VICTORIA MEDICAL CENTRE
A U T U M N  N E W S L E T T E R
Partners: Dr C Singh and Dr R Saraf

PRACTICE NEWS

We are now offering free flu vaccinations to patients who are eligible. 
Please drop into the surgery anytime from 8:00am until 5:30pm Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Thursday 8:00am until 2:00pm. 
You do not need an appointment for this vaccination.

Please speak to the GP, Nurse or Reception team to see if you are eligible.

Self-Care Week 
13th – 19th November 2017

Self-Care Week is an annual nation awareness week that focuses on establishing support for self-care across communities, families and generations.

One out of every five appointments for coughs, colds and headaches which can sometimes be treated quicker and just as effectively at home using self-care, advice from your pharmacist and over the counter medicines bought from pharmacies or supermarkets.

You can also get more information from www.nhs.uk/selfcare

Extended Access to Primary Care

You can now book a GP (family doctor) appointment over the weekend including bank holidays, early morning or evening at a GP practice in South Tyneside from 1st September 2017. 
This is called the South Tyneside Extended Primary care Service or STEPS.

You must book ahead via your practice either in person or by telephone and you may be seen in a different location to this practice.

To find out more: ask the receptionist, visit our practice web site or visit www.healthcollaboration.co.uk

 

NHS Choices – Feedback

We would love to your feedback on what you have to say about Victoria Medical Centre and what you think we do well.  

Please see the link below if you would like to add a review. All reviews can be made anonymous, once you have submitted your review, you will receive a confirmation text message from the NHS Choice to inform you that your review has now been accepted by Victoria Medical Centre and this will be published online.
http://www.nhs.uk/Services/victoriamedicalcentrehebburn

Text Message Reminders

We now have a text message reminder service set up. This allows patient to receive appointment reminders via text messaging and you can also cancel your appointment free of charge by texting ‘CANCEL’. Please update your current mobile telephone number to enable to access this service.

Confidentially and Signposting
We are aware that there has recently been a strain on our appointments, and we have taken action by training our reception team further in ‘Active Signposting’. Active Signposting is used to ensure that our patients are provided with the most suitable and appropriate care.
For some ailments, patients may benefit more from seeing a pharmacist; self-referring to a more suitable clinician, or using a different health care service.
We understand that sometimes you may not want to discuss your medical problems with a receptionist; however our reception team are trained to point you in the right direction, and offer you the most appropriate appointment but not to give out clinical advice. 

DNA (Did Not Attend) Appointments

Our practice continues to experience a high volume of wasted appointments due to non-attenders; this impacts the availability of our appointments which is frustrating to many of our patients. 

We therefore ask that you contact the Practice as soon as you are aware that you are either unable to attend your appointment or your appointment is no longer needed. 

ZERO TOLERANCE

Our practice has signed up to the NHS Zero Tolerance Campaign which makes verbal abuse, threat and physical violence to all NHS staff unacceptable.

Please tell us about your care today. Good or bad, your comments are really important and will help improve the service for you and others. Please visits http://www.nhs.uk/to leave a review. Alternatively you can complete a short questionnaire available from the practice reception. 
If you would like this letter of information in an alternative format, for example large print or easy read, of if you need help with communicating with us, for example because you use British Sign Language, please let us know. You can call us on 0191 4832106.	
Any such behaviour from any patients may result in their removal from our practice list.

Receive this Newsletter by email sign up at reception.

Practice Details

Victoria Medical Centre, 12-28 Glen Street, Hebburn, Tyne and Wear, NE31 1NU

Tel: (0191) 4832106 / 4282212 – Fax (0191) 4285270

Prescription Line: (0191) 4285748 (Open between 9:30am – 11:00am every day)

Test results: (0191) 4832106 / 4282212 (12pm – 4pm every day)

Practice Manager: Alison Tones