February Update
Health Awareness Day Review
People braved the awful weather to attend a very interesting and helpful day about prediabetes and Type 2 diabetes.
Dr Ward and Dr Champion gave a excellent talk on what diabetes is and what happens in your body. This included a practical demonstration using a large number of coloured balls! I hope they re-create this for You Tube. Such a fun yet clear explanation. The second session explained about the impact of exercise and nutrition.
Several organisations also attended including Better Gym in Festival Place, Diabetes UK, the Red Cross Social Prescriber and the Podiatry Team who had lots of hints and tips on how to look after your feet.
The PPG provided refreshments including homemade savoury muffins and sugar free biscuits.
Look out for similar events locally.
News from the dispensary
The dispensary is working hard to prepare prescriptions on time and the turn around has improved greatly.
However, there are occasions when patients forget to submit their repeat prescription in time. This results in an emergency prescription having to be issued and that pushes back requests that were made in the appropriate time scale.
To help everyone concerned, please make a note of when you picked up your last medicine and write in a diary or calendar when the next requestion should be submitted.
A big Thank you to all the staff in the dispensary who work so hard to make sure patients receive what they need for a healthy life.
January News from Clift Surgery and the Patient Participation Group
Clift Surgery Dispensary and Online Pharmacies
Did you know that NHS rules mean Clift Surgery patients cannot use our dispensary for repeat prescriptions if they live within one mile of a local pharmacy, this is under review nationally but for now remains in place.
Local access to your repeat prescriptions remains available from the Clift dispensary and pharmacies.
Recently, we have noticed an increasing number of patients are being encouraged to sign up to and use nationwide wide online pharmacy services, such as those offering postal delivery services. If this option genuinely suits you, that’s absolutely fine. However, some patients have joined without realising. If you think this may have happened to you, please contact our dispensary team for advice.
When prescriptions are processed through an online pharmacy, our dispensing team still need to coordinate your prescriptions on your behalf. This creates extra work for the surgery, without any of the NHS funding that would normally support this time.
If you are eligible and collect your repeat prescriptions directly from our dispensary, the surgery receives the NHS payment, helping us continue to provide local services.
Remember, Clift Surgery also offers the Pharmabox, allowing eligible patients to collect prescriptions 24 hours a day over a three‑day window. This is especially helpful if you can’t visit during normal opening hours.
Using the dispensary means your queries can be answered quickly by a real person.
Where possible, please support the Clift Surgery Dispensary. In a semi‑rural community, we are fortunate to have this service.
It Takes a Team: Who You Might See at Your GP Practice
When you contact your GP surgery, you won’t always see a GP — and that’s a good thing.
Modern GP practices are made up of many different health professionals, all working together to help you get the right care as quickly as possible.
Why things work this way
Different health problems need different kinds of expertise.
By matching you with the best person for your needs, the practice can:
- Help you sooner
- Reduce waiting times
- Make sure you get specialist care straight away
It really does take a team.
Who might help you?
- GPs are experts in diagnosing and managing a wide range of health conditions. You’ll see a GP when you need their specific medical expertise.
- Nurses & Advanced Nurse Practitioners are skilled clinicians who can assess, diagnose, treat, and prescribe for many conditions.