Hurley Clinic

Payal Vashani joined the Hurley Clinic on the 12^th March 2010. She is a qualified independent pharmacist prescriber and will be working every Friday from 2.00-6.00pm. Payal will be seeing patients with signs and symptoms of COPD, and be involved in their management. Payal will be inviting patients for COPD reviews and seeing patients through a direct referral from one of clinicians.

Maryam Borumand joined us in January as our new Physicians Assistant. Maryam has been working closely with the doctors carrying out blood pressure checks and offering health advice for patients with chronic diseases. Maryam will also be leading on the new NHS health check national programme for people between 40 and 74. Details of which are in this newsletter.

NEW TELEPHONE SYSTEM
The Hurley Clinic introduced a new telephone system in March 2010. When you ring the main number – 020 7735 7918 you are now presented with 6 options designed to help deal with your call more efficiently. Please follow the instructions after dialing.

IMPLANON – THE CONTRACEPTIVE IMPLANT
At the Hurley Clinic we offer the Implanon contraceptive implant to women. The contraceptive implant is the UK’s most effective contraception, but is also a convenient alternative to the pill. The implant is put under the skin on the upper arm, under local anaesthetic.  Each implant lasts three years. Dr Belinda Coker, Dr Julia Foley, Dr Lucy Hillman and Dr Sowmya Sreeharan can put them in. For advice or any further information please speak with any GP or nurse.

FREE CHLAMYDIA SCREENING
We are offering a simple test for Chlamydia and gonorrhoea. These are the most common sexually transmitted infections in the U.K which affect both men and women. Most people have no visible symptoms, so they may not know they have the infection.  Rarely, these infections can lead to problems having children later in life. If you’re under 25, have had sex and would like to be tested please pick up a confidential slip on the wall near the prescription window and hand it over to the reception staff who will provide you with a testing kit. You can do the test while you’re waiting for your appointment. The test is free, confidential, simple and painless.

For more advice please speak with one of the doctors or nurses.

LAMBETH INVOLVEMENT NETWORK (LINK)
Did you know that you can have a say in how your local heath and social care services are provided?

Lambeth LINK is one of 150 independent networks of local people and organisations created by the Department of Health in England to give everyone the chance to say what they think about their local health and social care service – WHAT’S WORKING WELL AND WHAT’S NOT. Any Lambeth resident or organisation can join and it is independent of statutory authorities such as the NHS Lambeth and Lambeth Council.

For more information contact the LINK on;

Tel:             020 7274 8522

Email: info@lambethlink.org.uk

Website: http://www.lambethlink.org.uk/

CLINIC DATES
The Hurley Clinic will be closed for staff training from 1pm on the following afternoons: Thursday 29^th April and Thursday 20^th May. You can collect your prescription while we are closed from Hills pharmacy (formerly Benny’s) opposite the clinic. If you need to speak to a doctor when we are closed you can contact our out of hours service SELDOC on 020 8693 9066. Alternatively you can contact NHS Direct on 0845 4647.

NHS HEALTH CHECKS
We will shortly be writing to patients between the ages of 40 and 74 inviting you to have an NHS Health Check once every 5 years. The aim of the check is to assess your risk of developing heart disease, stroke, kidney disease or diabetes and then work to reduce that risk. The check will take about 20–30 minutes and is based on straightforward questions and measurements such as age, sex, family history, height, weight and blood pressure. There will also be a simple blood test to measure your cholesterol level. Details on how to make an appointment will be included on your invitation. For more information visit http://www.nhs.uk/nhshealthcheck or call the NHS Health Check helpline on 0845 850 9850.

SUMMARY CARE RECORDS
The NHS is changing the way it stores and manages health information by introducing the Summary Care Record (SCR). The SCR is an electronic record of important health information such as your current medications, allergies, or any allergies to medicines. The SCR will only be accessed by NHS healthcare staff who need access to reliable information about you to help with your treatment. The benefits will be felt particularly in out-of-hours and emergency care.

Before any summary care record is created Lambeth Primary Care Trust will shortly be writing to every patient registered at the Hurley Clinic telling you about the SCR and how to opt out of being included in the scheme.

For more information please pick up ‘The NHS Care Record Guarantee’ booklet from reception or visit http://www.connectingforhealth.nhs.uk/

BMI MACHINE
In the clinic waiting room we have an automated BMI (Body Mass Index) machine. In just a couple of minutes the machine measures your height, weight and blood pressure to provide you with an excellent indication of your general health. The machine produces 2 printouts. One for you to keep and one to be given to one of the reception team to update your records. Please take a moment to use the machine.

MINOR AILMENTS SCHEME
Did you know you can get advice and treatment for a range of conditions from your local pharmacist? Some pharmacists now run a minor ailments service which means they can supply medicines for certain specific conditions (listed below) without seeing a GP.

• athletes foot
• constipation
• cough
• cystitis
• diarrhoea
• earache
• fever
• hay fever/allergies
• insect bites and stings
• minor burns and cuts
• mouth ulcers
• sore throat
• sprains and strains
• teething
• vaginal thrush
• verrucas and warts
• viral upper respiratory tract infection

If your problem is more serious and needs the attention of a GP, your pharmacist will recognise this, and advise you to see your GP. For more information speak with your local pharmacist.

YOUR CONTACT DETAILS
Do we have your correct address and daytime telephone number? Throughout the year we regularly send letters out inviting patients to attend the surgery. We may also at times need to contact you by telephone. Please ensure we have your up to date contact details.

HURLEY CLINIC PATIENT GROUP
We are inviting more patients to join the Hurley Clinic Patient Group. If you have some spare time, want to care more about your community and contribute to new developments at the Hurley we would love to hear from you. Our aim is to provide a forum for discussing the practice’s services and feedback from patients. Any registered patient of the Hurley Clinic is welcome to join.  If you are interested, or would like more information please contact the surgery on 020 7735 7918 and ask for Dorett Muhammed.

We also have a suggestion box located in the waiting room and welcome any comments you may have.