Have you thought about your winter plan?
People are encouraged to have a personal winter plan so they are well prepared when the weather takes a turn for the worse and the season for flu, coughs and colds really kicks in.
Tehmeena Ajmal, the county's first winter director, said: "We would like everyone in Oxfordshire to have a winter plan for themselves and their family, so that they know what they can do to keep as well as possible; what they can do if they start to get unwell; and how they can look after older family members, friends or neighbours who might need some help.”
Personal winter plans should include:
- Having a free flu vaccination if you are in an ‘at risk’ group
- Getting help early before your condition worsens.
- Getting repeat prescriptions in plenty of time
- Having a well-stocked medicine cabinet
For more information see here: Have you thought about your winter plan?
You can also download or link to the Age UK Oxfordshire leaflet ‘Staying Well this Winter’ which is full of useful advice on how to stay well this winter.
Use antibiotics on your doctor's advice
Antibiotics are essential to treat serious bacterial infections, but they are frequently being used to treat illnesses such as coughs, earache and sore throats that can get better by themselves. Taking antibiotics encourages harmful bacteria that live inside you to become resistant. That means that antibiotics may not work when you really need them.
Despite the risks of antibiotic resistance, research shows that 38% of people still expect an antibiotic from a doctor’s surgery, NHS walk-in centre or ‘GP out of hours’ service when they visited with a cough, flu or a throat, ear, sinus or chest infection in 2017.
(Please note: To access material on the Public Health England resource website you will need to register if it’s your first visit to the site).
NHS Zero Tolerance Policy
Our staff are here to help you and will always try to be as polite and helpful as possible even during difficult times.
There is an NHS Zero Tolerance Policy against shouting, swearing or threatening behaviour, which will not be tolerated under any circumstances. Patients and members of the public who are abusive or threatening towards our staff maybe asked to leave. It may sometimes by necessary for patients to be removed from our list.
Strength & Balance sessions at Cropredy Sports Pavilion
These sessions are offered by Age UK Oxfordshire and are evidence based exercises focusing on developing strength, balance, flexibility and mobility. Uses chair for support and a range of equipment - ideal for people who are worried about their balance.
GPs and healthcare professionals can refer patients to 6 weeks for free. Patients can also self-refer - first session free and £4 per session thereafter. Click here for more details.
A huge thank you to all those who donated to Katharine House Hospice in acknowledgement of Dr Judith Wright’s retirement
You managed to raise an amazing £3,368.00!
So on behalf of the Surgery & KHH we would like express our sincerest gratitude for your generous donations, which will go a long way in supporting KHH to continue to provide a fantastic service to the local community.
Physical activity initiatives in and around Banbury – directly accessible, no referral needed
MAN v FAT Football
FA-endorsed 16-week football league exclusively for men who are overweight with a BMI of 30+ – is coming to Banbury and would-be players are being invited to sign up. Local men who want to tackle their weight issues now have the chance to join this weight loss league, commissioned by Achieve Oxfordshire, part of Oxfordshire County Council public health. More info.
Families Active, Sporting Together (FAST)
A new family programme making it easier for families to enjoy sports and leisure together. It offers free/reduced rate FAST sessions for families in Neithrop, Ruscote, Hardwick and Grimsbury.
Please see for the October-December programme
Why is general practice having problems?
This link describes the issues for a practice in Derbyshire that are affecting us all
https://youtu.be/DYanD_GDuF4
Pharmacy2U is not part of Cropredy Surgery
There appears to be some confusion about the leaflets that are being delivered to our patients doors from this commercial company. It has no connection with Cropredy Surgery.
Please be aware that if you are a patient who normally has your repeat medicines from us and you sign up with this company, all your prescriptions will go to them for dispensing.
If you need a prescription after seeing the doctor, you will be given a paper prescription to take to a pharmacist for that person to dispense. We will not dispense them at the Surgery.
The Surgery provides a wide range of services to our patients partly supported by the income derived from our dispensing services. If that income is reduced it puts at risk some of the services that we offer.
Whilst we support patient choice, you should understand the situation before you change.
End to private travel service at Cropredy Surgery
Cropredy Surgery Travel Services
Providing private travel services has put a huge pressure on the Surgery resources and so we have decided that as of 1 September 2017 we will no longer offer private travel vaccinations and advice.
We have a contractual duty to provide some NHS vaccinations and will continue to do so but advise all patients who are travelling overseas to go to a travel clinic for their needs. These specialist centres can provide information as well as vaccinations.
Travel services are offered at the following centres
- Banbury Health Centre
- Boots Banbury
- Frosts Pharmacy Walk-in Clinic Banbury
- Superdrug
If you need to find out what health care that you need for your trip, please see the Government website www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice
We are occasionally closed for staff training. Click here for dates
Citizen aid app - YOU can save lives
Simply download the free, no ads citizenAID App from either Google Play, Apple App or the Windows store.
The citizenAID App will reduce the anxiety from difficult decision making in an unfamiliar situation. Follow the logical steps to do the right things in the right order. Stay safe and help us... to help you... to save lives.
The citizenAID app is free to the UK public and is designed for use in the UK. Access is left open internationally for the wider public good, but recognising there is detail that relates only to the UK (such as emergency service phone number).
http://citizenaid.org/?
Surgery rated as Good by the Care Quality Commission (CQC)
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspected our practice on 24 November 2016. The CQC is an independent regulator of all health and care services in England.
The practice was rated as Good for Safe, Responsive, Effective, Well-led and Outstanding for Caring and for services for vulnerable people.
Thank you to all our patients who completed surveys, comment cards and spoke to the inspectors on the day.
The full report is available here.
More available appointments for Cropredy Surgery patients
Our patients now have better access to a doctor at the weekends and in the evenings. Neighbourhood Access Hubs developed by Principal Medical Limited (PML) on behalf of Oxfordshire practices in 2015, have extended their opening hours so that more patients can benefit from national GP Access funding (GPAF).
The aims of the service remain the same; patients requesting a booked GP appointment at Cropredy Surgery, may be offered an appointment at a nearby location, with a local GP or nurse who has access to their medical records.
This provides more appointments for patients during the day, the evenings and at weekends.
What does this mean for you? There is no change in the booking process for appointments, just call reception as usual. You may be offered an appointment during normal or extended hours at a Hub location.
Hub sessions are held at Banbury Health Centre or other local GP practices at various times between the hours of 8.00am and 6.30pm, Monday to Friday.
Banbury Health Centre Hub appointments are also available on Saturday and Sunday mornings.
Find out more about the Neighbourhood Access Hubs here (https://www.principal-medical.co.uk/pml-services/#hubs) : https://www.principal-medical.co.uk/pml-services/
GP Collaboration
Cropredy Surgery Collaborates with Neighbouring Practices
A federation or collaboration of GP practices in Oxfordshire is taking shape and Cropredy Surgery has become a member of the local group called NoxMed.
The federation aims to maintain services for our patients and to access healthcare contracts for the benefit of our population so that we can continue to develop at a time when practices are under increasing pressure.
Local GP practices have chosen to become part of Principal Medical Limited, a non-profit making company owned by Oxfordshire GPs, which has successfully operated the Out-of-Hours GP services for many years.
What will this mean for patients? We anticipate that you will see little or no difference at all in the normal surgery activities. There may, however, for example, be new services that we offer as a group of practices that previously have only been available at the Hospital.
We are already operating an urgent care visiting service with a specialist nurse or paramedic who might come to see you at home when the service is so busy that the doctor is not able to come to everyone.
This is a time of change for us all but if you have any ideas or suggestions about federating, please let us know on Cropredy.surgery@nhs.net.
More about PML and the Federation
There are 40 GP practices in Oxfordshire and 16 in Northamptonshire aligned to the federation covering a population of over 430,000.
In Oxfordshire there are four locality groups covering the north, north east, west and part of the south west.
PML’s central office in Banbury provides administration and management support, governance and strategic planning. Each locality has its own clinical and administrative lead to ensure that health plans are tailored to the local population.
More information can be found here www.principal-medical.co.uk/Community_Services.php.