Allesley Park Medical Centre, Coventry

Anna is to be joined by a second Nurse Practitioner in mid-November.

Feedback from Anna’s first few months shows that having a clinician who can keep a large number of appointments open on each day, and who can deal with a huge range of issues, including prescribing and referring to specialist care, is really unblocking that awful 08.30 telephone log jam which we all hated.

We very much welcome the fact that the practice has tried to solve this problem and look forward to meeting Jackie.

Evening opening
Surgery now open for those whose work commitments don’t allow appointments in the working day from 18.30 - 19.30 from Monday to Friday.

MISSED APPOINTMENTS
There were 74 missed appointments in September. This is a scandalous waste of resources!

PLEASE, if you have booked an appointment with a doctor or nurse, and no longer need it, let the practice know.

Do think about the person who is desperate to see someone, who is told that there are no appointments and then the nurse or doctor finds that they could have seen that patient in the gap where someone has just not turned up.

We all have imperfect memories and will sometimes forget. But the high level of “DNAs” (did not attends, in practice speak) is such a pity and we should all be mindful of its impact on fellow patients.

PATIENT TRANSPORT IN NON-EMERGENCY SITUATIONS
The guidance on this has recently changed - there are brochures at Reception if you need transport to get to non-urgent medical appointments. In brief, you now need to book your own transport by phoning the West Midlands Ambulance Service on

01926 888120 (Monday to Friday 08.00 - 18.00)

To check whether you qualify, please request a copy of the brochure. When phoning initially you will need personal details, appointment letter and NHS number to hand.

PARTICIPANTS WANTED FOR EXPERT PATIENT/EXPERT CARER PROGRAMMES - DO YOU WANT TO TAKE MORE CONTROL OVER YOUR HEALTH OR THAT OF SOMEONE YOU CARE FOR???? THEN READ ON……
One of the exciting projects we really want to do next year is to run either, or indeed both, of these programmes which the Primary Care Trust will fund and which will thus be free to anyone joining.

The idea behind these programmes is that anyone who has a long-term health condition, or who cares for someone with one, can be helped to self-manage their situation and make life better for themselves and their loved-one.

The programmes both involve six (weekly) two and a half hour sessions, taught by trained volunteers and cover issues such as dealing with pain/tiredness and stress; relaxation techniques; planning for the future; anxiety about how to cope - and many others.

They run in various places in the city, but IF WE CAN GET ENOUGH PEOPLE, we could run one in Allesley Park, making it much easier to get there and indeed to share useful local information.

It doesn’t matter what sort of health condition is involved, or whether you are a patient or a carer. The programmes do not in any way replace the consultations you have with doctors/nurses etc. They are simply about self-help and sharing problems under expert guidance.

PLEASE let us know (via Kim Jolly at the surgery, through your doctor or nurse, or through the Patient Panel suggestion box in the foyer of the practice) if you think you might be interested. We can only run one locally if we get enough people - around 10 per group and we all think it would be fantastic to get one or both programmes held in our patch.

It’s that time of year again and the programme of vaccination against the current flu virus is underway.

As in previous years, treatment is given to those in particular “at risk” groups. These are :

• over-65s
• carers
• adults and children with asthma, diabetics
• those with heart/liver/kidney/neurological illnesses
• anyone with lowered immunity.

If you fall into any of these groups and have not yet booked your appointment, please do so as soon as possible.

For those of you not in any of these categories, but who want to have a flu jab, you can get one (for a fee) at any of the pharmacies that have an advertisement. Once the practice has covered the priority patients, any flu vaccine remaining will be available to other patients at the surgery. This is likely to be in mid-December, so let the practice know if you would like to be considered. Don’t forget, though, that the pharmacist can help with minor sniffles and sneezes and you don’t have to make an appointment!!!

Finally it looks as though the new and much-extended surgery building will be started by mid-2009. It will be part of the contract to extend the community centre next door and build a local library. The pharmacy will also become part of the same complex.

Plans will be available at the next Whoberley council forum on 26 November at 19.00 at St Mary Magdalene church. Some of us will be going - do come along as well. Completion is estimated to be in two years’ time.

Your Patient Panel is involved with looking at the plans and trying to help think of things which could be improved/included to make it better for patients - do let us have your comments (in the box in the surgery foyer).

THE ANNUAL PATIENT SURVEY NOW UNDERWAY - PLEASE COMPLETE ONE. THE PRACTICE TAKES THESE SERIOUSLY AND CAN ONLY CHANGE THINGS FOR THE BETTER IF THEY KNOW WHAT WE LIKE AND DON’T LIKE!

Your Patient Panel has now grown a bit in size and there are now 9 of us who meet with the practice on a regular basis - BUT we still need more of you involved. If you are interested in coming to a meeting, please let Kim, our Practice Manager, know. Meetings will be at the surgery on the first Tuesday of each month, at 18.00 in December, February etc and at 14.00 in January, March etc (alternating so that we can maximise participation).

The latest version of the Allesely Park Medical Centre newsletter is now available and can be viewed, printed or downloaded via the website.

Just go to http://allesleyparkmedicalcentre.co.uk/docs/newsletter.pdf

Topics covered in the November 2008 edition include:-

• The Annual Patient Survey
• The new surgery
• Flu Jabs
• Expert Patient/Expert Carer programmes
• Non-emergency patient transport
• Missed appointments
• Evening opening
• New nurse practitioner

We have attended various city-wide meetings run by the Primary Care Trust (PCT) as well as having regular meetings (about every six weeks) with Kim, the Practice Manager, and a doctor. We are now eight strong - but there is always room for more members as it is rare that we can all make every meeting. We have written to the PCT and the Prime Minister about things like funding for the new, expanded surgery premises; our concerns about the drive for more private providers of primary health care; and the importance of those who make policy decisions listening to both the doctors and nurses on the ground and the views of we patients. We have also joined (paid for by the Practice – thank you) the National Association for Patient Participation, an organisation which gives us access to all sorts of information and advice – watch this space!