Orange Button Somerset
Together, we can break down the stigma surrounding suicide and mental health. Let’s create a world where everyone feels supported. Remember, it's okay not to be okay, and seeking help is a sign of strength. 🤝 There are over 1000 people across Somerset that have completed quality assured training and signed up to wear the Orange Button, so that they are visible to those who might want their support. Please reach out to them. It is a myth that talking about suicide encourages people to think about it, research has shown the opposite. In fact, speaking openly about suicide decreases the likelihood of the person acting on their feelings.
Suicide can affect anybody; we would like everyone to complete training so that they can feel confident to talk about suicide and support those around them.
The Orange Button scheme is a way of recognising people within our community that have completed this training. If you would like to become an Orange Button holder you can signup to a free training course Every Life Matters – Suicide Alertness (half day course)
👉 https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/every-life-matters-somerset-42223065913
If you would like to find out more, visit - 👉
www.healthysomerset.co.uk/support-with-your-mental-health/orange-button/
#OrangeButtonSomerset #SuicidePrevention #BreakTheSilence🧡
If you are struggling with your own mental health, please phone Mindline Somerset’s 24/7 helpline: 0800 138 1692 or visit Open Mental Health to find help and support
👉https://openmentalhealth.org.uk/
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Calculate your heart age
The ‘Calculate your heart age’ service compares your real age to your heart age by asking you questions about your health and by implementing the Joint British Societies recommendations on the prevention of Cardiovascular Disease (JBS3) algorithm. You’ll also find out how to improve your heart age by making some healthy lifestyle changes.
The service also highlights the importance of knowing your blood pressure and cholesterol numbers and will give a more accurate result if these numbers are acquired.
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Physiotherapy Service
You may or may not be aware that as a group of surgeries we have a group of physio's that are fantastic with helping you with any muscular/skeletal issues.
Please see the below link to find out more information regarding this service, including when it is appropriate to contact them.
First contact physiotherapy GP resources | The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (csp.org.uk)
The physio's will be able to assess and diagnose what's happening for you and give expert advice on how to manage your diagnosis. Please phone reception to make an appointment.
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Every Mind Matters
Loneliness is an issue that can affect us all, young or old, at any point in our lives. We might live in a busy city or a rural location, on our own or with others and still feel isolated.
You should not blame yourself for feeling like you are struggling, now or at any other time.
The campaign, which is being supported by Mental Health Ambassador Dr. Alex George, is pointing people towards the Every Mind Matters loneliness webpage, where there is advice for ways to help yourself or others who may be feeling lonely, and suggested support routes.
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A digital tool that enables you to create a practical plan to maintain and improve your mental health. Over two million people have created Mind Plans so far to find out personalised steps they can do to protect themselves and prevent problems escalating, just as we do with our physical health. Click on the link below to take the quiz and create your own personal plan.
https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/your-mind-plan-quiz/
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Home Blood Pressure Monitoring
Everyone’s blood pressure naturally rises and falls over the course of a day and some people can be stressed or anxious when having their blood pressure taken by their doctor or nurse, making their blood pressure higher than it normally is (known as ‘white coat effect’). This means that a ‘one-off’ reading taken at your doctor’s surgery may not accurately reflect your real blood pressure.
We are finding during the COVID pandemic that due to doctors and nurses wearing PPE (personal protective equipment) this is having an effect on people's BP readings. As a result we are actively encouraging patients to purchase their own BP monitor so they can take readings at home where they are more relaxed, and send their readings to us.
Please read the attached for more information on which BP monitors to buy and how to use them accurately.
Home Blood Pressure Monitoring
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Violence/Zero Tolerance Policy
A zero-tolerance policy towards violent, threatening, and abusive behaviour is now in place throughout the NHS and applies to Mendip Country Practice.
The doctors, nurses and staff in this practice have the right to do their work in an environment free from violent, threatening, or abusive behaviour and everything will be done to protect that right.
At no time will any such behaviour be tolerated in this practice. If you do not respect the rights of our staff, we may choose to inform the police and arrange for you to be removed from our medical list.
Mendip Country Practice also reserves the right to remove any patient seen to be making abusive or defamatory remarks on any social networking site including but not limited to Facebook/Twitter/Instagram etc. Please be aware that by posting online anything that can be construed as slanderous will be treated as abuse and appropriate action will be taken by the Practice.
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Online platforms
As part of a current project in improving patient care and journey in accessing care with our practice, we are looking into ways to provide better access to useful information for all our patients. This includes for example updating our website and Facebook, and increasing our communication to you.
Come along with us for this exciting journey!
Please like, follow and share our pages (below) with your family and friends and anyone who are with our practice.
COVID Related Information
General information
- Patients with concerns that they may have or been in contact with a person who may have Corona Virus should contact NHS 111 for advice and not attend the practice or A&E.
- To reduce the risk of infection, GP’s and all other staff have been asked to minimise physical contact with patients such as shaking hands. Please also ensure that you cover your mouth/nose should you wish to cough or sneeze, and wash your hands afterwards.
- This will not affect any physical assessment of you as part of your care and treatment.
- Thank you for your understanding and co-operation
- Click here for information about Face Masks in GP surgeries
NHS COVID Pass - what you need to know
- Please see the attached information regarding the NHS COVID Pass which shows a patient's COVID-19 vaccination details or test results and is needed for foreign travel or attendance at events in England asking for proof of COVID-19 status.
- Practices might like to add the details to their websites or include a link to the same information on the CCG website.
COVID Vaccination Certification
- We are unable to issue this certificate at the practice. Please see here. Proof of your vaccination status will be available on the NHS app, which is also valuable for accessing your health records and ordering repeat prescriptions.
- The NHS app can be downloaded from here for iPhone or here for android. Alternatively you can call the NHS helpline on 119 (from 17 May) and ask for a letter to be posted to you. This must be at least 5 days after you’ve completed your course of the vaccine, the letter may to take up to 5 days to reach you.
Supplementary privacy notice on Covid-19 for Patients
This notice describes how we may use your information to protect you and others during the Covid-19 outbreak. It supplements our main Privacy Notice which is available:-https://www.mendipcp.co.uk/info.aspx?p=16
The health and social care system is facing significant pressures due to the COvid-19 outbreak. Health and care information is essential to deliver care to individuals, to support health and social care services and to protect public health. Information will also be vital in researching, monitoring, tracking and managing the outbreak. In the current emergency it has become even more important to share health and care information across relevant organisations.
Existing law which allows confidential patient information to be used and shared appropriately and lawfully in a public health emergency is being used during this outbreak. Using this law the Secretary of State has required NHS Digital; NHS England and Improvement; Arm’s Length Bodies (such as Public Health England); local authorities; health organisations and GPs to share confidential patient information to respond to the Covid-19 outbreak. Any information used or shared during the Covid-19 outbreak will be limited to the period of the outbreak unless there is another legal basis to use the data. Further information is available on gov.uk here and some FAQs on this law are available here.
During this period of emergency, opt-outs will not generally apply to the data used to support the Covid-19 outbreak, due to the public interest in sharing information. This includes National Data Opt-Outs. However in relation to the Summary Care Record, existing choices will be respected. Where data is used and shared under these laws your right to have personal data erased will also not apply. It may also take us longer to respond to Subject Access Requests (SARs), Freedom of Information requests (FOIs) and new opt out requests whilst we focus our efforts on responding to the outbreak.
In order to look after your health and care needs we may share your confidential patient information included health and care records with clinical and non-clinical staff in other health and care providers, for example neighbouring GP practices, hospitals and NHS 111. We may also use the details we have to send public health messages to you, either by phone, text message or email.
During this period of emergency we may offer you a consultation via telephone or video conferencing. By accepting the invitation and entering the consultation you are consenting to this. Your personal/confidential patient information will be safeguarded in the same way it would with any other consultation.
We will also be required to share personal confidential patient information with health and care organisations and other bodies engaged in disease surveillance for the purposes of protecting public health, providing healthcare services to the public and monitoring and managing the outbreak. Further information about how health and care data is being used and shared by other NHS and social care organisations in a variety of ways to support the Covid-19 response is here.
NHS England and Improvement and the NHSX have developed a single, secure store to gather data from across the health and care system to information the Covid-19 response. This includes data already collected by NHS England, NHS Improvement, Public Health England and NHS Digital. New data will include 999 call data, data about hospital occupancy and A&E capacity data as well as data provided by patient themselves. All the data held in the platform is subject to strict controls that meet the requirements of data protection legislation.
In such circumstances where you tell us you’re experiencing Covid-19 symptoms we may need to collect specific health data about you. Where we need to do so, we will not collect more information than we require and we will ensure that any information collected is treated with the appropriate safeguards.
We may amend this Privacy Policy at any time so please review it frequently. The date at the top of this page will be amended each time this notice is updated.
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CQC Rating
Care Quality Commissioners carried out their inspection on 26th March 2020 of Mendip Country Practice. CQC - Overall rating GOOD.
Care Quality Commissioners visited on Tuesday 20th September 2016 to carry out their inspection of Mendip Country Practice. CQC - Overall rating GOOD.
CQC monitor, inspect and regulate health and social care services. They publish their findings, including ratings to help people choose care. The full final report can be found here.
Patient Survey
To see how we compare locally and nationally with other GP practices please click on the National Survey link. National Survey