SURGERY NEWS

09/12/2024 11.45am The computer and phone issue of earlier this morning has been resolved. All systems fully functioning. Thank you for your patience.

A message to our patients, their families, representatives and all users of our services

Dear Wickhambrook patients,

Many of you, like us have been appalled and shocked by the recent violence, racism and Islamophobic events occurring up and down the country.  For many it has triggered painful memories and feelings from previous adverse experiences. Whilst there have been no local reports of unrest a lot of people are frightened and distressed. 

We feel strongly that everyone should be treated equally regardless of their country of origin, faith, age, sexual orientation, gender or disability.  We have a duty of care to our staff and follow the NHS zero tolerance policy. There is no justification for any behaviour that causes staff to feel abused, threatened, or assaulted. 

We are writing this in the hope that we can encourage our community to come together, support each other, promote kindness and reject the hatred being promoted by those who seek to cause unrest.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.    From The Team at Wickhambrook Surgery

A Reminder of Staff Training event.........   

.... Our next planned shutdown afternoon is 18th September.  

2024  Planned Closures for Staff Training

This practice participates in the clinical education and training events hosted by the Integrated Care Board (ICB) and to enable staff attendance we close the practice for the afternoon from 12.00pm.  The dates for 2024 are as follows:

Tuesday 30th April,     Tuesday 16th July,     Wednesday 18th September,     Thursday 21st November

During the closure periods the 111 service will be available to deal with emergencies.  

How to Access your GP Practice

How to access your GP practice - A short video

Medication Collections

If you are collecting medication, please note that the outside window is no longer in use. Please come in to the practice and queue at the hatch on the left hand side.  Please note that the dispensary is closed for lunch between 1.00pm and 2.00pm.

Appointments

If you need to contact a GP, you do not need to come to the surgery in person;

You can: 

• Visit this surgery website or use e-consult on this site.
• telephone the practice on 01440 820140 
• A phone or video call will be booked for you with a healthcare professional to suit your needs
• A face to face appointment is available following triage with the healthcare professional

If you have a child that has a medical condition or is unwell it is important that they get the correct treatment when they need it.  We continue to provide the same safe care that we have always done.  If you or your child needs urgent help, and it is out of hours or an emergency either call 111 or go to your nearest A&E department or call 999.

We ask for your further help as detailed below:

A significant increase in email queries and photos being sent by patients has put significant pressure on our administrative team.  PLEASE HELP SUPPORT US BY NOT EMAILING PHOTOGRAPHS OR CLINICAL PROBLEMS IN without being asked to do so by a doctor.

Please also remember the email address for any dispensary queries is wickhambrook.disp@nhs.net

We’re still offering many face-to-face appointments, but telephone appointments do have a number of benefits: there will be fewer people in the surgery, so there’s less pressure on parking. For patients with queries that are easily resolved, this also means they don’t need to interrupt their day or take time off work for an appointment.

One of the benefits of telephone appointments is that we can make calls in a suitable order. This means we can call patients with urgent problems quickly, rather than asking them to wait until the end of the surgery when we have a gap. It also means we can allow more time for difficult conversations. Some patients will hear difficult news during their appointment, and flexibility over the timing of appointments means that we can allow time to support patients who need it.

The changing makeup of general practice teams, and working with other practices in local networks, helps to widen the team of healthcare professionals with specialist skills who can be accessed quickly by our patients.

As our practice teams change, so does the role of the GP. As multi-skilled healthcare professionals become increasingly available within our teams, you may be offered an appointment with a specialist practitioner rather than a GP.

Just as drug treatments for some conditions have changed, so too has the way we’re involved with patient care for those conditions. Where previously painkillers would have been the only available option for some, newer treatments have resulted in positive outcomes for patients. We can offer proactive care ensuring that we’re monitoring wellbeing with a reduced need for painkiller prescribing.

GP+ Appointments

Suffolk GP+ is for people who urgently need a doctor’s appointment or are unable to see their GP during normal GP hours. Appointments can be made via Reception during our usual opening hours. Please note: patients cannot refer themselves to this service. The service is staffed by local Suffolk GPs and Nurse Practitioners  in Bury St Edmunds, Sudbury, Glemsford, Haverhill and Newmarket is an NHS service delivered by the Suffolk GP Federation. You will be given a booked appointment and will be seen by a suitable local GP or nurse who will have access to your medical records (once consent is given).

Collecting your medication

We dispense medication to nearly all of our patients. As a result, our dispensary can be very busy and we appreciate that at times there can be quite a queue when collecting medication.

We undertook a survey over a one-month period and the graphs below show the busiest days of the week and also the busiest times of the day. This may be of some use when deciding on when to collect your medication. Clearly, Friday mornings are the busiest.

Medication collection by days of the week

Please note; During the period 1.00pm to 2.00pm our dispensary will be closed so that our dispensary staff can take a lunch break.  

Your Named GP

Each patient in the Practice has a named allocated GP.  If you are unsure of your named GP please contact Reception and they will let you know who it is.  If you have a preference for a particular named GP please let Reception know.  Please note that you do not have to see your named GP for each appointment and you can request to be seen by a specific GP for individual appointments.