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September Public Holiday
The practice will be closed from 6pm on Friday 17th of September
until 8am on Tuesday the 21st of September. NHS24 will provide
cover for emergency problems during this period.
For help phone 08454 242424. For
more details visit the NHS24
website.
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Sick
note to fit note – helping people stay in work
On the 6 April 2010 the sick note will change and become the
fit note.
Evidence shows that work is generally good for your health
and that often going back to work can actually aid a person’s
recovery. On the other hand, staying off work can lead to
long-term absence and job loss with the risk of isolation, loss
of confidence, mental health issues, de-skilling and social
exclusion.
The new fit note can help. Doctors will be able to advise
people who are on sick leave for over 7 days on whether, with
extra support from their employer, they could return to work
earlier.
More about the fit note
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Farewell to Lesley
Lesley Hunt has been a core member of the Health Visitor Team at
Howden since 2004. At
at the end of March she is leaving us to work in a senior
position in child protection elsewhere in Lothian.
We wish her all the best for the future in her new post, but
will be sad to see her leave!
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New Open Access Surgery
Want to avoid the 8.30am rush on the phone? Don't mind just
turning up and waiting to be seen?
This new initiative has been
running since November 2009, and has proven to be a welcome
addition to our existing wide range of pre-booked appointments.
There is an open access surgeryfrom 9.30am to 11am,
Monday to Friday. It is
staffed by 2 GPs, and deals with up to 24 people who attend
without a prearranged appointment.
To
access this service, all you need to do is report to reception
between 9.30am and 11am, and have your name added to the open
access surgery list. You cannot phone in advance for this
surgery. You will be asked to wait in a specified area, and your
name will be called when it is your turn. We will tell you
if the surgery is already filled to capacity, and if so please
speak to the receptionists about the alternative appointments we
offer. We continue to have a duty doctor every afternoon
if your problem is urgent.
As it will be a first-come
first-served system,
we ask you to be prepared to wait your turn. Also, please
do not ask the GPs to deal with multiple problems in this
surgery, as time is limited, and others will be waiting their
turn too.
We plan to review this service after a few
months to measure how effective it has been in improving access.
We are hoping it will reduce pressure on our phone system for
those who want to book an appointment.
Our usual system of booked appointments will remain unchanged,
which continues to include a mixture of same-day and routine
appointments.
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Extended Opening Hours
Monday 8am to 6pm Tuesday 8am to 8pm Wed/Thurs 8am to 6pm
Friday 7am to 6pm
Over the past 12 months Howden has been providing additional
appointments with GPs in the early mornings and evenings on
certain days in the week. This new service was designed to
meet the needs of patients who find it difficult to arrange an
appointment during the daytime due to work commitmments.
We plan to continue this extended service for the year coming.
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