“Quack” is our way of letting our patients know news of the surgery. As times are changing we are now updating information more often on our website and you can subscribe to receive news updates by using the menu item Health news above.
Quack is normally published 3 to 4 times a year depending on how much there is going on!
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Emsworth Surgery Quack Team!
Emsworth Medical Practice Spring Quack Newsletter 2024
Staff Update
Dr Tang is now on maternity leave we wish her well and will look forward to her return. Some of the other doctors will be working more sessions to look after Dr Tang’s patients.
Dr Natalie Denby has come to the end of her Retainer Contract with the Practice and will be leaving us at the end of April. We will miss her and wish her every success for the future.
We have two new F2 doctors who are with us on a 4 month’ placement, Dr Joseph Whelan and Dr Shreeya Joshi.
New Practice Website
We now have a new and improved Practice website, as a result of feedback to try and improve patient access www.emsworthmedical.co.uk. Patients now have the ability to communicate with us regarding general non urgent admin tasks, i.e sick notes, change of address and prescription requests rather than having to use the e-consult service.
E-consults still remain the same for clinical issues. You can self refer to physio, and there is self help page for information before contacting the Practice.
Phone Line Options
We have added some extra options on to our phone system to avoid patient waiting times. You can now speak directly to our prescriptions team by pressing option 4 and the secretarial team by pressing option 5 between 9am and 12pm.
Pharmacy First
Patients can now pop down to their local pharmacy for help with seven minor conditions which would previously have required a GP appointment.
As experts in medicines and managing minor illnesses, pharmacists have been backed by Government and the NHS to provide a new NHS ‘Pharmacy First’ service. 5 pharmacies across Emsworth and Hayling Island have signed up to support people in certain age groups seeking help for sore throats, earache in children, sinusitis, infected insect bites, impetigo, shingles, and urinary tract infections in women.
If you have symptoms that suggest you may have one of these conditions, you can now walk into a pharmacy and be offered a consultation with the pharmacist. Under the new service pharmacists can provide advice and, if clinically necessary, will offer an NHS medicine to treat it (NHS prescription charge apply if you normally pay for medicines supplied on prescription). Should the pharmacy team be unable to help, you will be directed to your GP surgery or A&E as appropriate.
By thinking ‘Pharmacy First’, people will find it easier and quicker to get the help they need and bypass the 8am rush to book an appointment with their GP. Find the new service at a pharmacy near you using the NHS website: https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/pharmacies/
Patient Participation Group (PPG) Health Talks
On Tuesday evening 23rd April we were given a most interesting talk on Gut Microbiome by a specialist Dietitian from Portsmouth Hospitals, Karen Lee. Karen illustrated the talk with projected slides and some very clever bug models that she had made herself.
The significance of the viruses, bacteria and fungi that collectively make up the microbiome was described in detail, and their importance in helping the digestion of the food we eat (and known as our second brain) they tell our brain, via the vagus nerve, what they want to eat, mainly sugars, which has a profound influence on diabetes, Obesity and intestinal conditions such as IBS diverticulosis, Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. The discussion led on to which fermented food supplements containing beneficial live bacteria that we could safely consume including live yogurts, Kefir and sauerkraut, also live capsules of friendly microbes.
Such was the interest in this subject that the Slipper Sailing Club, who kindly let us use their hall for our talks, reluctantly had to close the doors and refuse Admission to some for fire regulations reasons.
We offer our profound apologies to these people and hope we can arrange another talk at a later date.
Very many thanks to the PPG committee members from all their hard work with the arrangements and in particular our IT expert, Brian Devlin, for his amazing and tireless contribution.
Jim Strudwick, Chair of the Committee, Emsworth Medical Practice PPG
Rebuild General Practice Campaign
Dr Will Denby, GP Partner, spoke directly to patients at a Westbourne Parish Council meeting about the pressures in General Practice earlier in April 2024. Dr Denby, who is also Chair of the Wessex Local Medical Committee (LMC) has been involved in the ‘Rebuild General Practice’ campaign which seeks to restore the family doctor and help GPs to provide the best quality care for you and your family. In a letter of thanks, the Council said that it would “continue to encourage residents to raise issues with their MP to ask for improvements to be made”.
Here's what we know nationally at the moment
- There are 6 million more patients on the books and falling number of GPs.
- GP's are carrying out 400 million annual appointments.
- 90% of NHS contact is in Primary Care and yet Primary Care only gets 9% of the budget.
- We want to be there for you whenever you need us.
- But this is getting harder and harder.
- General Practice is at risk. If you want your GP to provide the best quality care for you and your family you can help us.
❓ So, what can you do to support your GP
✍️ Write to your MP - find a quick and easy template for you to use.
♻️ Re-share @RebuildGP X/Twitter posts to your followers.
🤳 Post on your own social media accounts - X/Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, Instagram, WhatsApp - using our quick and easy template posts and assets.
🗣️ Talk to friends and family, letting them know the extent of the crisis and what GPs are doing to provide you with the best quality care under difficult circumstances.
Get Up and Go is a Havant!
Get Up and Go is a Havant borough project funded by Hampshire County council which aims to help encourage everyone to move more, especially those who are not active due to a health condition or struggling financially. Activities with limited spaces will be prioritised to these residents of the borough. For further information and to see what is currently on offer visit https://www.getupandgohavant.com or phone 07720 076284 (office hours only).
Hepatitis C Scandal
For those patients concerned about Hepatitis C following the infected blood scandal please be aware that you can self order a test on this link https://hepctest.nhs.uk/
Pertussis (Whooping Cough)
There has been a rapid increase in cases of whooping cough across the country as well as five infant deaths. Whooping cough regularly peaks every 3 to 5 years and it is anticipated that cases will continue to rise for several months. Those most at risk of serious disease are those very young infants where maternal vaccination has not been completed and primary childhood vaccinations are not yet completed. Vaccination provides babies who are too young to start their vaccinations with the best method of defence to protect them against this severe disease. Vaccination is offered from 16 weeks’ gestation and women remain eligible until they give birth.
Please contact the surgery if you need to book a vaccination or would like any further advice.
Past Issues of Quack
Spring Quack Newsletter 2024 (PDF, 339KB)
Spring Quack Newsletter 2023 (PDF, 258KB)
Spring quack 2022 (PDF, 208KB)
Autumn Quack 2021 (PDF, 195KB)
Urgent Quack 24.04.2020 (PDF, 307KB)
Quack June 2019 (PDF, 499KB)
Quack Dec 2017 (PDF, 158KB)