May 2016

Volume 1, Issue 2

Sunny Meed Surgery

Providing quality healthcare for all

www.sunnymeedsurgery.co.uk

15—17 Heathside Road

Woking Surrey GU22 7EY

Goldsworth Park Health Centre

Denton Way Woking Surrey GU21 3LQ

Dr Michael Bourke

Dr Paul V Rankin

Dr Sara Gil Rivas

Early Summer Newsletter

HELLO AND WELCOME BACK!

Welcome to the second issue of our quarterly electronic newsletter

which is being emailed to all patients on our system and is also available on

our website. Thank you for the positive feedback from our launch issue which

encourages us that we are providing a useful service. Please keep your com-

ments coming so that we can reflect your views and input. Remember to let

us know if you wish to share a community event. Our next issue will be in mid

August and will have a summer theme. All feedback is welcome!

We look forward to hearing from you.

Contact us by email: NWSCCG.officesunnymeedsurgery@nhs.net

SPOTLIGHT ON ...

This issue, our focus is on Nipa Patel.

Nipa is our Clinical Pharmacist and she looks

after the prescribing needs of our patients. A

chat with warm and friendly Nipa will always

brighten up your day!

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

How are You?

Medical Secretaries

Dementia Awareness

Mental Health

Staff Comings and Goings

What is U3A?

… and plenty more!

Allergy UK can be reached on

01322 619898 or visit their

website

www.allergyuk.org

Visit the Met Office website to view a UK pollen forecast map, and spot the areas most affected by a high pollen count. www.metoffice.gov.uk

Do you - or does someone you know - have Mental Health Issues?

Safe Haven Woking offers a safe, calm, and friendly welcome for people and carers in need of emotional and mental health support.

Come along if you (or the person you care for) are experiencing a mental health crisis. 1-1 support, assessment and local infor-mation will be available.

You are welcome to drop in:

Monday to Friday 6pm - 11pm

Weekends & bank holidays 12.30pm – 11pm

The Marjorie Richardson Centre

19 High Street, Woking, GU21 6BW

(Come out of Woking Station

on the town side and turn left)

Details are at

http://www.sabp.nhs.uk/services/mental-health/adult/safe-havens/safe-haven-woking

______________________________________________

If you are suffering from depression, anxiety or stress, you can now self refer to Mind Matters Surrey. Further details are at: www.mindmattersnhs.co.uk

HELLO SNEEZING SEASON …...

Mental Health Issues

Research suggests that Seasonal Allergic Rhinitis, also known as hay fever affects 1 in 5 people at some point in their life, with over 10 million cases in the UK alone. It is an allergic inflammation of the nasal airways, triggered by airborne allergens such as pollen; grass pollen is considered to be the most common cause of hay fever in the UK.

Symptoms of hay fever can vary dramatically depending on the current season’s pollen count, from sneezing, a runny or blocked nose, itchy or watery eyes and persistent cough, to headaches and fatigue. Combined with asthma, people suffering from hay fever may experience tightness in their chest and shortness of breath.

Sufferers of mild symptoms can ask the advice of their local pharmacist as over the counter remedies are effective and relatively inexpensive. Those with persistent symptoms and sufferers of other common allergic conditions like eczema and asthma should see their GP, as they may need regular preventative medication as well as advice about emergency treatment.

Research indicates that many people find their symptoms lessen as they grow older, and in 10-20% of cases, they disappear completely. In the meantime it’s advisable to wear sun-glasses when possible and try to change clothing after spending time outside as pollen can cling to clothing fibres.

If you need to speak to the

receptionist in confidence,

please ask

If you need to ask something

personal, please write it down

and pass it to reception.

We are not here to share your

details or your personal

business with anyone else.

Confidentiality is ALWAYS

respected.

Courtesy is equally important.

Please try to be patient espe-

cially at our busiest times.

We are here to help.

2

SPOTLIGHT ON … NIPA PATEL

If you haven’t come across the U3A before, take a look at the website for the University of the Third Age at www.wokingareau3a.co.uk

They say: We are a nationwide collection of local groups set up for and by people no longer in full-time work – in our “third age”. We run classes and activities led and taught by our members, for our members. We are a non-profit making, charitable, self-help organisation.

Woking Area U3A has over 1,500 members, is one of 24 U3As in Surrey and over 1,000 U3As nationwide.

Our teachers lead groups on a voluntary basis, the annual U3A membership in Woking currently costs £18.00 and most of our clas-ses are charged per term at £1 a session. Annual membership runs from 1st September but you can join the U3A, and then enrol in clas-ses, at any time.

The variety of classes is comprehensive, ranging from Art to Lan-guage, Computing and technology, craft, leisure, literature, health and fitness, music, history and social.

There’s something there for everyone who is privileged to be in their more mature years.

WHAT’S

HAPPENING

THIS MONTH

Dementia

Awareness Week

is taking place

this month from

15-21 May 2016.

Information will

be available in

the waiting room.

Also check out www.alzheimers.org.uk

MAY IS STROKE

AWARENESS

MONTH

WWW.STROKE.ORG.UK

What is your role at Sunny Meed? I am the practice Clinical Pharmacist What are your principal duties? My principal duties are running the Practice INR clinic alongside Nurse Stone and Dr Rankin. I also run the Asthma/COPD clinics with the nurses in the practice and see patients with respiratory-related conditions. I see patients for medication reviews and deal with medicine related queries from patients, GPs and consultants. How long have you worked here? I have worked here at the Practice for about 3 years What do you particularly like about your job? I like helping patients and seeing the difference perhaps a small change in their medication can make to their lives. The team at the Practice are all friendly and approachable and this has helped me to develop. How do you keep abreast of the latest developments within the practice and wider across the CCG? The Practice also has regular clinical education sessions, where local experts come to train us which helps us to keep up to date. I also work for the local CCG part time and therefore keep up with the latest devel-opments through newsletters and the CCG website. What would you envisage for the future improvement of the Practice? In the future I would like to see a greater uptake of electronic prescribing which will allow a quicker turnaround of prescriptions for patients. It also means less chances of prescriptions getting lost! Is there anything else you would like to add? I always encourage patients to take an active interest in their personal healthcare and ask them if they understand what their medicines are for and why it is important for them to take them. If they don’t know, they can book an appointment with me! Thank you, Nipa.

3

Get on your Bike!

If you enjoy cycling,

take a look at

www.wokingcycle.org.uk

Their Home Page says,

“Each year we organise a number of bike rides intended for those less confident at rid-ing a bicycle any distance.

These rides of about 15 to 17 miles, lasting a couple of hours on a weekend afternoon, are very popular”.

_____________________

See the NHS quiz to check your

health at www.nhs.uk

What do the Medical Secretaries do?

Tucked away in the back office, the medical secretaries ensure that

the workflow along the patient pathway is as smooth as possible.

There are three of us which sounds a lot, but in combination of our

part time hours we provide a service covering the office hours of

0830 to 1700 Monday to Friday.

Our key tasks involve processing referrals.

How can we help you?

GP referrals are submitted in a variety of ways, according to

level of urgency and specialty. We use paper and PCs in more or

less equal measure!

Most referrals are sent by default to Ashford and St Peter’s and

triaged appropriately.

If you have a specific request, eg choice of hospital, please

mention this to the doctor during your appointment.

We deal with referrals in date order of receipt – but of course

clinically urgent referrals take precedence.

Some appointments may be offered at community clinics.

You can ask your doctor for an electronic ‘choose and book’

referral which is offered for certain specialities and allows you to

choose where and when you are seen.

Waiting times for clinics and treatments elsewhere are out of

the hands of the Practice. Unfortunately, we not know how long

your wait will be. We can provide contact details if you wish to

check directly with the hospital.

We are always happy to help with queries about your onward

referrals, but we are not medically trained so we cannot give you

any clinical information or results.

How can you help us?

If your query is not urgent, you are welcome to contact us by

email.

Emails should be addressed to:

NWSCCG.officesunnymeedsurgery@nhs.net with

query for medical secretary in the subject line.

If you are planning to see a Consultant privately, please

contact your health insurance company and advise us of

the name and location of the Consultant you wish to see.

Coffee Time! This is YOUR page to be shaped how you would like it. Please write to us! Email us! Share what you would like to see on this page!

We were very pleased to receive this email from local resident, Alan Nichols. Thank you Mr Nichols for taking the time to send us your comments and a little local GP history. “My wife, Susan, and I have been patients of the practice, then in Oriental Road, since we moved to Woking in 1976 and our children, followed in 1977 and 1979, respectively. Dr Joe Bourke was our first doctor and he attended the birth of our daughter at St Peter’s. I was happy to see whoever was available and have nothing but praise for everyone. When Joe retired, my wife joined Michael Bourke’s list but I never knew whether or not I did, although I knew him well as a parent when I was Bursar of Halsted Preparatory School for Girls. Over the years, I have developed a particular rapport with Paul Rankin. Turning to the newsletter, itself, congratulations on a great idea and first edition. I think I had a fair knowledge of the role of the various members but the specific, and expanding, expertise of the practice nurses and the individual interests of each doctor are really interesting and helpful. Please forgive me for rambling on but, in summary, I should like to thank the en-tire team on behalf of the expanding Nichols and Bowler families”.

Recipe Corner

Here’s a colourful easy meal for warmer days

Roasted Vegetable and Chick Pea Salad

Prep time: 15 minutes | Cooking time: 20-30 minutes

Ingredients 1 small red onion, cut into 8 even wedges 2 courgettes, thickly sliced 8 baby sweetcorn, cut in half crossways 1 small red pepper, seeded and cut into chunks 2 tablespoons olive oil 8 baby plum tomatoes or cherry tomatoes 1 teaspoon each ground cumin and ground corian-der 1/2 teaspoon hot chilli powder, or to taste 1 clove garlic, crushed 6 tablespoon tomato juice or passata 1 1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar Freshly ground black pepper, to taste 150g (5 1/2oz) canned chick peas (drained weight), rinsed and drained 1-2 tablespoons shredded fresh basil leaves

Method

1. Preheat oven to 220ºC/fan 200ºC/gas mark 7. Combine red onion, courgettes, sweetcorn and red pepper in a non-stick roasting tin; drizzle over 1 ta-blespoon oil and toss to mix well.

2. Roast for 15-20 minutes. Stir vegetables; scatter tomatoes over top. Roast for a further 5-10 minutes or until vegetables are tinged brown at the edges; transfer to a bowl.

3. Heat remaining oil in a small pan. Add spices and garlic; cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring. Remove pan from heat; whisk in tomato juice, vinegar and black pepper.

Add chick peas, tomato dressing and basil to vegetables; toss to mix. Serve hot or cold.

COMMUNITY NOTICEBOARD

5

Old wives’ tale or true?

Local Honey is meant to be

a remedy for hay fever. A

teaspoon a day keeps the

sneezes away …. Worth a

try, anyway!

ON-LINE BOOKING

Did you know … that you can book

appointments online 24/7—this service

is available around the clock at our

website www.sunnymeedsurgery.co.uk

Please help us to manage our

doctors’ and nurses’ time

effectively by remembering to

cancel your appointment if you

cannot attend. Thank you.

STAFF MATTERS

Some of you may be missing the cheerful presence of Clair, one of

our receptionists. She is currently away from her station for a

very good reason … Introducing Benjamin Priestly, who arrived to

proud parents Clair and Joe in January 2016.

Clair will be back with us in October if she can bear to tear herself

away from this delightful little chap!

Welcome to our new doctors in training Dr Chris Williams and Dr Min Jung

Kim… and our new (female) Reception team members, Theo and Sam.

Farewell and good luck to Dr Caroline Pady as she continues her training.

WHAT ELSE CAN I DO?

Online access has recently been

extended and patients can now

Book appointments

Arrange repeat medication

Access items on medical records

such as record of appointments

View test results

Update details

Just Ask at Reception for an EMIS

Application form. You will need a

form of ID eg passport and proof of

address, such as a recent bank

statement, to complete registration

for this access

YOUR LOGO HERE

Sunny Meed Surgery

Providing quality healthcare for all

www.sunnymeedsurgery.co.uk

15—17 Heathside Road

Woking Surrey GU22 7EY

Goldsworth Park Health Centre

Denton Way Woking Surrey GU21 3LQ

Dr Michael Bourke

Dr Paul V Rankin

Dr Sara Gil Rivas

Your feedback is welcome!

Contact us by email:

NWSCCG.officesunnymeedsurgery@nhs.net

Deadline for next issue: 01 August 2016

Newsletter Editor: Mrs Andrea Corrie

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