www.medwynsurgery.nhs.uk.
Over recent weeks we have
From Medwyn Practice
Business Manager
I would like to take this
opportunity to bring all our
patients up to date with some
new developments at Medwyn.
In October 2007, in response to
patient feedback, we undertook
an overhaul of our appointment
system. The main objective of
our review was to increase the
number of pre-bookable
scheduled appointments,
particularly with the Partners,
whilst retaining sufficient
numbers of appointments for
urgent and emergency
situations. The change meant
that we could also stop the
procedure where patients were
asked to call us back at
11.30a.m. for afternoon
appointments – now that day’s
easy access appointments can
be booked any time from
8.00a.m.
We feel that the change has
gone very well indeed and
certainly we have had a lot of
very positive feedback on the
new arrangements.
In December 2007 we launched
an online facility to enable our
patients to book advance
appointments with the Doctors
via the Internet. We advertised
the service at Reception, in our
waiting rooms and on the self
check-in screens, and in the
first two months more than 819
patients have signed up for this
service! More information is
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undertaken our annual,
confidential patient survey to
gather your feedback on our
doctors, nurses and reception
services and the general
facilities at Medwyn. The
survey will be sent out to be
fully analysed. We will then
share the results with the
Friends of Medwyn committee,
-Spring- to obtain patient representation
and input any further
improvements we can make. A
Newsletter big thank you to all those who
took time out to complete the
available from reception or you forms – your feedback is
can sign up on our website at invaluable to us.
medwynsurgery.nhs.uk We will Deborah Slade
be looking at the best way to
expand the type of Jean Lacey
appointments available and it is
likely that appointments for
blood tests with our
phlebotomists will shortly be
available via this Internet
service.
The self check-in screens
introduced last year continue to
be a great success as more
than 59% of all check-ins are
now recorded via the computer
screen. This has saved patients
time on arrival and relieved
I have been with Medwyn
pressure on our reception team Surgery for 18 months, and am
and allowed them to spend
still really enjoying my full time
more time with patients who position as receptionist. During
have queries and requests.
this time I have trained as a
phlebotomist, I fill in to help
We have had enquiries from
when the other phlebotomist is
new independent practitioners on holiday.
wishing to use consulting
rooms at Medwyn. As a result
the services being offered from
the Centre now also include
hearing aid dispensing and
holistic massage.
The Samaritans decided to
move their clinic time to
Tuesdays from 4.30 to 7.30 pm
in order to make themselves
more available to working and
commuting patients.
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 general Medwyn e-mail at home or talk to you on the
address. telephone to find out what you
need and how best we can
Useful NHS web sites provide support. We publish a
www.NHS.UK/Live Well regular newsletter and also
www.NHS Direct. Nhs.uk offer the opportunity for carers
to meet and enjoy a break
Patch for FOM raffle together by organising outings
Thanks to Patricia for a very throughout the year.
nice stuffed toy (named Patch) We recently held two coffee
Jean Lacey handing over the
Newsletter responsibility to
has been donated for FOM mornings in the Capel and
Cathy Bateman. raffle by. Ockley area to publicise our
Patricia Ezzard services for Carers and more
I am the link with the Friends of
33 Orchard Way are planned in other parts of
Medwyn, facilitating the transfer
Dorking Mole Valley in the New Year.
of information to the Newsletter
RH4 2JJ Do look out for our posters or
Editor. I also oversee the
contact the office for more
donations kindly given by the
From Jane Brooks details.
Friends of Medwyn Committee
Carers’ Support – Mole Valley
for the use of Medwyn Centre. I
(on the first floor of Medwyn A new card for Carers, the
have enjoyed this role very
Centre) offers help and support ‘Carer Emergency Card’ has
much.
to all Carers in the Mole Valley just been introduced. This can
area. If you are caring for a be carried in your purse or
It is with regret then that I leave
relative or friend who has a wallet in case you have an
the Medwyn Centre at the end
physical disability, a learning accident or are taken ill and will
of February to move back to
disability, a mental health alert the services attending to
Ireland and will miss all the
problem, a long term illness, is you that you are a carer and
Medwyn patients very much. I
frail and elderly or is a child there is someone at home
am glad to hand over my FOM
with a disability then you are a needing help.
work to my colleague Cathy.
Carer. It doesn’t matter if the
person you care for is young or If you would like a Carer
From Editor:
old: if he or she is a relative, Emergency Card, or you would
It is a double loss, one to
partner, child or friend, whether like information about any of
Medwyn Surgery and the other
they live with you or some the services available for carers
to the Friends of Medwyn. No
distance away, you are still a please contact:
doubt all those who knew her
carer. It might even be that you
ever smiling face at all times
have relatives or friends who Carers’ Support – Mole Valley
will wish her happiness and
are approaching the time when Reg. Charity No. 1081718
prospects in whatever she
they may need your help and 01306 640020
undertakes anew.
you want to be prepared. carer_support@btconnect.co
Medwyn Patient Survey
Samaritans at the Medwyn
The results of the patient’s
The new “Listening Surgery”
feedback, including written
provided by Samaritans at the
comments, a patient profile,
Medwyn Surgery has now
four tables and three graphs
completed nine successful
are displayed on the notice
months of operation. It is the
board in the waiting room of the
first time that Samaritans have
Medwyn Surgery. Any
had a physical presence at a
comments on the survey results
GP practice. Two trained
may be dropped in the
Carers’ Support volunteers from the local
suggestion box or on the FOM
Mole Valley can provide Leatherhead & Mid-Surrey
notice board. Alternatively, the
information on respite care, branch of Samaritans are
comments can be e-mailed to
benefits and on all kinds of available every Tuesday
Deborah Slade, Practice
Business Manager at the practical help. We can visit you
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 evening at the Medwyn Surgery
between 4.30pm and 7.30pm.
Eamon Fay, the Samaritans’
Outreach Coordinator,
explained: “All you have to do
to speak with one of our
Samaritan volunteers is phone
the surgery on 01306 883816
and make an appointment or
you could just turn up on a
Tuesday afternoon. So far most
of our callers have been
referred by the doctors or the
other medical practitioners at
Medwyn; but actually you can
make an appointment yourself
if you need help.”
“Every one of us has emotional
health problems at different
times of our life,” continued
Eamon. “These days, life
seems to be so busy and hectic
that often there is no one who
is available to listen. We know
from our 24/7 help-line that
many people would like to talk
to someone about their troubles
right now. Our volunteers will
give you as much time as you
need to explore feelings of
distress and will listen in
absolute confidence.”
“This experiment of an
integrated on-site Samaritans
service at the Medwyn surgery
is working very well,” added
Eamon. “It is gaining popularity
with the patients as more and
more find out that it is available.
The Doctors and other health
professionals may not always
have as much time as they
would like to explore their
patient’s feelings. Well,
Samaritans have that time, and
are happy to give it freely to
people in need.”
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Of course the Samaritans do and fitness instructor in
not operate within the clinical Godalming.
pathway, but there are a
number of circumstances
where people have found it
helpful to talk over their issues
in a session with the
Samaritans volunteer. “At
Samaritans,” concluded
Eamon, “we concentrate on
feelings. We do not offer any
advice, but we do offer two
things that can really help. First Dr Giovanna Hornibrook
our volunteers are trained to whose profile was reported in
listen in an accepting and the Summer 2007 issue of the
effective way to what our Newsletter has left Medwyn
callers are saying. Secondly we surgery on completion of
can and do give as much time training as a Registrar GP. She
to listening to our callers as has conveyed the following
they want us to give. Over 50 words to Medwyn.
years of experience, we find
that applying listening skills and “I just wanted to say a quick
giving time very often allows and very heart-felt thank you
callers to come to terms with to all the wonderful staff and
their issue and to work out a patients at Medwyn surgery.
way forward for themselves.” I had a fantastic year there and
the time really flew by.
Deborah Slade, Practice Many thanks particularly to Dr
Business Manager of the Monella for all his
Medwyn Surgery, commented: patience whilst being my trainer
“Our new building has been and I wish Dr. Julia Hassan
specially designed to enable us as much enjoyment in the post
to expand the range of services as I had.”
to our 8000 patients. As well as
a traditional family practice, the Dr Julia Hassan
Centre offers NHS dentistry, an
on-site pharmacy, a base for
the Thamesdoc out-of-hours
service, physiotherapy, podiatry
and a base for the community
nursing staff.
“However, to be fully well,”
continued Deborah, “patients
need to be healthy in mind as I am Dr Julia Hassan, I'll be a
well as body. I believe that the GP Registrar at Medwyn for
availability of a Samaritans one year. I live in Croydon with
listening service has already my wonderful husband George
proved a welcome addition to and my adorable 4 year old son
the other services we offer, and Jojo. I would like to say a big
I am delighted by the thankyou for the warm welcome
development.” from all the staff and I am
looking forward to working
Katy Price here.
Before joining Medwyn Katy
worked as a personal trainer
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 New clock
The new timepiece in the
waiting room - have you
noticed.
Just to remind you of the
missed appointments and to
stress how important time is for
the Medwyn Surgery Medical
Staff as it is for yourself.
The appointments missed are
December 2007 - 167
January 2008 - 144
February 2008 – 126
Conquering Back Pain
(a talk and presentation by
Cranfold Physiotherapy Centre)
Friends of Medwyn organised a
talk on “Conquering Back Pain”
on Friday 8th February from 7
p.m. for 90 minutes at the
meeting hall of Medwyn centre.
Cranfold Physical Therapy
centre has a team of HPC
registered Chartered
Phisiotherapists, Wendyanne
Harrison, Alison Campbell and
Jenny Dallow. All the three of
them are MCSP.
The talks by the three covered:
1. Back facts,
2. Anatomy,
3. Diagnosis,
4. Self-management,
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5. Red flags and “ Part 1 for exercise and part 2
6. How can Phisiotherapy for manual therapy.
help?.
Each of these topics was
explained with further sub-
topics accompanied by a
collaborating OHP display. The
“Red Flags” listed the following
symptoms for which a patient
should see their GP:
q Significant weakness of leg
There were in all 35 attending.
or foot The talk and display by the
q Numbness in the perineum,
three speakers held the
buttock, leg or foot audience keen and attentive. In
q Altered bladder or bowel
the end, these were the words
control of Ann Heaps, Chairman of the
q Unexplained weight loss Friends of Medwyn, “ Thanks
and feeling unwell
for the exhilarating talks and
q Pain that develops slowly display by Cranfold speakers.
and gets worse
Judging by the questions being
q Significant night pain. fired at you, the assembled
group of back sufferers took a
Under the topic of anatomy, the great interest. Here's hoping
sub-topics of vertebra, discs, Cranfold get lots of new custom
ligaments and nerves were
and they creak less as a result”.
explained. The erector spinae
and multifidus in deeper Future FOM events
muscles were demonstrated
Friday 16th May 2008 Quiz
with an actual model. Evidence night.
now supports that specific
Please await details and ask at
exercise taught by your reception.
physiotherapist will be the best
way to control and manage Cancer Support Group
back pain.
Julia Disney reports that
another meeting is
For more information or for an contemplated in May/June time.
appointment contact: Julia and her team are looking
Cranfold Physical Centre at
at different ways of contacting
The Medwyn Centre, Reigate more patients who may benefit
Road, Dorking RH4 1SD. Tel: from attending the group.
(01306)-740784; web:
www.cranfoldphysio.co.uk.
It may also help to contact “The
Chartered Society of
Physiotherapy” in London
Tel: 020 7306 6666; Fax: 020
7306 6611; e-mail: enquiries@
csp.co.uk; and web:
www.csp.org.uk.
In particular readers can ask for
the “ clinical guidelines for the
physiotherapy management of
persistent Low Back Pain (LBP)
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