WELCOMEWelcome to another Spring newsletter which I hope you will find informative and useful. Please keep the opening hours to hand around the Easter and May bank holidays as well as the pharmacy details. I hope you will be able to attend the Breast Cancer Awareness Evening on Thursday 21 March 2019 at 7pm which I’m sure will be a great success! It will feature expert speakers from Sherwood Forest Hospital Trust and supporting information from Macmillan Cancer Support UK and local support organisations. For further details please contact Lorraine Walton or Rachael Ludlow at the Practice on 01623 550254.

We are pleased to announce a new phlebotomist, Sara Dunn who some of you will already have met has started at the surgery and seems to be able to get blood out of anyone!!! We would also like to say a big well done to Nikki Palmer who is now a fully qualified Nursing Associate; having passed her course with a merit. She is now able to undertake many nursing duties which will be a great boost to our nursing team. Our team of doctors has undergone some changes with Dr Krezelewski coming back briefly from maternity leave before leaving once again to move down south. We are currently looking for a permanent replacement for her. We have also taken on Nathan Bird who is taking over some of our secretarial work as well as supporting our data team and has settled in really well to our administrative team. Lastly, our midwife Kayleigh has given birth to a baby girl and will be on maternity leave over the next few months. Her clinics are being covered by Caroline Cartledge who we welcome to our team.

Dr Lucy Genillard

___________________________________________________________

Spring Newsletter 2018

Sara Dunn

Hi my name is Sara Dunn. I have been a phlebotomist for 14 years and worked in many different environments including Health centres across Nottinghamshire. I have also done home visits for the elderly. I’m very happy to introduce myself to you and look forward to meeting you all. Everyone at the practice has made me feel very welcome and I look forward to my time here at Brierley Park.

Caroline CartledgeMy name is Caroline Cartledge and I am fairly new to Brierley Park Medical Centre, having worked in Rainworth previously. I am really enjoying meeting the local women and their families at this friendly & welcoming practice. I have been a community midwife for 12 years, having 3 of my own children within this time. I provide antenatal care to pregnant women at the practice and see them postnatally (after birth) also. The clinics are every Tuesday and Friday at the practice and on a Thursday at the All Saints Children’s Centre. I can be contacted on these days for advice over the phone, if needed and I am here to help women have a safe and happy maternity experience.

Breast Cancer Awareness Event

We are very lucky that our HIP (patient participation) group have set up a breast cancer information evening on the 21st of March 2019 at 7pm and I hope many of you will be able to make it. This should be very useful and I hope will further raise awareness of this common cancer. We were concerned as a practice that reports show that out of the 1365 women called for their recent routine mammogram screening from this practice only 1131 attended. The earliest breast cancer can be diagnosed the better the chance of successful treatment.

Breast Cancer-The Facts

Most commonly diagnosed cancer in women in the UK Over 55000 women diagnosed each year 1 in 8 women will develop breast cancer at some point in their lifetime 350 men are diagnosed with breast cancer each year in the UK too There is not one thing that causes breast cancer—it is probably a

combination of genes, lifestyle choices and environmental factors Although some breast cancers run in families most women with breast

cancer do not have a family history of the disease or the faulty genes linked to it

Be Breast Aware

Most cancers are found by women noticing unusual changes Early detection and treatment saves lives All women should be aware of how their breasts normally look and feel Breasts should be checked regularly (ideally at the same time of the month

as they can feel more lumpy and tender around the time of a period) There is no special technique to learn to check your breasts Ensure you check your breasts regularly and check the whole of the breasts,

upper chest and armpits TLC== TOUCH (Can you feel a lump?), LOOK (Can you see any change in size

or shape, change to skin texture such as skin tethering, colour change, change to nipples (inversion, discharge or rash or crusting?), CHECK (Check anything unusual with your GP)

Breast Screening

Women will be called for their first screening test between their 50th and 53rd

birthday. They will then be called in every 3years until they reach 70yrs old. After 70yrs, women need to make their own appointments for it by

contacting the breast unit directly on 01623 622515 extension 3225 If you missed your appointment then please contact the breast screening

unit on 01623 622515 extension 3225 to rebook it. A visit for breast screening usually takes only 30minutes Breast screening may take place in a mobile van Screening involves a special X-ray called a mammogram All mammographers (radiographers who do the screening) are women and

they will explain exactly what will happen before the test You will be asked to remove your clothing from the waist up The mammographer will place one of your breasts on the mammogram

machine and take an image of the breast. This does involve the breast being squeezed in order to get an accurate result. This can be uncomfortable but does not last long

Results only take a few weeks

How to reduce your risk of developing breast cancer

Be drink aware-reducing alcohol can reduce your risk Be weight aware—Breast cancer risk increases in women who are

overweight Be active—risk can be reduced by being physically active, aiming for 20

minutes activity a day Be a non-smoker—smoking does increase risk of cancer

Parkrun

Park Run is a free weekly 5k event that has been in existence for a number of years. Events take place on a Saturday morning in pleasant parkland surroundings and are held right across the country for all ages from 4+. Whether you want to improve your fitness, cope with health problems, learn new skills or simply be outside with others, Parkrun has a positive impact on health and wellbeing and changes lives.

Not races: walk, jog, run volunteer or spectate

Socialise, make friends and be part of a welcoming, supportive community

Improve your health and wellbeing through physical activity

In conjunction with the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP), Brierley Park Medical Centre has signed up to become a Park Run practice.

We would like to encourage as many people as possible to sign up as there is strong evidence that regular exercise improves your health and wellbeing,

reduces your stress levels and gets you out in the fresh air.

Services available within the practice The following services are

available to access at the surgery

Smoking Cessation

If you want to quit smoking you can make an appointment to see a smoking cessation advisor at the surgery. SmokeFreeLife is available Tuesday mornings at the surgery and can also be contacted via telephone: 0800 246 5343, 0115 772 2515 or you can text QUIT to 66777 and an advisor will contact you.

Insight Healthcare

If you need help or counselling; you can be seen by a professionally trained counsellor at the surgery. You can also self-refer to this service. Please ask at Reception for more information.

Ultrasound

If your GP advises you need an ultrasound, ask if you can have an appointment at the surgery instead of going to the local hospital. Global diagnostics & Health Harmonie are available here at the practice and can save you a trip to the hospital. This service is available on selected dates.

AAA

Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) screening is a way of checking if there's a bulge or swelling in the aorta, the main blood vessel that runs from your

heart down through your stomach. In England, screening for AAA is offered to men during the year they turn 65.

Men aged 65 or over are most at risk of AAAs. Screening can help spot a swelling in the aorta early on when it can be treated.

Screening for AAA isn't routinely offered to:

Women Men under 65 People who've already been treated for an AAA

This is because the risk of an AAA is much smaller in these groups.

If you are eligible, you will be sent an appointment and can attend the surgery for this.

You can ask for a scan to check or an AAA if you think you might need one but haven’t been offered a screening test by calling 0115 9249924 ext – 62394 or 62378.

Citizens Advice

A member from Citizens Advice is here at the surgery on the first Thursday of every month.

Pain Management Team (from 2 nd April 2019)

This is a new service to the practice and is a community service. Instead of being referred to Pain Clinic at the Hospital, you will be referred within the community and should be able to be seen closer to your GP Practice.

Physiotherapy Self-Referral

   

Musculoskeletal physiotherapy treatment can be helpful if you are suffering from

Shoulder pain, Back pain, Hip pain, Knee pain, Neck pain, Elbow pain,

Hand pain, Foot pain, Sprains or any Joint and Muscular pain.

You can now refer yourself for Physiotherapy for muscle and joint problems without needing to see your GP first.

Forms are available at

your GP practice

Please post, email or deliver in person to:

 MSK Physiotherapy Department

Ashfield Health & Wellbeing Centre

Portland StreetKirkby in Ashfield, NG17 7AE

Email:not-tr.mska-

mphysiotherapy@nhs.net

 

     

1)Get the form2)Fill the form

3)Submit the form

What happens next?You will be contacted by the MSK Together service either by

telephone or letter.

Download the app today – search ‘SystmOnline’

On-line servicesOn-line services are not new to Brierley Park Medical Centre and we are actively encouraging patients to sign up. The service is available 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year and it enables you to book appointments with a GP up to 4 weeks in advance and if you are on regular medication you can request this as well, saving you the trouble of having to come down to the surgery. We also hope that it will help to reduce our “Did Not Attend” (DNA) rate as it is available 24/7 so you can cancel your appointment, even if it is with the nurse or Health Care Assistant at any time of the day or night. Please help us to help you improve the services we offer to you our patients of Brierley Park Medical Centre.

If you would like to sign up for this service please visit our website at www.bpmcgp.co.uk and follow the links on the home page to download the application forms and patient information leaflet.

Once we have received your forms you will be issued with a username and password within 48 hours; please ensure that you consent to text messaging or e-mail and we can get this information to you sooner.

The online service enables patients to view their electronic medical record. SystmOnline also allows patients to:

Manage your appointments Request repeat medication Update demographic details Access your medical records

Remember you are personally responsible for the security of your information.

The NHS app is the official public facing app to access existing patient online services such as appointment booking and ordering medication

with a new symptom checker as well enabling patients to set organ donation and Data Opt Out preferences. Later in the year it will also be the gateway to a localised Nottinghamshire wide public app providing

online services such as e-consultations, access to care plans, signposting, social prescribing, hospital information and more.

The national NHS app is being rolled out across the country with the

expectation that all GP Practices will be live by July 2019,

Nottinghamshire has been chosen to be an early adopter of the app.

Benefits

For Patients For Practice

All the features of patient online services in

an NHS official app

Staff spend less time dealing with requests

to book appointments and order repeat

prescriptions

More control over when they book

appointments, 24-hour access from

anywhere which also frees up the

practice phone line

Errors are less likely to occur when

appointments and prescriptions are

managed through the app

They can cancel more easily reducing DNA

rates

Patients can cancel appointments more

easily, so DNAs are reduced

They can view and order their repeat

prescriptions easily

In most cases patients can verify their

identity themselves, through NHS login,

saving practice staff time for new sign ups

NHS login means in most cases they don’t

have to come into the surgery to get access

NHS App

Hay fever Hay fever is usually worse between late March and September, especially when it's warm, humid and windy. This is when the pollen count is at its highest.

Symptoms of hay fever include:

sneezing and coughing a runny or blocked nose itchy, red or watery eyes itchy throat, mouth, nose and ears loss of smell pain around your temples and forehead headache earache feeling tired

If you have asthma, you might also:

have a tight feeling in your chest be short of breath wheeze and cough

Hay fever will last for weeks or months, unlike a cold, which usually goes away after 1 to 2 weeks.

How to treat hay fever yourselfThere's currently no cure for hay fever and you can't prevent it. But you can do things to ease your symptoms when the pollen count is high.

Do

put Vaseline around your nostrils to trap pollen wear wraparound sunglasses to stop pollen getting into your eyes shower and change your clothes after you've been outside to wash pollen off stay indoors whenever possible keep windows and doors shut as much as possible vacuum regularly and dust with a damp cloth buy a pollen filter for the air vents in your car and a vacuum cleaner with a special

HEPA filter

Don't

do not cut grass or walk on grass do not spend too much time outside do not keep fresh flowers in the house do not smoke or be around smoke – it makes your symptoms worse

do not dry clothes outside – they can catch pollen do not let pets into the house if possible – they can carry pollen indoors

Allergy UK has more tips on managing hay fever.

A pharmacist can help with hay feverSpeak to your pharmacist if you have hay fever. They can give advice and suggest the best treatments, like antihistamine drops, tablets or nasal sprays to help with:

itchy and watery eyes and sneezing a blocked nose

What causes hay fever?Hay fever is an allergic reaction to pollen, typically when it comes into contact with your mouth, nose, eyes and throat. Pollen is a fine powder from plants.

Insect bites and stings Symptoms of insect bites and stingsInsect bites and stings will usually cause a red, swollen lump to develop on the skin. This may be painful and in some cases can be very itchy.

The symptoms will normally improve within a few hours or days, although sometimes they can last a little longer.

Some people have a mild allergic reaction and a larger area of skin around the bite or sting becomes swollen, red and painful. This should pass within a week.

Occasionally, a severe allergic reaction can occur, causing symptoms such as breathing difficulties, dizziness and a swollen face or mouth. This requires immediate medical treatment.

What to do if you've been bitten or stung

To treat an insect bite or sting: Remove the sting or tick if it's still in the skin. Wash the affected area with soap and water. Apply a cold compress (such as a flannel or cloth cooled with cold water)

or an ice pack to any swelling for at least 10 minutes. Raise or elevate the affected area if possible, as this can help reduce

swelling. Avoid scratching the area, to reduce the risk of infection. Avoid traditional home remedies, such as vinegar and bicarbonate of

soda, as they're unlikely to help.

The pain, swelling and itchiness can sometimes last a few days. Ask your pharmacist about over-the-counter treatments that can help, such as painkillers, creams for itching and antihistamines.

When to get medical adviceContact your GP or call NHS 111 for advice if:

you're worried about a bite or sting your symptoms don't start to improve within a few days or are getting

worse you've been stung or bitten in your mouth or throat, or near your eyes a large area (around 10cm or more) around the bite becomes red and

swollen you have symptoms of a wound infection, such as pus or increasing pain,

swelling or redness you have symptoms of a more widespread infection, such as a fever,

swollen glands and other flu-like symptoms

When to get emergency medical helpDial 999 for an ambulance immediately if you or someone else has symptoms of a severe reaction, such as:

wheezing or difficulty breathing a swollen face, mouth or throat nausea or vomiting a fast heart rate

dizziness or feeling faint difficulty swallowing loss of consciousness

Emergency treatment in hospital is needed in these cases.

Prevent insect bites and stingsThere are some simple precautions you can take to reduce your risk of being bitten or stung by insects.

For example, you should: Remain calm and move away slowly if you encounter wasps, hornets or

bees – don't wave your arms around or swat at them. Cover exposed skin by wearing long sleeves and trousers. Wear shoes when outdoors. Apply insect repellent to exposed skin – repellents that contain 50% DEET

(diethyltoluamide) are most effective. Avoid using products with strong perfumes, such as soaps, shampoos and

deodorants – these can attract insects. Be careful around flowering plants, rubbish, compost, stagnant water, and

in outdoor areas where food is served.

You may need to take extra precautions if you're travelling to part of the world where there's a risk of serious illnesses. For example, you may be advised to take antimalarial tablets to help prevent malaria.

If you're planning to travel outside the UK, you may need to be vaccinated against some of the serious diseases found in other parts of the world.

Vaccinations are available to protect you against infections such as typhoid hepatitis A and yellow fever.

In the UK, the NHS routine immunisation schedule protects you against a number of diseases, but doesn't cover all of the infectious diseases found overseas.

Travel

If you're only travelling to countries in northern and central Europe, North America or Australia, you're unlikely to need any vaccinations. But it's important to check that you're up-to-date

with routine vaccinations available on the NHS.

You may be at more risk of some diseases if you’re travelling in rural areas, staying in hostels or camping, on a long stay trip or visiting relative or friends.

If you have a pre-existing health problem, this may make you more at risk of infection or complications from a travel-related illness.

Some vaccines need to be given well in advance to allow your body to develop immunity and some vaccines involve a number of doses spread over several weeks or months.

If you are planning to travel please call into the surgery at least 8 weeks before your planned travel date to collect a travel form so your vaccine history can be checked against the area you are

travelling to see which, if any vaccinations you need.

An appointment will then be made for you with one of the nurses for any vaccines you may need and general travel advice. You may also be offered any missing does of your UK vaccines if you need them. If you have any records of any previous vaccinations please bring these to your appointment.

The practice is signed up to provide free NHS travel vaccines, which include tetanus, diphtheria and polio as well as hepatitis A and typhoid. These vaccines are free because they protect against diseases thought to represent the greatest risk to public health if they were brought into the

country.

You may also need protection from malaria in certain countries and the nurse will be able to advise you if this is needed. You will have to pay for malaria tablets are these are not free on the NHS.

Some countries or types of travel require higher risk vaccines that are not available on the NHS. The nurse will inform you which ones you may require and direct you to more specialised travel centres

that can offer you more in depth advice on travel and the vaccinations you may require.

The cost of these travel vaccines that aren't available on the NHS will vary, depending on the vaccine and number of doses you need. Vaccines you will have to pay for include; hepatitis B, Japanese

encephalitis, meningitis vaccines, rabies, tick borne encephalitis and yellow fever.

Other things to consider when planning your trip is your age and health, you may be more vulnerable to infection than others and some vaccines cannot be given to people with certain

medical conditions.

If you are pregnant, you think you might be pregnant or breastfeeding you need to speak to your GP before having any vaccinations. Most vaccinations are safe to be given while you are pregnant or breastfeeding will cause problems for the baby, but there are some you cannot have and your GP

will be able to advise you further on this.

You can also find Travel health Pro and NHS Fit for travel websites useful if you want to find out which vaccinations may be needed or recommended for the areas you'll be visiting and general

travel advice.

Asda

Friday 19th 9:00-18:00, Sat 20th open as normal, Sunday 21st CLOSED, Monday 22nd 9:00-18:00

Peak Pharmacy (Huthwaite)

Friday 19th CLOSED, Sat 20th open 9-12noon, Sun 21st CLOSED, Monday 22nd Closed

Boots (Idlewells)

Friday 19th 08:30 -17:30, Sat 20th 08:30 – 17:30, Sun 21st CLOSED, Monday 22nd CLOSED

Superdrug (Idlewells)

Friday 19th 09:00-17:30, Sat 20th 09:00 – 17:30, Sun 21st CLOSED, Monday 22nd CLOSED

Gilbody (Skegby)

Friday 19th Closed, Sat 20th 09:00 – 13:00, Sun 21st CLOSED, Mon 22nd CLOSED

Pharmacy Easter/Bank Holiday Opening Times

Surgery Easter/Bank Holiday Opening Times

We are closed on the following dates for the Easter Holidays. If you require medical advice or treatment please contact 111. In an emergency please contact 999.

Friday 19th April 2019 Saturday 20th April 2019 Sunday 21st April 2019 Monday 22nd April 2019