Author: Al-Falah

April 2013

Queen Mary Practice - Practice News

GP OUT OF HOURS
A NEW NUMBER
The practice is open daily Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 6.30pm, except Thursday when we close at 5.00pm.
When we are closed - in case of a GP emergency or for
urgent advice please call the new number
111
In the case of a life threatening emergency please dial
999

DIABETES CARE
Nurse Louise Berry and I have been studying for the 1 year Warwick University Certificate In Diabetic Care course. This involved attending lectures monthly, a case based study, an audit and a 3000 word project. I am also studying on the Leicester University MSc. Insulin Management Module.
We have also been fortunate to have mentored diabetic review clinics with a
Diabetic Specialist Nurse helping us. We have held 4 clinics and are due to hold more soon. We have seen excellent improvements in diabetic control and are hoping this will continue. Diabetic Patient Focus Groups may be a possibility and we are keen for this to start in the near future.

Newsletter—Spring 2013

Another Successful Year—Thank you for making it happen

Welcome to the Spring 2013 Newsletter.
Thank you for all the support you have given us this year.
We have tried changes to the appointment system to facilitate better access and you have been very kind and patient during this trial period. We have settled with a mix of pre-bookable appointments, emergency bookings and telephone appointments.
Thank you also for the patient feedback surveys for my annual appraisal and for the Practice NHS Survey. You have been so generous with your comments and we are all very grateful and encouraged by you.
You have a fantastic patient participation group who have been involved with ideas in developing your practice. Please continue to support them and perhaps join them. They meet here every 3-4 months. Please give your name to the practice manager if you wish to join.
I am very pleased to say that with your help, the clinical and non-clinical staff have again scored very highly in Quality and Outcome Framework. We will be publishing the results and these will also be available on the NHS Choices website in the next few months. Please enjoy reading the rest of the newsletter.
Dr. Al-Falah Dhanji

Changes in the NHS

As you may be aware, there are a lot of changes happening in the NHS. General practitioners have been shadowing Primary Care Trusts in 2012. In 2013 CCGs (Clinical Commissioning Groups) will be holding much of the NHS budget and PCTs will be abolished. This will make GPs responsible for managing NHS services.
The Woodford / Wanstead locality has been leading the way in innovation by bringing quality cost effective care closer to home with services such as the GPSI (GP Special Interest) Dermatology Clinic and NHS Clinics at Holly House and Spire Roding Hospitals. We are also looking at ways to improve GP access and reduce
Accident and Emergency attendances. Redbridge has done extremely well this year, but the challenge is immense and cost savings will need to continue for several more years.
All practices will be required to make even larger saving and in reality deeper cuts. The Quality and Outcome framework thresholds have been raised and new challenges could decrease funding to your surgery. Your surgery staff are there to provide the best possible care they can for you and they need your help. Please continue to support them. Please do attend chronic disease reviews (eg asthma, diabetes,
hypertension etc.) and please do cancel any appointments that you cannot keep. Please continue to be mindful of requests for medicines and for referrals. Unfortunately there are very tight budgets and targets being set on all of these.

Farewell from Dr Dhanji
Finally, I am sorry to say that this will be my final newsletter. It is with much sadness that I would like to inform you that I will be resigning as a Partner at the practice from the end of April, but I will be locuming here until the end of July. I have been offered a position in Adelaide, Australia, commencing in August.
Dr Tasneem Khan will be taking over the practice. I would be most grateful if you could please show her the support and kindness that you have shown me.
It has been a great pleasure and an honour being your GP. I wish you the very best of health and I will miss you all.

Queen Mary Practice, South Woodford Health Centre, 114 High Road, London, E18 2QS
Telephone 0208 491 3303, Fax 0208 926 5001, website: www.queenmarypractice.nhs.uk