FEBRUARY 25TH - THE PRACTICE WILL BE EXPERIENCING SOME COMPUTER DOWN TIME FOR APPROXIMATELY 1.5 HOURS FROM 3.00PM - 4.30PM.  THIS MEANS THAT WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO BOOK APPOINTMENTS AND HANDLE PATIENT QUERIES THAT INVOLVE ACCESSING PATIENT RECORDS.  IT WOULD THEREFORE HELP US IF PATIENTS DID NOT ATTEND THE SURGERY OR TELEPHONE DURING THAT TIME IF THEIR QUERY INVOLVES ACCESSING THEIR RECORDS.  PATIENTS WITH EXISTING APPOINTMENTS SHOULD STILL ATTEND AS THEY WILL BE DEALT WITH. THANK YOU FOR YOU HELP IN THIS MATTER

ELECTRONIC PRESCRIPTIONS - NEXT PHASE

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 4 March 2020

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 Digital website.

https://digital.nhs.uk/services/electronic-prescription-service

PATIENT SURVEY 2020

 The surgery would like your help with the 2020 patient survey - in order to improve the service we offer, we value any patient feedback. Please complete a paper version of the survey in the surgery over the next 2 weeks OR follow the link to complete it online. The survey will close on 21st February 2020. Your help is appreciated.  As this is the first time we have used survey monkey, we would be grateful if you could let us have your feedback, particularly if you have had any problems completing the survey online by e-mailing northgate.surgery4@nhs.net 

https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/89ZPRRN

Outbreak of Coronavirus

If you have been to mainland China, Thailand, Japan, Republic of Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia and Macau in the last 14 days, you should ...

Contact NHS 111 for advice – DO NOT COME TO THE SURGERY

Stay indoors and avoid contact with others

Symptoms to look out for: Runny nose, sore throat, fever, breathing problems, cough

Do not go to work, school or public areas

Avoid visitors in your home

Avoid using public transport or taxis

PAPER PRESCRIPTION FORMS ARE CHANGING

Paper prescription forms are changing from the end of January 2020. Exemption boxes on the back of prescription forms are being updated to make it easier for eligible patients to correctly claim free NHS prescriptions and avoid penalty charges. For more information, visit:

www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/prescription-forms

The updated FP10 forms include a new exemption box U for patients who are in receipt of Universal Credit and meet the criteria for free help with health costs.  New prescription forms include an exemption box for patients in receipt of Universal Credit who meet the criteria for free help with health costs. Not all benefits entitle people to free prescriptions. Find out if you are eligible using the online checker: www.nhs.uk/checkbeforeyoutick

Exemption box G ‘has a War Pension exemption certificate’ has been re-worded to better represent the exemption certificates by Veterans UK and the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme.  Age exemption boxes A (“is under 16 years of age”) and C (“is 60 years of age or over”) have been combined into one single exemption category, A “is 60 years of age or over or is under 16 years of age”

RESULTS OF 2019 PATIENT SURVEY

The national patient survey results are out and we are pleased to announce the we have scored really highly in all areas and have improved on the previous year.  Our results are higher than the national and CCG averages in nearly all areas. The survey found that:-

95% of patients find the reception team helpful
97% of patients said the professional they saw was good at listening
97% said they had trust in the professional they saw
99%  said their needs were met during their last appointment

If you want to view the full report, go to www.gp-patient.co.uk

It is a very pleasing result and demonstrates the commitment of all the staff at Northgate.

What is bowel cancer screening?

Bowel cancer is one of the most common cancers in the UK and most people diagnosed are over 60 years old. Screening aims to find bowel cancer at an early stage, before you notice any symptoms. Finding cancer early makes it easier to treat and can help save lives.

The bowel cancer screening kit is a simple free test you can do at home. You will need to collect small samples of poo and then return the kit for testing. The test looks for tiny amounts of blood in poo, which can be a sign of cancer.

What to do next

• Contact the NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Freephone Helpline on 0800 707 60 60 if:

  • You want to know more about bowel screening or have any questions or concerns about using the kit.

  • You did not receive your bowel cancer screening kit or you no longer have it and would like to ask for another free kit.

• You can also visit www.nhs.uk/conditions/bowel-cancer-screening/fob-test/ for more information.

• If you would prefer to speak to someone at the practice please feel free to contact us.

Why not try to quit smoking in 2020! If you are a smoker with a long term condition it is really important you think about stopping. Not only can the symptoms of your long term condition decrease but your medication can also work more effectively. Yorkshire Smokefree Wakefield are a friendly service who have specialist advisors to help the people of the Wakefield district to stop smoking. The service is offering appointments at Pontefract Health Centre on a Thursday from 10am to 3pm to help you kick the habit and become smokefree. They can offer one to one appointments and specialist advice on the best product to help you quit, alongside support which will result in you being four times more likely to be successful rather than going it alone. Why not join the 82% of Wakefield residents and become smokefree!!! For more information log onto Yorkshire Smokefree Wakefield https://wakefield.yorkshiresmokefree.nhs.uk/ , phone the service on 01924 252174 to ask for an appointment or pick up a leaflet in reception.

GET YOURSELF ONLINE AND BEAT THE QUEUES!  If you need helping logging in with your password, please contact reception who will be able to help.

The law on how we process your personal data has changed.  There are new regulations called the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR).  Please see our fair processing notice for adults and children under the Practice Policies tab on the right hand side.

Carers Packs.  We have put them together for Carers and the Elderly which contains a wealth of information on the services available to you.  To obtain a free copy of Northgate's carers pack enquire at Reception.

PLEASE SEE BOTTOM OF PAGE FOR ONLINE SERVICES.

Young Person's Telephone Advice Clinic - On Wednesdays between 12.00 noon and 12.30pm we run a young person's (13-19 year old) telephone advice line for dedicated advice on any matter that you would like to discuss with someone clinical on a totally confidential basis.  Please feel free to contact reception during these times and someone will help you.