for the patients of The Roseland Surgeries
Forthcoming Bank Holidays:
Monday 6th May – Surgery CLOSED
Monday 27th May – Surgery CLOSED
Prescription Charges:
Prescription charges in England increased by 20p to £9.00 from 1st April 2019, for each medicine or appliance dispensed. The cost of the annual and three month Prescription Prepayment Certificates (PPC) will remain the same. A three-month PPC stays at £29.10, and the annual PPC will stay at £104.00.
PPCs offer savings to patients who require at least 4 medicines in a three month period and at least 12 medicines during one year. Application forms are available in reception.
Communicating with patients
We often have to get hold of patients for lots of different reasons – passing on a message from the doctor, or in the unfortunate event that we need to change an appointment or we need to inform you that we have an issue with medication that you need for example.
We have the facility to email patients, AND we can send you text messages. However, we need your explicit consent to do this – so next time you’re in, or perhaps if you’re on the ‘phone booking an appointment, do please let the receptionist know that you’re happy for this to happen – we can make a note on your records and you’ll even get text message reminders for appointments.
Also, please don’t think that the receptionist is being obstructive if she won’t leave a message with you for your spouse/partner. We must abide by strict rules of confidentiality and unless we have your express consent to allow us to speak to your spouse/partner/son/daughter/carer, we cannot do so.
We must always assume that your nearest and dearest doesn’t know anything about your medical history and it remains confidential between you and the doctor/nurse, unless you tell us otherwise.
Remember your sunscreen
As we move (very quickly it seems) towards the full height of summer, we’d like to remind you to protect your skin against the ravages of the sun. We all like the look of a tan and feel much better for getting some sunshine, but we must remember that the sun can be incredibly damaging – especially for little ones. It is vital that we protect ourselves so don’t forget to slap on your sunscreen – ideally nothing less than SPF 30 – and re-apply it regularly throughout the day!
Women and contraception
If you’re considering your contraceptive options, and thinking that an intra-uterine device (coil/Mirena) might be something that you’d like to consider, please book an appointment to see one of the GPs for advice. Whilst our GPs don’t do these fittings, we have a GP who comes to the surgery on a monthly basis to do this for us. It’s important that you see a doctor first as you may need counselling as to the best contraceptive option for you.
Additionally, there may be tests that need carrying out prior to seeing the doctor for the fitting. Our Practice Nurses can see you for check ups if you are taking the contraceptive pill. Ask at reception if you’re unsure and they’ll point you in the right direction.
Recall System for Long Term Conditions:
If you have diabetes, asthma/COPD, high blood pressure or heart disease, you will undoubtedly have received an invite from the admin team to come in and see one of our Practice Nurses for an annual check up. We try to do this in your birth month as it’s easier to remember it’s coming up – so if you’ve had a birthday and NOT had a check up, please do book an appointment.
This year, we will only be writing to you twice, rather than the usual three times. It’s a really good opportunity to have a much longer appointment (anything between 20 and 40 minutes) with the nurse so that we can make sure you’re in optimum good health and managing your condition. If anything does crop up during the consultation, the nurses will ask you to see your doctor for a review, or refer you on to someone else if appropriate to do so. These regular check ups enable us to not only monitor your health but ensure you are receiving your medication safely and appropriately. We do appreciate you taking the time to come in for these reviews.
And if you’ve been newly diagnosed with a long term condition, please do book an appointment with the Nurse for your first review, regardless of whether it’s your birthday month or not. It’s really important that we see you at least annually.
Bad weather and transport issues
It wasn’t that long ago, for the second year running, certain parts of Cornwall had significant snow fall and for some, getting to important appointments would have been difficult. For a GP, the snow can affect us getting out to see patients who clinically must be visited, regardless of the weather conditions. So, we thought we’d try putting a list together of some people who might be able to help us out, should the need arise and we want to do that well before (IF) the dreaded white stuff arrives!!
So, to that end, if you have a 4 wheel drive vehicle, would potentially be available at short notice during bad weather, AND happy to drive patients/doctors if necessary, could you let me know? We’ll compile a list of names and contact numbers and then, in the event of a ‘snow-disaster’, we’ll give you a call. I’m really hoping that by putting a list together, we won’t actually need it!!
Are you living with dementia or caring for someone with dementia?
We know that people can feel terribly isolated when they get a diagnosis of dementia and for carers which often include spouses, children etc., this can feel like a cruel and very difficult disease to deal with. Help is out there, not only for the person affected but also for families too.
If you feel you are having issues with your memory, forgetting where you have put things, getting confused etc., please do come and see one of the doctors. A diagnosis may be life-changing but it is certainly not life-ending.
The National Dementia helpline is 0300 222 1122 – they can provide information, support and advice
Age UK Advice Line – 0800 169 65 65 www.ageuk.org.uk
Dementia Adventure – organises short breaks for people with dementia and their carers –
01245 237548 (www.dementiaadventure.co.uk)
Dementia UK – 0800 888 6678 www.dementiauk.org
Roseland Surgeries Patient Group
Many of our patients benefit from the outstanding work our Patient Group has achieved over the past few years with the creation of Roseland and Veryan cafés, the art club, Ping Pong, walking groups, drama etc. They truly are a magnificent bunch.
We are keen to recruit new members but before you go running to the hills to hide, please take note that membership of the group does NOT mean you have to commit to attending monthly meetings every single month. It does NOT mean that you would be ‘volunteered’ against your will to undertake a task, set up a fundraiser etc. However, you might have skills that we are keen to utilise – you might be good with numbers, be able to communicate well on behalf of someone who doesn’t feel so confident to do so. You might enjoy a challenge, but want to dip in and out of activities without commiting yourself.
Sharing the load for the work that the group does is vital to its longevity and if we all do a little bit, that all mounts up and it’s surprising what we can achieve working together.
So, if you want to find out more – without danger of commitment – please come to a meeting, even if it’s just to sit and listen and see what it’s all about.
Our next meetings are:
Tuesday 21st May,
Wednesday 19th June,
Tuesday 16th July –
all 5 pm to 6 pm here at Portscatho Surgery.
We would LOVE to see you!!
Nicola Davies
Practice Manager
Dr. Will Hynds MA MB BChir MRCGP DRCOG DCH
Dr. Terese Tubman BMed MRCGP DipFFP
Dr Jonathan Jacoby MB BCh BSc (Hons) MRCGP