December 2010
Free nicotine patches
Patients at Blackheath have a higher than average prevalence of smoking related problems such as smoking-related lung damage (COPD) and sadly lung cancer. It is something that all the doctors in training soon notice when they join the practice and why management of acute breathing problems is one of the first clinical topics discussed in their teaching sessions.
We encourage our smoker patients to take up this offer of free nicotine patches from the NHS - see the story on the BBC News site.
This is one situation where quitting makes you a winner!
Find out more about COPD on www.about.com
What does NICE say about COPD - advice for patients & their carers.
Influenza Vaccinations in younger patients
There has been much debate in this last week of December about influenza vaccination rates in younger patients.
At Blackheath there are 385 patients who should have had the vaccination this year. Of these, 234 actually had the jab - 60.7%.
Following the several national stories about the recent influenza cases many more patients have been asking for the vaccination. We are not expecting any more stock but we can issue normal prescriptions for the vaccination - these can be dispensed by local pharmacies and administered by appointment with the practice nurse.
This year's influenza vaccination programme
We have just given the last of this year's influenza vaccination stock. 78% of patients aged 65 & over have had the vaccination but 99% of all patients with coronary heart dsiease or diabetes, 98% of stroke patients and 95% with COPD have had the vaccination - the highest ever vaccination rates for the practice!
New NHS changes affect local healthcare commissioning
The new Government is encouraging all GP practices to group together into consortia. Your practice is a member of the Wirral GP Commissioning Consortium which cares for a total population of about 130,000 patients.
A key strand of the changes is that healthcare commissioning comes more within the remit of GPs.
Patient participation is an important element of these changes and we are grateful to Mr & Mrs Sedgwick who have kindly agreed to be Blackheath's representatives on the Consortium's new Patient Council. The Council met for the first time at the new Birkenhead Medical Building on Laird Street on Friday 10th December 2010.
If you should wish to make a representation about any local healthcare issue please contact our Practice Manager Mrs Penny Angill who will pass the message to our representatives on the Patient Council.
Dr Amy Gately takes over from Dr Rees
Dr Vivienne Rees has moved on to her next training post in Arrowe Park Hospital and Dr Amy Gately has come to join us for a four month attachment.
November 2010
NHS Health Check meeting in Leeds
Dr Quinn was speaking about Pre-Diabetes to healthcare workers from the North-West at a day-long meeting in Leeds on 17th November.
NICE are currently developing guidelines on the prevention of pre-diabetes (Dr Quinn sits on this guideline development group) and preventing the progression of pre-diabetes to frank diabetes.
There is a vicious circle where overweight patients develop problems with their mobility due to hip, knee or feet problems; they then take less exercise and put on even more weight and then develop diabetes. It is important to avoid this vicious circle. Keeping active and, where appropriate, losing weight are the best ways of avoiding diabetes.
October 2010
Influenza Vaccinations 2010
This year's Flu Jabs are now available. People who are vulnerable to infection or who have less reserve to help them cope with a severe infection should have this vaccine.
"injections make tennis elbow worse"
The BBC reports today on a study published in The Lancet that steroid injections for conditions such as tennis elbow seem to be make the problem worse. See the story by clicking here.
These conditions are very common and this report underlines the importance of other approaches such as physiotherapy.
Medical Conferences
Dr Quinn has been speaking at two medical conferences this week. First he flew to Malaga to speak at the WONCA 2010 European Conference.
After a 48-hour stay in Malaga, he then went to Harrogate to speak at the Royal College of General Practitioners 2010 Annual Conference in Harrogate.
His topic was the Global Mental Health Assessment Tool - a software tool developed locally to aid in the assessment of psychiatric symptoms in primary care.
The tool is the brainchild of Dr Vimal Sharma and his specialist psychiatirist colleagues.
September 2010
Diabetes drug concerns
A diabetes drug (Avandia/ Rosiglitazone) hit the news today.
More than one in twenty of our patients has diabetes and may have been concerned to hear this news.
However, your doctors monitor drug alerts carefully and we can tell you that we have had no patient on this drug for at least 6 months.
Infuenza Vaccinations
Our first delivery of influenza vaccinations are expected next week. Normally we receive most of the year's stock up front but this year it is coming in what feels like dribs & drabs over a period of six weeks so that we won't have the bulk of the stock until mid-way through October.
We have set up two large vaccination sessions - one in early October and the other in late October - contact the reception staff for further details. Six doctors & nurses will vaccinate up to 100 people during each of these sessions.
New patients!
The closure of a local practice and changes in other practices mean that many more local residents have been joining the practice.
Luckily this has coincided with an increase in the number of consulting sessions offered weekly in the surgery.
If you want are not currently registered with us and would like to join us then please call in and ask for a copy of our patient information leaflet and an 'FP-1' form for each member of your family wishing to register.
Influenza Vaccinations - 2010
We are expecting this year's influenza vaccinations sometime between the end of September & the first week in October.
If you let us have either your email address or your mobile telephone number, we will send you an email or a text message as soon as the vaccines arrive.
Carers or relations of patients who don't use either the Internet or mobile 'phones can leave their details instead.
You can learn more about influenza by clicking here.
Changes to how you can see your doctors & nurse practitioner
The 'triage system' is coming to an end on Monday 6th September 2010. The system introduced some 9 years ago helped us meet targets set by the NHS at the time.
Recently the NHS has removed those targets and we are able to revert to a more ordered standard appointment system.
From 6th September we will be offering appointments bookable in advance and other appointments bookable at shorter notice. Telephone appointments will still be available.
August 2010
Blackheath becomes a GP Training Practice (again!)
The practice used to be involved in GP Training back in the early 1990's and now after a rest of some 15 years we are once again approved as a GP Training Practice.
Dr Duncan's New Baby!
We're delighted to report that Dr Duncan delivered Louisa Kathryn on Saturday 31st July.
Congratulations. Mother & baby are both well.
July 2010
Doctor Changes
Dr Kirsteen Duncan has gone on maternity leave. We hope to see her back in the practice sometime during 2011.
Dr Shim Pope returns to the practice in August.
Doctors in Training
Dr Asma Chaudhri will be leaving us in the first week of August and we look forward then to welcoming Dr Vivien Rees who will be with for four months.
Dr Catherine Greig also joins us in the first week of August. Dr Greig will be working 3 days weekly for one year.
District Nurse Kate Cooper wins "Employee of the Month"
Congratulations to District Nurse Kate Cooper who was awarded Employee of the Month by NHS Wirral for her outstanding work caring for the terminally ill.
The photograph shows Kate receiving her award from Mrs Frances Street, Chairman of NHS Wirral.
Stroke risk related to waist circumference in women
A paper this month in the journal Stroke suggests that, for women, stroke risk is related to their waist circumference. The authors say that the stroke risk for women has gone up three-fold over the last 20 years or so.
Read the abstract at this link.
Foot care in patients with diabetes
Dr Quinn found this video on YouTube which explains the importance of foot care in patients with diabetes. We must have read the same papers as the people at Joslin Medical Centre because this video will tell you important things about caring for your feet and about the regular examinations you should expect from us.
The photo shows a monofilament being used to test a patient's sensation. The idea is that we should all be able to feel the pressure required to bend a 10Gr monofilament.
Diabetes can damage nerves - most especially when it is poorly controlled. Diabetic control is a partnership relationship with the patient - we offer advice and prescribe appropriate medication and the patient modifies their diet and where appropriate takes more exercise & loses weight.
June 2010
Dispose of your button batteries carefully!
A paper published in this month's edition of the journal Pediatrics describes the dangers of children swallowing the small button batteries that are used so commonly these days. The risks include serious and permanent damage to the larynx (voice-box) & the oesophagus (gullet) and, in some tragic cases, even death.
So whenever you have to change these little batteries dispose of the old ones carefully!
Drug Safety
Your doctors receive alerts about drug safety from a number of sources. In the event of a major safety alert about a medication we can use our computer system to obtain a list of patients prescribed that drug and contact them with appropriate advice.
Cancer Diagnoses
We've had quite a few cancer diagnoses already this year. Making lifestyle changes, being aware of changes in your body and taking up any screening offered are ways of either reducing your risk of developing cancer or recognising it early when it should be more amenable to treatment.
The most important lifestyle change can be to stop smoking.
Screening is now available for bowel cancer, breast cancer and cervical cancer - please take up invitations for screening when you get them.
Recognising changes in your body can help early diagnosis of most cancers but perhaps most especially skin, breast, bowel, bladder, uterus, testicular and prostate cancers.
May 2010
The National Summary Care Record
The NHS's Connecting for Health is planning to create an electronic summary care record (SCR) for everybody living in England. You can learn more about the SCR by visiting this web site.
If you are happy to have an SCR then you need take no further action. However, if you should wish to opt out of the process then you'll find the appropriate form at this site.
Please note - if you opted out of previous data-sharing projects it does not mean that you will be automatically opted out of this SCR project.
If you wish to opt out then you must still complete the form available at the above link.
April 2010
Meet Dr Catherine Hicks
We are delighted to welcome Dr Catherine Hicks who has joined us for the next couple of years. Dr Hicks will be working on Thursday and Fridays.
Dr Hicks is a member of the Royal College of General Practitioners and also holds post-graduate diplomas in Sexual Health, Obstetrics & Gynaecology.
No more sick notes
"Sick notes" have been replaced by "Fit notes". Some illnesses & injuries should not mean that someone is totally incapable of doing some aspects of their job and they could well be fit for work if they had amended work duties, different work hours or if their employer made some adjustments to the work environment.
Our Nurses
Nurses Paula Shanahan and Ann Sage are now joined by Nurse Justine Purnell.
Nurse Shanahan works every morning, Nurse Sage works on Mondays & Tuesdays and Nurse Purnell works on Tuesdays & Thursdays.
The Icelandic Ash Cloud affects our new F2 doctor
Many of you will know that we host doctors in the second year of their Foundation Training - F2 doctors. Dr Louise Brockbank who was with us between December 2009 & March 2010 has returned to Arrowe Park Hospital where she is now working in the High Dependency Unit.
Dr Asma Chaudhri should have joined us on Tuesday 20th April but she was visiting relatives in Pakistan and her return to the UK was delayed by the Icelandic volacanic ash cloud. Dr Chaudhri has now returned to the UK and joins us until the first week in August.
Stroke Awareness 2010
Dr Quinn and Nurse Caroline Mellon, aided & abetted by Ciara Coary & Jon Eady, 4th year Medical Students at Liverpool University, helped to check over 300 blood pressures in the Liscard Cherrytree Shopping Centre on Saturday 24th April.
The event, organised by the Rotary Club of Wallasey, was part of the national Stroke Awareness campaign.
Of the 319 people who had their blood pressure checked, 98 were advised to visit their own doctor to have it rechecked.
The Obesity Problem
Our patients seem to be facing increasing problems from obesity. Since Christmas two patients have been declined surgical operations because of their weight.
Younger patients are developing problems previously associated with older age such as type II diabetes and degenerative arthritis in the hip & knee. This can lead to very difficult conversations when someone cannot walk easily to the end of their street and is not fit for surgery.
Do you know your Body Mass Index? If not you can calculate it on this webpage.
Want to do something about your weight? Come and talk to one of our nurses!
March 2010
The Voice of Wallasey Patient Participation Group
Mrs Erica Allen is Blackheath's representative on the Voice of Wallasey Patient Participation Group. If you have any questions on local services or thoughts on how to improve them then you can feed those ideas into the Voice of Wallasey. Please contact our practice manager Mrs Penny Angill who will pass your information to Mrs Allen.
February 2010
RNLI Exercise
Dr Quinn took part in an RNLI exercise on Saturday 20th February 2010. He launched with the Hoylake Lifeboat "Lady of Hilbre". The plan was to rendezvous with the New Brighton Atlantic 85 inshore lifeboat "Charles Dibdin Civil Service Number 51" & hovercraft "Hurley Spirit" off Leasowe and practice evacuating a casualty.
The plan had to be revised urgently when the lifeboats were called to a real emergency in the Mersey off Seacombe Ferry Terminal.
You can see video of the lifeboat speeding up the Mersey by clicking here.
Click here to read more about Hoylake Lifeboat Station.
Click here for information about the New Brighton RNLI Station".
Click here to find out how you can support the lifeboat service.
Dr Pope's New Baby
We are delighted to share some happy news with you - Dr Shim Pope's new baby, Leila Charlotte, has arrived safely. Mum & baby are both fine.
January 2010
RNLI Lecture
Dr Quinn gave a presentation on severe allergic reactions to the New Brighton Lifeboatmen at their regular weekly training sesssion. The training and the ensuing discussion will help these dedicated men if they are ever called out to such an emergency.