Patient Reference Group

We would like to know how we can improve our service to you and how you perceive our surgery and staff.

To help us with this, we have established a Patient Reference Group so that you can have your say. We will ask the members of this representative group some questions from time to time, such as what you think about the quality of the care or service you received and what additional changes you would like to see in the organisation of the practice or the range of services we provide. Members of the PRG can also raise questions or issues for sharing with other members of the Group

We have decided to establish a virtual Group rather than a physical one as we realise that many patients are unable to attend the meetings due to pressure from studies, work or family commitments but may want to have a say in what we do.  This means that contact will be by post or by email. We would like the Group to be as representative as possible of our patient profile in terms of age, sex and ethnicity.

For more information and to down load a form to join the Group click here

Progress Report to date

The practice has been recruiting members to the Group since October by advertising its existence by way of posters and a handout in the waiting area in both surgeries, articles on two occasions in the December and March editions of five parish magazines and on this website. To date we have 61 members join the Group.  The profile of the Group is shown here

As you can see patients in the age round 55 to 74 are well represented and we would, therefore, encourage more patients to register particularly in the younger age group.  

Please click here to view a Report on the activity of the Group to date including the results of a survey on access.

 Prescription request website changes

The EMIS Access website is now part of the PatientUK website.  Users existing Login details will still work. Sign in as usual using the EMIS Access button on the left. 

PatientUK is a health information portal providing access to  information on medical conditions, drugs and self-help groups.

Who can best help you

There is increasing pressure of demand for patients to see a GP, however, we have two experienced Nurse Practitioners who are both independent prescribers. Rather than see a GP you may find it more appropriate to see a Nurse Practitioner or our Health Care Assistant.

Obviously you may choose to see whoever you wish but the following information may help you make your decision, if you have a serious or complex medical problem the General Practitioners (GPs) are best qualified to help.

The Nurse Practitioners are qualified to:-

• assess and deal with minor illnesses in children and adults
• assess and deal with minor injuries in children and adults
• give travel advice and relevant vaccines and prescriptions
• give children’s vaccinations
• give contraceptive advice and prescriptions
• prescribe most medications
• review treatment, prescribe for,  and help you manage long term conditions including Asthma, COPD, Diabetes, Hypertension
• assess simple and complex wounds, remove sutures and clips, perform dressings.

 The Health Care Assistant is trained to:-

• carry out blood tests
• clear ears of wax (‘ear syringe’)
• check your blood pressure
• carry out health checks
• give flu vaccinations
• perform ECGs
• provide smoking cessation support
• provide weight loss support

GP Trainee  changes  

GP Trainee and other doctor changes

The practice now has two GP trainees with both Dr Owens and Dr Cole as Trainers. Dr Claire Cooper, one of our recent GP Trainees has left and has been replaced by a Dr George Pontikis.  Dr James Howard has been replaced by Dr Hannah Roberts.

We also have an on going arrangement for a Locum GP to cover a Wednesday morning surgery.  Dr Geoff Marcoolyn has recently replaced Dr Ayisha Sajid.

Pilot Medicals

NHS Health checks  

General practices will be writing to patients aged 50 - 74 who do not have existing heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, stroke, kidney disease inviting them for a NHS Health Check over the next five years.  The check is to assess patient’s risk of developing these medical conditions and to offer advice on how to reduce the risk and stay healthy.  Please take up this invitation when you receive it. The check will include taking your family history, blood pressure and a simple blood test to check your cholesterol level.  We are inviting patients on a somewhat random basis so do not worry if you do not receive your invitation for sometime.  If you are concerned that you may be risk, please contact the surgery to request a Health Check at any time before you receive your invitation.

Summary Care Record (SCR)

Upload of SCR goes ahead

The upload of the Summary Care Record for all Ardleigh surgery patients apart from those that opted out went ahead on the e 6 October after a delay of over a year owing to technical problems.

The NHS is enhancing the way your health information is stored and managed. The NHS Summary Care Record (SCR) in North East Essex is being introduced to help deliver better, safer care.   

What is the Summary Care Record?

Your Summary Care Record is an electronic record of important information about your health. It will be available to healthcare staff providing your NHS care in England. This means if you ever have an accident or become ill and need urgent or out of hours advice or treatment outside of your normal practice, the clinicians treating you can have immediate access to important information about you.

What information is included in your Summary Care Record?

It will initially have information about your current medications, any allergies you suffer from and any bad reactions to medicines that you experience. Over time it will build with your consent to include information about other health issues considered important to your well being.  

All patients in North East Essex were sent a letter from the PCT during January 2010 providing information about the Shared Care Record.  The letter explained that you can opt out  of having a Shared Care Record by letting your GP know in writing or in person. 

GP practices will create Summary Care Records at different times over the next 12 months. Ardleigh Surgery is uploading it's SCR on the 6 October 2011. Other health care providers will not start to access the SCR until 60% of the patient records have been uploaded from other general practices in North East Essex

For more information click here. 

Kate Strowbridge retires

Nurse Practitioner Kate Strowbridge retired at the end of March after 14 years service at the practice.  The practice and patients will be most sorry to see Kate leave but wish her the very best for the future.  Her husband has also recently retired as a Army doctor.  We have recruited an experienced Practice Nurse from another Colchester practice, Joanne Gordon, who will be starting at the surgery on the 10 April.

 Influenza vaccinations

A succesfull influenza vaccination programme has been completed with the surgery exceeding the Department of Health targets. 77% of over 65 patients and over 90% of the patients in the at risk groups have been vaccinated between October and December.  Fortunately, the mild weather has meant that a flu epidemic has not occurred as it did last year.  However, it is important that patients continue to be vaccinated every year irrespective of the risk of a flu epidemic actually occurring.

Pneumonococcal immunisation available

 for the over 65’s

Immunisation against pneumonococcal infection is now available for all patients aged over 65 and in certain at risk groups to help protect them against pneumococcal infection which can cause diseases such as pneumonia, septicaemia (blood poisoning) and meningitis. This immunisation is in addition to your annual 'flu immunisation but only normally needs to be done once. It is easier for the practice if this vaccination is provided at a different time to the ‘flu vaccination.  Please make an appointment with a practice nurse at the surgery

Dedham Branch Surgery

The Dedham branch surgery opened on the Thursday, 2 July 2009 within the Dedham Vale Health Centre premises.

The Health Centre is located in Roman Place, Manningtree Road, Dedham CO7 6DU (01206 322290). This purpose built surgery had not been used as a general practice facility since it was built two years previously.

See location map here

View Dedham Vale Health Centre here

We will be providing four surgery sessions per week, Tuesday morning, Wednesday afternoon, Thursday morning and Friday morning. Each of the Ardleigh Surgery GPs will undertake a surgery session at the branch surgery other than when a GP is on annual leave.

An additional surgery at the Ardleigh Surgery on a Thursday afternoon has also been introduced.  Additional receptionist staff have also been employed to cover both experienced staff attending Dedham surgery and a receptionist who is on long term sick leave.

The branch surgery will be an integral part of the Ardleigh practice and all patients may attend it.  This does mean that patients seeking to see a particular GP on a particular day might be asked to attend the Dedham Surgery rather than Ardleigh Surgery and visa versa.  Patients requesting an urgent same day appointment will be requested to attend either surgery.  There will be no Dispensary in the branch surgery as there is a pharmacy in the village.  Dispensing patients issued with an acute prescription will still be able to use the dispensary at the main surgery, if they so wish.

GP Care Adviser

The surgery has once again the services of a GP Care Adviser.  Resources freed up through practice based commissioning have been used to reinstate this service in all practices in Colchester, funded jointly by the Primary Care Trust and Social Services. The Care Advisers are now employed by general practice rather than the PCT.  The GP Care Adviser service was withdrawn by the Colchester PCT as part of its need to reduce an overspend four years ago.

The Care Adviser for our practice, Gillian Belsham, comes with experience of working at the Colchester Borough Welfare Rights Unit and Shelter. She will be working at the surgery on a Tuesday and Friday afternoon and will visit patients at home unable to visit the surgery.

GP Care Advisers are available to assist patients and carers with non-medical problems. Provide advice, support, information and assistance from other agencies.  Assist with welfare benefits including the completion of forms and provide assessment of needs for Telecare equipment and equipment and aids in the home. They are also available to provide advice in particular to carers of patients with dementia working closely with the Altzhiemers Society.

Patients can be referred by their GP, practice nurse, district nurse, relative or self=refer by contacting he surgery for an appointment.

Spirometer purchased

The practice has purchased a new spirometer which is used to measure lung function.  Selected patients with respiratory problems will be invited to be tested on the spirometer to check out if their medication needs to be changed to improve lung function and will also be use as part of our smoking cessation programme.  The cost of £1600 has been met partly by donations from individuals and the Erdelega WI.

Blood Pressure Machine

The 24 hour Ambulatory Blood pressure Monitor purchased in 2003 from the Equipment Appeal is proving to be extremely useful.

This device is worn by a patient and measures their blood pressure at half hour intervals during the day and hourly during the night.

The readings are then transferred into a PC and displayed using a data analysis program.

It is of great help to the doctors to see how the blood pressure of a person with suspected high blood pressure fluctuates during a 24 hour period. It assists the doctor in deciding if treatment with medication is necessary.

Click here to view a graph of a patient with recorded high blood pressure. 

Health Care Assistant role

Janet Burgess, our Phlebotomist, has undertaken training to enhance her role in the surgery to become an Health Care Assistant.

Janet will now be able to assist the GPs and Practice Nurses in blood pressure monitoring, new patient health checks, ear syringing, ECGs and stop smoking and weight management  advice in addition to blood taking. 

.

National Patient Survey 2010

The Department of Environment carries out a national patient survey in January-March each year. Over 5 million survey forms are sent out.  A 57% response was received from Ardleigh patients.  The results confirm the accuracy of our local patient survey

See a graphical presentation here

Order your repeat medication on line

We have moved to a more secure web based system that interfaces directly with our general practice clinical computer system.

This will require patients wishing to continue to request prescriptions via a website to obtain a User ID and PIN from the surgery.  We are also exploring using this secure web based system to also allow patients to book routine surgery appointments online.  The secure system is administered by our GP computer system supplier, EMIS, and is used by other practices without any problems.

We would encourage patients that use the webpage form to request repeat prescriptions to register to use the new system as soon as possible.  Owing to the secure nature of the system, you will need to come into the surgery with a photo form of identity, e.g. passport or driving licence to obtain your User ID and PIN to register on the system at EMIS-Access at https://emisaccess.co.uk/. 

Once you have your obtained your user ID and PIN you may create a new account and provide a password which you will then use in future to access your prescribing screen in EMIS-Access to order your repeat medication.  Your order then is received within the practice clinical system and is actioned by a receptionist.

There is  a link  to the EMIS-Access website in the Menu bar and on the old Prescription webpage. 

If you have any questions about the new system please ask to speak to Fred Merrin, the Practice Manager, or email him on fred.merrin@nhs.net

Surgery extension work completed

The extension to the Surgery was completed on the 3 May 2007..

The extension provides an additional consulting room, medical record storage and a new staff room.  This will take pressure of the existing accommodation which was last extended in 1991.  Since then the list size of the practice has grown by over 1000 patients, it has become a GP and nurse training practice and the range of services provided has also increased

The surgery is now a base for the provision of chiropody,  counselling and midwifery. 

Three quarters of the cost of the surgery extension was met by the partners by extending the bank loans on the existing premises. The other quarter has been funded by an improvement grant from the PCT.

View copy of plan here>>>

Patient choice and Choose & Book

Patients are to be given an increasing choice of hospitals for treatment.  For sometime health authorities and Primary Care Trusts have restricted GPs to a limited choice of hospitals.  This is now changing and the number of hospitals which have contracts with the PCT is increasing. To assist GPs in helping patients make a choice, an internet web based system is being introduced called Choose and Book.

The Choose and Book system shows a GP the available hospital services they can refer patients to and background information about the hospital such as star rating and waiting times. It then allows the patient to book their first outpatient appointment at the time they are referred.   Patients do not have to decide the time and date straight away and can contact a booking service by telephone shortly afterwards.  Since May 2006 Colchester General Hospital’s computer system has been upgraded and can receive e-bookings.

View patient leaflet

Surgery becomes a ‘paper lite’ organisation

In common with a number of other surgeries, we are making as much use of the practice clinical computer system as possible.

This means that GPs and Nurses are recording consultations on the computer rather than in the medical record.  Referral letters are being saved on the computer and since February 2004 we have been receiving  pathology results from the hospital electronically via the NHSnet. 

Letters received from the hospital and elsewhere are also being scanned on to the computer and attached to the individual patent medical record.

In 2009 the PCT accredited the practice for meeting the required 'paper light' information governance standards

Repeat prescriptions 

As patients are aware we have a range of options for ordering repeat prescriptions, by using the direct  telephone number 01206 230732 between the hours of 10.00 am – 1.00 pm and 2.00 pm – 4.00 pm Monday to Friday giving 48 hours notice.  This will free the main surgery number 01206 230224 for appointments, queries and results.

Alternatively you can order your repeat prescription by post, by fax on 01206 231602, on this practice website  or drop in the right hand side of the prescription form to the surgery.

Patients whom have their prescriptions dispensed at a pharmacy may request their prescriptions to be sent to or collected by a pharmacy.  There are weekly deadlines and patients need to make it clear to the receptionist each time they telephone that they wish their prescription to go to a nominated pharmacy either in Dedham or Manningtree.  Alternatively, patients may request for their prescription form to be posted to them by enclosing a stamped addressed envelope.

Please do not request any medication as repeats that you do not require.  If a particular drug is not agreeing with you, do not be worried about telling your GP or Nurse, rather then continue ordering and stockpiling it.  You can return all unwanted medicines to the surgery or pharmacy for safe disposal.