Please feel free to read our Autumn Newsletter by clicking the button below.
From staff changes, to flu clinics, to health tips it all in the Newsletter!
Surgery News
Please feel free to read our Autumn Newsletter by clicking the button below.
From staff changes, to flu clinics, to health tips it all in the Newsletter!
Did you know that you can view your medical records online using either the NHS App or Patient Access?
Some key benefits include the ability to:
View your blood test and scan results online
View and print letters from your hospital Consultants including clinic letters and hospital discharge letters
Step 1:
Firstly you will need to register with either the NHS App or Patient Access if you haven’t done so already. Basic features include the ability to book and cancel appointments, and order repeat medications online.
The NHS App is for use on smartphones and tablets, whilst Patient Access can be used on desktop computers and laptops.
Step 2:
Click the button below to view our Patient Guide, read it, then click the link at the end of the document and complete the questionnaire. You will be asked to upload 2 forms of ID (photo ID & proof of address). We will then process your request and activate access within 2 working days. We will email you once the process is completed.
We have had numerous call from people asking about COVID-19 testing. GP Practices are not part of the testing process, so if you wish to book a COVID-19 test the either:
Call 119, OR
Just to recap if you have any of the symptoms below you are eligible for a test:
a high temperature – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)
a new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual)
a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste – this means you've noticed you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal
You need to get the test done in the first 5 days of having symptoms.
Want to join our incredible reception team?
Our practice is rated Outstanding by the CQC, and the most recent GP Patient Survey 2020 found that:
100% of our patients find it easy to get through to us by phone,
98% of patients find our receptionist helpful
97% describe their experience of making an appointment as good
We are looking for a new recruit to join us, working 17.5 hours per week.
Please click for further details and to find out how to apply.
Jodie
Tracey
A warm welcome to Jodie & Tracey who join our incredible Admin team.
You may remember Jodie as she has worked with us previously and we are really happy to have her back on board agin. Tracey is also an excellent recruit, and will help us continue offering our patients an excellent service!
We are now taking bookings for flu vaccinations.
You can book a flu vaccine online via the NHS App or Patient Access. If you struggle to book online then please feel free to ring reception. We will continue to add further clinics over the coming weeks, and we will be working hard to keep you safe by maintaining social distancing and additional measures.
Who is Eligible?
adults 65 and over
adults aged 18 to 64 with specific conditions (see below)
Asthma (requiring daily inhalers), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
Chronic heart disease such as heart failure
Chronic kidney disease
Chronic liver disease
Diabetes
Parkinson’s Disease, Motor Neurone disease, Multiple Sclerosis
a significant learning disability
Problems with your spleen (e.g. splenectomy)
Being seriously overweight (a BMI of 40 or above)
Weakened immune system (e.h. HIV, AIDS)
pregnant women
people living with someone who's at high risk from coronavirus (on the NHS shielded patient list)
frontline health or social care workers
Later this year the flu vaccination maybe made available to those aged 50-64 who are not in an ‘At Risk’ group but this will not be until November at least. We await government guidance.
What about children?
Children aged 2 or 3 on 1st September 2020 – that is, children born between 1 September 2016 and 31 August 2018 are eligible for a flu vaccine - this can be booked online in a specific clinic or booked via reception
School aged children in Reception to Year 7 will be offered their vaccination at school
For further details about the flu vaccine please visit the NHS.UK website
We are now taking bookings for nasal Flu vaccinations in children aged 2 or 3 years old.
These are best booked online via the NHS App or Patient Access and you can book these appointments now (appointments are called ‘Fluenz for 2 to 3 yr olds’). If you have any difficulty booking online then you can book by calling the surgery.
Which Children are Eligible?
Children aged 2 or 3 on 1st September 2020 – that is, children born between 1 September 2016 and 31 August 2018
School aged children will be offered their vaccination at school
How is the Vaccine Given?
The vaccine is given as a single spray squirted up each nostril. No needles!
Children should avoid the nasal vaccine if they have:
a severely weakened immune system
a severe egg allergy with anaphylaxis that's led to intensive care hospital admission
severe asthma, that is, those being treated with steroid tablets or who have needed intensive care because of their asthma
are currently wheezy or have been wheezy in the past 72 hours
an allergy to any of the vaccine ingredients, such as neomycin
a condition that requires salicylate treatment
Why should my child have the flu vaccine?
Reduce the risk of suffering from the symptoms of flu. Flu can be serious even in children.
Reduce the risk of spreading flu to other vulnerable people, such as parents with chronic disease or grandparents.
For more information see the NHS.UK website
Are you worried about your own mental health, or the mental health of a close friend, relative or loved one?
Dear Life (dearlife.org.uk) is a new website which provides advice and support to those who are worried about their own, or someone else’s, mental wellbeing. There are lots of links to support numbers and advice which you may find useful.
There are some really useful numbers (some of which are given below) and links with advice on how to look after yourself and others in need, and links to bereavement support if needed.
If you are in a crisis right now or find yourself in a crisis at some stage, there are options:
your local NHS Mental Health Crisis Service can be contacted on 0300 200 0011, available 24/7
Samaritans can be contacted free on 116 123
A text service can be accessed by texting Shout to 85258
For emotional support:
Call the Coventry & Warwickshire Helpline on 0800 616 171. Free, confidential, and available 24/7, or chat online using the webchat.
For Children and Young People:
If you are under 18, or worried about somebody who is, call 02476 641799 between 8am-8pm. Outside of these hours, please call 0300 200 0011.
UPDATE - Problem has now been fully resolved
Our computers are currently not working at the surgery. We are seeking a resolution of the problem this morning, but please bear with us if appointments are running late. Our phone lines remain open.
We will update you with any further developments as they arise.
Thank you all for your patience.
Want to get active? Loose weight? Feel better? Improve your health and reduce the risk of series disease from COVID-19?
Download the free NHS Couch to 5K app. It will help you start running, for free. We have had really positive feedback from users so why not give it a try? They tell us it’s really easy to use, fun, engaging, and saves on the cost of a gym membership!
The NHS have created a new website offering support to those who have suffered with COVID-19 infection.
Whether you are looking for advice on how to manage the symptoms of COVID-19, or whether you are looking for help on how to support someone who is recovering from COVID-19, there is a wealth of information available.
It can be found at https://www.yourcovidrecovery.nhs.uk/
Update - 5/8/2020 11:10 - ALL SERVICES HAVE NOW BEEN FULLY RESTORED
We have just been made aware that at present our phone lines and computer systems are not working as of this morning.
We are currently unable to receive telephone calls and access our clinical systems and as such we cannot take booking’s this morning, but we hope this will be resolved later this morning to resume a normal service this afternoon.
We will contact all those who have pre-booked appointments and we will keep you updated throughout the day.
Our deepest apologies for this disruption in service.
If you think you could do with loosing some weight, then NOW is the time to act!
There has never been a better time to think about optimising your weight. Being overweight is linked to an increased risk of suffering with heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, joint pain, back pain, and even suffering death from COVID-19 infection. Public Health England have recently reported “One study found that for people with a BMI of 35 to 40, risk of death from COVID-19 increases by 40% and with a BMI over 40 by 90%, compared to those not living with obesity.” (see here). And we know loosing weight can improve self-esteem and improve our mood.
And we are here to help. There are 2 really good services available. Choose the NHS app below to start a 12 week programme straight away, with one simple download on your mobile device. Alternatively we can refer you to a local weight loss service which includes services from Slimming World, Weight Watchers, and local group exercise programmes.
This app takes you through a 12 week plan which will help you set weight loss goals, plan your meals, make healthier food choices, get more active, and record your progress.
It’s free and convenient so why not give it a try?
This free service offers access to Slimming World, Weight Watchers, and local group exercise programmes.
To be eligible you must be registered with a Warwickshire GP, be aged 12 or over and have a body mass index (BMI) of 30+ (for the NHS BMI Calculator click HERE - you will need to know your height and weight).
Please see below for the finer details.
Please see: https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/fitter-futures
Slimming World·
an amazing no-hunger eating plan that you’ll love·
recipe and menu ideas for every occasion·
family friendly eating in and eating out ideas!·
our fabulous lifestyle activity programme, Body Magic·
awards and celebrations for every achievement·
loads of help, encouragement and motivation when you need it most·
slimming strategies that will help you lose weight beautifully and keep slim for life!
Weight Watchers·
With our proven SmartPoints® system at is core, WWFreestyle® makes deciding what to eat easy. Combined with our fantastic app, over 200 delicious and satisfying ZeroPoint™ foods, inspiring community and 24/7 support from our expert coaches, we have everything you need.
Those following WW were 7x more likely to reach a 5% weight loss at 6 months than those who tried to lose weight on their own.
The programme is designed to help you lose weight at a healthy rate of up to 2lbs a week (creating a personalised, safe energy deficit for a healthy rate of weight loss), whilst encouraging healthier, more satisfying food choices. This enables flexibility to learn skills for sustaining weight loss and integrating physical activity.
WW workshops are welcoming, motivating, supportive, friendly and great fun! They are run by coaches who themselves have successfully lost weight and got healthier with WW. They have learnt how to deal with the challenges of improving their lifestyles and are about supporting others to do the same.
Every week in your workshop which lasts about an hour, different topics are discussed, ideas and practical solutions shared on how to build healthy habits and manage your weight. You will have individual, confidential support at your weekly Wellness check-in to help you achieve your goals.
In addition, you’ll have access to all the digital and mobile app tools for 16 weeks. This digital support includes a personalised assessment when you join, food and activity tracking, thousands of foods and recipes to inspire you, fun ways to get active and ways to take care of yourself and de-stress.
Everyone Health – Southam Leisure Centre
Our Everyone Health programme supports behaviour change around healthy eating, weight management and physical activity to manage weight loss and maintain this long term.
Everyone Health fitness groups run once a week for 12 weeks and each session lasts for 90 minutes. You can join at any time as groups run on a rolling basis. Each group consists of about 10-15 people who are also looking to lose weight and feel healthier.
Each group session has two parts; the first part focuses on healthy eating, topics include portion sizes, eating out and food labelling. The second part is an activity-based session, this will allow you to improve your health and fitness in a safe and encouraging environment.
The sessions are delivered by a team of nutritionists and physical activity specialists who will help you lose weight permanently by making small but significant changes to their lifestyle, avoiding unrealistic and gimmicky diets.
The programme has been designed with pregnancy and the postnatal period in mind and, under these circumstances, additional support is available.
Welcome to our latest COVID-19 update.
St Wulfstan Surgery is committed to putting quality & compassion at the heart of everything we do.
COVID-19 has presented new challenges, and as such we have had to adapt some of our procedures to continue to deliver care, but in a way that ensures the safety of patients and staff alike.
Face Coverings
We are now requesting our patients wear face coverings when attending the surgery as an additional means of protecting patients and staff
Face Coverings - Please do not request an exemption letter
We have had calls from people requesting letters to exempt them from wearing face masks in public
Irrespective of the reason, we have been advised that GP surgeries are not to provide such letter so please avoid asking
Online Bookings
We have now increased the availability of appointments in our Online Booking system, to help improve the flexibility of the service we offer you
You can now book GP telephone appointments up-to 7 days in advance
You can also book blood tests and some Nursing appointments up-to 7 days in advance
To book online please consider downloading the NHS App (https://www.nhs.uk/apps-library/nhs-app/) or visit https://www.stwulfstan.co.uk/appointments
Photographs
Please avoid sending us your photo’s via e-mail
If at the time of your telephone consultation you and your GP feels a photo would be useful then they will send you a text message. You will then be able to reply to the text message with your photo’s which will then be sent directly to your GP
Attending the Surgery - Please don’t come too early!
As we try to maintain social distancing measures please enter the surgery at the time of your appointment and not before - this will really help us keep our patients and staff safe
Self-Help
If you are looking for medical help or advice, please do not forget you can visit NHS.UK which provides excellent ‘self-help’ advice and resources for a broad range of medical problems
We would also like to again thank you all for your support, we remain open and here to help you all!
It appears we are having some problems with text messages (SMS) at the moment
Some patients have reported that they have not been getting text messages regarding results or appointment reminders. We have reported this to our service providers and expect a resolution shortly.
In the meantime, if you have not heard about recent results then please sign up for online services so you can view your results online. Please click the ‘Online Services’ link at the top of the page for details on how to access these services. If still in doubt then please contact reception
Update 3rd August 08:00 - SMS services have now been fully restored.