Protect your child, and others, from flu by making sure they get their flu vaccine.

Flu can be a very nasty illness in children, causing a range of symptoms including fever, dry cough, sore throat, aching joints, and extreme tiredness. The virus also spreads easily, and children can pass it on to others.

The nasal spray vaccine is free for children aged 2-3 years, those in primary and secondary schools up to year 11.

The vaccine is also free for children and young people who have a medical condition from the age of six months.

The flu vaccination for most children is needle-free for those aged 2-17 years.

It is given as a single squirt up each nostril; it’s quick, painless, and more effective in children than an injectable vaccine.

Children aged 2-3 years (on 31 August 2023) will be given the flu vaccination at their GP surgery.

If you haven't heard from your practice by the middle of October, please get in touch with them to arrange an appointment for your child's flu vaccination.

If your child is of primary or secondary school age, up to year 11, you will receive information from the School Age Immunisation Service asking you to give your consent so your child can have their free vaccination at school.

Please remember to complete the consent process as soon as possible.

All children up to the age of 18 who live with someone with a high-risk health condition, or those that live with someone who has, can get the free flu vaccine from their GP.

For more information visit https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vaccinations/child-flu-vaccine/

We are upgrading our telephone system at the start of September to provide a call-back feature for patients. We know that patients are often frustrated by the call-waiting times (average 5 mins 45 seconds) and the starting queue position (86% join in 3, 2 or 1). Our Friends and Family feedback always mention these issues and the NHS GP Survey tells us that contacting the practice is often difficult.

 So, from September you will be able to select an option to have a call-back. You will then be able to hang-up and wait for a call-back from the practice. The system will retain your position in the queue and call you back when you reach position one - the system will then attempt to call you back (once).

 Hopefully this new feature will resolve some of the frustration that patients feel and then reduce the relaying of this information to our admin/reception staff which ultimately takes up their time, making calls longer and making the call wait time longer for others. We are also hoping that it will reduce the volume of lost calls and make contacting the practice a lot easier.

We have introduced further appointment reminders to try and tackle the volume of appointments that have not been attended.

Patients missing appointments impacts the practice and patients alike. Every appointment not attended means we have a clinician who could have seen another patient and their appointment is subsequently delayed. Everyone has heard someone say that it's difficult to get an appointment, so the non-attendance of appointments is adding to the problem as the patient will probably want another appointment.

 In July 2022, 1 in 22 appointments were missed resulting in 64 hours of wasted practitioner time and with an estimated cost of £6,800. 256 x 15 minute appointments.

 In July 2023, 1 in 43 appointments were missed resulting in 28 hours of wasted practitioner time and with an estimated cost of £2,800. 112 x 15 minute appointments.

 This improvement is as a direct result of appointment confirmations and reminders being sent.

We have tweaked the reminders sent to patients a few times and are now sending appointment confirmations, reminders one-week in advance and reminders one-day in advance for all appointment types. The reminders now include a link for patients to cancel the appointment – please cancel your appointment as soon as you can to release the appointment for another patient. Same-day appointments receive a confirmation only.

The NHS App allows you to access a range of NHS services. You can download the NHS App on your phone or tablet. You can also access the same services in a web browser by logging in through the NHS website at www.nhs.uk/nhs-app/account.

You must be aged 13 or over to use the NHS App and you will need to prove who you are to get full access to the NHS App. With full access you can:

• order repeat prescriptions and nominate a pharmacy where you would like to collect them
• book and manage appointments
• view your GP health record to see information like your allergies and medicines (if your GP has given you access to your detailed medical record, you can also see information like test results)
• get your NHS COVID Pass (there are also other ways to get your COVID Pass)
• register your organ donation decision
• choose how the NHS uses your data
• view your NHS number (find out what your NHS number is)
• use NHS 111 online to answer questions and get instant advice or medical help near you

Before proving who you are, you can use the NHS App to:

• search trusted NHS information and advice on hundreds of conditions and treatments
• find NHS services near you

Download the app from your app store and get started!

eConsults are available via our website and can be completed by the patient or on behalf of the patient.

 An eConsult is when you send your practice a completed web form about a health condition from the website. The practice then calls you or emails you by the end of the next working day to offer you advice, tell you whether you need an appointment or offer you a prescription.

 It is a set of online tools for you to check which service is right for your symptoms, get immediate self-help advice, find out what other services can help you or send an online consultation to your GP practice. It may help manage certain conditions, without the need to attend the surgery in person.

 Please visit the eConsult page for more information.

We send links to a survey on a monthly basis and read the feedback every month, more often than not it does make us smile. So thank you. We take into consideration what we can and the feedback is shared with all staff – good or bad. Clinical staff can use feedback to support their clinical appraisal and revalidation. This is your chance to provide much needed feedback, so please continue

 Thankfully the majority of the feedback is very positive. As you can imagine, a lot of the comments are regarding the call waiting times and then availability of appointments. As mentioned earlier we are attempting to resolve some of this issue by introducing the call-back feature on the telephone system and tackle non-attendance rates. Whilst reducing the non-attendance rate will not resolve the problem, it has to be the starting point. We will then start to address the frequent attenders, patients with high poor attendance and look at ways to further support patients with multiple long-term conditions.

"I was offered an appointment on the same day that I rang and I was seen at my appointment time."

 "The attention given to me by the nurse was first class"

 "Quality of Practitioners: caring and efficient, excellent intra-personal skills . Running of practice exceptionally good, waiting times well controlled, reception cheerful and welcoming."

 "The lady that I  spoke to on the telephone and on my arrival for  my appointment was very good and replied with good answers to anything I said or asked her about. The appointment was spot on time and the doctor was very good and did everything that I expected of them to help me with the problem I was there for."

 "Very professional service. Inevitably though the long waits for appointments is frustrating."

 "The nurse was very good, outlined the problem and dealt with it which resulted in me getting my hearing aid upgrade"

We understand that there are some supply issues at the Wolsingham chemist. The practice are in regular communication with the chemist and have introduced a short-term solution internally until the issue is resolved.

Prescriptions will continue to be sent to Wolsingham. One of three things can then happen:

1) All of the medication is issued. No further action.

2) Some of the medication can be issued: Wolsingham chemist will email the practice and the remaining items will be reissued by the admin team. Admin will contact patients to confirm which chemist to send the remaining prescription to.

3) None of the medication can be issued: Wolsingham chemist will return the request into the 'system'. You will then be able to go to any chemist, tell them the prescription was sent back to the 'spine' and ask for the prescription.

You do have the option to change your nominated pharmacy via the NHS app and you can find alternatives during this time at https://www.nhs.uk/service-search/pharmacy/find-a-pharmacy.

Please follow the link to read our Newsletter

https://teamnet.clarity.co.uk/Topics/ViewItem/c63695e2-8ce1-40bf-9dbf-b05800f043cb

Dr Smith has been working with us in a locum capacity for a few months to see if we all like each other. On 1 July Dr Smith became a permanent member of the team, which is great news for both the practice and patients. Some of you may have met Dr Smith at Wolsingham as we are rotating doctors there on a fortnightly basis.

 Nurse Stanwix leaves us in September to start a new position elsewhere. Nurse Hope and Nurse Roberts will be joining us in September as Advanced Nurse Practitioners providing five day cover.

 Dr Rowan remains on maternity leave and returns in February. Dr Thomas starts her maternity leave in September. Both positions are covered in the practice.

 Emily and Sharon have joined the admin team replacing a couple of staff who left the team recently. We wish Annabel and Sophie all the best for the future.

We are upgrading our telephone system at the start of September to provide a call-back feature for patients. We know that patients are often frustrated by the call-waiting times (average 5 mins 45 seconds) and the starting queue position (86% join in 3, 2 or 1). Our Friends and Family feedback always mention these issues and the NHS GP Survey tells us that contacting the practice is often difficult.

 So, from September you will be able to select an option to have a call-back. You will then be able to hang-up and wait for a call-back from the practice. The system will retain your position in the queue and call you back when you reach position one - the system will then attempt to call you back (once).

 Hopefully this new feature will resolve some of the frustration that patients feel and then reduce the relaying of this information to our admin/reception staff which ultimately takes up their time, making calls longer and making the call wait time longer for others. We are also hoping that it will reduce the volume of lost calls and make contacting the practice a lot easier.

It's hard to believe that flu season is upon us and another season of Covid boosters.

 The autumn Covid booster programme will continue to focus on those at greatest risk of getting seriously ill. These patients will benefit the most from a booster vaccination. Data from last autumn’s programme showed that those who received a booster were around 53% less likely to be admitted to hospital with Covid in the 2 to 4 weeks following vaccination, compared to those who did not receive a booster.

 The flu programme provides direct protection to those at higher risk of flu associated morbidity and mortality, including older people, pregnant women, and those in clinical risk groups

 We will be organising flu and Covid clinics shortly. We expect to take delivery of the vaccinations towards the end of September and we will contact eligible patients to book appointments. The below groups will be eligible for vaccines from September.

• those aged 65 years and over
• those aged 6 months to under 65 years pregnant women
• all children aged 2 or 3 years on 31 August 2023
• primary school aged children (from Reception to Year 6)
• those in long-stay residential care homes
• carers in receipt of carer’s allowance, or those who are the main carer of an elderly or disabled person
• close contacts of immunocompromised individuals
• frontline workers in a social care 
• those in a clinical risk groups

We know some patients are really keen to book appointments but please do not contact us to book your appointment until prompted. Patient invites have been successful in the past and we will continue to use this booking method to contact patients. For those patients without a mobile or the availability to book via this method, then we will call you to book your appointment.

 See you all in September!!!

Dr Jenny Smith has been working with us in a locum capacity for a few months to see if we all like each other.

Dr Smith became a permanent member of staff this week, which is great news for both the practice and patients as Dr Dendle has reduced her sessions by 1 per week - so we are gaining and additional session of valuable doctor time each week. Some of you may have met Dr Smith at Wolsingham as we are rotating doctors at Wolsingham.

We have other clinical staff changes taking place from September and this has already been back-filled or recruitment is underway. When all of the clinicians are confirmed in position and working patterns agreed - I will post an update closer to the time.

Kati

The Public health Collaboration have useful videos on their website to support patients who wish to lose weight through a real food/low carb lifestyle to prevent or put type 2 diabetes into remission. 

Click on the link below to access their weekly lifestyle support group page and watch the videos.

https://phcuk.org/support/

If you have an insulin pen, please do not bring any back to the practice - whether full or empty. They can be put in a normal bin, if empty or a sharps box if full. Please do not attempt to hand them to a member of staff or leave it on reception. We will not accept them.

If you have a sharps bin, these can be returned to the practice as long as they are sealed before handing them to a member of staff.

Please tell your friends.

We understand that there have been text messages being sent to patients from NHS regarding outstanding referral and asking patients to click on a link. Whilst we are told that these are genuine but have been sent in error - we know that there are text messages going to patients who do not have outstanding referrals. 

We are posting this to make you aware and ask that you do not phone the practice to query this as we have not sent them.

We have reported the issue and will post an update when we have one.
Many thanks

MyType1Diabetes is a free, online resource with tailored support to help adults in England live well with their type 1 diabetes.
 
It can help patients understand more about type 1 diabetes and increase their confidence in managing their condition through e-learning, signposting to local services and a wide-range of content available in 10 different languages including Polish, Spanish and Urdu.
 
The programme is for people over the age of 18, with type 1 diabetes. Families, carers, and healthcare professionals can also sign up at www.mytype1diabetes.nhs.uk.

We have been closed this afternoon for training. Our telephone message should have notified callers of this but unfortunately our telephone provider (I am trying to find out why) didn't update the system. I should have checked that this had been done and have taken steps to check that this is place for the training afternoons going forward.

Please accept our sincere apologies for the inconvenience and frustration that this will have caused.

Thank you to all patients who completed the feedback form for March. We look forward to seeing the feedback and pleased that, despite a challenging start to 2023, the feedback shows that our patients are generally pretty pleased with the practice.

• My appointment was on time and ran smoothly
• Booked appointment easily and quickly
• Appointment went straightforward and staff were pleasant.
• Ordering prescription online was quick and easy
• Did the online e consult and had a telephone reply the same afternoon and appointment booked in for the following morning
• Telephone appointment. Rang on time -good friendly and helpful service
• "As far as I'm concerned my new doctors have saved my life. I changed my doctors a little while ago, I did not realise how many opioids medication I was on. These doctors helped me reduce my medication, My life is worth living, I feel good. I'm so glad I came here"
• "Because the staff who saw me , or spoke to me were amazingly informed and informative And I began ‘to see the light’. THANK You so much"

Many comments are concerning the availability of GP appointments and answering telephone calls. As mentioned above, we are looking at this process internally and whilst there is still a wide-spread view that appointments have to be with a doctor, our admin/reception team are trained to signpost patients to the most appropriate clinician – this could be a physio, pharmacist, nurse or doctor.

Please continue to complete the friends and family survey  - hardcopy surveys are available in the reception. Ask one of our receptionists and pop it in the box or hand it back.

A 'waiting well' programme is being implemented across the whole ICB to help support our most vulnerable patients while they wait for surgery. 

'Waiting Well' is a regionwide programme that aims to support patients to improve their physical and mental health while they are waiting for their operation. Find out how the Waiting Well programme has helped one patient in the North East and North Cumbria realise that life is worth living.

For patients, this means they will receive a full wellbeing assessment and offered support in line with identified needs as part of their pre-surgical care. The aim is to help patients get the best outcome from their surgery. 

For practices, it means patients will receive additional support to help them remain well while they wait for surgery and possibly reduce the need to visit the practice.

Below are a couple of case-studies:

Waiting Well – Life is worth living

“Before your intervention I thought I just wanted to die, now I realise life is worth living," was the response from one patient to the support from the Waiting Well team. 

With uncontrollable pain, mental health struggles and the loss of their mother the patient was feeling isolated and lonely before being referred to the Waiting Well programme while preparing for their surgery.

The patient had a small appetite due to continuous pain which attributed to them experiencing complications including sickness and diarrhoea. The latter issues made the patient reluctant to leave home due to the anxiety of finding public toilets.

They lost contact with friends impacting severely on their mental health and emotional wellbeing.

Following referrals by the programme the patient received amended medication to control pain levels, counselling and were sign-posted to the local befriending service.

The patient has now had their operation, has a new outlook on life, has reconnected with old friends and is also showing interest in attending more community groups.

Waiting Well – Building confidence and living a better life

Attending physical activity sessions and engaging more in social situations is helping a busy grandparent prepare for their surgical procedure.

After living a sedentary lifestyle, being isolated and restricted in their everyday living, the patient is now enjoying daily exercise and meeting new friends after being referred by the programme to a physiotherapist and regular fitness class.

The patient is now able to do more household jobs, go out more often and is working towards a healthy body weight. They are also finding everyday life easier and are able to cope better looking after their grandchildren with a much lower amount of pain on those busy days.

They have much more confidence in their ability to make changes and are proud of what they have achieved so far.

Meeting other people and taking part in the physical activity sessions have not only improved the patient's health and confidence but also allowed them to engage with people socially, something they were very rarely able to do before having help from the Waiting Well service.

As part of the NHS long term plan, we are increasing alternative services to those in crisis.

National funding has been invested in all areas to increase the range of alternative services that can meet the range of different needs and preferences for accessing crisis support.

The funding is to be invested into alternative models of crisis support, providing an alternative to A&E or inpatient admission. The programme aims to identify local inequalities among people who use crisis services and to implement alternative services that better meet the needs of these groups.

As part of this work, we want to improve signposting and expand coverage to reach more people and make a greater impact. The NHS and voluntary sectors will work together on these alternatives.

Please follow link below to find out more

Crisis Team Information

The practice were recently gifted this beautiful print of a watercolour painted by the late Alan Smith. The print is now proudly displayed in the practice.

Alan was a local artist in Newcastle and recognised as such by Marshall Hall's book "The artists of Northumbria". His work continues to be exhibited at the Biscuit Factory where he had his studio. Alan contributed to many a MOSLER exam as a subject and even to the occasional teaching session for medical students.

The subject of the painting is "The King's Walk" where the medical students gather at graduation. The aim of having the picture and sign in each teaching surgery is to acknowledge the connection between the practice, Newcastle Universtiy and the excellent teaching delivered all around the region.

The picture enhances The Weardale Practice and students sense of belonging to Newcastle Universtiy and it's medical school.

(ps - i know the image is horizontal)

Lisa Turnbull, our Community Wellness Coordinator, is funded by the Weardale Area Action Partnership, she has worked for The Weardale Practice since 2016.

Lisa’s role is very versatile she works with numerous professionals to enable our patients to remain as safe and independent as possible in their own homes.

A typical example of Lisa’s role would be to flag up any concerns health related to our medical professional whether this be GP’s, ECP’s or Community Paramedics to try and prevent the concern escalating.

Another very important part of Lisa’s role is to provide social support for the patients in our practice, she supports with home social visits or signpost patients to events or groups that they would like and would benefit from.

Lisa also works closely with other professionals including Occupational Therapists to provide the correct equipment in the patients home to support independence to remain in their own homes, Social Workers and care providers in the area to help set up additional support for patients that can no longer manage everything at home themselves.

She works closely with Linda Pearson Citizens advise also, this enables patients to receive the correct financial support and benefits including blue badges.

She also works alongside the Fire and safety team to make sure that patients homes are as safe as possible, this may include fitting or replacing smoke alarms.

If you would like to speak with Lisa or would like her to visit you can contact her via her direct number 07766239434 or contact The Weardale Practice.

What is a healthy weight service?

This is a free service to help people living in County Durham to have a healthy weight.

 Your GP or health care provider can refer you into a free service.

The health professional will take some information and tell you how you can get help to have a healthy weight.

Why is it good to be a healthy weight?

To feel healthier and have more energy

To have better health

To have lower risk of illness and disease

Lower chances of some cancers

Better mood

What support does the healthy weight service provide?

Help with following a healthy eating plan

Help with ways to be physically active to suit each person

Help to make lasting healthy changes

Things you can do to keep a healthy body and mind

Making too many changes at once can feel too much.

Start small

Taking one thing at a time can help you make that change last.

https://teamnet.clarity.co.uk/Library/ViewItem/0e8ac796-5587-4c90-94d9-afe600a006ac

We shared a post recently on our Facebook page regarding Care Navigation. Please see the attached link for further information.

https://teamnet.clarity.co.uk/Library/ViewItem/030e287d-6975-442b-b4c1-afe600a4bad4

Consult Online from Home - The Weardale Practice (webgp.com)

For people who have a regular prescription, electronic repeat dispensing (eRD) allows them to get their medicines from their chosen pharmacy without having to obtain, each time they collect, a signature from their GP.

Through eRD a GP can authorise up to 12 months’ worth of a patient’s regular prescription, which is then ready for download and dispensing at the chosen pharmacy each time the patient needs it.

People who have consented to get their regular medication through eRD welcome the convenience of knowing their next prescription will be ready without having to contact their general practice, and say it provides flexibility so they have medication to cover bank holidays.

Since its introduction nationally in 2019, GP practices and pharmacists in the North East and Yorkshire have embraced electronic repeat dispensing and this NHS region has been the top performer for growth of the scheme for the last two years.

Now, NHS regional teams want to build on that success by increasing further the number of patients being offered the convenience, and reassurance, of electronic repeat dispensing (eRD).

The Benefits of eRD for Patients In England - YouTube

Dr Ben Rowley sadly left us in January 2023 to relocate to Cumbria with his family. Dr Rowley had been with the practice since 2014.

Dr Matthew Hackett will be leaving the practice as GP Partner at the end of March but will continue his diabetes clinics. Dr Hackett has been with us for 25 years.

We are pleased to announce that Dr Helen Farrah will be joining the practice in April as GP Partner and Dr Kate Thomas will join us as a salaried GP in March.

Dr Amy Rowan is on maternity leave from mid-March and Dr Jenny O'Brien joins the team to provide cover. 

Dr Tom Rowley has been away from the practice for a few weeks on paternity leave following the birth of his second child.

Big changes which has left us in a period of transition and fewer short-notice and routine appointments than we would normally have. We do have agency staff working with us to try and support the demand. 

In April, we will be doing a piece of work to reassign patients with a named/usual GP.

Thank you to all of our patients who continue to complete the Friends and Family survey on a monthly basis.

We review the comments on a monthly a basis make changes where possible - we can't do everything and it often takes a little time to implement some improvements - but we do listen, so thank you to everyone who takes the time to give us feedback.

Many moons ago, the practice published performance figures and we are now in a position to start publishing monthly stats again. A newsletter is planned but for monthly stuff the News section is the place to find this information. Watch this space for the February update and more information about the practice.

Following the announcement by Boris Johnson on Sunday, we are looking to increase our vaccination clinics. We are constrained by the vaccination ordering process and await further information from our CCG. We will make further announcements as soon as we have dates and vaccines. 

Please do not phone the practice to try and book an appointment.

COVID-19 remains a serious health risk and you should stay cautious to help protect yourself and others. For this reason we continue to ask you to respect our policy on the requirement for all patients to have a PCR test prior to coming to the practice if you are displaying symptoms.

When booking your appointment at the practice, you will be asked if you have any symptoms, even if mild, (a high temperature; a new, continuous cough or you've lost your sense of smell or taste or they have changed). If you do, you will need to provide a negative PCR test prior to coming to an appointment. This is to protect other patients and staff. Please do not come to the practice if you are displaying symptoms- if you do, you may be asked to leave and go through the PCR testing process.

We have seen a number of comments on social media regarding the requirement to have a PCR test following a negative lateral flow and we have a large number of patients calling who are disgruntled that we are then asking for testing prior to an appointment. This is for your safety, the safety of our staff and the safety of the wider community.

if you do have a negative lateral flow test result but are displaying symptoms, you must have a PCR test prior to an appointment at the practice. These are easy to book online or by dialling 119.

There are two main tests  to check if you have Covid -19. 

• PCR tests – mainly for people with symptoms, they're sent to a lab to be checked Click here to book your appointment
• rapid lateral flow tests – only for people who do not have symptoms, they give a quick result using a device similar to a pregnancy test

For further information Coronavirus (COVID-19) - NHS (www.nhs.uk)

If you do have symptoms, use the 111 coronavirus service for further infomation on what to do.

Following the recent announcement regarding the accelerated covid booster programme, we are currently working to increase capacity for further booster clinics starting in December. Despite various news outlets asking patients to call their GP practice to book an appointment - please do not contact us. We will be adding the clinics to the online booking system and further announcements will be made when these are available. 

As all 'at risk' patients, over 50s and immuno-surpressed patients have now been invited for their booster or third dose, all eligible patients will be able to book appointments via the online system. 

We will be organising further pfizer clinics for under 18s only and again, the appointments will be made available and annoucements made on our website when you can book.

Don't forget that you can book your appointment at one of the national vaccination centres on the NHS mobile app.