Important Notices and News

26th Nov

Children's coughs - a guide

26th Nov

Awareness of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Animation

 

Here is a short video on not taking antibiotics when you don't need them. 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMnU6g2djm4

team
13th Nov

Patient Participation Group

The practice have a seperate facebook page for patients who would like to join our patient participation group. 

Here you can feedback on the practice and help shape things for a better service.  We want to listen and your feedback helps us with this. Facebook - PPG page

We would also appreciate any patient completing our new survey on the practice   Practice survey

 

 

movember
5th Nov

Movember

Are you doing Movember?
 
'Movember' takes place every November to raise awareness and funds for men's mental health, suicide prevention, prostate cancer and testicular cancer.
 
Crawley's men's shared offers over 18+ a listening group helping men who are going through any challenging times such as:
 
• Relationship problems
• Covid-19
• Bereavement
• Illnesses, Cancer etc
• Physical problems
• Homelessness
• Isolation
• Addictions
• Being a new father
• Employment problems
• Social conflicts
• Childhood experiences
Men Shared meetings happen
Mondays 7pm-9pm
Wednesdays 4.30pm-18.30 pm & 7pm-9pm
Crawley Baptist Church
Crabtree Road
Crawley
West Sussex
RH11 7HJ
 
Please arrive by 6:50pm for a 7pm start.
Phone number: 07508 336995
email address: letstalk@mslg.org
school
21st Oct

Letters for the school

The GP is often asked if they will write a letter to the school of a child who is struggling to attend full time education for anxiety, mental health or a health reason.

Often the school will say their hands are tied with allowing absence unless it has been determined by a Doctor that it is in the child’s best interests to have part time education. The parent/carer then comes to the GP and is hopeful we can certify the child should not be in school full time.

When it comes to determining if a child is fit for school, it's important to note that GPs are not able to provide sickness certification for pupils who are off sick from school. The responsibility for managing school attendance and determining if an absence is legitimate typically falls to the parents and the school. For short-term illnesses (less than 7 days), schools are generally expected to accept a note from the pupil’s parent or guardian. GPs are not required to provide medical certificates for these short-term absences unless the child was seen by the GP at the time of the illness, whereby we can provide a copy of the consultation as proof.

If a child has a long-term condition or requires support in the school day, any necessary certification can only be provided by the responsible specialist in rare cases.

In cases of recurrent short-term illnesses, the school and pupil entitlement should manage the situation in consultation with the parent(s) and the child.

The GP will of course be very pleased to see the child for continued support and can refer to the wellbeing team /CAMHS /paediatrics however we cannot write letters to the schools stating the child needs part time education.

We naturally feel for the child and the parent however the GP has limitations and can only provide a summary of the current problems and copies of the consultations.

Thank you.

bloods
15th Oct

Blood test results

When you have a blood test at the practice the results will go back to the requesting clinician. The Doctor will make a comment on them of either 'normal - no action' 'satisfactory' or they may say 'book appointment with Doctor'.

When the doctor wishes to speak to you they will state whether this is urgent or routine to the administration team.

The admin team receive a task and will contact patients in priority (if urgent) or date order and book a telephone call in as soon as possible in one of our test result call backs.

You may see on the NHS app 'book appointment with Doctor' against the results but we want to assure you that you are on the list and we will be contacting you with an appointment to discuss these in the coming days.

12th Oct

Staff training

Wednesday 16th October.

The practice will be closed from 12:30pm onwards on Wednesday due to staff training.

Emergency GP cover will be available between 12:30-18:30pm

The emergency phone number for this afternoon only will be 01293 698088

This number is for if you urgently need a GP that afternoon

Thank you

30th Sep

Flu and Covid Autumn Boosters

From the 3rd October we are providing the flu and/or COVID booster vaccinations. Invitations to those who are eligible have been sent out.
 
 
The criteria for the flu vaccine is:
- Age 65 or over
- are pregnant
- Live in a care home
- Are the main carer for an older or disabled person or receive carers allowance
- live with someone who has a weakened immune system
- A frontline health and social care worker
 
 
The criteria for the COVID Autumn booster is:
 
- Age 65 or over
- Pregnant
-Live in a care home
- Severely immunosuppressed
 
 
Age 18-74 immunosuppression is categorised as:
• Undergoing chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy
• Organ transplant
• Bone marrow or stem cell transplant
• HIV infection
• Genetic disorders affecting the immune system
• Myeloma and MGUS
• Leukaemia or Lymphoma at any time (haematological malignancy)
• Receiving immunosuppressive/immunomodulating drug
• Prednisolone (oral) 20mg per day for more than a month
• On long-term immunosuppressive treatment, including oral drugs such as methotrexate, azathioprine, mycophenylate for:
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Scleroderma
• Psoriasis
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
epi
12th Sep

Drug safety alert - Epimax Ointment and Epimax ointment free

We have received a drug safety alert for Epimax Ointment and Epimax Paraffin-Free.

We have been asked to remind patients who use this ointment to ensure the product is not to be used on the face as it is for the body only. There have been reported cases of serious symptoms if it comes into contact with your eyes so please avoid touching your eyes after using the product. Was your hands thoroughly after using the product on your body.

We have sent a message to everyone who has been prescribed this but sharing further afield if you have a family member who uses this ointment - be cautious with the face and eye area.

Thank you

22nd Aug

Respiratory Syncytial Virus

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a common cause of coughs and colds. It usually gets better by itself, but it can be serious for some babies and older adults.

Who's at risk from RSV
RSV is very common. Almost all children get it at least once before they're 2 years old.

It's not usually serious, but some babies and adults have a higher risk of getting seriously ill, particularly:

- babies under 6 months old
- children who were born prematurely
- adults over 75 years
- babies, children and older adults with a weakened immune system, or long-term lung or heart conditions

In babies, RSV is a common cause of a type of chest infection called bronchiolitis. This can cause breathing problems and may need to be treated in hospital.

RSV can also cause a serious lung infection (pneumonia) in babies and older adults.


A vaccine to help protect against RSV will be available on the NHS from 1 September 2024.

You'll be able to get the vaccine if:

you're aged 75 to 79
you're 28 weeks pregnant or more – this will help protect your baby for the first few months after they're born


The practice will be contacting our patients between the age of 75-79 to offer you a Nurse appointment here at the practice. Please wait for your invitation.

The Midwife will be taking care of our pregnant ladies

Thank you

Sharon Nunweek
Practice Manager

3rd Jul

New triage system

Ifield Medical Practice now use a total triage system

 

For all GP appointments please complete a request from 08:30am daily at www.ifieldmedicalpractice.co.uk

 

Please click the large banner on the home page ‘submit a request’

 

For patients without internet access, elderly or vulnerable please call from 08:30am and our reception team will complete the form for you.

 

The purpose of a total triage is to ensure you are seen at the right time by the right person.

 

The form will be viewed by the Triage Doctor and we will be back in touch usually within 1-2 hours

19th Jun

Frequently asked questions on the new triage system

Dear Patient

Further to our notification to patients on the 18th June 2024 regarding our move to a total triage system I wanted to answer some frequently asked questions which may help reassure our patients.

 

When is this starting:

From the 1st July 2024

 

Why are you changing the system?

NHS England and our local Integrated Care Board have asked all practices to move to a modern General Practice Access model as part of the arrangements for the GP Contract in 2024/25.

 

All practices must have the following components in place:

 

  1. Better digital telephony
  2. Simpler online requests
  3. Faster care navigation, assessment and response.

 

Many of the other local practices have now moved successfully to an online request form – Southgate, Leacroft, Langley Corner and Saxonbrook. 

 

On review of our appointment statistics we have decided that the triage model will work successfully for our patients to ensure we meet the access and demand guidance.

 

Why can‘t the appointment system be like it was pre-pandemic?

 

We have been asked this question and we refer to the above answer that the NHS England contract for 2024/25 has asked all practices to move to a modern GP contract.  We must be able to care navigate and reduce the speed over need that is happening currently.  If someone is lucky to get through on the phone queue they obtain the appointment however could that patient wait another couple of days routinely?  This assessment needs to be performed to ensure we see you when, where and how you need.

 

Phone lines

We take on average 4700 calls each month and patient feedback has said that they are 55th in the queue and cannot get an appointment when perhaps they really needed to be seen that day by us.

 

Practice size:

We have 10,550 patients currently

 

Why triage?

As part of the faster care navigation and assessment the practice needs to ensure that we see the patients when and how they need to be reviewed.   We must ensure the patients all have equal opportunities to be reviewed by the practice and a GP will determine who we need to see urgently today and who can perhaps have a routine appointment in the coming days.

The triage is performed by a GP Partner with the support of 2-3 more administration team members to support the triage decision once it has been made. 

The forms are read by the triage GP and they will make a decision on the support that is needed today or the coming days thereafter.

 

All GP appointments must be booked no further than 2 weeks in advance.

 

The online form:

The form is accessed via our website at www.ifieldmedicalpractice.co.uk between the core hours of 08:30-18:00. 

This is the same form we have been using for online consultations however the Triage Doctor will be reviewing all requests and triaging the acute or routine need.

Perhaps an appointment is not required by the GP today and a simple request can be actioned outside of the appointment. This will be actioned.

The triage Doctor may feel you are best being signposted straight to the First Contact Physiotherapist, clinical pharmacist or the nursing team.  This will all be actioned safely by the clinician.

Please detail the problem to assist the Triage Doctor.  This is only viewed by them to triage.  Please put one problem on the form but put as much detail as you need to explain to the Doctor the symptoms.

 

Example:  Rather than just writing knee pain please expand on that a little – how long, which leg, did you fall over/twist etc.  Concise detail will ensure you are seen appropriately.

 

 

Requests for nurse appointments or home visits:

 

Nurse appointments and requests for home visits if you are housebound are still taken by our reception team on the telephone.  Nurse appointments are not triaged

 

What happens next?

 

All forms will be reviewed quickly by the GP and a note added for the appropriate action. They will send you a link to book an appointment for either the same day, at a time to suit you with a GP of choice, or we will telephone you if you require this.  We will ensure all patients who complete the form are actioned as promptly as possible.

 

Acute:  A same day triaged link SMS is sent to you promptly for you to book.  You can select the clinician and time of your choice.  We will telephone you to ensure you have booked or call you back if you are elderly/vulnerable to book this for you.

 

Routine: A routine SMS link to book in the coming days will be sent to you. The link is valid for 7 days ahead.  Alternatively we will call you to ensure you book this.

 

What if the Doctor asked me to make a follow up appointment?

If the Doctor asked you to come back in 4 weeks time please complete the online form nearer the time of about 3 days before. Please complete this and state that you would like a routine follow up appointment as requested in the next 7 days.

We will send you a link to do this.

What if I cannot do the form?

 

We would ask all of our patients who are able to complete the form themselves to do so.   We will still have our phone lines open from 08:30 to assist patients who are elderly, vulnerable or do not have internet access. 

 

Our team will complete the form on the behalf of the patient.  All requests for appointments will go via the same form so no matter how the form is completed, by yourself or with help.  

 

We ask patients to engage with the reception team who are all trained on the system to provide details to them to enable them to put the triage form through to the Doctor.

 

Our reception team are not triaging anything themselves and are completing the form with your details solely for the purpose of the clinician to review.

 

To reiterate if you have internet access and able to we ask you to complete the form yourselves to enable us to take the phone calls from the elderly, vulnerable and people who cannot do the form. 

 

We will not be providing GP appointments to people outside of this universal system.  Everything must go via the GP Triage Doctor. 

 

I do not wish to tell Reception my medical problem for them to complete the form:

Our reception team are highly trained in emergency signposting/sepsis awareness, chaperoning, adhere to a high level of mandatory training and have very good medical terminology.  They are professional and will not triage your request. They are merely taking the details from you on the form to assist the Doctor.  They have been asked to do this by the GP Partners and the Practice Manager.

 

If we are at full capacity:

 

If we have reached full capacity the form will indicate to you that we have paused access to the online form. It will provide you with signposting advice and ask you to try again later or tomorrow.

 

The form opens at 08:30am.

The form will say we are outside of core hours before 08:30am and after 18:00 daily.

The form is closed at the weekend

  

Admin requests:

 

The form is very simple and allows a medical request or an admin request.

An Admin Request can be:

-A letter request for your employer or school

-A copy of your test results

-A copy of your referral or to check on your referral

-Request details on how to book a driving medical etc

 

Ifield Medical Practice wish to provide all of our patients with the safest triaged care to ensure we are here when and how you need us.

 

Please engage with this process as it is working very well for other local practices.

 

Thank you

  

Sharon Nunweek

Practice Manager

 

 

18th Jun

NEW APPOINTMENT SYSTEM COMMENCING 1ST JULY 2024


With effect of the 1st July the practice will be changing the appointment system in order to maximise our appointment availability and triage the best care possible for the patients.
All appointment requests will be taken via an online form which can be submitted on our website

www.ifieldmedicalpractice.co.uk

This is the large green banner on the home page of 'contact us online'

We ask everyone who is able to and has internet access to complete their request to the Triage Doctor via this form. You can request a medical request or an admin request.

For elderly and vulnerable patients or those without internet access our reception team will complete the form on your behalf. We will still be on the phones from 08:30am for the patients who need help with the form. The Receptionists will be asking you a couple of questions on behalf of the Triage Doctor so please do engage with them to get the help you need. They have been asked to take this information for the triage team.

All requests will come through to the Triage Doctor for their action and we will contact you as soon as possible that morning to book the appointment accordingly. We may send you a SMS message to book your appointment choice or we will telephone you if you are not able to do this yourself.

The Doctor may wish for you to be seen acutely that day or we may determine this is a routine need. Either way we will provide you with options of your appointment. This will either be same day acute or routine with the reassurance a Doctor has reviewed your request.

The reasoning of this is to reduce the 08:30am rush on the phone lines which is a NHS England initiative of a modern GP practice. Our regular feedback is great however common themes of ‘I was 50th in the queue’ or ‘I just want a routine appointment’ are reviewed by myself and I am aware we need to address this.

Admin requests will include: Letters for the school/employer, copies of test results, details of your referral status and requests for repeat medical certificates

We truly feel our patients will like this service and find it offers you more options with your appointments.

Other local practices are doing the same system and it works very well.

We want to reassure our elderly and vulnerable patients that this will not be too much of a difference to you. You can call if you are unable to do a form and we will assist you with this. We will then call you back with the appointment recommendations the Doctor has triaged.

If all other patients can complete the form this will be a great help to the Triage Doctor who can look at all of the requests, no matter how they are put through to us, and decide the help of what is needed that day.

We will be in reception over the coming week engaging with patients explaining how this will be working.

We are very excited for the new system as other practices have received great success and we can ensure that who needs the help can access it in the appropriate timeline and it is an equal system for all.

Thank you

Sharon Nunweek
Practice Manager

12th Jun

ADHD programme

Our local mental health support team have arranged a wonderful ADHD workshop for adults who have been diagnosed with ADHD or on the waiting list. This will be on a first come first served basis and will be on Thursday 11th July 10:00 - 13:00

This will cover:
What causes ADHD
How ADHD can affect people
How to manage symptoms?
Practical skills
Resources and signposting
Open discussion

Please email the practice ifieldmedicalpractice@nhs.net  if you are interested and we will pass on your details to the coordinator of the programme.

21st May

Infected Blood Inquiry

Following recent media coverage about the Infected Blood Inquiry, we understand that some people may be concerned about their own health.

Please see the dedicated NHS webpage for key information about this and signposting on where to find support: https://nhs.uk/infected-blood-support

Since 1991, all blood donated in the UK is screened and distributed by NHS Blood and Transplant following rigorous safety standards and testing to protect both donors and patients.

Since testing has been introduced, the risk of getting an infection from a blood transfusion or blood products is very low.

All blood donors are screened at every donation and every donation is tested before it is sent to hospitals. Blood services and blood safety has been transformed, not only in terms of technological advances in testing but also in the way donors are recruited and checked they are safe to donate.

Given the time that has elapsed since the last use of infected blood products, most of those who were directly affected have been identified and started appropriate treatment. However, there may be a small number of patients where this is not the case, and particularly where they are living with asymptomatic hepatitis C. If you are worried about risk of hepatitis C, you can order a confidential test online through the NHS website: http://hepctest.nhs.uk.

Patients who want more details about the safety of blood from donations in England can find more information here: https://www.blood.co.uk/the-donation-process/further-information/your-safety/ 

15th Apr

Expedite your own referrals

 
As I am sure you are aware, current wait times for NHS outpatient appointments have increased significantly. When patients contact their local hospitals to find out when they might be seen, especially if they feel their symptoms and condition have worsened, they are often told to contact their GP for an ‘expedite letter’. This often causes frustration for you and the surgery as it rarely results in appointments being brought forward, with secondary care team having a final say when they triage the referrals, whether they were sent as ‘routine’ or ‘urgent’ by your GP.
 
Furthermore, it is difficult for your GP to measure to what extent your condition has worsened. We would take your word for it and the hospital should be expected to do the same. When making decisions on who to prioritise, it is only possible for the hospital to compare you and your need with all other patients on their waiting list.
 
We have created a template letter for you to use if you want to inform the hospital of a change in your circumstances. Please download the template from our website and complete with your details, explaining how your symptoms have changed since the referral. Edit the ‘greyed out’ texts in the Word document with the necessary details and post the letter to Outpatient Appointments at the hospital you have been referred to.
 
Please only do this if there has been a significant worsening of your symptoms.
 
 
recall
13th Apr

Birth Month Recall

As part of patient care we perform medication reviews and long term condition management. This may involve blood tests, blood pressure checks, an appointment with the nurse/GP or completion of health questionnaires.
 
We have approximately 2700 patients with a long term condition - Diabetes, hypertension, heart failure, coronary heart disease, asthma, COPD etc and each patient needs regular investigations.
We also have about 4300 patients on regular medications who will need medication reviews.
In order to structure this essential follow up we will contact you in your birth month each year. This way we can structure the patients for their reviews in a good recall system. For example we know our target is to do 382 medication reviews in April and 223 long term condition reviews for the patients born in the month of April.
 
During your birth month you will be contacted with either a blood form, a SMS questionnaire, asking you to come in for a blood pressure check or asking you to possibly see the nursing team. Outside of appointment times the GP Partners will be reviewing your notes for medication reviews and you may be contacted regarding your medications to ensure compliance and that there are no issues.
 
When we contact you in your birth month please try and engage with the blood test required as soon as you can, reply to any questionnaire and book any appointment requested if we need to see you.
 
Working in this structured way it is helpful for the practice to know when to recall the patient and ultimately good for the patient to have a timeline of when their health will be routinely reviewed for their condition(s)
Of course please be assured any appointments needed for your general health are outside of this recall system. You will still book appointments you may need.
 
 
Kind regards
 
Sharon Nunweek
Practice Manager
RTC
27th Mar

ADHD referrals

We receive alot of requests for both child and adult right to choose pathways for a diagnosis of ADHD.
In the first instance it is helpful to read the information on the UK ADHD website at https://adhduk.co.uk/right-to-choose/
 
This will provide the information on the companies with current open waiting lists for ADHD or ASD. It will clearly say whether they are accepting children or adults.
 
The practice would recommend psychiatry uk, clinical partners, psicon or adhd 360.
 
You do not need an appointment with a GP for a referral and a referral can be sent by the Medical Secretarial team.
 
In the first instance please engage with the Medical Secretaries who will send you the appropriate questionnaires. Alternatively if you have got the questionnaires from the website of the provider please print these and put them in an envelope to the Medical Secretaries with a very brief note asking them to kindly refer you/the child to the right to choose ADHD pathway.
 
For a child they may ask you to get the school to complete the questionnaire also.
Waiting lists are quicker on the right to choose pathway however they are very quickly becoming overwhelmed and sometimes close their lists.
 
The ADHD website frequently update the providers.
 
The Medical Secretaries will update you once the referral has been sent.
 
Thank you
 
RES
27th Mar

Hospital investigations and Clinic letters

 

Patients often book appointments here at the practice as they want to know the result of their MRI, biopsies, CT results or any other investigation they had performed at the hospital. 

 

A GP is not permitted to provide the results of any hospital investigation as it outside of their remit to do so.  The results are received back to the requesting Hospital Consultant and the results will be interpreted and provided by the specialist team.

 

Currently hospital clinical letters take about 3-4 weeks to arrive after the  appointment date.  We will receive a copy of the letter as well as the patient.

 

We are not able to chase or interpret the results on behalf of the patient because the patient is under the care and remit of a Hospital Consultant.

 

Thank you

PHA
27th Mar

Pharmacy First

Two of our local pharmacies are part of the Pharmacy First scheme and can see the following ailments, without the need for a GP appointment.  There is no need to book an appointment and you can simply wander in to the pharmacy for one of the following 7 problems:

  • Sore throat  - adults and children over 5 years
  • Earache – children aged 1 year to 17 years
  • Infected insect bite – Adults and children aged 1 and above
  • Impetigo (a bacterial skin infection) – adults and children aged 1 year and over
  • Shingles – adults only aged 18+
  • Urinary tract infections in women – Women aged 16 to 64 years

 

Antibiotics can be provided by the pharmacist if appropriate without the need for a Doctor. 

We always want to see you at the practice so you are welcome to try us first but these simple ailments can be looked at for your convenience at a pharmacy

 

online
14th Mar

New online consultation process

With effect of the 15th March we have changed our online e-consultation service to a new provider - AccuRX Plus. We currently use AccuRX but we have upgraded it to a new all in one service where patients can contact us with medical and admin queries. This is more streamlined than the e-consult service both for the patient and the practice.
 
This will be open between 08:30-14:30 daily and we will come back to you the same day.
 
 
Eventually we will do full on the day triage using this form but for now we are easing patients and ourselves in using this format with a smaller number rather than for all appointments.
 
Here is a video on how to use this however it is very self explanatory on our website.
Please give it a try!
4th Feb

NHS Waiting lists

If you have been referred to the local hospital trust for their specialist expertise you may often wonder where you are on the waiting list.
 
As of the 1st February all hospital trusts have released their waiting list times on the planned care website.
For East Surrey Hospital and Crawley Hospital please look at the section called Surrey & Sussex Healthcare.
Waiting lists will be long regretfully and a GP practice’s hands are somewhat tied on what happens at the point of receipt at the Hospital. At the point of referral we detail everything about the condition we are referring for and how it affects the quality of your life. The consultant receives the referral and will give the referral a routine or urgent triage rating based on their expertise and the current demand.
The clock starts from the time the hospital receive the referral. Ifield Medical Practices’s secretaries work at quick speed in turning around referrals and your referral will be dictated, typed, signed and sent electronically usually within 24 hours of the GP appointment.
 
The practice can only request to expedite the referral if the symptoms have got progressively worse or if there has been a significant change of circumstances. The Hospital will want a GP to fully detail why this is needed and then it is down to the departments decision. We get the majority of expedite requests rejected because there has to be a strong medical case to expedite.
 
We get inundated every week with patients asking us to expedite their referral when they see the waiting list times. I am sharing this information to confirm that we cannot do this unless there has been a significant change in the presenting symptoms and even then it is down to the consultant to retriage. 97% of the time the consultant pushes this back to the GP and says there are no grounds to expedite.
 
The other options you have are to consider travelling to another hospital who may have quicker waiting lists. For example Dorking Healthcare have quicker waiting lists than East Surrey Hospital. If this would be of interest we would happily refer you to another hospital trust.
 
I hope this information is helpful to know more about waiting times and how the process works. We understand the patient frustration of wanting an expert to see the condition on a soon basis and will support our patients whilst they wait for this appointment.
 
Sharon Nunweek
Practice Manager
online
15th Jan

Appointment booking

Following recent feedback we would like to make appointment booking easier for our patients.  We will be trialing for the next fortnight more online appointment bookings.  Appointments will be released from 07.30am on the day required.  You will be able to select either telephone or face to face with the clinician of your choice, subject to availability.  You will be able to use the NHS app or the Patient Access app.  We hope this will considerably reduce the 08.30am rush on the telephones and aid patients with choice and convenience.  

We will keep appointment slots available to book for people who are unable to book online who wish to still call at 08.30am.  We will also ensure we put on some more routine prebookable appointments to help with the 08.30am demand.  

We hope this will assist our patients. 

 

ppg
7th Jan

PPG meeting

Our next Patient Participation Group (PPG) meeting will be on Thursday 11th January at 2pm here at the practice. We have a very small group of patients who come together to provide their feedback on being a patient at Ifield Medical Practice, offer their recommendations and listen to any news the practice may have.
We are looking to grow the PPG as we now only have a few participants, sometimes with only 1-2 people attending.
 
If you are interested in coming in for one hour to meet other patients and the Practice Manager you are welcome to attend.
We're proud to be a parkrun practice!
2nd Jan

Parkrun practice

As part of our commitment to the health and wellness of our community, Ifield Medical Practice has linked with Ifield Mill Pond parkrun and is now officially a parkrun practice. The parkrun practice initiative is a collaboration between the Royal College of General Practitioners and parkrun UK, designed to encourage practices across the UK to develop close links with their local parkrun.

parkruns are social physical activity events which are held every Saturday morning. People can walk, run, volunteer or come along and watch. Taking part in parkrun is the perfect opportunity for people of all ages to be active, with others, in the open air. By linking with Ifield Mill Pond, we want to inspire as many people as possible to lead healthy lifestyles, including practice staff.

Join us at parkrun and discover the joy of movement while connecting with your fantastic community.

For more information, visit the parkrun website.

pharm
14th Dec 2023

Pharmacy opening times over Christmas

Over the Christmas period there will be a pharmacy open every day for self care help

 

On Christmas day 

Gossops Green Pharmacy will be open from 2-5pm

Day Lewis, Shopping precinct, North Heath Lane, Horsham  will be open 09.00-12.00

 

Boxing Day

Asda Pharmacy Crawley will be open from 10am to 4pm

Boots County Mall will be open 10:30-4:30

 

New Years Day

Asda Pharmacy County Mall will be open 10am to 4pm

Boots County Mall will be open 10:30 - 4:30

 

Boots chemist at the south terminal will be open every bank holiday date from 6am to 6pm

Xmas
7th Dec 2023

Christmas jumper day

elf
1st Dec 2023

Dr Elf has arrived

We have been joined by our own 'elf on the shelf' this December.   Dr Elf will be in and around the waiting room to give a little bit of enjoyment to our younger patients. 

 

#elfontheshelf

dna
29th Nov 2023

Did not attend data

Please always cancel any appointment not needed by calling us on 01293 510900 or emailing us at ifieldmedicalpractice@nhs.net

 

A missed appointment is a missed opportunity for someone else. 

Handle Antimicrobials With Care
18th Nov 2023

World AMR Awareness Week - Keep Antibiotics Working

It's World AMR Awareness Week. AMR stands for Antimicrobial Resistance. Antimicrobial resistance occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites change over time and no longer respond to medicines, making infections harder to treat and increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness and death. The World Health Organisation have classed it as one of the top 10 global public health threats.

Why is AMR such a big threat?

Drug-resistant illnesses are becoming more and more common, including drug-resistant pneumonia, urinary tract infections and sexually transmitted infections. "Superbugs" which aren't treatable with existing medications are spreading rapidly across the world. In addition, countries all across the world are experiencing shortages of antibiotics.

If our current antibiotics continue to become less effective, and more superbugs emerge, more people will suffer and die from infections. In particular, medical procedures such as surgery will become much more risky. This would include common surgeries like hip replacements or caesarean sections.

What can you do to help prevent AMR?

  1. Prevent the spread of infections which might need treatment
    • Wash your hands
    • Stay at home when you're ill
    • Wear a mask in crowded spaces, or if you may have a cough or respiratory infection
  2. Take medicines as advised by your doctor or healthcare professional
    • If you are prescribed an antibiotic, antiviral, antifungal or antiparasitic, medication make sure you take the full course of medication as advised. Stopping early, even if you feel better, could mean your illness comes back and requires more treatment.
    • If you have a condition which requires long-term antimicrobial treatment, like HIV or TB, or require long-term antibiotics to prevent infection, such as urinary tract infections or prosthetic joint infections, make sure you continue your treatment to reduce drug resistance.
    • Trust your doctor to know when to prescribe antibiotics. Many winter illnesses are caused by viruses, such as COVID-19, sore throats, and many other common respiratory illnesses. Antibiotics do not work for viral illnesses, and prescribing too many antibiotics can increase antibiotic resistance.
  3. Spread the word!

Where can you find out more?

The World Health Organisation has much more information about AMR on its website.

rday
7th Nov 2023

We are always here for our veterans

We’re proud to support our veteran community as a #VeteranFriendlyGP practice this Remembrance Day.

We know that this Remembrance Day is likely to be particularly challenging for many veterans in our community and we want you to know that we are committed to effectively identifying and supporting your health needs.

As a Veteran Friendly Accredited practice, our team:
- recognises the importance of identifying veteran patients within our community;
- understands the unique health needs that veterans may have;
- strives to provide veterans with the very best care and support;
- knows about specialist veteran healthcare services that exist

If you're a veteran patient, please do let us know that you have served so that we can make sure you receive the most appropriate and best care, if and when you ever need it.

You can learn more about the accreditation and how it supports veteran patients, here: rcgp.org.uk/veterans

#VeteranFriendlyGP #GeneralPractice #NHS

nhs app
3rd Nov 2023

Important information for patients currently on hospital waiting lists

The NHS has been working hard to address the backlogs built up during the COVID pandemic.

To help, the NHS will be contacting patients who have been waiting a long time for hospital treatment. This is to remind people that they can ask to move to a different hospital where they may be seen quicker.

There is now a new website called the Patient Initiated Digital Mutual Aid System, or PIDMAS. If you have been waiting for 40 weeks or more, you can use this website to ask to change hospitals.

If you are eligible, your hospital will send you an SMS text message or a letter, explaining how to ask for a different hospital.

Please do not call the surgery about this, as your GP does not have any information about individual patients.

The hospital will contact you if you are eligible. Please do not contact them either.

You can find more information on hospital websites, like this one from the Royal Surrey County Hospital.

Outage
10th Oct 2023

System outage

On Wednesday 11th October the practice has to undergo a whole I.T system refresh. It is a planned essential update from NHS Sussex however it will affect our provision between 1-3pm

Our phone lines are cloud based and so it will affect these as well as us not having access to our computers for the period of 1-3pm.

We have been informed it should be less than 2 hours which we are hopeful for.

Please avoid calling us between 1-3pm tomorrow.

Thank you and our apologies.

 

A photograph of our front desk with white and green bunting and balloons.
6th Oct 2023

Macmillan Coffee Mornings

Last week we had a fantastic Macmillan Coffee Morning, hosted by our Care Coordinator Amanda. We invited people who have been affected by cancer to come along to the practice to support each other, find out information about local resources, and enjoy a friendly morning at the practice. We also received some fantastic craft items from a very generous patient and our lovely nurse Maria, and we were able to sell these to raise a grand total of £84.54 for Macmillan. Thank you so much to everyone who attended or supported the event!
 
Our next event will be for Breast Cancer Awareness on Friday 20th October – if you or a loved one are living with or affected by breast cancer, come along from 10am to 2pm to socialise with people who know what it’s like, as well as find out about local events and services you can engage with.
Shingles
17th Sep 2023

Shingles

Shingles is a painful disease affecting the skin and nerves. It can really affect your life and stop you doing things you enjoy.

The shingles vaccine reduces your chances of serious complications if you get the disease.

Check if you are eligible ➑️ https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vaccinations/shingles-vaccination/

 

School
2nd Sep 2023

Anxiety on returning to school

πŸŽ’ πŸ“šIt's that time of the year when your little ones are heading back to the classroom, which can be an exciting and anxious time. Barnardo's have shared helpful tips on how to manage any worries they may have πŸ‘‰

https://www.barnardos.org.uk/blog/how-cope-back-school-anxiety

 

#BackToSchool

Nhs app
19th Aug 2023

Receive messages from the practice

From September you will be able to receive messages from the practice as a NHS app notification rather than a SMS message. The messages we send will come into your NHS app. Download the NHS app and turn on notifications for messages 

If the patient does not have the NHS app then the message will come through as a normal SMS message.

ppg
9th Aug 2023

Join our PPG Focus Group

We currently have a very small Patient Participation Group and we would like to expand this to a virtual focus group for more input. 

We know alot of our patients have busy working lives and cannot attend meetings but we still would appreciate a wider group of opinions on the services we provide. 

If you would be interested in giving less than a hour a month in helping us receive feedback and to offer suggestions perhaps you would like to be part of our PPG Focus Group.  This will involve being part of our email mailing list where you are welcome to feedback to us on our newsletter, offer suggestions for the next edition, complete a short survey on our facilities and raise any points you feel are important.   It will not involve meetings but it will just involve sending us your opinion when we contact our Focus Group.

Your email will be kept private and the other focus group members will not know the other members.  It is merely a way to be involved in the practice and give us your much appreciated opinion.

If you would like to join our PPG Focus Group please email our Care Coordinator Amanda Quinn at amanda.quinn7@nhs.net to confirm your interest. 

 

Thank you 

 

veteran
1st Aug 2023

Veteran friendly GP Practice Accreditation

Ifield Medical Practice are proud to receive the Armed Forces Veteran Friendly GP Practice accreditation.

All staff received training on available options to our veteran patients.

 

Veterans’ healthcare accreditation – FAQs


What is a veteran?
A veteran is anyone who has served for at least one day in the Armed Forces, whether as a regular or reservist. It means the same as ‘ex service personnel’ or ‘ex-forces’, although not all veterans choose to associate with the term ‘veteran’. Younger veterans might refer to themselves as ‘ex-forces’.  

 

What dedicated NHS services and support are available to veterans?

 

Priority NHS Treatment if the condition partially or wholly relates to the time spent in the military.  Please inform your GP if you are a veteran


Op COURAGE: The Veterans Mental Health and Wellbeing Service
In March 2021, NHS England and NHS Improvement announced the new name for its veterans mental health services; Op COURAGE: The Veterans Mental Health and Wellbeing Service. Op COURAGE provides specialist care and support for Service leavers, reservists, veterans and their families who can self refer or ask a GP, charity or someone else to refer them 
For further information on Op COURAGE: The Veterans Mental Health and Wellbeing Service, including the contact details for the service in your region, visit www.nhs.uk/opcourage

 

 

22nd Jul 2023

Race for life 5K

About 15 of our wonderful Ifield team are doing the Cancer Race For Life 5K at Tilgate today.  We have a unified team of 2 Doctors (Dr Dullo and Dr Jonathan), Clinical Pharmacist, Practice Nurses, healthcare assistants, receptionists, secretaries and HR all together for this great event. Give us a wave if you are there.

Our staff together at the race for life. Dr Dullo is crouched down in front of the rest of the team. They are all wearing pink t-shirts. Another photo of the Ifield Medical Practice team at Race for Life. They are all wearing pink t-shirts.

 

20th Jul 2023

Thank you

Thank you to our patients who came to the front of the practice today to show respect to Dr Oliver as his hearse passed us by.   

The family and funeral directors said this was very much appreciated and a lovely tribute to a wonderful man. 

Thank you to the lovely gentleman who initiated a very warm and grateful round of applause.  

Advice for the public during industrial action
13th Jul 2023

Junior Doctor industrial action 13-18 July

New junior doctor strike dates : 13 - 18 July

The British Medical Association has called for junior doctors in the NHS in England to take strike action from 7am on Thursday 13 July to 7am on Tuesday 18 July.  Then a day later, consultants are expected to take further action on Thursday and Friday next week.

This will be the longest period of industrial action this year – both singularly for the junior doctors at 120 hours, and then combined with both strikes over the course of the next two weeks. As a result, it is expected that it may be challenging to provide the care we would all wish for our population.

As ever, our priority is to provide high quality NHS care to the local patients, families and carers we serve.

Local Hospitals are prioritising resources to protect emergency treatment, critical care, maternity, neonatal care and trauma as their absolute priority, but the NHS will need public support to help us to manage patient care over the planned strike days. 

Please where possible do not use the local Hospitals unless it is an emergency/acute reason or a threat to life during this period.  Where possible the GP Practice will support you. Again please, if possible, only book a GP appointment for an acute reason during this period of strike action.  If you can wait for a routine reason please could you possibly consider waiting until after the strike finishes.  This will allow us to have appointments for acute need to stop patients having to go to UTC/A&E

 

Thank you so much 

75
5th Jul 2023

Happy 75th Birthday to the NHS

5 July 2023 marks 75 years of the National Health Service (NHS). The NHS was founded on 5 July 1948 with the aim of providing free healthcare to all. Treating over a million people a day in England, the NHS touches all of our lives.

28th Jun 2023

Our practice size

Ifield Medical Practice has an open list for new patients.  We currently have 10,043 patients on our register. 

5th May 2023

Lloyds Pharmacy - change of ownership

Lloyds Ifield, next door to the practice, will be changing ownership to Jade's Chemist on the 30th May 2023. 

We wanted to reassure our patients that this will not affect their prescriptions as we will continue to work closely with the existing team, who are staying with the new ownership.   

Please continue to request your prescriptions as usual and we will make the necessary amendments if required. 

 

prescriptions
29th Mar 2023

Prescription Charge Increase

NHS prescription prices will increase by 30p next month, bringing the total cost of a prescription to £9.65 (a 3.21% increase).

Typically, they do rise around this time each year. However, prices were frozen last April to help with the cost of living crisis – the first time it hadn’t been increased in 12 years.

Prepayment certificates, prescription wigs and surgical bras will also see their cost rise with inflation. The Hormone Replacement Therapy prescription will also rise to £19.30 from £18.70.

There are certain groups in England who are exempt from paying, including:

  • Over 60s
  • Under 16s
  • 16 – 18 year-olds in full-time education
  • Anyone with a valid maternity exemption certificate (for pregnancy, or having a baby within the last 12 months)
  • Anyone with a valid medical exemption certificate (for those with specific medical conditions, or a continued physical disability, under certain criteria)
  • Anyone with a valid war pension exemption certificate, for a specific disability
  • NHS inpatients
  • The recipient of certain benefits, including Jobseeker’s Allowance and Universal Credit (though you may have to meet certain criteria).

 

15th Mar 2023

Junior Doctor Industrial Action

Junior doctors are currently taking industrial action, with a planned strike until 16 March at 7am.

The NHS in Sussex is working together with primary care, NHS providers, local authorities, independent sector organisations to prioritise emergency and urgent care, and minimise where possible the impact on patient care.

However, it is recognised that services will be affected, and planned appointments and clinics have had to be postponed in order to ensure patients can continue to receive emergency care and support.

NHS services are experiencing high levels of need during the period of industrial action with an impact on emergency departments in hospitals, mental health services and GP practices.

  • Regardless of any strike action taking place, it is really important that patients who need urgent medical care continue to come forward, especially in emergency and life-threatening cases - when someone is seriously ill or injured, or their life is at risk
  • Emergency care will be prioritised and people are being reminded that 999 and emergency departments are still the right services if it is a life-saving emergency.
  • A&Es are prioritising patients who need emergency care. You may be directed to another service if it isn't an emergency and you could be seen elsewhere.
  • For anything that isn’t a life-threatening illness or injury, people are being urged to use 111 online as the first port of call for health needs. People can also call 111 for help, advice and signposting to the most appropriate service.
  • Pharmacies, walk in centres, minor injury units and urgent treatment centres will continue to be available, and some have extra staff on shift to help.
scarlet fever
6th Dec 2022

Group Strep A - Scarlet Fever

 

Given the recent media information on Group Strep A / Scarlet Fever Ifield Medical Practice wished to provide you with some further information and what to look out for.

What is Scarlet Fever?

Scarlet Fever is usually a very mild illness and it is caused by a bacteria called Group A Streptococcus, which is called Group A Strep for short. There has been an increase in the rate of Scarlet Fever and unfortunately there has been an increase in the rate of the most dangerous sort called Invasive Group A Streptococcus which has led sadly to the death of 9 children since September. This form of Group A Streptococcus is extremely rare and most children who get Scarlet Fever will be fine with antibiotics and will get over it without any problem.

Symptoms of Scarlet Fever

Scarlet fever is usually very mild but it is very contagious. Symptoms can include a high temperature, sore throat, vomiting and typically what is called a sandpaper rash. On pale skin it may look a little like sunburn as a pinky red rash with goosebumps. On darker skin it is less obvious to see but you could feel if the skin feels like a sandpaper rash. Combined with a sore throat this is a good indicator that it could be Scarlet Fever. Other symptoms could include swollen neck glands, red spots on the roof of the mouth and sometimes a red swollen tongue which we call strawberry tongue. Once children are getting over Scarlet Fever you might find that the skin on the tips of their fingers peels off a little which is nothing to be concerned about.

 How is Scarlet Fever spread?

Scarlet Fever is spread through mucus and saliva so using our best practices learnt throughout the pandemic the best way to prevent cases and spread is by good hand hygiene. Avoid sharing of cups and use and dispose of tissues, washing hands after. If you feel that there has been any infection then avoid contact with vulnerable people; newborn babies, pregnant ladies and people who are immunocompromised.

When should you seek the help of your Doctor?

At present there are other viruses going around to cause coughs, sore throats, colds and runny noses which do not require antibiotics and your child will get better with paracetamol/calpol and plenty of fluids.

If your child has the symptoms of Scarlet Fever above then please call in and inform the Reception Team that you think your child possibly has Scarlet Fever as the Doctor will wish to prescribe antibiotics to help their symptoms and recovery.

We would say trust your parental instinct – if you feel something is not right and you are concerned call 111 or speak to your GP. We always want to know if your child is not drinking much at all or not urinating much. If you are worried about dehydration then we would like to know about it. If they are very drowsy and irritable and not picking up with calpol then we would want to know about it. If your baby is less than three months old with a temperature then we want to know about it, unless they have just had their immunisations.

 

The worrying signs below are where we would like you to call 999 or go to A&E (which is very rare)

If their skin becomes very cold or mottled with blue lips

If they are struggling with their speech and they cannot talk or eat or drink properly

If they are confused or very drowsy

If they have a rash which doesn’t go away when you roll a glass over it

Please get seen straight away

 

If your child has been diagnosed with Scarlet Fever

You will be given antibiotics for your child. This will be called Penicillin V unless they have a penicillin allergy. This usually works very well however please keep them at home for at least 24 hours after the antibiotics have started however it is still a good idea to keep them away from the vulnerable people mentioned above until they are better.

Most infections we see are still going to be viral infections which do not require antibiotics at all and your child will get over them by themselves. If you are worried then please do speak to your GP however we hope this will reassure you and provide you with the important information.

2nd Nov 2022

A Letter from the Partners at Ifield Medical Practice

2nd November 2022

 

To all of our Patients,

You may be aware that from the 1st of November 2022 NHS England has directed that all patients should have open access to their future medical records. This is to affect everyone in England that is sixteen or over. The instruction is to include any information held by the practice, such as consultation notes, and is to be ‘switched on’ from that date.

 

Patient safety is at the heart of what we do and it is of upmost importance to us that our usual standards around data control are continued. So far, we do not feel we have had satisfactory assurances from NHS England that this will be the case and our electronic patient record system (EMIS) have determined they will not switch this feature on. We have decided we will act in line with this position and wanted to take this opportunity to communicate this decision.

Ifield Medical Practice strongly support patient access. We currently provide individuals access to their patient notes, on request, to order medication and check their investigation results.

We are responsible for the care and support of many vulnerable children and adults for whom a data breach can carry significant risk. With the system as it stands there are concerns about what is made visible and how such data could be revealed to other people under coercion or threat. We are also concerned about the process of ensuring data protection and redaction at the point a patient moves to a new surgery. Currently, this is not guaranteed if these changes are enacted.

We take our responsibility to protect your data very seriously. Alongside other practices across the country, organisations like the British Medical Association and Domestic violence charities, our concerns have been raised with NHS England.

 

There is likely to be more information and guidance to come out over the next few weeks which we will keep under review. We will work towards a future roll out. We appreciate your understanding that until we have more clarity around the issues expressed in this letter we cannot determine a time frame. Once we are satisfied that safety will be maintained we are committed to implementing patient access, safely, as soon as is possible.

In the meantime, please remember you can already access parts of your record through the NHS app on your phone or tablet device. This is free to download and will already allow you to view test results (once they have been approved by your GP) book in for certain types of appointments and importantly request your repeat prescriptions much more efficiently; this is how you will be able to access your record once we have rolled it out so it is worth getting set up now. Please note you need a smart phone which connects to the internet or an internet enabled tablet device.

Thank you for your understanding and continued support.

 

The Partners of Ifield Medical Practice

 

4th Oct 2022

Lloyds Pharmacy Ifield

We are aware of the recent reduced hours at Lloyds Pharmacy, Ifield and the effect it is having on our patients with the collection of their prescriptions.   If you go to the pharmacy and your prescription is not there after 72 working hours from requesting this please do let our Reception team know to investigate this.  You also have the option of changing your nominated pharmacy to another pharmacy of your choice if preferred; again please let reception know if you wish to do this. 

We have been assured that they have new staff starting very soon and so hopefully this will improve the service.

4th Oct 2022

Apple Tree Centre/ Hindu Temple COVID vaccination site

 

We have received notification that the Hindu Temple/ Apple Tree Vaccination site will be opening for covid vaccinations again any day.  It was a late decision to reopen this site and so it took them some weeks to staff this.  Currently the booking site will give Saxonbrook Medical Centre in Maidenbower as the closest site however if you can wait a few more days the Apple Tree/Hindu site will appear on the list as they load their clinics.

Book or manage a coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination - NHS (www.nhs.uk)