Volume 14 Issue 29 PATIENT LINK F ORTHCOMING EVENTS: Tickets will shortly be on sale for the Christmas Raffle which will be drawn on Saturday 13th December 2014. Currently the charity needs helpers, Co-ordinators and Drivers to help steer them forward! For an informal chat, please leave your name and number on the Patient Link phone 788142 and our chairman will ring you. Patient Link offers a range of second hand books in the waiting room. A generous donation is requested! If you have current books in good condition that you could donate please hand them in at Reception. FLU e are encouraging adults and children at greater risk from the flu virus to get their free flu jab this winter. Flu is a highly contagious infection that anyone can catch and it can be really serious for some people. The flu vaccine changes every year to fight the latest strains of W NEWSLETTER flu, so even if you had a vaccination last winter you need another one this year. The vaccine does not contain a live virus so it cannot give you the flu. If you are in an at risk group book your appointment now. The ‘at risk groups’ include anyone who is over 65 years, has diabetes, asthma, chronic respiratory disease, liver or renal disease, chronic heart disease, impaired immunity, are pregnant, have a neurological condition, are a carer, in receipt of Carer’s Allowance, children aged 2, 3 and 4 years and residents in a Care or Nursing Home. We are also taking bookings at reception desk and over the telephone. So please ensure you book your flu jab as soon as possible. DATES FOR FLU CLINICS THIS YEAR SO FAR ARE –  Saturday 11th October am  Saturday 18th October am Reminder – reception desk will be closed on the Saturday mornings of flu clinics. Prescriptions are locked away when the reception desk is closed – we are therefore unable to September 2014 give out any prescriptions on these mornings. You are still able to leave prescriptions to be done – please place in the box on the left hand side as you enter the surgery. APPOINTMENTS AND SLIPS ARE AVAILABLE NOW. FLU VISITS – if you are too ill to leave your house please let the receptionist know and they will arrange for a nurse to visit you. WELCOME TO OUR NEW DOCTOR he team at Willow Green surgery would like to give a warm welcome to Dr Agnieszka Bojarowska-Mayhew who joins us in September as a Salaried GP. HELLO FROM DR BOJAROWSKA-MAYHEW I am delighted to be joining Willow Green surgery. I graduated from Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland. I worked in Psychiatry in London before choosing a career in general practice. I enjoy the challenges of modern family medicine and variety of problems I encounter in my practice. My special interests are family planning, forensic T medicine and aesthetic medicine. I am married to another local GP and have 3 young children. WELCOME TO OUR NEW NURSE LIZ LINDSELLLUSHER am delighted to join the practice and lead the team of dedicated nurses at Willow Green Surgery. I qualified as a Registered General Nurse in 1986 in London. I gained my Registered Sick Children’s Nurse Qualification in 1991. After several years as a Paediatric Sister in London and Surrey hospitals, I travelled to Hong Kong where I commenced working in General Practice. I loved the variety of work so much that on my return to the UK, I forged a career in General Practice Nursing. Since 2003, on returning to my birth place of Rustington, I have worked at a medical group in Littlehampton. I enjoy all aspects of practice nursing, gaining more qualifications over the years and keeping regularly updated to ensure I am competent and maintain high standard of care in all areas. I have been a qualified nurse prescriber since 2008. I am due to complete my dissertation project for the Advanced Nurse Practitioner MSc with University of Surrey at the end of November 2014 after four years of hard study! I look forward to using my advanced nursing knowledge and skills in complementing the medical and nursing team at Willow Green and improving access for patients with minor illness or injury. I enjoy cookery, caravanning and walking my I Jack/Springer rescue dog, Ben. ADVICE TO COPD SUFFERERS s autumn commences it is time for COPD sufferers to take an active role in managing their health. Ensure that you have adequate supplies of medication, including a standby course of antibiotics and oral corticosteroids, if appropriate. It is important to report any symptoms that increase in severity. Remember to keep your house warm, particularly the bedroom. Wrap up warm when you go outside wear warm layers, hats, scarves, cover your nose and mouth with a scarf. Try and keep physically active but also have times when you relax. Eat well, drink well and sleep well. Remember to have your seasonal flu injections and pneumonia vaccination if you have not already had it. Try and watch the weather forecast and avoid going out in the really cold, damp, windy weather. A GP PATIENT SURVEY he GP Patient Survey 2014 results are out and we are delighted to report that 94% of our patients surveyed had confidence and trust in the GP they saw or spoke to. 85% of our patients surveyed found our Receptionists very or fairly helpful. This was lower than last year so we will try harder! 90% of our patients surveyed found it very or fairly easy to get through on the telephone. T P PNEUMONIA neumonia vaccinations are now available for patients aged over 65 or in an at risk group. The at risk groups are broadly the same as those for flu except carers, pregnant ladies and children are not eligible. If you would like to know if you are eligible for this vaccine please enquire at Reception and if you are, book an appointment in one of our clinics or let the Receptionist know you wish to decline having this vaccination. ENCIRCLE he surgery will be closed from 12.30pm on the following days for Protect Training Sessions.  23rd September 2014  21st October 2014 We take the opportunity to close for protected time for GPs and staff to learn new skills and update their knowledge. T A POET AMONGST US! A patient kindly wrote the following: A surgery in East Preston, they call it Willow Green- if you are sick or poorly- by a doctor you’ll be seen. It was the other day, the waiting room quite full, not too many youngsters-it did seem rather dull. The patients, mostly my age(I’ll not give that away!)- but judging by the average- it should be Willow Grey! PRESCRIPTIONS o order your repeat prescriptions and find out more about the services we offer. Visit our website T www.willowgreensurgery.co. uk