Welcome to Honiton Surgery

Surgery Newsletter

Our latest Newsletter

Our Practice Booklet is a source of information about our practice and the staff and the services we provide. We hope you will use this website as a useful resource for other health-related information. 

 

Please have a look around and do send us some feedback if you like. We can use your ideas to improve our online services and further develop the content of this site.

STOP PRESS

During these difficult times we have been reviewing our processes for annual reviews. Where appropriate some patients are already receiving asthma text questionnaires to help inform and support their reviews, and the take up of this so far has been very positive.

We are now planning to do some work via text and also eConsult prior to hypertensive appointments, with some patients, to gather information relevant to both managing their condition and updating their records, before seeing these patients face to face.  You may receive a text message from us asking you to complete an eConsult (with a link) to provide blood pressure readings, if you have a home blood pressure monitor. This information will then be incorporated into the patient’s medical record prior to the appointment, so the clinicians have the latest information recorded.

We really appreciate you working with us to explore and use these digital ways of contacting and interacting with you in these unusual times. Thank you all for your understanding

 

 

CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19)

Face Coverings : In England, you must by law wear a face covering on Public Transport and in Shops and Supermarkets.

The Government guidance suggests there is no requirement for evidence of exemptions to wearing a face covering. It should be sufficient for someone to declare that they are eligible for an exemption direct with the person questioning them, however you can get 'Exemption from face covering' badge or card from http://www.gov.uk/

Practices are 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. (more information on face coverings can be found below)

Please DO NOT attend the surgery unless you have a pre booked appointment.

We are still running a limited service at the surgery; clinicians are still using telephone and video consultations in the first instance. You will only be invited to attend the Practice if a GP or nurse has specifically asked you to do so. You may also wish to use eConsult (found below) which allows you to consult the surgery at any time of the day.

If you have previously had an appointment postponed/cancelled due to COVID-19, we are still yet to have the capacity to be able to book all of these routine appointments back in, we are however contacting some patients to re book these in where suitable. If you wish to discuss a cancelled appointment or an upcoming appointment then please contact the surgery.

Our main doors are still closed, if you have a booked appointment please use the doorbell for a member of staff to let you in. There is a designated post-box for prescriptions and other correspondence. Designated drop off for samples just outside and inside the main entrance (please ring bell for staff to open doors).

When attending your appointment you will be met at the door by the receptionist who will check you are ‘well’ and may check your temperature.

You will be asked to use hand sanitizer upon entering the surgery.

Please attend surgery alone where possible.

Do not arrive too early as we are limiting the number of patients in waiting room at one time. (If you arrive too early you may be asked to return closer to your appointment time)

Please wear a face covering if possible and avoid contact with other patients. (More information on face coverings can be found below)

Thank you

***SHIELDING PATIENTS UPDATED GUIDANCE*** The UK Government has set out a roadmap for the clinically extremely vulnerable on the future of the shielding programme.  

For now, the guidance remains the same – stay at home and only go outside to exercise or to spend time outdoors with a member of your household, or with one other person from another household if you live alone – but the guidance will change on 6 July and again on 1 August , based on clinical evidence.

Shielding and other advice to the clinically extremely vulnerable has been and remains advisory. Click here for the details of the changes. 

This is a short video about the changes - click here. 

All patients who are currently identified on the shielding list will receive an updated letter direct to them from the government regarding the changes - we understand these are currently in the process of being sent out to patients individually.

Face coverings

In the context of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, a face covering is something which safely covers the nose and mouth. You can buy reusable or single-use face coverings. You may also use a scarf, bandana, religious garment or hand-made cloth covering but these must securely fit round the side of the face.

Face coverings can help us protect each other and reduce the spread of the disease; this is for the protection of both patients and staff.They can help in reducing the spread of droplets; it stops them from leaving the mouth and nose, and reduces the size of area in which they spread

gov.uk/face-coverings

You do not need to wear a face covering if you have a legitimate reason not to. This includes:

• young children under the age of 11
• not being able to put on, wear or remove a face covering because of a physical or mental illness or impairment, or disability
• if putting on, wearing or removing a face covering will cause you severe distress
• if you are travelling with or providing assistance to someone who relies on lip reading to communicate
• to avoid harm or injury, or the risk of harm or injury, to yourself or others
• to avoid injury, or to escape a risk of harm, and you do not have a face covering with you
• to eat or drink, but only if you need to
• to take medication
• if a police officer or other official requests you remove your face covering
• There are also scenarios when you are permitted to remove a face covering when asked:
• If asked to do so by shop staff for the purpose of age identification
• If speaking with people who rely on lip reading, facial expressions and clear sound. Some may ask you, either verbally or in writing, to remove a covering to help with communication

PRINCIPLE Research Study

Our practice is supporting vital COVID-19 research. As part of this, we are helping to carry out a national priority research study called PRINCIPLE.

If you have symptoms of COVID-19, are aged 65 or over, OR are aged 50-64 and have an existing health condition, you may be eligible to join this important study.

Please see the PRINCIPLE Research Study website to find out more.

Please call the Trial Team if you have any questions or do not have access to online systems: 0800 138 0880.

If you would like to know more about COVID-19 research and how you can contribute, please visit the Be Part of Research website which is run by the National Institute for Health Research.

 

STAY ALERT

We can all help control the virus if we all stay alert.

This means you must:

Stay at home as much as possible

Work from home if you can

Limit contact with other people

Keep your distance if you go out (2 metres apart where possible)

Wash your hands regularly

Self-isolate if you or anyone in your household has symptoms.

What to do if you have coronavirus symptoms

• A high temperature - this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)
• A new, continuous cough - this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual.
• loss or change to your sense of smell or taste – this means you've noticed you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal

Use the 111 online coronavirus service to find out what to do.

Only call 111 if you cannot get help online.

For a medical emergency dial 999.

Advice and support for people at higher risk  NHS.uk or GOV.UK

 

Community Support

Honiton Community Volunteer Coronavirus Support Network

League of friends Statement August 2020

Beehive Honiton : 01404 384050

Dedicated phone information line being set up and run by Beehive volunteers.

Starting Monday 23rd (Monday to Friday 10am to 4pm)

TRIP : 01404 465 29

Trip offering shopping delivery service and telephone befriending for those who need it.

Devon Freewheelers : 0300 800 0109

Devon Freewheelers offering medication delivery service and phone contact for those who are particularly anxious about the COVID-19 situation.

Parent+ Support Hub

Cancelling Appointments

To cancel appointments you can simply reply CANCEL to your SMS appointment reminder, logging on to the ‘online services login’ or set up the new ‘NHS App’ (more information on NHS app).

Home Blood pressure

Please see form below to complete Home Blood Pressure Readings at home.

Home blood pressure diary

Evening and Weekend GP and Nurse Appointments

Repeat Prescriptions

We are currently starting to change some Patients Repeat medication over to TWO monthly prescriptions at a time. This will not apply to all our Patients. Patients will be assessed individually as to their suitability for this.

Improving access

We do offer some appointments up to 8:00pm on some evenings, which are outside of normal surgery hours of 8:00am to 6:30pm, Also open some Saturdays and Sundays. These are primarily aimed at patients who are unable to make an appointment between these normal working hours. If you would like one of these early or late appointments please contact the surgery on our normal telephone number. Please be aware you will not necessarily be able to see your own GP as there are a limited number of these appointments available.

eConsult

Escape the wait, consult with your GP online.

You will already have noticed the pop up about eConsult when you came onto the website. This offers a way of seeking advice from your GP online with a response back by the end of the next working day regarding what should happen next.

Please note WE WILL NOT ACCEPT REPEAT MEDICATION REQUESTS THROUGH THIS SYSTEM. If you want to order repeat medication online you will need to register for online services, see below.

Please see a short patient video describing the eConsult Service. You can also watch the eConsult video with subtitles.

Start your eConsult

Privacy Policy

We have published our new practice privacy policy in line with the new GDPR legislation. We have also got new practice privacy leaflets for adult patients and children to reflect the new legislation. Please also see the adult leaflet and the childrens leaflet.

Sign-up for Online Services

** UPDATE DUE TO COVID-19 **

CURRENTLY NOT ABLE TO BOOK APPOINTMENTS ONLINE (please call surgery to book)

If you wish to sign up for online services during this time, please complete online form.

either post this through our letter box with copy of photo ID or Email completed form and copy/picture of photo ID to:

d-ccg.informationhonitonsurgery@nhs.net

**** New 'AIRMID' Systm One app notes you can "add data to your record" please be aware we do not get notified of this data being added, this is for personal use only. If you wish to inform a clinican of any readings or information please either call directly or complete an eConsult. Thank you ****

Instead of phoning or visiting the surgery to order repeat prescriptions, book or cancel your appointments - or get your test results - you can now do it all online, and it’s quick, easy and secure. You can also see your patient record. A carer, with your permission, may also do all or some of this on your behalf.

We are encouraging our patients to sign up for online services. Registering is simple and FREE. All you need to do is:

• bring along a form of ID with you to the practice (driving licence/birth certificate etc)
• complete and sign a registration form and receive a unique username and password
• use your secure details to access online services

Children registering for online services

Under 16 years old - Please complete form and ensure you bring a copy of Child’s Birth Certifcate in with you. Please note we can only offer access to booking appointments and prescription services for this age range.

16+ years old – Should have sole access.

Going online really does make a difference. It not only saves you and the practice time, but will help you to take more control of your health care.

Patients who have registered to use online services are already seeing the benefits which include:

• saving time when booking appointments and prescriptions
• feeling more empowered due to easier and convenient access
• being more informed about their care and better prepared when they see their GP, practice nurses and attend clinics
• Available 24 hours a day from the app, website, smartphone or computer it's especially useful if the telephone lines are busy.

Registering online doesn’t mean you can’t see your GP, practice nurse or attend a clinic. It just gives you quicker and easier access to practice services whenever you’re online and wherever you may be.

Ask our receptionists about registering for online services next time you’re in the practice or on the phone, and we’ll support you in getting started.

Already signed up? Order a repeat prescription, book an appointment or view your medical record.

 

Medical Students

As a training practice we are involved in the teaching and training of medical students in different stages of their careers. We currently have a number Medical Students present in the surgery.

You may be asked if you would agree to have a medical student sitting in your consultation with you, we very much hope you will participate in the student teaching programme but understand that on some occasions you would rather not have a student present – please let us know if that is what you would prefer. 

General News

Our current news stories include:

• 184 appointments were lost in February 2020 due to non attendance. See our news page link below.
• Are you planning to book an HGV/PSV medical examination appointment? please see our appointments page for details.
• Why do GP's sometimes charge fees? See this Fees FAQ for more information.
• Our new practice newsletter is now availble.
• £5.5 million is wasted in Devon on unused medication please see this medication waste video for more details.


• Read our news page...

Patient Participation Group

Did you know we have a virtual patient participation group?

A new Patient Group was established in 2005. There are quarterly meetings. These provide an opportunity to discuss developments in the surgery and to hear any concerns being voiced by patients to their representatives. Telephone numbers are listed below for the representatives who are very happy to hear from other patients.

See our Patient Group page for further information.

 

 

HANDi Mobile Applications

Click for Apple Appstore or Google Playstore.

 

If you need medical attention

The short video below is all about Choosing the Right Service.