Thank you
Our patient participation group (PPG) has been extremely active in fund raising and has managed to fund all the medical equipment for our new and refurbished premises. Their contribution to medical equipment has enabled us to refurbish of the existing consulting rooms and the dispensary – neither of which were originally part of the scope of work funded by NHS England.
Thank you to our PPG, and to the many, many patients and local bodies who have contributed
PPG fund raising activities are still going strong, now raising funds to refurbish the old nurses’ rooms.
East of England Ambulance Service can now access your data from My Care Record
East of England Ambulance Service can now access your GP medical record under the NHS West Essex My Care Record Initiative. This is for the purpose of direct patient care, and clinicians from the ambulance service should always ask for your consent prior to accessing your record. With your consent, this information can be very helpful to the ambulance service in dealing with you in an emergency.
National Data Opt out
The National Data Opt Out allows patients to record, at a national level, their desire to opt out of data sharing that is not for the purposes of direct patient care - particularly, data sharing for research or planning services.
The opt out register is led nationally by NHS digital, NOT by Thaxted Surgery. Patients can record their opt out at https://www.nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters/manage-your-choice/, or via the NHS App, by calling NHS digital on 0300 303 567, or by writing to NHS digital.
Thaxted Surgery is committed to checking the national opt register and applying opt outs prior to any data sharing other than that for direct patient care. At the time of updating this policy, our systems supplier, EMIS, have not yet released the capability to do this, but expect to so before compliance becomes mandatory in April 2020.
Coronavirus: when to call 111
The advice to the public is to call NHS 111 now and self-isolate if they have been:
to Wuhan or Hubai Province in China, specific northern Italian towns (websitehttps://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/868103/Map_showing_specified_areas_of_Italy_250220.pdf), some provinces of South Korea or Iran in the last 14 days (even if they do not have symptoms)
to other parts of China, including Macau and Hong Kong, in the last 14 days and have a cough, high temperature or shortness of breath (even if it's mild)
to Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, Republic of Korea or Malaysia in the last 14 days and have a cough, high temperature or shortness of breath (even if it's mild)
- to the rest of Northern Italy
in close contact with someone with confirmed coronavirus
Anyone who meets the above criteria is advised not to go to a GP surgery, community pharmacy or hospital. Instead they should call NHS 111, stay indoors and avoid close contact with other people.
My Care Record
After discussion with our Patient Participation Group, Thaxted Surgery joined My Care Record from 1 September 2019.
My Care Record is a data sharing arrangement between various health and social care providers across West Essex. It allows health and social care professionals to access a patient's medical and social care information for the purpose of direct care of that individual.
Consent must be provided by the patient whenever and wherever the record is accessed.
Patients can also opt out, so that there record is never available for sharing.
The participating organisations are responsible for training staff and implementing audit and training processes to manage the risk of inappropriate data access by rouge or poorly trained staff.
Currently, Harlow hospital, EPUT (the local district nursing and mental health trust), Essex Social Care and HUC, our new Out of Hours provider are participating in MyCareRecord.
The My Care Record team are also in discussions with other East of England health and social care organisations with a view to joining up on a wider basis. This may allow our patients records to be available at Addenbrooke’s and Broomfield within the next few years.
To find out more visit www.mycarerecord.org.uk.
Please let us know if you would like to opt out. However, you should be aware that if you opt out hospital doctors, district nurses, weekend/evening doctors and social care professionals will not be able to access your GP medical records should they need to provide you with urgent care. Alternatively, if you have previously opted out of data sharing and summary care record, and would now like to opt in, please let us know.
Building Work Completed
Our extension and refurbishment project is now completed and we are enjoying our new space. Thank you for the huge support we have received from our community and the many kind words of appreciation for our staff, who have undergone over a year of disruption and consistently managed to keep focused on providing the best patient care that we possibly can. Please give us your feedback as we settle in and adjust how we work.
Parking
For the safety of patients and staff, out of respect to our neighbours, and to allow for emergency ambulance access, please DO NOT park on the yellow lines on Margaret Street at any time. Patients with blue badges may use our marked disabled parking spaces.
New Integrated 111, Out of Hours and Evening/Weekend Service
From April 1 2019, Herts Urgent Care (HUC) have taken over provision of 111, the out of hours emergency doctor service and the extended access pre-bookable weekend/evening appointments for the whole of the West Essex area. We hope that this will result in a more integrated service for the times when we are closed.
As part of this, please be aware that, unless you have opted out of data sharing, HUC clinicians will now have the facility to access to your summary care record, with your consent, when you contact them for 111/out of hours emergency consultations. For prebooked extended access appointments, they will also have the ability to access medical records held by us. In all cases, the clinician MUST ask for your consent before opening either your summary care record or your medical record.
Please let the surgery know if you want to opt out of sharing medical data for the purpose of direct patient care. Alternatively, if you have opted out before but now feel that you would like out of hours clinicians to be able to see your records when you consult with them, please write to us to opt back in.
Weekend and evening appointments are still booked through reception at Thaxted, and are available at Saffron Walden Community Hospital, Dunmow Clinic and now Stansted.
Visting Paramedic
Starting in February 2018, Thaxted Surgery teamed with Saffron Walden, Newport and Steeple Bumpstead surgeries to employ a visiting paramedic, Vicky Bryning. Vicky can visit patients who are acutely unwell across the North Uttlesford area and often gets there earlier in the day than a GP could.
Housebound patients with an acute issue should continue to call the surgery to request a visit. The GPs will then brief Vicky if it is appropriate for her to go. Vicky will report back to your GP, who remains fully in the loop. In order to make it work effectively, we do ask that patients who think they might need a visit call us as early as possible in the day – and certainly before 10am.
This is a pilot project that will be extended if we can demonstrate that it is successful, so please let us have your feedback.
Physiotherapist Assessment in General Practice
The practice has been piloting physiotherapist assessments in the surgery since December 2017. Early indications are extremely positive. There are 20 minute appointments for assessment (not treatment) with our physiotherapist, Amanda Adams. Amanda can provide advice and exercises, prescribe pain killers if appropriate, and refer for investigations (X-ray/ultrasound/ blood tests/MRI/Nerve conduction), for physio treatment or to an orthopaedic consultant if appropriate. Appointments can be booked directly through reception at the surgery – but please book see a doctor first if there are any possible underlying medical issues such as rheumatoid arthritis.
Frailty Prevention Extended Reviews
For patients over 75 who may be beginning to experience the first signs of frailty, the practice now offers extended review appointments with Health Care Assistant followed by GP. The appointments are an opportunity to review a range of factors including:
- Mobility
- Vision and hearing
- Memory and mood
- History of falls and bone health
- Life style (smoking, alcohol, exercise)
- Social factors and Support network
- Medication
The aim is to be more proactive, anticipate issues and hold frailty at bay for longer. Please call the surgery if you would like a review.
Thaxted Surgery participates in the National Diabetes Audit
Thaxted surgery participates in the National Diabetes Audit, an important and valuable ongoing research project. This involves sharing anonymous patient data. If you would like more information, or to opt out, please let us know.
Evening and Weekend Appointments in Saffron Walden Community Hospital
There are now GP and nurse surgeries in Saffron Walden Community Hospital and Dunmow clinic at weekends and in the evenings. These are in addition to our own Saturday surgeries, and can be booked through the surgery. A GP will see you, and with your consent, will have access to your medical records. Call us in Thaxted if you would like to make an appointment.
On-line Access to Medical Records
We are able to offer on-line access to information from your medical record about medication, immunisations, allergies and documents. See our policy on our home page.
All patients now have a named GP
All patients now have a named GP. While, in practical terms, patients will still need to see other GPs depending on availability at the time, the named GP will have oversight of any on-going and longer-term health issues and plans, and should be requested for pre-booked appointments.
Currently, patients have been allocated to GPs on the basis of who they have tended to see in the past. The surgery is happy to alter this on request.
Friends and Family Test
We always welcome your feedback and suggestions. Please fill out our friends and family forms available on line or in our waiting room. OR use our suggestions box. OR call the practice manager and talk!
Our policy is to avoid antibiotics for minor infections
Most coughs, sore throats & ear aches get better without antibiotics. Antibiotics make little difference, and the more we use them, the more resistance.
infection | lasts | |
| Middle-ear | 4 days | - Have plenty of rest.
- Drink enough fluids to avoid feeling thirsty.
- Fever is a sign the body is fighting the infection and usually gets better by itself. Use paracetamol or ibuprofen if you or your child are uncomfortable as a result of a fever.
|
| Sore throat | 7 days |
| Common Cold | 10 days |
| Sinusitis | 18 days |
| Cough/ bronchitis | 21 days |
111 - when you need medical help fast but it`s not an emergency.
24 hours, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.