Surgery News
If mental health is affecting your life, or someone you care about, reaching out for support is an important first step.
For more information on mental health and the help available to you on the NHS, please visit our website: Mental Health — St Wulfstan Southam Surgery
You can also contact your GP for an appointment.
The primary goal of World Cancer Day is to significantly reduce illness and death caused by cancer and is an opportunity to rally the international community to end the injustice of preventable suffering from cancer.
The theme for the years 2025-2027 is 'United by Unique’, which places people at the centre of care and their stories at the heart of the conversation.
Yet, many people are diagnosed late because symptoms can be subtle, mistaken, or ignored.
Common signs:
Dull back ache that won’t go
Feeling very tired all the time
Blood in your wee
Constant night sweats
If you are experiencing these symptoms, or something doesn’t feel right, please contact your GP. Early diagnosis can save lives.
For more information, you can visit the Kidney Cancer UK website here:
Ischaemic heart disease is the leading cause of death in England and Wales.
The risk of heart disease can be minimised, if you:
Stay active - even short walks can help!
Sleep well
Remember to take your medication as prescribed
Quit smoking
Eat balanced meals - with more fruits/vegetables and less salt/processed foods
How does the quiz work?
The quiz will first capture some basic demographic information for you and will explore different health motivations, then the quiz will ask you a series of lifestyle questions across six main themes:
movement
eating
alcohol consumption
smoking and vaping
mental health
sleep
You will then receive an overall score out of 10 based on your answers. This score indicates how your lifestyle could be affecting your health and wellbeing and how you are doing in each lifestyle area. Most importantly, it recommends what to do if you should need to make any changes. This includes directing you to NHS apps, advice and resources to help you get going with confidence. You can also sign up to an email programme to get additional information and support on key lifestyle areas straight to your inbox.
Who can take the quiz?
This quiz is designed for all adults aged 18 and over. The service is particularly keen to reach 40 to 60 year-olds who are undertaking risky health behaviours.
Who is the quiz not suitable for?
• Anyone aged 17 and under
• Anyone with an existing health condition, like diabetes or heart disease
• Those who are worried about their health should speak to a GP
• Those who are pregnant should speak to a midwife or GP
Many people see January as an opportunity for a fresh start, and fire safety should be top of the list. So, this month WFRS is encouraging everyone to make sure they have enough smoke alarms in their home and that they work. It only takes a few seconds and could save lives.
Councillor Dale Bridgewater, Portfolio Holder for Fire & Rescue and Community Safety, said:
“The start of a new year is a great time to check that you have enough smoke alarms to cover your home and test them regularly, at least once a month.
If you don’t have enough or they’re not in the right place, you might not be alerted in time. You should have at least one smoke alarm on each level of your home, ideally placed on the ceiling in hallways or landings. Placing them next to sleeping areas and in rooms where electrical items are present can also give you another means of warning.
No matter how many smoke alarms you have, you should test them on a regular basis to make sure they are working properly. To help you remember to test your smoke alarms, you could set a reminder in your phone. In the event of fire, having working smoke alarms gives you time to get out, stay out and call 999.”
To keep people safe, here are some top smoke alarm tips from Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service:
Test smoke alarms regularly, at least once a month
Make sure smoke alarms are fitted on every level of the home
Whatever happens, never remove the batteries in smoke alarms unless replacing them. Some require new batteries every year.
Plan and practise an escape route and make sure that everyone in your home knows it
In the event of a fire, get out, stay out and call 999
Test smoke alarms for those people who are unable to test their own
For more advice on fitting or maintaining smoke alarms in your home, visit: https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/smokealarms.
More home fire safety tips can be found at https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/fire-safety-home.
This video talks through how to access an NHS GP, use the NHS App, book appointments, and access help from Pharmacy, Mental Health services, Sexual Health services, drug and alcohol services and others. Please see our webpage for more information:
Come along and learn:
• Simple tools and tips to help understand drinking habits
• How alcohol impacts wellbeing
• Ways to support shedders who may be thinking about their relationship with alcohol
Free to attend, with cream teas and non-alcoholic drinks included.
No need to book; come along on the day.
You can find out more and take the DrinkiQ test here:
This is a safe and confidential space where everyone is welcome.
When you quit smoking, good things start to happen. You'll begin to see almost immediate improvements to your health.
It's never too late to quit and it's easier to stop smoking with the right support.
You don't need to imagine a life without smoking, you can live it!
The NHS Quit Smoking app is designed to provide you with personalised support to help you quit smoking for good.
The app allows you to:
track your progress
see how much you're saving
get daily support
get inspired by others
Once you reach 28 days smoke-free, you're much more likely to quit for good!
Don't know where to start? Answer some simple questions to get a free 8-step quit smoking plan made just for you! It will help you prepare for your quit date, show how much money you can save, and give tips for managing smoking triggers.
With clear steps and support, your plan will give you the tools to quit smoking and stay smoke-free for good.
#gp #nhs #stwulfstan #southam #bishopsitchington #harbury #longitchington #stockton #napton #lighthorne
Fitter Futures, delivered by Everyone Health, offers Adult Weight Management referrals to Slimming World.
Staying at a healthy weight isn’t just good for your physical health, it’s great for your mental well-being too. We can help you learn about healthy eating, portion sizes, healthy swaps, and meal planning. We offer free support to help you eat well and to move more.
Slimming World Programme
If you are eligible, you can receive a referral to Slimming World for a FREE 12-week programme.
Slimming World’s unique healthy eating plan, Food Optimising, is based on science, backed by evidence, and loved by millions.
Join the motivating weekly group and receive member support, commitment and accountability – a powerful combination that helps boost happiness, self-esteem and slimming success! Plus, gain access to our members-only website and app for on-the-go weight loss support.
Cut calories without counting them!
*To access Slimming World, individuals must not have been a paying member in the 12 weeks prior to the referral.
Aged 18 or over
Living in Warwickshire or registered with a Warwickshire GP
Individuals with a BMI between 30 and 49.9 (or 27.5 when adjusted for ethnicity*) and any of the following:
A high-risk health condition such as cancer, cardiac and pulmonary conditions
Be registered with a severe mental illness
Have a learning disability
Pregnant, postnatal or has suffered pregnancy loss in the last 6 months
Receive Universal Credit
Homeless
A care leaver
A migrant
In the justice system
Be a victim of modern slavery
Be from the Gypsy, Roma, or Traveller Communities
*People with a South Asian, Chinese, Other Asian, Middle Eastern, Black African or African-Caribbean family background are more at risk of heart conditions and other health conditions. Therefore, a lower BMI threshold of 27.5 is used for eligibility in these groups.
At St Wulfstan Surgery we want to wish you all a Happy Christmas!
Please find above the surgery opening hours and the local Coventry & Warwickshire pharmacy opening arrangements.
Whilst we are closed you can still access care by calling 111, or 999 in the case of an emergency.
NHS England is testing a primarily digital contact route for patient list maintenance. It will allow patients to update their address digitally.
About 10,000 patients per month will be contacted through the digital-first route owned by NHS England.
NHS England are contacting a small sample of these patients because they hold a valid email address for them in the Personal Demographics Service (PDS).
They will ask these patients to confirm if they:
still live at the registered address NHS England have for the them
have moved to a new address in England
have left the UK, either permanently or temporarily
As soon as the patient confirms their home address or that they have moved, their record will be updated in PDS. They will get an email confirmation of any changes they have made.
If a patient does not have the highest level of identity verification in the NHS App, they will need to call the NHS England Customer Contact Centre (CCC) to confirm their address.
Patients will first be contacted through the NHS App, if they use it.
NHS England will send the patient an email if they do not interact with the App message within 3 days.
NHS England will send the patient a text message (SMS) if they do not interact with the email within 8 days.
If the patient does not respond to any of the previous communications within 28 days of getting the App message, NHS England will send a letter to the address they hold for the patient.
The patients GP practice will be notified via GP Links 30 days after this letter is sent to the patient.
The patient will need to call the CCC on 0300 311 22 33
They can only use this option if their home address has not changed.
If you receive a message in the NHS App, an email, SMS or a letter from NHS England, please be aware that this is a legitimate communication. Please follow the steps in the communication.
NHS England have recently published a news article about the new features to help patients confirm their address with the NHS.
