Influenza Immunisation 2011-12

This year's influenza immunisation campaign is well underway. Further immunisation clinics are being run on Monday 7th and Monday 14th Novemeber from 4.30pm to 7.30pm. If you have not yet had your annual jab, please contact reception to make an appointment.
Immunisation is available for all people aged 65 or over and patients in 'at risk' groups. This includes ALL PREGNANT WOMEN and patients with heart disease, chronic lung disease (including asthma), diabetes and chronic kidney disease. It is also available for carers of patients in the at risk groups.

New Appointments System

Since Tuesday 24th May 2011 we have changed the way requests for ‘urgent’ or ‘on the day’ appointments are handled. This is to ensure that patients who feel they are unable to wait for a routine GP or nurse appointment are managed promptly and more efficiently

Patients requesting such appointments will be telephoned and spoken to by either the practice's doctor on call or a Practice Nurse. If appropriate, a same-day appointment will be offered for a face-to-face consultation. Patients coming to the surgery without an appointment may be asked to return home to await a telephone call from the doctor on call or a Practice Nurse, or can wait to see the duty Practice Nurse for assessment and triage

We hope this change will lead to shorter waiting times and a more effective and efficient service for patients who need urgent medical advice. We appreciate that this change may cause some inconvenience at first but we hope that you will be patient with us as we all get used to what we hope will be an overall improvement in our service to you.

Marie Curie Cancer Care is a UK charity dedicated to the care of people with terminal cancer and other illnesses. Over the financial year 2010/11, we reached a total of 31,799 patients

Youthhealthtalk enables young people, their family and friends, and professionals such as doctors and teachers to understand young people's experiences of health, illness and life in general. The website feature real-life accounts of issues such as effect on work and education, social life and relationships, consulting health professionals and treatment.

One in three of us will get cancer and it’s the toughest thing most of us will ever face. If you’ve been diagnosed with cancer, or a loved one has, you’ll want a team of people in your corner supporting you every step of the way. Macmillan provide practical, medical and financial support and push for better cancer care.

More than 1.3 million diabetes patients could be missing out on vital and potentially life-saving health checks, the BBC learns.

The world's largest chain of organ transplants ends in the US after 30 patients received kidneys from living donors.

Over two-thirds of people do not trust the government's handling of the NHS, a poll commissioned for BBC Radio 5 live suggests.

A girl left severely brain damaged by complications after her premature birth is awarded £7.3m.

Scientists report promising results for an experimental pancreatic cancer drug treatment.

A manager at Swindon's Great Western Hospital resigns prior to a 24-hour strike by support workers.

Women with breast implants which have been linked to a health scare are to meet Scotland's Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon.

David Cameron says there are "myths we need to bust" after Health Secretary Andrew Lansley is heckled by protesters before a meeting on NHS changes.

Failure to reform alcohol laws could lead to 210,000 preventable deaths in England and Wales in the next 20 years, doctors warn.

The mother of one of five children whose deaths are being investigated by a public inquiry broke down as details of her son's final hours were discussed.

The Met Office has forecast that in at least the next two to three days there is a 60% chance of temperatures in the North East and North West regions.

A measles outbreak has been declared on Merseyside. There are 13 confirmed and 16 suspected cases ranging in age from nine months to adults aged in their 20s. Six people, four children and two adults, required treatment in hospital. This compares to just one confirmed case on Merseyside in the first six weeks of 2011 and one in the corresponding period of 2010.

10 February 2012, 1400hrs. The Health Protection Agency (HPA) has this week been alerted by the Spanish public health authorities about a further case of Legionnaires’ Disease in a UK resident who stayed at the Diamante Beach Hotel in Calpe, Costa Blanca, as well as two French cases. This brings the total number of UK residents associated with this cluster to 12, with three deaths.

Scientists from the Health Protection Agency (HPA) are a step closer to ensuring the stability of a component of a vaccine that may one day be used to protect against Meningitis B. The research is published today (Tuesday) in Vaccine.

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) is aware of nine cases of Legionnaires’ disease in English holiday makers associated with the Diamante Beach Hotel in Calpe, Costa Blanca since January 2012, in addition to four Spanish cases so far reported. Subsequently two of the English patients are reported to have died from their illness.

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) is investigating an outbreak of a strain of Salmonella Newport infection among 30 people in England, Wales and Northern Ireland since the beginning of December 2011. Cases of illness caused by the same strain have been confirmed in Scotland, Ireland and Germany.

A new study to further extend the evidence base as to whether emissions from modern well run Municipal Waste Incinerators affect human health has been approved by the Health Protection Agency.

Hundreds of homes across West Oxfordshire have been found to have high levels of radioactive gas radon. Last summer, the Health Protection Agency invited about 9,000 householders across West Oxfordshire to apply for a free test for radon, a naturally occurring gas present in all homes.

Hundreds of householders across Orkney are being advised to act to protect their health, after HPA tests detected high levels of radioactive gas radon.

Thousands of households in a part of Cornwall with historic radon problems are being offered a free test for levels of the radioactive gas radon.