COVID-19 and how it is

affecting our appointments

Priory Surgery has taken the difficult decision to triage by telephone all routine appointments to see a nurse or doctor, to

decide the most appropriate course of action. The GPs are inviting a few patients in on the odd occasion that this is required.

Safety of our patients and staff is of paramount importance.

Where possible please telephone the surgery for routine or on-going problems between the hours of 8.00am - 12.00pm

In the event of a medically urgent problem between the hours of 8.00am and 6.30pm, please call the surgery to be booked

into an urgent telephone slot.

IF YOU DEVELOP SYMPTOMS OF CORONAVIRUS PLEASE DO NOT ATTEND THE SURGERY

IF YOUR SYMPTOMS WORSEN, PLEASE CALL 111 FOR FURTHER ADVICE

Thank you for your co-operation

Time to say goodbye …………….

The Managing Partner, Mary Hunter, will be retiring at the end of June after almost 10 years at the Practice, most of those in the (very!) hot seat. Mary says, “I will miss the surgery, the GPs, staff and the patients. Priory Surgery is ‘my kind of surgery’ and I have absolutely loved working here. I’ll be sure to keep in touch and I wish you all the very best for the future”.

STAFF NEWS

It’s been a little while since our last Newsletter and we do apologise for that. Recent events have taken over but hopefully we are beginning to return to the ‘new normal’. So we have quite a bit to report!

As you see from the article on the left, our Managing Partner and Practice Manager, Mary Hunter, retires at the end of June. At the end of May we welcomed our new Practice Manager, Cara Fynn, to the Surgery. She has been working with Mary throughout this month to facilitate handover.

Dr Hilma Starostina and her husband welcomed their first baby daughter in December – probably the best Christmas present they will ever receive! They are all doing very well and we hope to see Dr Starostina back here at the surgery in October.

We welcomed Dr Kiran Cheedella as a locum GP to the Practice at the beginning of the year and congratulations go to him and his wife on the birth of their first baby son in January!

Dr Wilmshurst has reduced his weekly sessions and will work now be working Monday afternoons, Tuesdays and alternate Thursday afternoons/Friday mornings.

Dr Jocelyn Stevens joined us in February for her 6-month GP trainee placement. She will be moving on in July to continue her training elsewhere. We’ve loved having you and wish you well in your future adventures! Maybe we’ll see you back here one day!

Wendy, our ANP, retired in March and Precious from our Prescriptions Team retired in February.

Many of you will know Paula who has been with the Practice for over 25 years! Sadly she will be retiring at the end of June. The place won’t seem the same without you Paula and we wish you well and look forward to hearing about all your adventures!

Subscribe to our newsletter online at

www.priorysurgerybristol.co.uk

Newsletter June 2020

Thank you

to all our patients. You have shown great support

and co-operation during the current COVID

pandemic. We hope you and your families are all

keeping safe and well.

Referrals during the Covid-19 Pandemic

There have been reports in the media stating that NHS routine referrals are back up and running. At a local level, these are being restarted at different times and it is still the case that some routine referral pathways remain closed. We are monitoring the situation regularly. If a GP provides you with a routine NHS referral, our referrals team will only send this when it is possible and will contact you once this has been processed – this may be via text message.

May we therefore politely ask that you do not call the surgery to chase your referral. The situation is changing on an almost daily basis so please continue to bear with us through all this.

The above does not apply to suspected cancer or urgent referrals.

HOME VISITS We have produced a Patient Information Leaflet In order

to help patients decide whether or not a home visit is suitable for their problem. It’s always better wherever

possible for GPs to see you in surgery to carry out examinations and tests that are required.

You can see the leaflet on our website along with other appointment information.

WHEN YOU ARE VISITING THE SURGERY PLEASE ARRIVE JUST BEFORE YOUR

APPOINTMENT TIME AND PLEASE WEAR A MASK – THANK YOU

COVID-19 - If you have symptoms of coronavirus (a high temperature, a new, persistent cough, loss of taste or smell), do

not go to places like a GP surgery, pharmacy, or hospital. If you have these symptoms, use the 111 coronavirus service to

find out what to do.

Did you know?

HAY FEVER can be treated at the

Pharmacy. Please speak to your local

Pharmacist who will be happy to help.

When we are closed

DIAL 111 to access out of hours services Calls to NHS 111 are free from landlines and mobiles.

Have you got the NHS App?

24/7, wherever you are, the NHS app allows you to book, cancel and track appointments at your GP surgery with ease.

You can conveniently order repeat prescriptions, view your GP medical record, and quickly check symptoms, plus access to NHS 111 online means no more wondering if you need urgent attention.

It’s free and owned by the NHS so you know your personal data is always secure. You can find it in in Google and Apple app stores.

Simplify your life. Download the NHS App!

Self Help & Minor Illness

PATIENT ACCESS SUPPORT

If you are having problem with online access, please remember to use Patient Access Support for help rather than contacting the surgery. You can contact the Patient Access support desk via:

Email: support@patientaccess.com

Live chat: www.patientaccess.com and click contact

support in the bottom right corner

Completing the support form:

https://support.patientaccess.com/contact-support-form

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PatientAccessUK/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ptaccesshelp

Test your ‘KNOWLEdge’!

Q – Where in the body would you find the Islets of Langerhans? – Answer can be found at the bottom of the page – Good luck!!!

Answer to Quiz - Pancreas

HANDI App

The HANDi app aims to provide advice and support to parents and carers when a child is unwell. It offers simple and straightforward advice, for the following conditions in children:

diarrhoea and vomiting

high temperature

'chesty baby' illnesses, such as bronchiolitis, asthma and croup

'chesty child' illnesses such as wheezing and asthma

abdominal pain

common newborn problems.

The app takes you through a series of questions about the symptoms your child is experiencing and then advises on the best course of action, whether that’s to treat at home, to make a GP appointment, or to head to A&E.

Each of the illnesses has a home care plan to help you provide the best support for your child, and give you confidence in caring for them when they are unwell.

Download the HANDi App for Android phones at Google Play. For iPhone or iPad you can download it from the App Store or iTunes, using the search term 'HANDi App'.

UPDATE ON MIDWIVES AT PRIORY SURGERY

The Midwives ran their last Clinic here at the end oft

March 2020. Should you need contact them ring the

Community Midwifery Office on 0117 342 9301

Pharmacy First Get advice and purchase medicines from community pharmacies rather than getting a prescription.

Visit your Pharmacy First for minor illnesses We are encouraging local people to visit their ‘pharmacy first’ for minor illnesses such as coughs and colds, hay fever and indigestion.

A fifth of GP appointments are taken up by minor illnesses which could be better dealt with in other settings, such as pharmacies or by the individual caring for themselves.

The cost to the NHS locally of the prescribing of ‘over the counter’ medicines is around £4 million, part of which could be saved to fund the treatment of other conditions.

Medicines for minor illnesses can be purchased from community pharmacies, many of which are open during evenings, weekends and bank holidays.

How can my pharmacist help? Local pharmacists can give you professional, expert advice on the self-care of common conditions and can recommend over the counter medicines that can help, if needed.

If your condition needs the attention of a GP or another healthcare professional, the pharmacist will recognise this and advise you to see your GP or the most appropriate healthcare professional.

Local pharmacies (Lloyds Broadwalk, Silvermans, Asda Whitchurch and Lloyds Whitchurch Health centre) are also able to provide advice and, if required, treatment for some minor conditions including Urinary Tract Infections for Women aged 16-64, Conjunctivitis and Impetigo and other minor skin conditions without the need to see a GP for a prescription. Many pharmacies are open during evenings and weekends so you can see your local pharmacist anytime. Just walk in, you don’t need an appointment.

How can I self-care? Many common conditions can be treated at home with the support of your local pharmacy if needed. Over the counter products for self-care are things like pain relief, hay fever medication and cough and cold remedies. These items can be bought from pharmacies and supermarkets without a prescription. They are also often cheaper this way. You can get them without an appointment or seeing a doctor.

An important part of self-care is making sure you are equipped to look after you and your family. You can do this by ensuring you have a medicine cabinet fully stocked with essential medicines and products.

What do I need in my medicine cabinet? To support self-care at home, keep a well-stocked medicine cabinet with essential medicines and products such as:

painkillers such as paracetamol and ibuprofen

antihistamines

anti-diarrhoeal medicine

oral rehydration salts

indigestion treatment

first aid kit including plasters, bandages and a thermometer.

Visit the NHS website for a full medicine cabinet list

or for more info visit – www.bnssgccg.nhs.uk/get-involved/campaigns/pharmacy-first/

Don’t keep or use medicines after their expiry date. Take them to your local community pharmacy where they can be disposed of safely.