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February Newsletter
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for the patients of The Roseland Surgeries
Bank Holidays:
Good Friday 25th March – Surgery CLOSED
Easter Monday 28th March – Surgery CLOSED
Tuesday 29th March – open as usual 08.30 am
Pharmacy opening hours over Easter:
There are several pharmacies open on the Bank Holidays over the Easter Break, should you need one urgently.
Asda St Austell – open Good Friday and Easter Monday: 11 am to 1 pm and 2 pm to 5 pm on both days. Open as usual on Saturday 26th March.
Boots, Fore Street, St Austell – open on Good Friday 9 am to 5.30 pm and 10 am to 5 pm on Easter Monday (usual opening on Saturday)
Boots branch at Carlyon Road, St Austell is open 9 am to 1 pm on Saturday 26th March AND 1 pm to 2 pm on Easter Sunday 27th March.
Tesco, Garras Wharf, Truro is open on Good Friday between 11 am and 4 pm, Saturday 26th March 8 am to 6 pm and Easter Monday 11 am to 4 pm.
St Mawes Pharmacy is NOT open at all over the Easter weekend (including Saturday 26th March)
CQC Inspection
We have recently had our inspection from the Care Quality Commission. Unfortunately, at the time of writing this newsletter (3 weeks after the inspection) we have not yet received our report.
Results will be published both on the CQC website (www.cqc.gov.uk) and the surgery website (www.roselandsurgeries.co.uk) but we will let patients know the result as soon as we can.
Screening for abdominal aneurysms
Men of a certain age will be routinely invited to have an ultrasound scan of their abdomen to check for signs of aneurysm. This service started in Cornwall in 2010 and screening invitations are sent out to men, 65 years of age and over.
However, the screening office has asked us to point out to our gents that men born before 1st April 1945 who have either missed this invite, or perhaps didn’t hit the cohort when the service was set up, are entitled to a free screening session.
If you think you might be eligible, or you know you missed an appointment, please ring the Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm screening office directly: 01752 764858 or 0800 970 8700.
Exercise for long term neurological conditions
A new service has been commissioned by NHS Kernow to offer a programme of free, chair-based exercise courses for people with long term neurological conditions such as Parkinsons, MS, stroke, head/spinal injuries. Patients can refer themselves to the Truro-based team, The Core Health Consultancy or they can be referred by their GP or carer.
The course, known as RENEW (really effective neurological exercise workouts), promotes strength, mobility, balance and stability. The exercises are designed to develop daily functional movements which in turn, increase the patient’s confidence in their own abilities. Each class is 90 minutes long – 60 minutes of gentle, seated exercise, finishing with a drink and a chance to chat with instructors about health conditions and lifestyle. Patients are also given exercise booklets to enable them to continue exercises at home.
It is hoped the 12 week course will help people make lifestyle changes to have a positive impact on their health as well as boosting self-confidence and an opportunity to make new friends.
For more information on the RENEW course, you can visit www.corehealthconsultancy.com or contact them on 01872 300261.
Roseland Patient Group – news
Our patient group continues to meet on the third Wednesday of every month between 5 pm and 6 pm at our main surgery site at Portscatho. New members are always welcome, and attending a meeting does not commit you in any way. Volunteers to the group give as much, or as little of their time as they can.
Activities continue with Walks in Company, Clay modelling, art/drawing etc. and details of these are on our surgery noticeboards, posters around the Roseland and on our website where the group has its own page.
Some patients may be aware that our Chairwoman, Cynthia Calton, has resigned as she has taken on other commitments. We are very grateful to Cynthia for her sterling work over the past couple of years leading the group.
If you would like further information, please contact Nicola, Practice Manager at the surgery or Simone Kennett, Acting Chair, 01872 581801
Attendance Allowance and additional benefits
If you have a diagnosis of dementia, or care for someone who has dementia, and they are in receipt of Attendance Allowance, you may also be entitled to a reduction in your Council Tax which could be between 25{c8c3b3d140ed11cb7662417ff7b2dc686ffa9c2daf0848ac14f76e68f36d0c20} and 100{c8c3b3d140ed11cb7662417ff7b2dc686ffa9c2daf0848ac14f76e68f36d0c20} of your bill!
There are a number of ‘rules’ regarding eligibility for attendance allowance, but many people may not be claiming additional financial help that they are entitled to. Attendance Allowance is not means tested and isn’t based on whether you have savings or own your own home.
For more information, contact Carers UK on 0808 808 7777 (advice line) or see their website for more detailed information: www.carersuk.org
The Attendance Allowance claim line is : 0345 605 6055
NHS Bowel Screening Programme
If you are aged between 60 and 74 years, you will have received an invitation to participate in the NHS Bowel Screening Programme. Bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the UK and the sooner it’s caught, the easier it is to treat.
Bowel screening involves a simple test that you carry out at home and then post off directly to the Screening office. This test is repeated every two years and invitations are sent out centrally to eligible patients. If you have not yet conducted the simple test, we would urge you to do so. If you need any advice before taking part, or you want a new screening pack, please telephone the Screening Office directly on 0800 707 6060. If you are over 74 years of age would still like to take part, please ring the office on the number above. You can also get more information via their website: www.gov.uk/topic/population-screening-programmes/bowel
Walks for Wellbeing
We are very pleased that further funding has been provided to Ecotherapy who provide Walks for Wellbeing for patients with mild to moderate depression and/or anxiety. The programme consists of therapeutic outdoor experiences to people looking for psychological support. It is accessible to a diversity of people and offers therapy that feels more informal, natural and engaging than working indoors.
Patients can self refer or you can be referred on the programme by your GP. For further information, do take a look at their website:- http://ecotherapy-kernow.org/
Productive General Practice
We are currently working on this project which involves ‘dissecting’ various aspects of the surgery (how/why we do things the way we do) and the idea is to look at improving our environment for patients and staff, raising efficiencies etc. Each area of the practice is being scrutinised from our referrals process, how we manage our repeat prescribing, patient experiences at the front desk etc. Our current task is to look at the repeat prescribing journey – what happens from the minute you hand in your prescription request (either in person, or by email etc) to you collecting the medication (or the prescription). We will look at this step by step, make improvements where appropriate and share our results with patients in due course
Nicola Hayward
Practice Manager
Dr. Mike Black MB ChB MRCGP DRCOG FP Cert
Dr. Will Hynds MA MB BChir MRCGP DRCOG DCH
Dr. Terese Tubman BMed MRCGP DipFFP
Dr Jonathan Jacoby MB BCh BSc (Hons) MRCGP