaccination programme to include everyone aged 18 and over. These plans have not yet been completed so further guidance is awaited.
Some of the plans are as follows:
A Booster will be offered to everyone aged 18 and over
12 to 15 year olds will also be offered a second dose of the vaccine
an additional booster will be available for people who are immunosuppressed
When Can I have my Booster?
The Booster can be given 3+ months after your second dose.
What do I need to do?
For now, all you need to do is wait to be contacted by the NHS. The Southam Vaccination service will be in touch with eligible patients via telephone or text message, and once there are appointments available for you to book.
You do not need to call anyone at present
If you are over 40 or a health and social care worker, and are eligible for your booster, you can go online to www.nhs.uk or call 119 to book your appointment. Visit www.happyhealthylives.uk/vaccinationdrop-ins to see all the places you can go for a walk-in appointment.
If you have any questions or concerns about booking your vaccination in Southam, you can contact the Southam COVID Vaccination booking line on 01926 962719.
To stay up to date with our weekly newsletter please register below.
If you don’t already use the NHS App, then please consider downloading it today!
Order your repeat medications, book your appointment, view your medical history and more by downloading and using the NHS app on your smartphone or tablet today. If you don’t have access to any of these devices you can still use Patient Access if needed.
It also alleviates pressure on the surgery, by reducing the number of phone calls, and helps us offer a more efficient service.
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Roger is a qualified and very experienced Physiotherapist who is working with us as a First Contact Practitioner (FCP). In this role he will be seeing people with new joint and muscular pains and problems. Whether it be muscular strains or hip/knee/ankle/neck/back/shoulder or elbow pains, it is possible to book in with Roger in the first instance. As well as having a wealth of experience, he is able to refer to appropriate services such as physiotherapy or the local specialist Musculoskeletal service. He is also able to refer for investigations such as scans.
Roger will be working with us on Tuesdays, and appointments can be booked via Reception.
To help us better understand, Roger has kindly put together a video for us below:
We have had new deliveries of flu vaccine so it now means we have new clinics available for you to book.
All appointments are now available to book online - please visit ONLINE SERVICES for help on using our online services, but of course you can still call if needed. The easiest way to book is via the NHS App.
And don’t forget, all adults aged 50-64 are eligible for the vaccine this year.
The new dates are as follows:
Saturday 27th November - Age 65 and over
Sunday 28th November - Age 64 and under
Saturday December 4th - Age 64 and under
Sunday December 5th - age 64 and under
To find out if you are eligible for the Flu vaccine please visit NHS.uk
Warwickshire County Council are supporting our local Fire Service in recruiting On-Call Firefighters.
This maybe a great opportunity for some.
According to Warwickshire County Council:
“Warwickshire residents are being encouraged to consider gaining news skills by becoming on-call firefighters.
These firefighters commit to a number of hours of firefighting where they are available to be called out to incidents and people usually combine these roles with other jobs. On-call firefighters must live within five minutes of the station they serve and are called upon as needed throughout their shifts. On-call firefighters provide an invaluable service in protecting communities in Warwickshire.
Councillor Andy Crump, Portfolio Holder for Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service and Community Safety at Warwickshire County Council said: “With a rise in working from home and agile working, we anticipate that more people in Warwickshire may have the option of combining on-call firefighting with their current careers and this is an excellent time for them to join Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service. It’s a role that anyone that meets the initial entrance criteria can apply for and on-call firefighting is a brilliant way to learn new skills while serving your local community. If you’re working from home and considering a change in your working life then this could be of interest to you.”
Prospective recruits must be aged 18 and over, a team player, passionate about serving the community and willing to pick up new skills. They will receive an extensive training of course and be expected to attend a drill night once a week. Candidates do not need any prior qualifications to apply for the role and anyone who considers themselves willing to work on their fitness and new skills should apply. On-call firefighters receive an annual wage plus additional payments for attending drill nights and incidents.”
We will soon be joining hospitals, social care providers and GP practices in the area in implementing the Coventry and Warwickshire Integrated Care Record (ICR). This is a way of bringing together all your separate records from the different organisations involved in your health and social care. It will let health and social care professionals see relevant information about the care and treatment you’ve had across all services.
For more information, please:
visit the Coventry and Warwickshire Health and Care Partnership’s website at https://www.happyhealthylives.uk/integrated-care-record/
Or click to view a document which provides further explanation
Or see the video below
If you do not want your information to be shared in this way, please email:
collaborative.care.record@nhs.net or call 0345 6461163.
Please note, the ICR is different to anything you might have said no to before. So, if you don’t want your records to be available to view through the ICR, you’ll need to object.
This week is World Antibiotic Awareness Week!
Antibiotics are essential for treating infections in both animals and humans but they are losing their effectiveness at an increasing rate.
Antibiotic Resistance
Bacteria can adapt and find ways to survive the effects of antibiotics, they become resistant and no longer work. The more you use an antibiotic the more bacteria become resistant to it.
How does this effect me?
The Public Health Campaign Video and their web page details the risks associated with overuse of antibiotics, please do take a read.
Routine treatments such as setting bones, basic operations and even chemotherapy all rely on antibiotics working, these will become increasingly dangerous should the bacteria become resistant to antibiotics.
What can I do?
Ask your pharmacist to recommend medicines to help treat cold or flu symptoms or pain
Take antibiotics exactly as prescribed, never save them for later, never share them with others
Spread the word, tell your friends and family about antibiotic resistance
Read this leaflet to learn how to look after yourself and your family.
Now a few words from our Dr Ramadani about the use of antibiotics:
“It is so important that we use antibiotics wisely, and it is widely understood that antibiotics are frequently given for viral infections, against which they offer no benefit.
When you see your GP with symptoms of an infection, your GP will be trying to judge the probability that your infection is due to a bacteria or a virus, and therefore whether antibiotics will offer any benefit. We do this very carefully and we respect our responsibility in controlling antibiotic prescriptions. The more antibiotics we prescribe, the more chance we have of developing antibiotic resistance. And the more we have antibiotic resistance, the more chance people will die from infections that we cannot treat. And as GP’s we do often see evidence of antibiotic resistance in our daily work. In addition, we do see frequent side effects from antibiotic use, such as diarrhoea, vomiting, rashes and thrush.
But of course, antibiotics remains really important in treating those who suffer serious illness due to bacterial infections.
”
We have an outstanding Administration Team at St Wulfstan.
And as we continue to grow, we need more outstanding members of staff, as such we are really happy to welcome Aimee to the team.
“Hello! I’m Aimee, and I feel privileged to say that I am the newest member of the Admin team at St Wulfstan Surgery. I have an extensive history in administration and prestigious customer care, and having experienced first-hand the exemplary care that St Wulfstan provides to their patients I consider myself incredibly fortunate to be part of such an incredible team. Outside of work, I love long walks with the dog exploring the local area and spending days baking up a storm with my little boy.”
We are really happy to welcome Maria to our fantastic Reception Team!
Now a few words from Maria:
“ Hello, I’m Maria and I am so happy be part of the amazing Reception team here at St Wulfstan Surgery. After being a patient here myself, I knew I was joining an outstanding doctors surgery and a friendly group of people.
Outside work, I enjoy being outside, walking the dog, going to the cinema and generally being creative with a range of craft activities.
I am looking forward to meeting and talking to all our wonderful patients. ”
