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HERSTMONCEUX INTEGRATIVE

HEALTH CENTRE (HIHC)

Newsletter No. 7 Summer 2020

“You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them. Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud.” By Maya Angelou, Letter to My Daughter (2008).

This quote sums up how I feel about the events we are living through. I may not be a rainbow, but I am part of a team that tries hard to help people to improve their wellbeing.

We are going through an unprecedented time of rapid change and uncertainty. The Covid-19 virus has caused fear, anxiety and uncertainty in patients and in the medical teams trying to look after them. You, our patients, have adapted to the changes and used our resources thoughtfully while being aware of the massive pressure on the NHS at present. We are very grateful to our team for their help and support.

From the beginning our team at Herstmonceux Integrative Health Centre has worked hard to continue to provide an excellent service to our patients while protecting the safety of all our patients and staff. We were told by NHS England to change to remote consultations, so we have adapted to mostly telephone or video consultations, with face-to-face consultations only when there is no suitable alternative. We wear our scrubs and use personal protective equipment (PPE) to protect both patients and staff. There have been many challenges to install, learn how to use, and become more comfortable with new technology such as video calls. I cheered when my first video call connected successfully!

I have enjoyed seeing more people out walking, running and cycling during the lockdown. I hope

that many of you will continue with this daily exercise with proven benefits to health and wellbeing. You may have been on the receiving end of my “You will feel better with ten minutes’ walk every day.” advice in the past!

We are already thinking about what our service will look like when the lockdown starts to lift. It seems to us that some patients like our telephone and video consultations and that they might find these fit in better with busy lives than face-to-face appointments for some things. We will try to find a balance that enables timely access for all while excluding no-one. It will of course take some time for any changes to settle in and be fine-tuned, so please bear with us when we are able to start the new schedules.

Please remember that we are still here to support you and look after your wellbeing. Please do not ignore any serious symptoms you have; phone to book a telephone consultation or use the online consultation link on our website and we will give you advice and see you if necessary.

Keep safe, continue social distancing, and do your best to keep mentally and physically well.

Best wishes to you all, Dr Katy Dodge

A rainbow over the surgery.

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CANCELLING APPOINTMENTS BY TEXT

With regard to appointment reminders sent by text from the Surgery, when and if you send CANCEL, could you please avoid adding any other text as we do not currently check SMS messages. The same applies to campaign messages, i.e. for flu clinics and Covid support.

APPOINTMENTS - WHAT WILL THE NEW ‘NORMAL’ LOOK LIKE?

As part of the COVID-19 plans, general practices had to put triage measures in place to reduce infection risk for patients and staff. One of those measures was to remove the option of booking appointments on-line to ensure we were able to triage all patients appropriately.

Telephone and video consultations are making up the highest percentage of consultations currently, with face to face appointments being offered by the clinicians where clinically required and there is no risk to patient or staff.

We are constantly reviewing capacity and demand, and discussing how schedules will look in the weeks and months to come. We will be looking to revert to a type of ‘normal’ as soon as guidance allows and we can ensure the safety of everyone.

As soon as we have any news on opening on-line appointments etc. we will inform patients via the website, emails, text messages etc. Please continue to phone in the first instance so that we can direct you to the most appropriate clinician.

ENGAGE - On-Line Consultations with our GPs

To be able to have an on-line consultation with one of our GPs, you need to first register with ENGAGE, which is part of the NHS Online Service, through the following link. https://wsp.psf- live.co.uk/#/login You can use this option to send in prescription enquiries, administration queries

and any clinical queries that you would like an answer to.

If you submit your query before 11.00 am Mon – Friday you will receive a response from the team that day.

https://wsp.psf-live.co.uk/#/login

AccuRx - Video Consultations with our GPs

AccuRx is integrated within EMIS, our clinical system; it enables our clinical team to send a link to the patient for them to click onto and have a live video consultation via their SMART Phone, tablet, iPad, (but not a computer or laptop). Video consultations can be requested through reception.

LIVI - SEE A LIVI GP BY VIDEO

This service is available at weekends and evenings. During the Covid 19 crisis, the opening hours of this service have been extended to:

Monday to Friday: 9am – 10pm Saturday & Sunday: 8am – 4pm

LIVI is free to use and HIHC is a participating practice which means that your electronic medical records will be available for LIVI’s GPs. https://www.livi.co.uk/

Like your usual GP, LIVI GPs offer medical advice, prescriptions and referrals for a wide range of medical problems. You can usually see a GP in less than 30 minutes, or you can book ahead.

The key things to be aware of are:

 This facility is only available via an app on your mobile phone, tablet or iPad (not via a personal computer or laptop)

 You will need to take a photo of yourself when first registering for the service

 You will need to scan in either a passport photo or driving licence photo when registering

 LIVI is not available for children under 2

 This service is not delivered by your usual GPs

https://wsp.psf-live.co.uk/#/login https://wsp.psf-live.co.uk/#/login https://wsp.psf-live.co.uk/#/login https://www.livi.co.uk/

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BEREAVEMENT SUPPORT FROM

ST. WILFRID’S HOSPICE

 In response to the Covid-19 crisis, St

Wilfrid’s Hospice is temporarily extending

adult bereavement support to the whole

community, beyond those directly linked

to the hospice.

 They recognise that this crisis affects all

bereaved, whether their loved one died

due to the virus, whether people have

been unable to visit their loved one or

whether grief feels particularly hard in

these times where many of us are

distanced and isolated.

 As far as they are able they will extend

their bereavement support to all recently

bereaved in our catchment area.

 People can self refer via their website

https://www.stwhospice.org/Pages/Categ

ory/bereavement

 or ring 01323 434251 to ask for a call back

regarding bereavement support. Their

administrator will take basic details from

you and then ask someone from their

support team to be in touch.

 The link for professional referrals is here

https://www.stwhospice.org/referral-

form-and-criteria

 The Seahorse Project continues to accept

referrals for bereaved children.

https://www.stwhospice.org/1-to-1-

bereavement-support

FRIENDS AND FAMILY SURVEY

TEXTS

Thank you to everyone, as ever, for their friends

and family comments which in the main are

excellent and give the team a real boost.

There are a couple of comments made by patients

that we would like to respond to:

 For patients having trouble getting through on

the phone at 8.30am the surgery now has an

online consultation option to enable written

queries, requests, information etc. to be sent

to the surgery for responding to that day. To

access this service please click on the “Online

Consultations” link on the website. (See ENGAGE information page 2.)

 One person commented “Please stop sending

me text surveys about your service which, by

the way, is fine”

This refers to the Friends and Family Survey

text (FFT) sent to patients after they attend an

appointment. NHS England manage this

survey and as such the repetition of texts is out

of our hands; however NHSE have reduced the

number of times they send a FFT request. The

text can just be ignored if the patient wishes.

CAULIFLOWER

This photogenic vegetable goes from strength

to strength, thanks to a slew of vitamins and

minerals, as well as plant nutrients.

Native to the north-eastern Mediterranean,

cauliflower is a good source of Vitamin C.

It also contains manganese and a wealth of

sulphur-containing compounds, which help

support the body’s cardiovascular, digestive,

immune, inflammatory and detox systems.

Source: Lif