Newsletter August 2023

We are pleased to announce that the much needed extension to our practice is now taking place. The extension will provide more clinical space, a larger dispensary and a refurbished reception area to serve our growing population.

We are excited about the opportunities this will present the practice in offering a wider range of clinical services to our patients as well as giving more space to grow our current clinical team. The project will take around 10 months to complete. Our practice and services will be operating as usual during this time.

Hurt your foot or hand in the last 72 hours? Consider an X-ray is needed? No need to wait in A&E. Patients over 5 yrs old can book a face to face appointment at our practice today and, if appropriate, an X-ray can be arranged quickly, bypassing the queues!

The Practice will be holding our annual flu clinics in early October. We are also planning to support the covid autumn campaign at the same time. Invites to eligible patients will be sent but if you usually have the flu vaccine, please call in September to book your appointment. We have been directed by NHSE that we do not vaccinate those patients aged 50-64yr without a diagnosis of a long term condition.

We have been running an online consultation system for some time now. This has proved popular with patients who find the convenience of submitting their clinical or administrative queries online easier than calling the practice.

To use the system, head to our website at www.blofieldsurgery.nhs.uk homepage and scroll down to “Contact Us Online”

Did you know about Rachel, our inhouse Social Prescriber? We recognised that people’s health and wellbeing can be affected by a range of social and economic factors. Rachel is available to discuss your non-clinical needs, such as issues surrounding home and social problems including housing, adaptations, social isolation and debt.

She can refer you to non-clinical services to help you take a greater control over your health and wellbeing. If you are unsure whether Social Prescribing can help you, please contact our reception team for more advice.

Our clinical team often gets asked about relief from hay fever during the Spring and Summer months. Our Nurse Prescriber Max and Nurse Practitioner Amanda have been successfully directing patients to www.allergyuk.org

This is a useful resource for patients which offers online advice through a chat box and provides information on how to manage your symptoms. Any medication required can generally be purchased over the counter, saving you time in attending the Practice. However, if your symptoms persist and are unmanageable after following advice and information on this web site, please do not hesitate to contact us.

In August, the NHS will be rolling out the “Shared Care Record” scheme to GP Practices. The Shared Care Record enables health and social care teams directly involved in your care, to access your most important health records safely and securely. It aims to improve your care experience by ensuring health and care professionals have the information they need to provide you with the best care and treatment. It also reduces the need for patients to repeat themselves when interacting with different health teams. Patients will be automatically opted into a Shared Care Record, and we hope that you will agree that this will enhance your patient journey and care. You can however opt out of a Shared Care Record by emailing [email protected]

You can now follow us on Facebook – just search Blofield Surgery. We aim to use this method of communication to tell our patients about national and local health campaigns and keep our patients up to date with what is going on at the practice.

Don’t worry if you do not use Facebook, there is always information available on our website, in the practice and in these newsletters!