Churchfields Medical Practice - The clinics and other services offered by our doctors surgery

Noticeboard

Important changes to repeat prescription ordering

Repeat Prescriptions

Changes to ordering of repeat prescriptions

As of 6^th January 2020 we will no longer be accepting prescription requests on the patient's behalf by their nominated pharmacy. Stopping community pharmacy requests aims to address safety and medication waste. We understand that this change may cause inconvenience to some of our patients and their carers. In exceptional circumstances we will be happy to consider requests from patients for their nominated pharmacy to continue ordering on their behalf.

What does this mean?

This means that from 6^th January 2020 you will need to order repeat medications from the practice directly or online rather than from your pharmacy. Please note this affects the prescription request part of the process only.

- Pharmacies can continue to collect prescriptions from the surgery on behalf of patients who request this service.

- Patients who have their prescriptions sent via electronic prescription (EPS) to their preferred pharmacy can continue to use this service.

Ordering Online

Our preferred method for requesting prescriptions is via the SystmOnline or through NHS app (This links directly to our practice system and is automated, therefore there is less risk of error).

To use the system you will need to obtain login details from reception (please ensure you have photo ID with you).

About Repeat Requests

We operate a computerised service for repeat prescriptions.

We do not accept telephone requests for repeat prescriptions.

You can also request further supplies of your medication either

- in person

- by posting your repeat slip to us (with a stamped addressed envelope)

All requests will be available for collection within 48 hours after receiving (excluding bank holidays and weekends).

Please inform the surgery if the hospital makes any changes to your regular medication.

Medication Reviews

Patients on repeat medication will be asked to see a doctor, practice pharmacist or practice nurse at least once a year to review these regular medications and notification should appear on your repeat slip. Please ensure that you book an appropriate appointment to avoid unnecessary delays to further prescriptions.

Frequently asked questions

What are repeat prescriptions?

Many patients have a ‘repeat prescription’, meaning that they can regularly receive certain medications without having to see their doctor each time. Some people choose to order repeat prescriptions themselves and others choose to use a pharmacy to order their medications on their behalf.

What is changing?
The way repeat prescriptions are ordered is changing. You will have to order your repeat prescription from the practice yourself. This will only affect you if your medicines are ordered on your behalf by a community pharmacy.

Where and when is this happening?

This has already happened at a number of GP practices throughout Nottingham. It will be rolled out at Churchfields Medical Practice on Monday 6^th January 2020.

What is not changing?

If you already order repeat prescriptions from the practice yourself, you will not be affected and do not need to take any action.

Also, the ordering of appliances direct from suppliers will not be changing i.e. stoma bags, catheters.

What do I need to do?
If you have your repeat prescriptions ordered by a pharmacy on your behalf, you’ll need to change the way you order your repeat medicines.

One way to order your repeat prescription is to use the tear off slip on the right-hand side of your prescription and drop it into your practice.

We ask you to only order medicine when needed. Please check how many days’ medicine you have before ordering a new prescription. Please don’t order until you have 7 to 10 days of medicines left. It takes the surgery 2 working days to issue a prescription and you also need to allow time for the pharmacy to dispense your medicines.

IMPORTANT NOTICE:
If you take a medication called Ranitidine, you may have received a communication from us recently informing you to stop taking your tablets as there was a safety issue with the drug. Unfortunately, the information we received was unclear and it was only certain preparations of the drug that had safety issue, the other preparations had a supply issue.
We would like to reassure you that all patients prescribed the drug with a safety issue have been contacted. If you are prescribed any of the preparations with a supply issue, your next repeat prescription will have been replaced by an alternative drug.

We sincerely apologise for any confusion or anxiety this may have caused.

NHS app

We are pleased to say that our surgery is now live on the NHS app. Please follow the simple instruction to set it up.
You can book all non-urgent GP appointments, telephone consultations and some nurses appointments (smears, removal of sutures/clips,diet advice).
For more information, visit www.digital.nhs.uk/services/nhs-app

GP+ Nottingham City – extended hours access for patients

Offering Evening & Weekend Appointments bookable through your GP practice, patients registered at this practice are able to access additional routine appointments during evenings and weekends through the new GP+ service.

Appointments are available to see GPs, Practice Nurses, Clinical Pharmacists and Physiotherapists in a fully equipped accessible location on Upper Parliament Street in Nottingham City Centre.

Opening hours are:

16:00-20:00 Monday – Friday

9:00-13:00 Saturday & Sunday

This is not a walk-in service, appointments are required and booked through the reception team at the surgery. For more information visit: www.ncgpa.org.uk/gpplus

NHS HEALTH CHECKS

The Practice offers free NHS health checks for patients age 40-74. Letters will be sent out shortly to those eligible to make an appointment with nursing team.

NHS BREAST SCREENING
Eligible patients registered at Churchfields Medical Practice are being invited for routine breast screening throughout 2017 by Nottingham City Hospital Breast Screening Unit. Over the next few months, women aged 47-73 will be receiving an invitation to be screened. More information regarding the screening can be found at www.cancerscreening.nhs.uk

National Diabetes Audit - this practice is taking part in an important national project about diabetes care and treatment in the NHS. Theis project is called the National Diabetes Audit (NDA). We will send anonymous information about the care and treatment received by our patients with diabetes. This information is strictly controlled. If you do not want your information used, please inform a receptionist. This will not affect your care. You can get more information from www.hscic.gov.uk/nda

Information sharing agreement (MIG) - The practice has enabled software to share your GP medical record with urgent care services. This means that if you need urgent care treatment (A&E, Out of hours GP, Walk-in centre) the clinician treating you will ask for your consent for them view your GP medical record; if you do not wish them to view your GP medical record you can decline access. This will only work if you have provided us with consent to share information from your record with other healthcare providers - please click on the 'Enhanced Data Sharing Model' heading below for more information and a consent form.

The type of information shared is restricted and includes a summary of current problems, current medication, allergies, recent tests, diagnosis, procedures, investigations, risks and warnings – all this information is currently held in your GP system record.

Family & Friends test - The feedback we're getting from the Family & Friends test is mostly very positive - thank you. We've also had some helpful suggestions for improvement, that we're looking into. You can complete the Family & Friends test online (the patient survey button at the bottom of the home page) or in the practice (feedback box). We also send text messages after your appointments here giving you the option to share your feedback.

This practice currently offers patients’ facilities to book, view, amend, cancel and print appointments online.We also offer the facility for all patients to order online, view and print a list of their repeat prescriptions for drugs, medicines or appliances. We are also now able to to offer patients facilities to view online, export or print any summary information from their record, relating to medications, allergies and adverse reactions. We will need to see photo ID to set these up - please speak to a receptionist for more information

Services from other providers

Find...

Practice Nurses

The following are the services provided by our team of practice nurses.

Family Planning & Women's Health
Health Promotion
Chronic Disease Management
Vaccinations

The Wider Health Care Team

As well as the doctors and staff employed by the practice staff employed by pregnant_lady1 CityCare are also based at the health centre. These include:

Health Visitors
Podiatrists, (chiropody)
A nurse practitioner in mental health

The practice staff and CityCare staff work together as a team, aiming to give patients the best and most appropriate care possible.

Minor Surgery

Some minor surgical procedures are undertaken in the practice. Please discuss with your doctor.

NCGPA (Nottingham City General Practice Alliance)

Churchfields Medical Practice is a provider of phlebotomy, treatment room services, ear irrigation, ECG testing and h-pylori breath testing to patients registered here and at other practices, following an appropriate referral.

If you have received one of these services, we would like to get your feedback. Our NCGPA services feedback from can be downloaded here.

If you require any vaccinations relating to foreign travel you need to book an appointment with a practice nurse. Please call the reception team on 0115 978 1231 to arrange a suitable time.

There is further information about countries and vaccinations required on the links below

Europe & Russia	North America
Central America	South America
Carribean	Africa
Middle East	Central Asia
East Asia	Australasia and Pacific

It is important to have your vaccinations 8 weeks before you travel, so please allow enough time when calling to book your appointment. Please be aware that you must complete Travel Advice form prior to booking the appointment. Any patient attending an appointment without completion of this form will unfortunately not be seen.

Some travel vaccines are ordered on a private prescription and these incur a charge over and above the normal prescription charge. This is because not all travel vaccinations are included in the services provided by the NHS.

Non-NHS Services

Some services provided are not covered under our contract with the NHS and therefore attract charges. Examples include the following:

Medicals for pre-employment, sports and driving requirements (HGV, PSV etc.)
Insurance claim forms
Fitness to fly letters
Prescriptions for taking medication abroad
Private sick notes
Vaccination certificates

The fees charged are based on the British Medical Association (BMA) suggested scales and our reception staff will be happy to advise you about them along with appointment availability.

The Request for Private Work can take up to 6 weeks to complete from receipt of request and payment is required before the work is completed.

Ear Wax & Syringing

redcross If you know you have a wax problem causing deafness and that your ear is healthy, you can start this treatment for yourself. We recommend Olive Oil only as specially formulated preparations can cause irritation to healthy ears.

Put 2-3 drops of ordinary olive oil down the ear with your head tilted, leaving it tilted for at least 10 minutes or as long as possible morning and night for 2 weeks. This softens the wax and allows it to run out. Don't use cotton wool.

If we undertake ear syringing, the nurse will ensure that the risks are explained to you again, but they include:

Ear infection
Dizziness
Pain
Deafness

If you have a repeated build up of wax you can use olive oil twice a week to keep them clear.

If you have, or suspect, any kind of ear problem other than wax, you should NOT put anything down the ear except after medical advice.

Use olive oil when:

Your ear is healthy and you think wax is causing your deafness - use for 2 weeks, or
Your ear is healthy and you get regular blockages - use twice a week.

See the nurse / doctor when:

You have discharge or bleeding
You don't know what is causing your deafness
You think there's a problem, or
You still have a blockage after using olive oil for 2 weeks.

IDEA is an online learning centre to improve the care and quality of life of people with dementia. It is a one-stop website where patients will be able to find information and resources including online courses and a range of audio-visual materials about dementia, its causes, treatment and the care of people affected.