Wembley Fever (the right kind of course)

I wonder how quiet our A&E departments will be this weekend.. very I hope.

With 32,000 people with tickets going to Wembley and who knows how many just going for a trip to London I do think this will have an impact.

Then there is the Monday morning feeling...  just to say if you go on the sick you will need to self certify. I’m not saying this will happen but I am preparing you for the answer!

There’s a lot to be said for the feel good factor.  Those niggles that usually gets us down have gone for the time being.  The sore throat and cold (man flu) is soon cured with two paracetamols. 

Take my son for example, “Mam I have the flu”...( strange that your still walking around)  “What should I do”.  My answer take two paracetamols.. and don’t go to the match at the weekend.  I can guarantee there will not be a sniffle in sight. 

When I was little my grandma was the one who taught us how to look after ourselves.  You only ever went to the Doctors if grandma could not make you better.  You would never ever dare go to A&E.  Ambulances only were allowed to go there with very poorly people (or that is what I thought).   Today I’m still not sure why people still go to A&E when it’s not an Accident or an Emergency!  

 

And on that note all I have left to say to those of you travelling to London, stay safe, dont drink and drive. Have a lovely time and take a packet of paracetamols with you ! Oh yes, bring back the cup! 

The Voice

Your Voice

Everywhere we turn everyone is looking seeking opinions and the voice of the patient.

Ourselves we have consulted with the patient group and will be gathering information on our services and then feeding back (as we all should do).

But looking to the wider group how do we collect information, how do we know it’s a good cross section of people and the right questions are being asked. 

This week on twitter I have come across patient experience matters time and again but I ask ‘what matters’   what matters to me may not be what matters to Joanne.  I can attend meetings to voice my opinion at any time, Joanne can’t. Joanne cant drive so in itself can be an obstacle.  Yet Joanne has an opinion as we all know !

So how do we communicate effectively?  Now if we were talking football, especially this weekend with the Derby I dare say easily over 100,000 would have an opinion.  Maybe that’s the answer, relate health to local sport !!! Or if we wish to target ‘the young ones’ why don’t we just gatecrash an event (before they get too excited). Just a thought.

As a CCG (Clinical Commissioning Group) we are looking at lots of methods of how we communicate with the people of Sunderland. I can confirm that patients and public are invited to an engagement event on

Tuesday 25^th February 2014, 10.15am – 2.00pm

The Quayside Exchange

197 High St East, Sunderland, SR1 2AX

The workshop is being held to seek your views on how Sunderland CCG currently engages with patients and members of the public and to share information on new initiatives for engagement covering

·         The CCG engagement  model

·         Locality Patient Groups

·         Introduction to Sunderland Healthwatch

·         The new CCG website and ‘My NHS’

And guess what, you might see me there.

All in a days work

The world as we see it…

Saturday was match day so although I got a lift in I knew I had to find my own way home so booked a taxi.

“How come you working a Saturday” said the taxi driver

After explaining that all surgeries were a business and cheques had to be paid. Also it was the best time and quietest time to look at targets etc see how we are performing as well as many other things we do.One thing I did look at was how many patients had gone to A&E and walk-in centres that could have used another service, and how much had come out of the practice budget this week.   After all………..

‘A&E is for Accidents and Emergencies and not for Anything and Everything. ‘

After a nice chat about the work that we all do, he admitted himself he had no idea that’s what happens in a Doctors Surgery. He did believe that people came in got seen by someone and that was it.  He was surprised when I told him how much it cost every time someone went to the walk-in or A&E .  I’m sure it would be a topic of conversation when he gets home.

I think we all work in our own area’s without really giving that much thought to how others operate. Maybe if we did we might see things differently.

Now I’m going to try and be diplomatic here, like I say try…. Wouldn’t it be nice

when we switch on the news its not all doom and gloom, wouldn’t it be nice when something is not to our standard we stop just for a moment and wonder why or give the benefit of the doubt, wouldn’t it be nice if everyone made a conscious effort just to smile at the person we don’t know who normally we would not smile at…  it could make all the difference, Wouldn’t it be nice to think about our emergency services and ask our selves is this an emergency or an accident? Just a thought.

Another thought for the day… do you think that patients will stop going to A&E for sore throats etc when its renamed ED Emergency Department ?

Well back to the day job… and the lunch time weigh in.

If you have anything you would like to add to the blog please do get in touch.

Gloria

Dawn's Inspiration

Well the first week of the diet has gone really well for us all.  I was the biggest loser so

very happy, having said that it just goes to show how much rubbish I must have been eating. 

I had a boost from one of our patients Dawn who sent me this email (I do have her consent to publish this)

“Hi Gloria

Just want to wish you luck with the weight loss.

I know you don't have as much weight to lose but In the words of Max Bygraves 'I wanna tell you a story'.....

 In November last year I was despondent at being seriously obese.  I bought an exercise bike for my 50th birthday but Exercising made me breathless, gave me shin splints and pains in my chest.

Out of desperation I made an appointment with Dr Hubbard who advised me to go swimming at least three times a week and reduce my calories to 1500 a day.

I followed his instructions religiously and by the end of April I had lost sufficient weight to start exercising at the gym - hard work but it continues to pay off.  I am now over 5 stones lighter than when I started 13 months ago and boy can I feel the difference- I can honestly say it has not been difficult -my message to you is it can be done - all it takes is determination”

Thank you so much Dawn.

I have gone back to Dr Hubbard and asked for advice regarding the men… oh yes you don’t escape that easily.  Dr Hubbard said there are about 200 calories in a pint of lager/beer.  If you consider the daily calorie allowance for men this could mean that almost one extra’s days calories could be taken by those men who drink 10 pints a week.  So if you drink, by  reducing alcohol is a good way to start loosing weight.

Another weigh (that should be way) to change what we eat is by reading/watching some of the helpful tips that Change4Life are promoting.  Leaflets are in the surgery. 

Gloria

Join me in my New Years Resolution

What will your New Year Resolution be ?  Or do you not make one as you know it will be broken within the first week.  That has been me over the last few years but this year its going to be different.  This year I am going to stick to it.  I have 3 wedding to go to in 2014,  One being my friends daughters, one being my BFF and one being the most wonderful lad in the world ‘my son’. They have chosen to marry in a hot country so no covering up with a coat!   

I’ve come to terms now that he is not my property, that he has grown up and that he can share his love another. Now that I’ve accepted this I’m ready to look forward to his special big day and want to look and feel good myself.  I dare say all you mothers know exactly what I am writing about haha.

My resolution is I am going to lose weight and once the moon boot is off I’m going back to the gym to workout. It may sound easy to some of you out there but to me steak and leek suet puddings, take aways, biscuits and cheese and a glass of wine on a weekend is going to be hard to give up.

 I can’t cheat now as I have committed myself by telling you and worse than that I have told the nurses here at work.  Did you know our surgery can help you if you want to join me on this mission.  Once a month they are going to weigh me, give diet and life style advice.  If you’re a patients, why not join me and come along to our drop in session (free of charge). I promise to ban the magazines with super thin models !!

So come on you men and women out there set yourself a challenge and join me in  staying off the drink a;beit in moderation (at least for 1 month) and losing weight (over the next 12 months)

Just think how good we will be feeling come February. If you want to join me please leave at message at reception.

Happy New Year everyone

J

Denise Welch (Gurteen) making the draw

Merry Christmas from all at Westbourne Medical Group

It’s the 23^rd of December and everyone is buzzing for Christmas. The practice doors will be open until 6pm Christmas eve and re-open 27th at 8am (telephones 8.30am) 

The staff are having the lunch together which I must say does not happen very often.

A big thankyou to Denise Gurteen one of our patient group members who has been in selling raffle tickets for a local charity  ‘hug in a bag’ appeal.

The raffle has been drawn (by Denise) and the numbers are as follows.  The practice will telephone the lucky winners

The amount raised through the raffle. The Patient Group fund and by staff donating money in place of buying Christmas cards has come to a grand total of £270.00    

A big thankyou to everyone for supporting this fantastic local charity.

Wishing you all a merry Christmas and a new year full of love good health and lots of laughter

Raffle

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