IMPORTANT INFORMATION – SURGERY OPENING HOURS
There are still covid cases out there and we are impressing upon everyone the need to remain safe. This means regular hand washing, wearing a face covering if you can and social distancing.
That said, we would very much like to try and return to some semblance of normality and increase the number of face to face appointments we offer, and return to working in the way we did pre-covid………if anyone can remember that far back!!
With this in mind, we need to return our branch surgeries to how they were working before, BUT, we need to remember that patient and staff/GP safety is paramount.
There will be NO CHANGE to activity at St Mawes Surgery. St Mawes will remain, as it has been, pre, during and post-covid as follows:-
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday mornings 8.30 am to 1 pm (closed Thursdays)
Portscatho and Tregony will be mixing the later night appointments to improve access for patients. The changes from May 2022 will be as follows:-
Portscatho – opening hours will be:
Monday – 8.30 am to 6.30 pm
Tuesday – 8.30 am to 6.30 pm
Wednesday – 8.30 am to 6.30 pm
(Nurse available from 07.30 am)
Thursday – 8.30 am to 5 pm
Friday – 8.30 am to 5 pm
Tregony – opening hours will be:-
Monday – 8.30 am to 1 pm**
Tuesday – 8.30 am to 1 pm**
(Healthcare Assistant available from 7.30 am)
Wednesday – 8.30 am to 1 pm**
Thursday 8.30 am to 1 pm AND 2 pm to 6.30 pm
Friday – 8.30 am to 1 pm AND 2 pm to 6.30 pm
**This means that you won’t be able to collect medication in the afternoon/evening on these days, so please do bear this in mind.
We will also be moving a Practice Nurse from Portscatho to Tregony on a Thursday evening (as we did pre-pandemic) and we hope that patients will find that helpful, where they can’t get to Portscatho.
Forthcoming bank holidays:
As I write this newsletter, we’re on the cusp of the Easter break and so the surgeries are closed on Good Friday 15th April and Easter Monday 18th April.
We’re also closed on May Day – Monday 2nd May …… but remember the Queen’s Jubilee Celebrations will affect what is normally the end of May Bank Holiday – this has now been moved and the surgeries will be closed on: Thursday 2nd June AND Friday 3rd June.
Please remember to order your medication in advance of the surgeries being closed. Equally, remember that if you have a medication delivery planned for Friday 3rd June, this will now have to be absorbed in our Tuesday delivery – so you’ll get your medication slightly early on Tuesday 31st May. Because we will have additional deliveries over and above what we normally do on that Tuesday, times of delivery will undoubtedly be affected and so, your delivery may be earlier or later than you would normally expect. You must stay in to take receipt of your medication. We cannot leave it outside, in a box, by your greenhouse…….. medication can be compromised by temperature fluctuations and it can also go missing, so please make sure that you’re in. Medication that cannot be delivered will be returned to the surgery, a note will be left for you and you will have to make arrangements for it to be collected before we close on Wednesday 1st June (remembering we’re not open again until Monday 6th June because of the extended bank holidays)
The delivery service is free to our housebound patients but it does cost the surgery to pay the driver, so we really do appreciate your help and support with this.
Do you have to pay for your prescriptions?
If you’re between the ages of 16 and 59, you will normally have to pay for your prescriptions. The current fee is £9.35 per item – we are really pleased to hear that there will be no increase in the cost of prescription charges from April this year.
There are certain reasons why you may be exempt from paying:-
- 16-18 yr old and in full time education
- Maternity exemption
- Medical exemption (because you have a particular medical condition)
- An exemption issued by the MoD
- You hold an up to date HC2 certificate
- You’re claiming income support or income-based job seeker’s allowance
- You’re claiming tax/universal credits
- You have a pension credit guarantee certificate
- You have an up to date pre-payment certificate*
We may require you to provide evidence of your exemption from paying – so please carry your certificate with you at all times. If you cannot prove exemption, you will be asked to pay for each item dispensed. We can, however, provide you with a refund claim form and a receipt so that you can claim any fee paid back from the Prescription Pricing Authority (a division of the NHS Business Services authority).
The fine for falsely claiming that you have an exemption from paying for your medication can be up to £100.
*If you have two or more regular medications each month, and you have to pay for your medication, it is definitely worth paying for a pre-payment certificate. This can drastically reduce the total amount you pay out each year. In order to apply for a pre-payment certificate, please go to:
https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/help-nhs-prescription-costs/prescription-prepayment-certificates-ppcs
Currently, a prepayment certificate for 3 months costs £30.25, (on 2 medicines a month, this is a saving of more than £115 a year) and for 12 months, the certificate costs £108.10. Applying online is the quickest way and you get an instant email certificate once you’ve paid.
A reminder about ordering medication:
Many patients use the online ordering system via our clinical records platform ‘ SystmOnline’. Some prefer to email directly to the dispensary – prescriptions.portscatho@nhs.net
Others prefer to pop in with their repeat prescription request, or put it through the letter box at the surgery.
We really don’t mind which way you order your medication at all – it’s whatever suits you the best.
However, please remember, we need THREE WORKING DAYS to process your request – it isn’t simply a case of taking a box of medicine off a shelf, so the more notice you can give us, the better.
We know that the online platform does inhibit patients from ordering if you try to order too early – say, for example, when you’re going away on holiday…… literally, the computer says “No”…!! So, if you hit this barrier online, please don’t be deterred. Just drop the dispensary an email on the address above, and let us know the reason you’re ordering early. We can then process that for you.
Who do you need to see at the surgery?
In order to get you the help you need via the quickest and most efficient route, we do offer a variety of healthcare professionals that you can see – instead of a doctor!
Medication queries can be dealt with by our pharmacist. Problems with social services/care providers, help with accessing benefits can be dealt with by our social prescriber. If you have a new wound, our Practice Nurse can deal with that directly. Not everything has to go via a GP first.
So, when you call for an appointment (and remember some things can be dealt with over the telephone) please give the receptionist as much information as possible. He/she can then direct you to the most appropriate person – and it could mean you get your problem sorted out much more quickly.
Access to a GP when the surgery is closed:
We have been promoting the LIVI service for patients to access a video consultation with a GP for evenings and weekends – and there will continue to be a service over the bank holidays. If you have internet access and a smartphone/tablet, you can register to use the service completely free of charge – go to www.livi.co.uk to see more.
Nicola Davies
Practice Manager
Dr. Will Hynds MA MB BChir MRCGP DRCOG DCH
Dr. Terese Tubman BMed MRCGP DipFFP
Dr Mark Stephen MB BCh BSc MRCGP DRCOG