Magnolia house newsletter 2009 autumn. 4

Magnolia House Sunningdale 01344 637 800 www.magnoliahouse.nhs.uk Autumn Newsletter—2009 It’s back.
W elcome to Autumn! The cooler weather, darker evenings and falling leaves heralds in another flu season. As in other years, we are now offering flu jabs to all those over 65 years and, in addition, those who have a disease or condition which places them at increased risk of gets excited it’s not as it used to be. complications from flu. These groups include: Asthmatic patients, those with heart disease, diabetes, chronic renal disease, chronic lung disease and those whose immune systems are suppressed. we carried out the survey earlier in the year but lots of you did want If you are unsure if you fall into one of these categories, do ask and we will clarify for you. If anyone else would like a jab we usually have some spares nearer to Christmas which we can offer once the high risk groups Just to point out that the flu jab will not stop you catching flu-nor is it de- signed to! If another infectious person coughs or sneezes over you and the virus enters your system, you will have the flu. The aim of the jab is to We will be offering have previously stimulated your immune system to produce antibodies to the flu virus. The hope is that they spring into action as soon as they 8.00am until 10.00am on Saturday mornings and also 7.00am recognise you have been infected and give your immune response a `head start’. This should make your illness much more manageable and, hopefully, stop the complications of flu, mainly pneumonia. Also the jab cannot give you flu. It is made from proteins found on the flu virus and nothing else so, as no complete flu virus particles are given, it cannot cause flu. Patients often complain of flu afterwards but we pre- sume they have simply been unlucky enough to catch a cold the same day as they were given the jab. As the weather turns and we stay indoors, Thursdays we welcome Dr. Miriam more especially in larger groups flu, colds and sore throats are simply Wyatt who is returning to medicine after a career break. much more easily spread and so flourish. Swine flu jabs are not available yet and still undergoing clinical trials, al- gery phone lines will still direct calls beit at population level. Whether we see a big surge in cases remains to be seen but it seems likely that again, if the jab is used, it will be targeted The Symptoms are those of normal flu not those of a cold:
prescriptions, book appointments or deal with any queries—the surgery is High temperature— 38 degrees or above (the chemists all have thermometers and if
you ring the swine flu line they will want to know how high the fever is).
Aching in your bones and joints. Chills, shivers and sweats. Sore throat. Dry cough,
Upset tummy and/or loose bowels.
But not the typical runny noses and sneezing that go with a standard cold. use these slots we hope it makes life Symptoms last at least 7 days and then patients feel tired and weary for a easier for those who commute or further week (hence the decision to allow people to claim 2 weeks off work those whose caring responsibilities if they contract flu). The flu line and internet site do seem to be working, make attending during routine hours difficult. and we encourage you to use them. They will organise Tamiflu, if appropri- For reception security, we have in- ate, provided a flu friend can collect it for you. Keeping isolated will certainly help reduce transmission rates. If you feel that you or a family member are not improving as expected or have symptoms different from the above, do call us and we will advise what else to do. If levels of disease do reach high levels disruption to services could occur Anyone without an appointment will and you will be pleased to know we are working on local plans to minimise be asked to phone Out of Hours or any impact on our normal work. Training
You will be aware that we are a training practice and our current registrar is
Dr. Ammad Shah. Ammad worked in business before deciding to return to university
to study medicine and, in fact, trained in Holland.
Also new to the team is Dr. Heather Coxall. Heather is an ST2 which means she is in her second
year after qualifying and has spent the first year in hospitals as a
junior doctor. Previously doctors would rotate around specialities for two years after their first
House Officer year before starting their year of GP training. In a new scheme doctors now do two
years at junior level before committing to a specialist area and this second year now has a four
month GP option.
Heather is our first ST2 and is adding quite a lot, being fresh from hospital medicine, which is
useful to those of us for whom it is becoming a distant memory! She is consulting by herself but
always has one of us available to her to consult with if she is unsure what to do and, hopefully, we
can encourage her to return to General Practice for her long term career. THANK YOU for
making Ammad and Heather welcome.
MAGNOLIA HOUSE FORUM
Formed just over three years ago (March2006), the Patients Forum meets each month to
regularly review how well medical services are meeting patients’ needs. The Forum has
joined a National Association (NAPP) in order to share best practice. We work with the
practice to help all patients to take responsibility for their own health and those of their
family and the local community. This involves face-to-face discussions with doctors, regu-
lar patient surveys and outside visits to locations providing local need.
During the past year, the Forum has had major input into developing the surgery website,
(www.magnoliahouse.nhs.uk) a complex task that is regularly being improved with addi-
tional links and updates for you to observe. We have provided a leaflet giving Informa-
tion on Emergency Care procedures and details of `Out of Hours Services’ to make con-
tacting these services much simpler. The Forum has instigated an e-mail repeat prescrip-
tion service. We have also represented your views on the possible closure of
Heatherwood Hospital Wards.
You now have a Computerised Screen in the waiting room, updating you on the many
medical and other services.
On your behalf, new NHS/PCT (Primary Care Trust) initiatives are looked at by the group
and we endeavour to influence the practice if they feel the need is appropriate. Issues
are identified prior to each meeting and solutions discussed. Proposals are then put for-
ward to the doctor who always attends our meetings. Two major issues that affect pa-
tients locally are maintaining services at the Health Clinic and patients being able to ob-
tain Hearing Aid batteries from the surgery; both are ongoing and we hope to have
further news for you shortly.
If you have any issues or concerns you wished discussed by the Forum, please contact the
Practice Manager : e-mail: Practice.Manager@gp-K81028.nhs.uk Tel: (01344 637 800) who will
pass the information to the meeting.
`Remember your concerns are our priority – we can make a difference’
If you have some time to spare and would like to be involved in the group—you would be most
welcome, please contact the Practice Manager.
“The contents of this publication reflect the opinion of the author/s only. This publication is for informational purposes only.
Opinions expressed should not be construed as medical advice. The particulars of any person’s concerns and circumstances should be discussed with a
qualified health care practitioner prior to making any decision which may affect the health and welfare of that individual or anyone under his or her care”
Published on behalf of Magnolia House Surgery by: Mr. P J Poole, member of the Patients Forum October 2009.

Source: http://www.magnoliahouse.nhs.uk/resource/data/mag1/docs/Magnolia%20House%20Newsletter%202009%20autumn%20%204.pdf