Home BP readings
When a clinician requests patients to supply home B.P. readings, please only do so for 7 days – twice a day – and return them in a timely way to the surgery.
Samples
Could these please be delivered to the surgery by 1030 in the morning on weekdays to allow time for processing before sending to the hospital with the courier. Please ensure you use a sterile container, which needs to be labelled or accompanied by a form – and that the top is safely secured – as this is not always the case!
Vaccinations
Flu vaccinations may still be given until the end of March to eligible patients. We will also be inviting those eligible to come to the surgery for shingles and RSV vaccinations over the next weeks. Both these diseases can be serious – RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) is highly contagious, can result in hospitalisation and can make any current condition, such as asthma, COPD and heart condition significantly worse. NHS England is also going to write to all patients in February about the advisability of having the RSV vaccination, so by the time you read this – you may also have received a letter from them!
We can also offer the HPV vaccine. This reduces a patient’s chances of getting human papillomavirus (HPV), a common virus that is spread through skin contact. Most types of HPV are harmless, but some types are linked to an increased risk of certain types of cancer including cervical, mouth, anal penile, vulval and vaginal cancers. HPV vaccination in England reduced cervical cancer rates by almost 90% in women in their 20s who were offered vaccine at age 12 to 13.
The vaccine is usually offered at school to boys and girls aged 12-13 – however all those who missed having the vaccine remain eligible up until the age of 25. We can currently vaccinate those in the catch-up programme which includes girls aged between 16-25 and boys born after 1 September 2006.
If you are unsure if you have had the vaccination or are aware you missed it at school and would like to book in, please contact the Surgery.
Good news that Boots in Shaftesbury and Salisbury now offer a recycling service for empty blister packs. Boots, Tisbury, is currently unable to take these packs.
On a final note, I shall be taking up the post of Clinical Director for the Sarum West PCN this month. In this role I shall be representing Tisbury and the other surgeries within the PCN (Hindon, Mere, Silton, The Orchard Partnership (Wilton, Codford, Fovant and Shrewton) and Courtyard Surgery, West Lavington) at regional level with our Integrated Care Board, Wiltshire Council etc., to continue to try to ensure that the health needs of all our patients are prioritised and hopefully improved in these currently very challenging times. I hasten to add I will ensure it will not affect the service I and my clinical colleagues endeavour to offer from the practice!
Dr. Adam Smith
