Practice Leaflet – For Easy Reading and Translation

Telephone 01623 528748

This leaflet is for both existing patients and those considering registering with us. It tells you about our services, how to access them and some general information about how our practice operates.

Contents
Background
The Doctors
The Practice Team
Opening Hours
Appointment System
Telephone Consultations
Online Consultations and queries
Teaching and Training
Patient Confidentiality
Zero Tolerance
SMS Messaging
Online Services (and the NHS App)
Repeat Prescriptions
Test Results
Specialist and hospital care
Disabled Access
Non NHS Work
Special Services and Clinics
Patient Suggestions, Compliments and Complaints
Woodlands Patient Voice
Self Treatment of Common Illness and Accidents
Medicine Safety Practice
Website
Register With Us

Background

As many of our patients will know, our practice has been established in Sutton-in-Ashfield for over 70 years. We were at the Oates’ Hill location from 1986 and moved to our present location on the Ashfield Park Estate in August 2001.

The premises have recently been extended to enable us to provide services to our growing patient population. The doctors provide high quality family medicine and are assisted by efficient and friendly staff. We offer a wide range of services and clinics. We are always looking at ways to improve and extend these.

The practice serves the population of Sutton-in-Ashfield who live within a defined boundary as agreed with the Local Area Team of NHS England. The map on the reverse of the booklet indicates the general outline of the practice boundary and more detailed information can be obtained from the reception team.

The Doctors

GP Partners

Dr Neil Pound (m) BM BS Nottingham 1990 BMedSci MRCGP
Dr Ellora Das (f) MB BS 1996 Mysore India RCOG (Dip) 2004 MRCGO 2006
Dr Andrew Pountney (m) BM BS Nottingham 2005 MRCGP BMedSci PG Cert Medical Education
Dr Colin Aldread (m) MBChB (Hons) Sheffield 2006 MRCPG PG Cert Medical Education
Dr Natasha Russell (f) MBChB University of Liverpool 2010 MRCPG

Associate GPs employed by the practice

Dr Alison Laird (f) BM BS Nottingham 1993 BMedSci 1991 DRCOG, MRCP, MRCGP
Dr Igbekele Sodimu (f) (Known as Dr Mary) MB BS 2013 Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) MRCGP
Dr Oluwadara Ola (Known as Dr Dara) MB ChB 2009 Obafemi Awolowo University

All our doctors are included in the Obstetric List, Minor Surgery and Child Health Surveillance List of the Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Area Team of NHS England.

All the doctors have special interests, which allow for further high-quality care of our patients. Dr Pound has a specialist interest in diabetes, Dr Das – family planning, women’s health and substance misuse, Dr Pountney – joint injections and minor surgery, Dr Aldread – joint injections and minor surgery, Dr Russell – women’s health and mental health and Dr Laird – dermatology.

Dr Pound also supervises Foundation Year 2 doctors within the practice (doctors who have qualified but have yet to specialise).

Dr Pountney and Dr Aldread are the Trainers for GP Registrars in the practice, (fully trained doctors doing specialist GP training), all with the support of the wider practice team.

We are a member practice of the Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) which is divided into smaller groups of local practices who work together on improving services to patients within the NHS budgets. These locality groups are called Primary Care Network groups (PCN).Our PCN represents Ashfield North and is made up of the Brierley Park, Kings Medical, Willowbrook and Woodlands Medical Practices.

The Practice Team

Practice Management Team
The Practice Management Team consist of the Practice Manager, Assistant Manager and Business Support Officers who look after the day-to-day management of the practice. They will be pleased to discuss any non-medical problem that you may have and to receive any suggestions you may have for improving the services offered.

Reception and Clerical Staff
All our staff have been trained and are involved in the whole range of duties which are undertaken by this very busy department. We currently have 13 admin and clerical staff, covering reception, practice administration, data quality and secretarial work areas.

Practice Nurses
We employ a number of highly trained practice nurses who provide a whole range of services and run many of our clinics. They are well supported by our team of Health Care Assistants who provide treatment room and phlebotomy services for the practice.

Community Staff
We have access to district nurses, midwives and the Health Families Team (0-19) who are not directly employed by the practice but who work as part of the practice team delivering services to our patients. We also have access to specialised services within the community including physiotherapy and counselling services.

PCN Staff
Certain members of our practice team are employed by the PCN and shared with other local practices. We have a First Contact Musculoskeletal Practitioner who works in practice 3 days a week, and appointments for joint and muscle issues will be offered directly without seeing a doctor first. We also have a Practice Pharmacy team who can conduct your medication reviews and respond to medication queries, and a Mental Health Practitioner that our doctors can refer you to.

Opening Hours

Normal Surgery Opening Hours
Monday – Friday 8.30am – 6p.m
With emergency telephone access
Monday – Friday 8 – 8.30am and 6 – 6.30pm

Additional Opening Hours
Early morning surgeries at Woodlands from 7.00am twice a week
Primary Care Network routine pre-bookable appointments are offered every weekday evening 6.30pm – 8.00pm and Saturdays 9.00am – 5.00pm by Ashfield North practices on rotation.
Ask the receptionist for details of when this service is available at Woodlands.
Sundays & Bank Holidays are also available on request at a local Hub.

Consulting Hours
Morning surgeries usually run between 8.20am – 11.30am
There is a selection of afternoon surgeries between the hours of 2pm – 6pm
Not all doctors consult at every surgery and the hours may vary at times.

Please note: All Mansfield and Ashfield practices are closed every fourth Wednesday of the month from 12.00 noon for Practice education. Patients are advised that in the event of a genuine medical emergency that will not wait until the surgery re-opens, they should call the 111 service. In life threatening situations, dial 999.

Home Visits
Home visits are for housebound patients – this usually means the elderly. Please telephone before 10.30am whenever possible. Remember that the doctors are able to see three or four patients in the surgery in the time an average visit takes. Please help us by coming to the surgery whenever possible. Some visits may be carried out by the local Acute Home Visiting Service who work on behalf of the practice.

Out Of Hours
Nottingham Emergency Medical Services (NEMS) are responsible for out of hours care for our practice patients. This service is based at Primary Care 24 (PC24) next to the Accident and Emergency Department at Kings Mill Hospital. If you need medical attention out of hours, telephone the 111 service (free to land lines and mobiles). The call will be logged and dealt with by either a nurse or duty doctor who will decide how best to deal with the problem. Please remember that not every contact with 111 requires a home visit. You may be given advice or asked to attend PC24, a local walk-in centre, A&E or the surgery the next day.

Accident and Emergency/999
Accident and emergency departments are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and can assess serious injuries and provide emergency treatment. Please use this service appropriately.
Only dial 999 or visit A&E if you require emergency treatment for a potentially life-threatening condition such as:
Loss of consciousness, Severe chest pain, Severe breathing difficulty, Heavy bleeding, Fitting/convulsions, Severe allergic reactions, Any symptoms of a stroke.
Contact the surgery for any other medical emergencies that occur within opening hours.

Appointment System

Same Day GP Appointments
We operate a same-day appointment system for doctors. Patients can access appointments from 8.30am each day. Appointments are offered on a first-come, first-served basis until all have been allocated. Whether your concern is urgent or routine, same-day appointments are available for all types of issues. Patients who contact us earlier in the day will have more choice of both GP and appointment time.

Please note, as some of our doctors work part-time, their availability may be limited. This means that under the same-day system, you may not always be able to see your preferred doctor.

Nurse Appointments
Appointments with the nursing team must be pre-booked due to the varying skill sets within the team. Not all nurses are trained to perform all tasks. When booking with a nurse, you will be asked the reason for your visit so that you are scheduled with a clinician who has the appropriate expertise.

PCN Staff
We work collaboratively with neighbouring practices in the Ashfield North Primary Care Network. This means you may be referred to other professionals such as First Contact Physiotherapists, Pharmacists, Social Prescribers, or Mental Health Workers. Our reception team may signpost you to these services where appropriate, based on your needs.

Pre-bookable GP appointments
Alongside same-day appointments, we offer a limited number of pre-bookable appointments. These are mainly used by GPs for follow-ups or for patients who need to schedule around work or other commitments.

Extended Access

Early Morning Clinics
We offer two early morning surgeries per week, starting from 7.00am, which are strictly for pre-booked, routine appointments. GP appointments during these clinics are available to book one week in advance, while nurse appointments can be booked further ahead, depending on availability and skill mix. Please note that not all services may be available during early hours.

Evening, Weekend and Holiday Clinics
To improve access, we work with other PCN practices to provide evening and Saturday routine appointments. You can also be booked into a Sunday or Bank Holiday clinic at a designated practice in the Mansfield & Ashfield area. Contact reception for current availability and details on when services are offered at Woodlands.

Important Information

Please ensure that a separate appointment is made for each person who needs to be seen. If you are unable to attend any appointment, please cancel as soon as possible so it can be offered to someone else. Unfortunately, repeated failure to attend appointments without cancelling is not acceptable, especially given the high demand. The practice operates an active policy and may consider removing patients who frequently misuse the appointment system in this way.

Telephone consultations

Some problems can be sorted out on the telephone. If you think your health issue can be dealt with in a phone call, please ring the appointments line as usual and ask the receptionist to arrange this. Your details will be added to the appointment list. As for all appointments, the receptionist will take a few details from you to pass to the doctor who will then telephone you on an agreed telephone number. Unfortunately, due to the evolving pressures of the working day, we are unable to commit to a specific time for the GP to return your call.

Online consultations and queries

Should you have a ROUTINE administrative or medical enquiry for your doctor, we may be able to manage this through the online consultation service, accessible through the practice website or the NHS App. Dependent on your enquiry this may be dealt with administratively e.g. a request for an extension to a Fit for Work note, medication query etc. or further contact with a GP. You can also contact the practice directly with your query and the reception team can take details for the GP. In both cases you will be asked to allow 48 hours for your request to be processed. This activity will be recorded in the medical record as for all other consultations.

Teaching and Training

We are involved in training GP Registrars (GPR) completing their specialist GP training and Foundation Year 2 (F2) doctors who may be considering general practice as the career they wish to pursue within medicine. Both will be gaining valuable experience by being based at our practice. From time to time we also have student nurses and midwives with us. This is an essential part of their training. Patients will always be informed if the doctor or nurse has a student with them. If you would prefer not to have a student present during your consultation this will be arranged.

Patient Confidentiality

We respect your right to privacy and keep all your health information confidential and secure. It is important that the NHS keeps accurate and up to date records about your health and treatment so that those treating you can give you the best possible advice and care. This information is only available to those involved in your care. You have a right to know what information we hold about you and you can access this by making an application in writing to the practice, in line with the Data Protection Act 1998 and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) 2018. Leaflets are available within the practice to let you know what we do with your data and your data protection rights. Details of data sharing, and a full copy of our Privacy Notice can be found on the practice website, or a copy can be provided on request from reception.

Zero Tolerance

We aim to treat our patients courteously at all times and expect our patients to treat our staff in a similarly respectful way. We take seriously any threatening, abusive language or violent behaviour against any of our staff or patients. If a patient is violent or in any way abusive (including racial abuse), they will be advised that this is unacceptable behaviour. If this happens, we will exercise our right to take action to have them removed, immediately if necessary, from our list of patients.

Messaging

This service enables the practice to contact patients by SMS message if we have an up-to-date mobile number. The system automatically sends out appointment reminders but if the practice wishes to send individual SMS texts, we must first have the patient consent to use this method of communication. This is an extra layer of security in case clinical information is included in the message. We currently use MJOG, AccuRx and the NHS App (see below) messaging services.

Online Services and the NHS App

You can now manage parts of your healthcare online, such as requesting repeat prescriptions and viewing your medical record. You can still call or visit the surgery if you prefer – it’s completely up to you. Having access to your record online can help you manage your health and is especially useful if you need treatment while you’re away, such as on holiday. Patients have the choice to access the NHS App and SystmOnline.

The NHS app is the official public facing app to access existing patient online services such as ordering medication or accessing your medical records. There is also a symptom checker, and the ability to set organ donation and Data Opt Out preferences within the App. Future plans include access to a localised Nottinghamshire wide public app providing online services such as e-consultations, access to care plans, signposting, social prescribing, hospital information and more.

How to Access Online Services

NHS App
Simply download the NHS App on your smartphone or go to https://www.nhsapp.service.nhs.uk/login on any device with access to the internet. Use your own email address to log in or create an account and use photo ID to verify yourself. If you have any difficulties with this, contact the practice to request support from a member of our team.

SystmOnline
To sign up for online services on SystmOnline, you will need to complete an application form from reception. This is one form per patient and photographic identification will need to be provided and verified for security and to maintain patient confidentiality. A leaflet is available in reception. Once complete, we will provide you with your log in details.

The practice has the right to remove online access services from anyone that doesn’t use them responsibly.

Repeat Prescriptions

Our repeat prescribing system is computerised. You may order your prescription by post, via the NHS App, online, or drop your request into the collection box in the surgery. However, some of the local chemists have offered a further alternative. Instead of contacting the surgery, you may drop your prescription request into your preferred chemist, who will then place the order on your behalf with the surgery. Your medication will then be ready for collection a week later. Please allow your chemist at least one week’s notice to provide this service. The chemist may on occasion find it necessary to refer you back to the surgery if there are any queries about your medication.

Routine prescriptions will take 48 hours to process (please allow 72 hours if ordering online) and can be collected from the surgery or sent electronically to a pharmacy of your choice. This process is called the Electronic Prescription Service (EPS) and patients will have to register with their preferred pharmacy in order to activate EPS. Once your prescription has been ordered, checked and authorised by the doctor, it will be managed electronically in the practice and transmitted to the pharmacy you have nominated for you to collect your medication directly from them.

From time to time you will be asked to see your doctor for a check-up before your prescription can be given.

Test Results

All patients’ records are confidential. In order to maintain this confidentiality, laboratory and x-ray results will only be discussed with the patients themselves (or parents of minors if appropriate) when satisfactory identification has been established by the receptionist/nurse. However, as our reception staff are not medically qualified to interpret results, they will only be able to tell you whether or not the results are back from the laboratory and whether or not the doctor has asked to see you again regarding them.

If you wish for further clarification on your test results please advise the receptionist who will alert a relevant member of the clinical team to contact you.

You may also be able to view your test results on the NHS App. Please note you may see results that you do not understand.

Please note: You may also be able to view your test results via the NHS App. Some results may appear before a doctor has reviewed them, and may contain medical terms that are unfamiliar or seem concerning. This does not necessarily mean there is a problem. A member of the clinical team will be in touch if any follow-up is needed, so there is no need to contact the surgery unless you’ve been advised to do so.

Specialist and hospital care

If a GP or another member of our health care team believes you need hospital treatment or specialist care elsewhere, they are able to refer you on to these services. You have the right to choose where you are treated and your GP or a nominated member of staff will talk to you about Choice when the referral needs to be made and they will be able to arrange an appointment for you.

Disabled Access

All consulting rooms and one toilet are on the ground floor and are accessible to wheelchairs.

Non NHS Work

The doctors are happy to undertake, by appointment, medical examinations and reports for insurance companies, solicitors, driving, sports etc. A charge will be made for this work in line with BMA recommended scales. Please check the charge before booking your appointment or handing in your forms and payment must be made in advance. As this is private work we cannot guarantee completion of all requests if the GP feels it inappropriate or if demand on our NHS services does not allow.

Certificates / Letters
Private sicknote
Driving licence / photo (patient must have been known to GP for 2 years)
Private prescription for drugs not needed immediately by patients travelling abroad
Freedom from infection certificate
Vaccination certificate
Holiday cancellation certificate
Fitness to travel certificate
Fitness to travel-extract from records/medical
Fitness to fly – pregnancy
Fitness to exercise
Fit to attend school-show certificate
Fit to attend school-exam and report
Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) per form
To Whom It May Concern letters
Reports
Sickness/accident short certificate without examination
Private health insurance claim form (e.g. BUPA/PPP)
Sickness/accident benefit claim form (extract from records)
Childminder/OFSTED Health Declaration form
Employers/solicitors report and opinion (with/without examination)
Court of Protection Report
Medical Examinations
Pre-employment medicals with report
LGV, PCV, taxi driver examination with/without full medical
Elderly driver fitness certificate with/without full medical
Racing driver fitness certificate with/without full medical
Sports medical with report
Seatbelt exemption certificate with/without full medical
DVLA medical (over 75)
DVLA medicals
Adoption/fostering medical

Special Services and Clinics

Maternity
We offer a full maternity service, and the clinics are run by the community midwife either in the practice or at The Summer House Sure Start Clinic on Clare Road. The midwife will arrange this directly with you if appropriate.

Ante-natal clinic
First appointment – Tuesday afternoon, follow on appointments – Wednesday mornings.

Baby Clinic
Baby clinics are no longer held at the practice, however, childhood vaccination clinics are held on Monday afternoons between 2.00 and 3.30pm. All Ashfield Health Visitor services are now available at the Summer House Sure Start Building, Clare Road, Sutton in Ashfield, and can be contacted on 01623 441426.

Child Health Development
All children are offered developmental checks. These are planned by the health visitor, who will arrange the appointments for you.

Cytology Clinic
We recommend that all women should have regular three yearly checks. A call and recall system is operated by Derby Hospitals on behalf of Nottinghamshire practices, who will send a letter to remind you when your check is due. Our practice nurses offer individual appointments.

Family Planning
All doctors provide contraceptive services. Our nurses are fully trained and offer individual family planning appointments. In addition, Dr Das runs a family planning session where she provides specialist services for coil fittings and contraceptive implants.

Termination of Pregnancy
The GPs in the practice are able to provide contact details for the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS), which is a self-referral service for patients.

Health Promotion
Health promotion and screening of lifestyle activities are performed by our practice nurses and doctors. The areas covered include: smoking advice, diet, exercise, alcohol, blood pressure screening, well person checks and travel advice. Appointments can be made at reception for these clinics without being referred by the doctors. We also have disease management clinics such as asthma and diabetes, which are run jointly by the doctors and nurses.

Minor Surgery
Minor operations and joint injections are performed by some of the doctors who will advise you if your condition is suitable for treatment. Minor op sessions are by appointment only, following initial assessment by the GP.

Immunisations
Children:
The doctors all feel that it is essential to protect children by making sure that they have the full programme of immunisations. We have a computerised call up system and most children will receive an automatic appointment at the right time. If you feel that your child is overdue for an injection, please contact the surgery.
Adults:
All vaccinations necessary for travel to other countries, (with the exception of yellow fever) are given by our nurses. These are done by appointment on completion of a travel questionnaire. The nursing team will check what vaccinations are required by viewing your previous records. Please allow plenty of notice for appointments for travel vaccinations, as these types of vaccinations take at least 2 weeks to become effective and may require more than one dose. Whilst the idea of a fantastic last minute bargain on the internet or the travel agent sounds great, please remember that we do not have last minute appointments for travel vaccinations. Ideally you should attend the surgery at least 8 weeks before departure. Even for non-travellers it is important to keep up to date with tetanus and polio vaccinations. If you are not sure whether you are currently protected, please contact our nurses who will be happy to advise you.

Patient Suggestions, Compliments and Complaints

As we stated at the beginning of our booklet, we aim to provide a high quality service. We are, therefore, very interested in hearing any constructive comments you have to make. We shall, from time to time, seek your help by asking you to complete questionnaires in order to compare our levels of performance.

The practice has an in-house complaints procedure, and we always welcome the opportunity to deal with any part of our service that is causing you concern. Please complete a complaints form, available from reception. Your complaint will be investigated quickly, and you will be advised of the findings. However, should you wish to raise your concerns informally please contact the surgery to discuss this.

We also value positive feedback and are always pleased to hear when you are happy with the care or service you have received. Compliments help us recognise what we are doing well and encourage our team – so please feel free to share your good experiences with us.

Woodlands Patient Voice

Whilst we consider all Woodlands patients as members of our practice patient participation group, there are a number of patients who have committed to meeting regularly as our “core group”, Woodlands Patients Voice (WPV).

The group has been established since February 2012 and works alongside the practice to look at developing and improving services for patients and support the practice in specific projects, for example, devising and analysing patient satisfaction questionnaires and supporting our annual flu & covid clinics.

All patients are welcome to join WPV which is widely advertised within the practice on notice boards, on the website and NHS Choices website. The group can be contacted via Woodlandspatientsvoice@hotmail.com or enquire at reception.

SELF TREATMENT OF COMMON ILLNESS AND ACCIDENTS

Many common aches and pains can be simply treated at home without the need to consult a doctor. Self-care is the best choice for very minor illnesses, ailments and injuries which can all be treated from a well stocked medicine cabinet. You can find more information on NHS Choices www.nhs.uk, a dedicated website with expert advice on a range of illnesses.

Pharmacy

Patients can seek advice at any local pharmacy about common illnesses, such as coughs/ colds, sore throats, aches and pains, cystitis, insect bites, skin rashes and over the counter remedies. These services are provided under the Pharmacy First scheme. Pharmacists are trained to assess and treat your symptoms and they will tell you if you need to see a GP.

Colds

There is still no quick fix for the common cold. Make sure to rest and drink plenty of fluids. If you have a headache or are feverish, take aspirin or paracetamol. Consider gargling salt water or drinking warm water with lemon and honey for a sore throat. Do not take any antibiotics you may have in the house – these will have no effect! Remember, good hand hygiene to prevent spread of the cold to others.

Sprains & Strains

A sprain or strain is a common injury causing pain and swelling in a joint. It is best treated with R.I.C.E (Rest, Ice, Compress and Elevate). Firstly, apply a cold compress (containing ice if possible) for 15 to 30 minutes to reduce the swelling.Apply, firmly, a crepe bandage to compress and give the sprain plenty of rest until all discomfort has subsided. Elevate the joint to help relieve swelling. Further strain will inevitably lead to further swelling and a longer recovery period.

Back Pain

Lower back pain is common and causes 13 million working days to be lost in Britain each year. The spine, being made up of 24 fragile bones and associated tendons, supports the whole weight of the upper body and, therefore, it is understandable that it sometimes goes wrong. Because of the complex nature of the spine, it is advisable to consult your doctor if back pain persists for more than a few days. If, as is usual, the pain has been caused by strain e.g. lifting a heavy weight, be sensible and take things easy. Take care to sit as upright as possible with a support for the small of the back. Continue to move gently to prevent the muscles seizing up. Take simple painkillers e.g paracetamol, which will not only relieve the pain, but can help to relieve inflammation. You can use warmth, such as heat packs, to help relieve pain – be careful to wrap heat packs in towels to ensure you don’t burn yourself, and do not to use them for more than 20 minutes.

Bed Sores

Bed sores are far easier to prevent than cure. They are caused by prolonged pressure to certain parts of the body when lying in bed for long periods. They can be prevented by encouraging and assisting the patient to shift position as often as possible and taking care to smooth out creases in the bottom sheet, which could lead to localised irritation. Keep your eye open for red marks appearing at the pressure points such as elbows, buttocks and hips, if they begin to appear, inform the doctor before they get worse.

Head Lice

These creatures, contrary to popular belief, prefer clean hair and are, therefore, not a sign of poor personal hygiene. Medicated head lotion can be obtained from the chemist without prescription.

Burns

Apply large quantities of cold water to the affected area as soon as possible and maintain this until the pain subsides. This may take as long as 15 minutes! If the skin is unbroken but blistered, apply a loose, dry dressing.

If the burn is larger than four or five inches in diameter or if the skin is broken, consult your doctor as soon as possible.

However, the GPs would always prefer to see a child with a burn or scald as soon as possible.

Minor Cuts and Grazes

Wash the wound thoroughly with water and a little soap. To stop bleeding apply a clean handkerchief or dressing firmly to the wound for about five minutes and elevate the wound if possible. Cover with a clean dry dressing.

Sunburn

Prevent this by sticking to shaded areas, covering up with hats and loose-fitting clothing as well as using sunscreen regularly and topping up after every time you get wet (e.g after a swim). Treat as for other burns with cold water to remove the heat. Calamine lotion/ After-sun can be purchased in any pharmacy and will relieve the irritation whilst paracetamol will also help. Children are particularly susceptible to sunburn and great care should be taken to avoid over-exposure to the harmful effects of the sun.

Insect Bites and Stings

Antihistamine tablets can be obtained from the chemist without prescription and will usually relieve most symptoms. Note: bee sting should be scraped away rather than “plucked” in order to avoid squeezing the contents of the venom sac into the wound.

Chickenpox

On the first day rash appears as small red patches about 3 – 4mm across. Within a few hours of these developing, small blisters appear in the centre of these patches. During the next three or four days, further patches will appear and the earlier ones will turn ‘crusty’ and fall off. Oily calamine lotion may be applied to soothe the often severe itching. Cool baths may also help. The most infectious period is from two to three days before the rash appears, and up to five days after this date. Children may return to school as soon as the last ‘crusts’ have dropped off.

German Measles (Rubella)

The rash appears during the first day and usually covers the body, arms and legs in small pink patches about 2-4mm and doesn’t itch. No other symptoms are usually present apart from occasional aching joints. It is infectious from two days before the rash appears, until the rash disappears in about four or five days from that date. The only danger is to unborn babies and, therefore, it is important that all contacts are informed so that anyone who may be pregnant can contact their doctor

Mumps

Symptoms are swelling of the glands in front of one ear often followed, after a couple of days, by swelling in front of the other ear. It is infectious from two or three days before the swelling appears until eight or ten days after that date. If the pain is severe you should consult your doctor.

Medicine Safety

• Keep your medicines in a secure place out of reach of small children
• Always read the instructions and use the suggested dose
• Watch expiry dates – don’t keep or use medicines past their sell by date
• Take all unwanted and out of date medicines back to the pharmacy
• Never use medication prescribed for someone else

Your local pharmacist will be able to give you free health advice at any time.

NHS UK Website

General information about all medical practices is available on the NHS UK website at www.nhs.uk

Register with us

The easiest way to register is to register online. You will also be able to check if you are in our catchment area.

All information contained within this booklet is correct at the time publishing. However, as the practice is constantly evolving and committed to making improvements to our services, please be aware from time to time additional flyers may be inserted into the booklet or further information be available within notices/posters within the waiting area.