Diabetes Prevention Week 2024

it is estimated that there are more than 4 million people living with type 2 diabetes in the UK, and millions more are at risk of developing the condition.

An increasing number of these people are under 40.

Finding out your risk of type 2 diabetes only takes a few minutes. It could be the most important thing you do today...

Diabetes UK have released a ‘Know Your Risk’ tool. To calculate your risk they will ask you for some special category data. Special category data in this context relates to your health and ethnicity. This information will be stored in such a way that it cannot identify you. All information provided will only be used for the reasons described.

Before you start, grab a tape measure and scales...

You must be 18 or over to complete this tool.
Please note: the results will not be accurate if you are pregnant.

Alcohol and you...

Did you know that UK official guidelines state that in order to keep the risk of health consequences directly linked to alcohol consumption low, no more than 14 units should be consumed over a week.

A 750ml bottle of red, white or rosé wine that contains 13.5% alcohol (wines typically range from 11% to 14%) is the equivalent of 10 units!


Drinking alcohol is commonplace in our society. But when does social drinking become routine, when does routine become habit, and when does habit become dependency? It can be tricky to know how much alcohol you drink, and guidelines can be confusing. This programme can help you know your habits around alcohol.

Use our PCN’s SilverCloud programme to take a fresh look at how much and why you drink, and to assess your relationship with alcohol. You can take an honest look at your situation, without feeling that someone is watching over your shoulder.

We want you to understand if you are on the road to dependency; and if alcohol has become a problem for you, what your options are.

St Wulfstan Surgery: Coming To Upper Lighthorne

At St Wulfstan Surgery we are proud and extremely excited to announce that we will be opening a Branch GP Surgery in Upper Lighthorne. We are excited to be working with the local authority and Coventry & Warwickshire ICB to establish a surgery in the new village development. In the meantime, we are exploring how we could open a temporary GP Surgery within the village. Residents of Upper Lighthorne and surrounds are welcome to register with us now in order to access our existing services.

 

 

St Wulfstan Surgery is a CQC rated Outstanding surgery, and rated number 10 in England for patient satisfaction according to the national GP Patient Survey in 2023. We were rated number 1 in England for practices with more than 10 000 patients. We are committed and passionate about providing the very best quality of care to all our patients. At St Wulfstan Surgery we value and respect the incredible relationship we have with our patients and know the importance of always maintaining Care, Quality & Compassion in all that we do.

 

 

And to reassure all of our existing patients, this opportunity will enable us to further develop and build upon our high-quality care by enabling us to further recruit incredible staff and develop new, innovative services.  We have grown significantly in recent years and have managed to raise the level of patient satisfaction during this period of growth, and we will be working tirelessly to ensure this continues.

 

 

We thank you all for your continued support. It remains our privilege to be able to serve you, and we look forward with great excitement to welcoming residents of Upper Lighthorne and surrounds into our St Wulfstan family!

🤧 Hay Fever Season Season Is Upon Us 🤧

THE SUNSHINE HAS ARRIVED - HOORAY! BUT FOR THOSE OF US WITH HAY FEVER IT CAN BE BITTERSWEET.

Hay fever is an allergic reaction to pollen and the symptoms occur or worsen in the Spring and Summer when pollen counts are higher. This can result in sneezing, coughing, a runny or blocked nose, itchy or watery eyes and an itchy throat.

We often get calls about hay fever at this time of year, but recent changes mean that most treatments for hay fever can now be purchased over the counter at your local pharmacy, meaning your pharmacist is often best placed to help.

The treatment of hay fever normally consists of antihistamine tablets, antihistamine eye drops and steroid nasal sprays. If required you can use a combination.

Anti-histamine tablets/syrup

There are several different types available from your pharmacy. If you try one which doesn’t help, then it is worth trying an alternative, unfortunately this often involves some degree of trial and error. Some anti-histamine’s such as Piriton (chlorphenamine maleate) can make you feel drowsy, so there are non-drowsy preparations available, such as cetirizine.

If, despite trying different anti-histamines, your symptoms persist then consider adding in eye drops, or a nasal steroid spray, or both.

Anti-histamine Eye Drops

These can be purchased from the pharmacy and work well where itchy and runny eyes are more problematic. The drug is called sodium cromoglicate.

Nasal Steroid Spray

These can work very effectively helping control your symptoms of hay fever and can be used in conjunction with the above treatments. Nasal steroid sprays can take days or weeks to reach their fullest effect so they are worth persevering with.

WHAT NEXT?

If the above treatments, when used in combination, have failed to solve the problem, and you have given them a reasonable period of time to work, then please give us a call to discuss further with one of our Clinical Pharmacists.

Patient Information Session: What is the Diabetes Prevention Programme?

Find out more about the NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme by joining this session

This Patient Information Session is an opportunity for you to attend a 30 minute remote session to hear more about the NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme. This will help support you in making an informed decision as to whether or not you'd like to be referred onto the programme following the session. You will also have an opportunity to ask any questions you might have about the programme.

The NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme is a free service for people with prediabetes and those with a history of gestational diabetes.

Combining specialist nutrition, psychology and physical activity, the NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme promotes long term behaviour change.

You’ll be supported throughout the programme by your Health and Wellbeing Coach via regular contact, with online learning and supporting resources.

Register for the patient information session here:

Ageing Well Arts & Crafts Club in Southam - Running from May to July 2024

Arts & crafts with jessica and aish at galanos community hub in southam

Take part in a range of carefully crafted sessions such as acrylic canvas painting, canvas bag decoration, marbling, glass painting, printing and colourful collages, with patient support and guidance

  • Meet like minded people!

  • Improve your wellbeing!

  • No experience necessary!

Running on Mondays from 10:30am-12:00pm

May: 13th and 20th

June: 3rd, 10th, 17th and 24th

July: 1st, 8th, 15th & 22nd

Booking is essential! Call Jenny on 07946 585978 or email jenny@artsuplift.co.uk

For more information, please visit:

Help to reduce exam time stress

April is stress awareness month, and Warwickshire County Council is sharing tips and information to help people find ways to manage stress and improve their wellbeing, this article is aimed at young peoplewho may be preparing for summer examinations

Below are some tips for young people to help manage the pressures they may face around exams and in considering their plans for the future:

  • Plan revision around an easy to follow and realistic timetable - aim for 2-3 hours a day broken into manageable chunks with lots of downtime and some rewards

  • Set a plan that works for you and remember people learn in different ways! Make your own revision materials. Instead of just trying to memorise notes, try making flash cards, voice recordings or mind maps… you could even write a song or poem

  • Organise your workspace. Where you work is important, if you're in a stressful environment, it is inevitable that the stress will rub off on you. Find somewhere light and calm where you can spread out and get organised.  

  • Look after your physical health – do some exercise, get some fresh air, drink lots of water and get plenty of sleep. 

  • Eat! We don’t perform well when we’re hungry, so no matter how nervous you are, eat a balanced breakfast. Avoid sugary foods like chocolate, this will give you a sudden burst of energy but may cause you to crash during the exam. If your exam is in the afternoon, make sure you eat a decent balanced lunch before that too. 

  • Limit screen time, particularly at night-time, try to put phones and tablets down and come offline 45 minutes before bed. 

  • Continue to keep some time aside to do the things you enjoy, such as sport, hobbies and seeing your friends. It is good to take time to reward yourself for your time spent revising. 

  • Talk to other people you trust about how you’re feeling such as friends, family and teachers. They can support you and work with you through any concerns. 

  • Reflect on all you’ve learned to try and sum up all you’ve been doing so far and how you will be able to demonstrate knowledge. 

  • Remember not to be too hard on yourself. Be the best you can be, that's all you can do. If it doesn’t work out, remember that it's not the end of the world.  

For more information about managing exam related stress and being prepared, you can visit the NHS website, linked below:

Charity Quiz raises £2500 for Muscular Dystrophy ahead of the London Marathon

Our Assistant Operations Manager, Tanya is running the London Marathon again this year, and this year her husband Joe is running as well. They are running once again for Muscular Dystrophy UK, the charity so close to our surgery’s hearts.

On Friday night, a quiz was held at Southam Rugby Club to help raise funds, it was hosted by Quizmaster Adam of The Big Quiz Company. Over 70 tickets were sold and a great night was had by all. The winning team kindly donated their prize money to Muscular Dystrophy.

£1090 was raised in cash on the night, a further £500 was raised during a charity auction and combined with the tickets sold, a whopping £2500 was raised in total.

Tanya & Joe want to take this opportunity to thank everyone that helped to organise the event, those who donated decorations and prizes for the raffle and the auction, Quizmaster Adam for gifting his time free of charge, Southam Rugby Club for letting us use the venue for free, Born and Bread for donating some amazing bread for our quizzers to eat, and of course all those who attended on the night!

There is still time to donate to this amazing charity, you can read more about their story below:

Exciting new vacancies at St Wulfstan Surgery

Here at St Wulfstan Surgery, we are looking to expand our already amazing team, with part-time roles available for a Care Navigator and an Operations Assistant

Care Navigator

Our Care Navigator role comprises of a 21.5 hour working week, as part of our Care Navigator team you will have the opportunity to offer general assistance to the Practice, patients and other visitors, undertaking a variety of administrative duties and assisting in the smooth running of the Practice. The role also offers an opportunity to the successful candidate to develop and progress within the Practice team.

The successful candidate will work as part of team delivering our front of house services, this includes opening and closing the surgery, booking appointments, processing repeat prescriptions and samples.

For more information and to apply, please click the below link to view the job advert on Indeed:

Operations Assistant

Our Operations Assistant role comprises of a 22 hour working week, the Operations Team are are seeking a highly organized and detail-oriented Operations Assistant to join the team. The Operations Assistant will provide administrative support to ensure efficient operation of the Practice. This role requires excellent organizational skills, attention to detail, and the ability to multitask in a fast-paced environment.

For more information and to apply, please click the below link to view the job advert on Indeed:

Tomorrow is Purple Day

Show your support to people with epilepsy by wearing purple on 26th march

Cassidy Megan created the idea of Purple Day in 20085, motivated by her own struggles with epilepsy. Cassidy’s goal is to get people talking about epilepsy in an effort to dispel myths and inform those with seizures that they are not alone!

Epilepsy is a neurological disorder of the central nervous system, specifically of the brain . It is characterized by the tendency to have recurrent seizures.

A person would be diagnosed with epilepsy if they have at least two unprovoked (or reflex) seizures, or one unprovoked (or reflex) seizure and are very likely to have another, or diagnosed with an epilepsy syndrome.

The brain is made up of billions of nerve cells or neurons that communicate through electrical and chemical signals. When there is a sudden excessive electrical discharge that disrupts the normal activity of the nerve cells, a seizure may result.

Seizures cause a change in function or behaviour. A seizure may take many different forms including a blank stare, muscle spasms, uncontrolled movements, altered awareness, odd sensations, or a convulsion. The location in the brain of the abnormally discharging nerve cells determines the form the seizure will take. Seizures may occur rarely or as often as numerous times a day. If the condition is successfully controlled by medication, a person may be seizure free.

Epilepsy is one of the most common chronic neurological disorders. An estimated 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy. That means approximately 1% of the general population has epilepsy.

Epilepsy can be present at any age although its onset is most often in childhood or in the later years of life. Sometimes those who develop seizures during childhood outgrow their seizures. In the elderly, there is an increased incidence due to strokes and aging of the brain. In more than half of those with epilepsy, seizures can be well controlled with seizure medication.

EPILEPSY IS HIGHLY TREATABLE

70% of people with epilepsy can gain seizure freedom with medication alone.

30% of people have drug-resistant epilepsy. There are additional treatments for people with drug-resistant epilepsy that can improve seizure control or stop seizures altogether.

Find out more about epilepsy and how to get involved here:

A Quicker Way To Contact Us: NHS App

In our pursuit to give you the best possible service we have now activated new features within the NHS App.

It is now possible to contact us through the app with queries that you may otherwise have needed to call the surgery or speak to a GP about. Perhaps you have a non-urgent query that doesn’t really need a GP appointment. Or a query about a blood test result or a referral.

How do I access the messaging function in the NHS App:

  1. Please access the NHS App either via an app on a Smartphone or by visiting the NHS App website.

  2. Click on Services

  3. Click on Contact your GP surgery for a document or update

  4. And away you go!

What can I use the messaging function for?

Here are some ideas:

  • Update us with your latest Blood Pressure reading when requested

  • Queries regarding test results and referrals

  • Queries regarding recent hospital letters

  • Request a Doctors letter or private medical letter

  • And anything else you would otherwise have needed to call reception to enquire about

Hopefully you will find this additional service useful and convenient, but of course, our phone lines are always still there if you need them!

NHS Get Your Blood Pressure Checked Campaign

A powerful new NHS campaign urges millions of people to get checked for high blood pressure, which has been described as a “silent killer”

Up to 4.2 million people in England could be living with undiagnosed high blood pressure, according to the NHS

  • The ‘silent killer’ often has no symptoms but if left untreated, can lead to fatal heart attacks, strokes, kidney disease and vascular dementia

  • New survey data shows that despite the majority of high blood pressure cases being asymptomatic, only one in 14 respondents (7%) thought the condition has no symptoms

  • The Get Your Blood Pressure Checked campaign has been launched to highlight that there are often ‘no clues’ as to who has high blood pressure

  • With the NHS expanding blood pressure checks in community pharmacies - including capacity for an additional 2.5 million tests - the national campaign is urging those aged 40 years and over to get a free blood pressure test at a participating pharmacy

  • The campaign is backed by the British Heart Foundation, Stroke Association, Heart Research UK, Blood Pressure UK, May Measurement Month, British Society for Heart Failure, and more

High blood pressure, often described as a ‘silent killer’, affects an estimated 32% of adults. As the condition rarely has any symptoms, approximately 3 in 10 of these remain undiagnosed, equating to 4.2 million people in England.

The public are today being warned that there are often ‘no clues’ about who might have high blood pressure - the only way to know is to have a simple test.

With the NHS announcing an additional 2.5 million blood pressure checks in community pharmacies over this year and next, those aged 40 years and over are now being urged to get a free blood pressure test at a participating pharmacy. The procedure is quick, non-invasive and you do not need to book in advance. 

Visit the NHS website to find a pharmacy that offers free blood pressure checks near you or search ‘pharmacy blood pressure check’

Visit the NHS website for information about things that can increase your risk of getting high blood pressure, as well as diagnosis, treatment and lifestyle changes.

You can read tips to help with those lifestyle changes or download free NHS apps to lose weight, quit smoking, get active or drink less on the Better Health section of the NHS website.

Start your journey to quitting this #NoSmokingDay

Take the steps to quit smoking for good and mark the 40th anniversary of No Smoking Day this Wednesday 13 March 2024

Whilst smoking rates have reduced considerably compared to 40 years ago, there is still a long way to go to become a smoke free generation.

This No Smoking Day, Warwickshire County Council is promoting the well-known awareness day to encourage residents not to give up on quitting and make use of the variety of free stop smoking support available to across the county. 

Smoking remains the single largest preventable cause of death in England, with smokers also twice as likely to develop dementia. Cigarettes contain harmful chemicals which are bad for your brain, so smoking not only increases your risk of dementia, but one in two smokers will die early due to their smoking. This No Smoking Day is a reminder that quitting is the best thing you can do for your health. 

Smokers can access support across Warwickshire by accessing the quit4good website, which explains where and how to access stop smoking services.

Support is also available through the NHS stop smoking app, providing daily support and tracking monitor progress.

Smokers can call 0333 005 0095 or text ‘QUIT’ to 60777 to access additional stop smoking support such as:

  • talking directly to stop smoking advisors either over the phone or video call

  • support via text messages

  • virtual support group

Pregnant people who smoke can receive dedicated advice from Warwickshire’s experienced and friendly advisors who are on hand to help beat the addiction with support and guidance. To find out more call 07917 227 004, email  ssip@swft.nhs.uk or visit the Quit 4 Baby website.