News

Veterans News letter

Changes to general practice

We wanted to write to you to let you know of some changes we are putting in place to ensure we can continue to deliver safe, accessible and sustainable general practice over the coming years.

Hay Fever Treatment starts at home

National guidance recommends that medicines prescribed for mild to moderate hay fever should not routinely be prescribed by your GP.

Your local pharmacy can provide advice and recommend suitable products that can be purchased over-the-counter to help relieve the symptoms of hay fever, as this will not be available on prescription.

Pharmacists are trained to give expert advice on self-care and can help you select appropriate products to manage hay fever symptoms.

You can also get advice from www.nhs.uk/conditions/hay-fever.

Research News

To mark International Clinical Trials Day taking place on Saturday 20th May, Knowle House Surgery is supporting the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) ‘Shape the Future’ campaign - calling on people to help shape the future by taking part in research that could one day help the NHS save lives.

Launched to coincide with the 75th anniversary of the NHS, the ‘Shape the Future’ campaign is calling on the public and patients to take part in research and sign up to clinical trials through its Be Part Of Research service, to help find the next breakthrough or innovation that will support the NHS to provide even better care.

This service makes it easy for people to find and take part in health and care research happening locally and nationally across the UK. It has introduced a new volunteer registry to make it even easier for everyone to be part of improving health treatments and care.

You can support the NIHR Shape the Future campaign by signing up to its Be Part of Research service online or via the NHS App. You will then receive information on studies that match your interests.

HRT Prepayment Certificate

You can get an HRT prescription prepayment certificate (HRT PPC) from the NHS if you’ve been prescribed an eligible hormone replacement therapy (HRT) medicine.

Podiatry Service update

Podiatry Services at Livewell Southwest (LSW) continues to face unprecedented demand for the service. As a result, the service has had to prioritise treatment for those with the greatest clinical need within the finite resources available to it.

Patients referred to the service with a routine need are experiencing an indefinite wait for an initial assessment, whilst those already on the caseload waiting for routine follow-up care have been limited to accessing treatment only for acute issues. This scenario is not unique to the Livewell’s Podiatry Services and reflects the nationally recognised problems of accessing NHS funded Podiatry care. However, the service continues to aim to assess and treat acute problems such as foot ulceration in a timely way.

The service has implemented changes in an effort to create adequate capacity to cope with demand which have only been partially successful and as such the following access changes are being formalised and implemented over the coming months. Their impact will be monitored including within a formal review after nine months with a view where possible to expanding what can be offered depending on the capacity it has and levels of demand.

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