Cherrymead Surgery News
- New partner joins the team!
- Changes in nursing staff
- Patient Survey
- Important information about the new practice
- EARLY CLOSING DATES 2008
- Patient Choice and Referral Assessment
- A new way to get your regular Prescriptions
- Newsletter - April 2008
New partner joins the team!
Dr. Anthony Gallagher, who trained at University College Hospital London and completed his GP training in Buckinghamshire will be replacing Dr. Moretto as a full time partner on June 2nd. Dr. Gallagher's special interests are Paediatrics, Emergency Medicine and Skin Diseases.
Changes in nursing staff
We have very sadly said goodbye to our Nurse Practitioner Jo Robinson, who has accepted a post at a Nurse-Practioner led surgery in London. Jo will still be helping out at Baby Clinics for the time being. She will be replaced by Ruth De Luca, who will be our Nursing Manager, later this summer.
Patient Survey
In August last year 100 questionnaires per GP were distributed to patients attending the Practice. For evaluation or “rating” questions an average score for the whole sample was calculated – Survey results (.pdf document, opens in a new window)
Important information about the new practice
Please note that from Tuesday 8th January, the Flackwell Heath premises will be open from 8 am – 1 pm Monday to Friday only.
All Practice telephones or fax numbers starting with 01628 will no longer be available after this date. The Loudwater phone number (01494 445150) will not change and all phone calls will be handled at the new building. You will still be able to request an appointment to attend at Flackwell Heath on that number if you wish.
Repeat Prescriptions
Any requests for repeat medication will be centralised and processed at the new premises. We advise that you order your medicine in plenty of time and well BEFORE you have run out. The 3 local Pharmacies, Alliance (Moss), Tesco and Ryemead all offer a service to collect your prescription directly from us. Alliance will also be starting a drop-off point for prescription requests to avoid Flackwell Heath residents from needing to travel to Loudwater.
You can also order your medicines via our website on
Please remember we operate a “2 working-day” turnaround. For example prescriptions received by 12 noon on a Monday will be processed the same day and ready after noon on Wednesday. If your request is received after noon on Monday, it will not be processed until Tuesday and therefore ready after 12 noon on Thursday.
If you require a Pharmacy to collect your prescription you need to allow an extra day. You need to advise us when you order if you wish us to send your prescription direct to the Pharmacy. If your medicine needs re-authorising by a GP, this may take longer.
EARLY CLOSING DATES 2008
In common with all GP Practices in the High Wycombe area, we will be closing at 1 pm on the following dates to allow our staff to attend training in order to improve our services to you. Arrangements have been made so that medical advice will be available from our out-of-hours provider if required.
- Tuesday 13 May
- Wednesday 11 June
- Thursday 10 July
- Tuesday 9 September
- Thursday 9 October
- Wednesday 12 November
Patient Choice and Referral Assessment
Since 1 January 2006, GPs have had to offer patients a choice of at least 4 hospitals when a referral for further treatment or investigations is needed.
Your GP may offer on-line booking which will give you a list of choices which you can then telephone to make your appointment.
All specialities are not available at all hospitals. Not all specialties can be booked on line. Your GP may ask you to indicate your choice of hospital while you are in surgery.
Wycombe Primary Care Trust has overspent on its budget for hospital care. It has set up a Referral Assessment Centre staffed by doctors and nurses.
Your GP’s letter will be scrutinized at the centre and the assessing doctor there may re-direct your referral to another department or hospital with a view to saving on spending.
Wycombe Primary Care Trust has also added procedures such as benign moles and varicose vein surgery to its Low Priority List. This means that your GP will recommend that you try various non-surgical treatments first and will have to apply to a special panel for funding for surgery if these methods fail. The Patient Advice & Liaison Service at the PCT is 01494 552256
A new way to get your regular Prescriptions
If you or someone you care for, use the same medicines regularly, you may be able to benefit from repeat dispensing from the pharmacist. This means you won’t have to visit the surgery or make an appointment every time you need more medicine.
STEP 1: Talk to your GP and ask if you can use repeat dispensing. They will ask you for permission to share information with your pharmacist. This will help the pharmacist give us information about your treatment and give you useful advice. You will be asked to sign an agreement form.
STEP 2: You need to decide which Pharmacy you want to use to collect your repeat medicines. Your GP will issue sufficient prescriptions to last up to one year and send them directly to the Pharmacy of your choice.
STEP 3: Next time you need more medicine, go straight back to the same pharmacy.
Questions you may have:
Can any pharmacy provide this service?
You can choose any pharmacy that dispenses NHS prescriptions. You just need to make sure you use the same pharmacy each time.
Is the pharmacist qualified to help me?
As well as doing a 4 year masters degree, pharmacists do an additional year’s training which covers the actions, uses and side effects of medicines. This means they are highly qualified to advise you.
Can the pharmacist change my prescription without telling me?
The pharmacist can talk to you about your medicine and help you with any questions or problems. No one will change your prescription.
What if I move home and want to use a different pharmacy?
You will need to go back to your prescriber and get a new set of forms. You should take the new set to your new pharmacy when you need your medicine.
Newsletter
Cherrymead newsletter Autumn 2007, including information about our new premises at Loudwater and other practice news.
This newsletter is in a portable document format (.pdf) for you to download. The newsletter opens in a new window (file size 111kb). You will need Adobe acrobat to open .pdf files. Just click the links below to open the newsletter pages.
