Poundbury Doctors Surgery August Bank Holiday 2020
Monday 31st August CLOSED
Tuesday 1st September Open 08.00 am – 6.30 pm
11th August 2020 ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ญ๐ต ๐จ๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ
EXTENDED FLU VACCINATION CAMPAIGN
The Government has announced today that this year's flu vaccination programme is to be extended. PLEASE DO NOT CONACT THE SURGERY about this as we have no further information. As soon as we have further advice we will put an announcement onto this website.
Following NHS England and Public Health England's updates, we are ready to make the following announcements.
Face masks/coverings will become mandatory in England on Friday 24th July 2020. We are not able to write exemption letters for patients regarding the wearing of face masks/face coverings.
- Face mask exemption on public transport and in shops These rules don’t apply to children under the age of 11 and disabled people or those with health conditions when there is a ‘reasonable excuse‘ not to. This includes:
- where you cannot put on, wear, or remove a face covering:
- where you are travelling with, or providing assistance to, another person who relies on lip-reading to communicate
- to eat or drink where it is reasonably necessary to do so
- where you have to remove your face covering to take medication Practices are reporting increases in requests from patients for letters of exemption to wearing face masks in various public settings. Practices are therefore not required to provide letters of support for those who fall under the list of exemptions, or to those who do not fall under the list of exemptions. You may also find these links useful:
- https://www.asthma.org.uk/advice/triggers/coronavirus-covid-19/what-should-people-with-asthma-do-now/#Facemaskhttps://www.keepsafe.org.uk/mask
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- Some transport providers are providing evidence of exemptions themselves, see for example this information from First Bus and Arriva.
- In England, you must by law wear a face covering on public transport and in shops and supermarkets as of 24 July 2020. The Government guidance suggests there is no requirement for evidence for exemption. It should be sufficient for someone to declare that they are eligible for an exemption direct with the person questioning them (eg bus driver).
- BMA Guidance on Supplying face mask exemption letters to patients
- Exemptions apply if you have a disability or condition that would make it very difficult to wear a face covering. For example, if you have respiratory condition, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, you may find it too difficult to breathe through a face covering. If you have a learning difficulty, sensory processing disorder or neurodivergent condition, wearing a mask could be too overwhelming. If you have communication difficulties, speech impairment or find it hard to express yourself with a mask on, especially if you are non-verbal, a mask would be difficult. Mask exemptions also apply if you need to communicate with a deaf person who lip-reads. This is list is not exhaustive and there will be many other disabilities, including invisible ones, that would make wearing a mask very difficult.
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Dear Patients, thank you for your support during the Coronavirus pandemic. We are still very much here for you via telephone or video link. If you have any persistent or potentially serious symptoms (Covid-19 or anything else) please do not delay in seeking help and if we need to see you, we can arrange to do so. Stay safe. Poundbury Doctors Surgery.
When attending the surgery, we kindly ask that you wear your own face covering/mask at all times unless requested to remove it by your GP or nurse. The exceptions to this are children under the age of 11, those with disabilities, those with breathing difficulties or those who are travelling with someone who relies on lip reading. You are also advised to use your own toilet and wash your hands before coming to the surgery to reduce contact within the building. Thank you.
If you are coming to collect medication from our Dispensary, please do not come into the building but go to the window and press the doorbell (this is sign-posted).
Shielding Advice July and August 2020
Shielding Advice
Do not attend the surgery or Dispensary if you or someone in your household has a cough or fever. Self-isolate. Full details on self-isolation are here: https://www.gov.uk/…/stay-at-home-guidance-for-households-w…
Please do not attend the surgery without phoning and speaking to one of the team first to ensure that this is necessary. You may be putting at risk yourself, family and other vulnerable patients, who may be in the surgery.
๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด? The surgery does not have any way of testing. Do not attend the surgery thinking that we might perform the test, we are unable to.
Please use when we are closed https://111.nhs.uk/
๐ข๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐น๐? The full document which is easy to read includes details on vulnerable people, pets, children, as well as advice on breastfeeding and many other aspects. Read it from the beginning here: https://www.gov.uk/…/stay-at-home-guidance-for-households-w…
๐๐บ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ด๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ป๐ผ๐๐ฒ
• If you need to leave a prescription slip please use the postbox on the outside wall of the surgery. You do not need to come into the building.
• If you are asked to attend the surgery, bring a maximum of one person with you. Ideally, come alone if possible.
• If you need employment advice, please speak to your employer or read the guidance. Do not call the surgery for employment advice.
The Surgery and the Dispensary remain open but are operating according to the advice from Public Health England.
“If The NHS or the practice has written to you, or the named person you care for, as someone at risk of severe illness if you catch Coronavirus (also known as COVID-19):
Please go to :
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-on-social-distancing-and-for-vulnerable-people/guidance-on-social-distancing-for-everyone-in-the-uk-and-protecting-older-people-and-vulnerable-adults
https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus-extremely-vulnerable
SPECIAL COVID-19 MESSAGE FOR FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN
It is extremely important for you to know that COVID-19 is unlikely to make your child unwell, but they like everyone else might be infectious so staying at home when well remains the message. If you are not sure if your child is unwell and whether they need to be seen because of concerns about COVID-19. click here https://www.what0-18.nhs.uk/national call 111 or contact your GP. For information about crying babies, click here http://iconcope.org/parentsadvice/). If your child appears severely unwell and advice is not quickly available call 999 or take them to ED as you would in other times.
This information was correct as of 16th July 2020.
Dr Koppenhol, Coronavirus COVID 19 GP Lead
Local Help Available During Coronavirus
If you are unable to leave the house to get medicine or other vital goods there are groups working in your community. These groups are also relevant to contact if you are one of our patients that use our Dispensary for medication. Please click onto the links below:
Charminster, Charlton Down, Forston
Dorchester Community Support Group
As we get information about other contact groups, they will be added here.
Local Support Groups:
Dorset Community Response group - 01305 221022
They have centralised access to all the volunteers locally who can help with food deliveries, meds deliveries and loneliness/isolation support.
- Dorchester Community Support Group Dorchester Area 07562 389 519
- Dorchester Family Church Dorchester Area 01305 265775
- Charlton Down, Forston and Charminster Coronavirus (Covid-19) Support Group Charminster Area 07947 622326
- Bradford Peverell Parish Council Bradford Peverell Area 01305 751735
- Puddletown Parish Covid-19 Support Group Dorchester Area 07881678126
- Cerne Abbas Coronavirus Support Cerne Abbas Area 0300 102 1031
- Sydling Support Network Sydling St Nicholas Area 01300 341593
- Buckland Newton Community Connections Buckland Newton Area 07733 849264
- Cheselbourne Coronavirus Support Group Cheselbourne Area 01258 837011
- Crossways Residents Coronavirus Volunteer Help Service Crossways Area 07920 017203
- Broadmayne Coronavirus Community Response Team Broadmayne Area 01305 854869
- Briantspuddle Affpuddle and Turnerspuddle Parish Council Covid19 Support Group Briantspuddle Area 07745 796 118
- Poundbury Community Coronavirus Help Group (Facebook page)
- Thorncombe Coronavirus Support (Facebook page)
- Carers Helpline - Coronavirus Covid-19 The Leonardo Trust; 01202 698 325
- Carers Helpline
- Shopping Services Age UK Dorchester; 0800 678 1602
- The Dorset Larder - Dorset Food and Drink Dorset Food and Drink - Covid-19 Response - Home Food Delivery Providers
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Coronavirus Fit Note Coronavirus Fit Note
Sample Holiday insurance cancellation letters
We regret that in these exceptional circumstances the practice is currently unable to write any letters for patients who are making a holiday refund insurance claim.
This service is non contractual and as such we are under no obligation to offer this. We hope you will understand that the GPs need to focus upon the clinical needs of their patients at this difficult time.
The Government announced on 17th March that: -
The Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) now advises British people against all non-essential travel worldwide. This advice takes effect immediately and applies initially for a period of 30 days.
As such, insurance claims can be requested on this basis. Full details can be read at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/travel-advice-novel-coronavirus
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HEAT HEALTH ADVICE AUGUST 2020
Please click onto the link below for the latest information regarding heat-health.
: https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/heat-health/?tab=heatHealth&season=normal#?tab=heatHealth
Welcome to Poundbury Doctors Surgery (we were The Cornwall Road Medical Practice Renamed as of 1.5.2016)
We are a dispensing family doctor practice on the western side of Dorchester located on the edge of Poundbury, Dorset. We are located within Frederick Treves House, a purpose-built medical centre. We are on the left-hand-side as you enter the building. Our receptionists will offer you a warm welcome.
We cover a semi-rural and rural area that includes Dorchester and a surrounding area of approximately 5 miles radius.
We welcome new patients to join our practice. Click on the New Patients tab above to find out more.
Access
The practice has a parking area that includes spaces allocated for those with disability next to the front entrance. The building is designed to assist those with disability and there is a patient lift for those patients who are unable to use the stairs. All patient areas, including the toilets, are wheelchair accessible. We also have a ‘hearing aid loop’ facility. If you require any assistance with this please ask at reception.
With patient needs at the heart of everything we do, our website has been designed to make it easy for you to gain instant access to the information you need. As well as specific practice details such as our opening hours and how to register, you’ll find a wealth of useful pages covering a wide range of health issues along with links to other relevant medical organisations.
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The Volunteer Centre are contacting all pharmacies to offer a volunteer delivery service for those confined to their homes who would normally collect.
If you who would like to volunteer during this time you can sign up via the Dorset for You website or https://www.volunteeringdorset.org.uk/
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Kind Words from a Member of the Public
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Physiotherapy Self-Referral Service
We am pleased to confirm the launch of the Physiotherapy Self-Referral Service which is available for your patients to access from Wednesday 1 July via the MSK Matters website which can be found on the link below:
https://www.mskdorset.nhs.uk/patient-self-referral-form/
Non-NHS Services
Some services provided are not covered under our contract with the NHS and therefore attract charges. Examples include the following:
Medicals for pre-employment, sports and driving requirements (HGV, PSV etc.) - Insurance claim forms
- Passport signing
- Prescriptions for taking medication abroad
- Private sick notes
- Vaccination certificates
The fees charged are based on the British Medical Association (BMA) suggested scales and our reception staff will be happy to advise you about them along with appointment availability.
Go to the Charges Tab to see our current list of Non-NHS Charges.
If you make an appointment for a service which is not covered under our contract with the NHS please tell the Receptionist when you book your appointment. Also ensure you know what the cost of this service will be BEFORE your consultation, to avoid any misunderstandings.
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Christmas Jumper Day Friday 13th Dec 2019
Thank you to everyone who generously donated to our Christmas Jumper event in aid of Save the Children. We raised £59.18.
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When We are Closed
If you need to seek urgent medical advice when the surgery is closed please phone 111.
You may be asked to attend the treatment centre which is situated in Dorset County Hospital. All phone conversations with NHS 111 are recorded as a matter of routine.
NHS 111 is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Calls free from landlines and mobile phones (although pay-as-you-go mobiles must have at least 1p credit).
Out-of-hours services are busy so please think carefully before asking to see a doctor and only do so if you cannot wait until the surgery re-opens.
In a genuine emergency you should call 999. Chest pains and / or shortness of breath constitute an emergency.
Running out of Medication?
Please do not go to A&E or Out of Hours if you run out of medication over a weekend or bank holiday. They will not be able to supply you with your medication. Please go to your usual pharmacy - they may give you sufficient supplies to see you through. However, there may be a charge for this.
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New Non-Emergency Patient Transport
Effective 1st July 2019
Please click onto the link below for details:
New Number for Non Emergency Transport
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New Electronic Prescribing Service (EPS)
We are upgrading to the next phase of the Electronic Prescription Service (EPS) which will mean that almost all our prescriptions will be processed electronically from 28th January 2020.
The NHS advise that the most efficient way of patients receiving their repeat prescriptions is to have a nominated pharmacy.
Electronic prescriptions help save the NHS money.
You will receive your prescriptions in the same way as you do now.
Read more about EPS on the NHS website.
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Cake and Book Sale in aid of Macmillan 27 Sept 2019
One in two of us will face cancer, and the money we raise at our Cake and Book Sale will help everyone with cancer to live life as fully as they can.
Thank you to everyone who donated or bought cakes and books. We are delighted to announce that we raised a total of £346.51 for Macmillan.
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"My Journey with Type 2 Diabetes"
Please click onto the link below to read the article about the journey of one of our patients:
My Journey With Type 2 Diabetes
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Due to the increased volume of prescription requests, we are having to adhere to our official policy. Therefore may we remind you to please allow two full working days for prescriptions to be processed and remember to take weekends and bank holidays into account. Requests for drugs that are not recognised as repeat treatment (i.e. they are not on your repeat list) may take longer to process as they require additional checking. Thank you for your understanding in this matter.
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NEW SMOKESTOP SERVICE AS OF
1ST APRIL 2019
As of 1st April 2019 we have provided a comprehensive Smokestop service. This includes advice on how to give up smoking by the practice nurses. Referral to the Live Well Dorset organisation can also offer advice (you can self refer to this service). Ask for a Smokestop appointment with a nurse.
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Patient Participation Group
We have a Patient Participation Group (PPG) who meet at the surgery every couple of months. The group is made up of patients of our surgery. If you are interested in taking part, please contact the Surgery or fill in the "sign up " document below and bring to Reception and we will pass on to the PPG.
Patient Participation Sign Up
Patient Participation Group (PPG) Newsletter and Minutes
Please click onto link below:
PPG Minutes 22 April 2020
PPG NEWSLETTER OCTOBER 2019
PPG NEWSLETTER JUNE 2019
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CQC INSPECTION
We had our CQC inspection on
11th January 2017.
Here is their final report .
CQC Report
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Dr Simon Phillips ran his first Ultramarathon on 4th May 2019 in support of Alzheimer's Research UK
Many of you know I ran the London Marathon in 2016 in support of Alzheimer's Research UK. It was a fantastic day and an unforgettable experience.
My father Robert had Alzheimer's disease and sadly passed away the following year. I want to raise more money for a charity that is committed to research into the condition and finding treatments to help patients.
This year, I've upped the ante and entered into my first Ultramarathon. This is a 106km (66 miles) run around the perimeter of the Isle of Wight. It's a very long way and it isn't exactly flat, with over 2100 meters of climbing. The time limit is 16 hours. I'd better get a move on!
Training has been going well. I've run up to 30 miles but that's still less than half the total distance of the main event. Eek!
I'll be carrying my water and food supplies for the trip, along with the mandatory safety equipment in my rucksack such as headtorch, whistle and waterproofs.
This will be a challenge and considerably outside of my comfort zone. There will be pain along the way but glory at the end!
Thank you for anything you can give to support Alzheimer's Research UK. You can donate through my Just Giving page at: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/simon-phillips56
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.
Simon
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We have been a Dementia Friendly GP Surgery since 2015 in recognition of the changes we implemented to improve support for the care of people with dementia and their carers.
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We are working to improve access to appointments for our patients, in particular at evenings and weekends. If you would like to be offered one of these appointments, please ask. These appointments are at a different site e.g. DCH.
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Our website address is:
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Transport Directory for Dorset
Please follow this link from Dorset for You if you need information about transport in the area:
https://www.dorsetforyou.gov.uk/care-and-support-for-adults/information-and-advice-pages/community-transport.aspx
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Get Well, Keep Well
We’re not just here for when you are unwell. Our team of healthcare professionals and back-up staff offer a number of clinics and services to promote good health and wellbeing whatever your medical condition.
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Join In
Comments and suggestions are always a great way of helping us continue to enhance the way we look after you. We are always pleased to hear what our patients have to say about the service we give, whether it is to do with the GP, Receptionist etc. You are invited to leave feedback for our surgery with NHS CHOICES by clicking onto this link:
http://www.nhs.uk/Service-Search/GP/dt12fd/Results/4/-2.45883679389954/50.7132301330566/4/0?distance=25
(Site updated 12/08/2020)