Lambourn Surgery Patient Participation Group Newsletter, November 2021

Flu Clinics

Massive thanks to everyone involved in this year’s Flu Clinics held at the Walwyn Hall, especially to both the clinical and lay volunteers without whom this exercise would simply not be possible. Nearly 1700 Flu vaccinations have been administered and the practice is currently assessing if a “mop up” clinic will be necessary. Look out for further news.

Covid Booster

The Covid booster programme continues. At the time of writing, it has just been announced that eligible patients will be invited, 5 months after their 2^nd dose, to make an appointment for their Covid Vaccine booster 1 month later. This is being performed through the NHS appointment system. Patients will be able to choose the time and place of their appointment but note that only those facilities with appointments available will show up/be offered. Therefore, it is worth checking regularly if your preferred location has appointments available.

If you are eligible and are beyond the 5 month window but have not received an invitation you can still make an appointment online or by calling 119.

The online booking system can be reached here.

Housebound Patients

There is now a plan in place for both Flu and Covid Booster vaccinations for housebound patients. These will be performed either by surgery staff or the District Nurse team. It is expected this will be complete by the end of November.

Staffing and New Initiatives

The surgery continues to experience staffing problems since there are virtually no locum/agency GPs or nurses available. However, we welcome Dr Abigail Smail who has been appointed as maternity cover for Dr Zoe Wanless. There are also two new members of the nursing team, Chereka Carty and Camille Tournier and phlebotomist, Lynn Martin. Welcome Aboard!

New NHS initiatives are being implemented within the practice and the Primary Care Network (PCN).

A First Contact Physiotherapist has been appointed by the PCN. They will assess muscular/skeletal problems and direct patients to the most appropriate treatment; however, they will not be doing any of the practical physio.  Similarly, a Mental Health Practitioner has been appointed to act as the first point of call for conditions such as depression. They both will be working at Lambourn for around 1 day per week.  

The Surgery have established a Community Pharmacy Service agreement with Lambourn Pharmacy.  Whereby when a patient contacts the Surgery regarding minor illnesses such as colds, flu, skin conditions or sore throats they could be referred to Lambourn Pharmacy for a private consultation. This could occur within 3 hours of contact with the Surgery. This is a formal arrangement with cooperation between the practice and the pharmacy.

It is hoped that all these initiatives will help alleviate the waiting times for consultations with GPs.

Remember

In order that our surgery can provide care to those most in need please consider consulting with a pharmacist or calling 111 or the online service 111.nhs.uk for straightforward medical advice,

You can contact the PPG via email; ppgchairpersonlambourn@gmail.com or in writing via the surgery office (Bockhampton Road, Lambourn, RG17 8PS) addressed to the Chair of the PPG.

Alan Breadmore, Chair, Lambourn Surgery PPG