Many of you may have seen the recent news regarding if you are happy for your data from your health records to be shared for research and planning. The deadline for this has now been changed to the 30th September and you can opt out online.

You can opt out using the following link, by using the NHS app and visiting your health.

For more information regarding this please visit:

https://www.nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters/manage-your-choice/

Calow Surgery will now be opening all day on a Thursday and Friday. There new opening hours are:

Monday - 08.00 - 12.30 CLOSED 14.00 - 18.00

Tuesday - 08.00 - 12.30 CLOSED 14.00 - 18.00

Wednesday - 08.00 - 12.30 CLOSED 14.00 - 18.00

Thursday - 08.00 - 12.30 CLOSED 14.00 - 18.00

Friday - 08.00 - 12.30 CLOSED 14.00 - 18.00

If you live further than a mile from a chemist you can pick your medication up from the dispensary. If you wish to enquire about this please phone the surgery and ask to speak to Donna the Dispensary Manager. Please note Calow closes for lunch every day from 12.30 - 2 and will be unable to answer the door.  

Our patient participation group has been suspended recently due to covid. We now feel its right that we start meeting again virtually.

Our next meeting will be done via Zoom on Wednesday 30th June at 4pm. Please fill out a form online or ring the practice and ask to speak to Sarah Smith Office Manager and we can get your details and confirm your attendance.

During the meeting we will ask for patient feedback on practice services whether this be positive or negative and will have a discussion regarding this. We will then update you on any recent practice news.

We look forwarding to welcoming back any previous members and hopefully some new members. We hope this will benefit the practice and patients.

From 17 May 2021, people in England who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 can demonstrate their vaccination status for international travel. A full course is currently two doses of any approved vaccine. Vaccine status will be available from: 

• the NHS App which you can download from app stores 
• the NHS website (from 17 May 2021)

It may take more than a week for your identity to be checked and verified so you can use these services.

If you cannot access these online services, and you have had two vaccines, you can request a paper letter from the NHS by calling 119. Only call 119 if you had your second dose more than five working days ago. It may take seven working days for the letter to arrive.

This practice is not able to provide you with a letter that shows your COVID-19 vaccination status.

When you're planning your travel, check the latest information on demonstrating your COVID-19 status when travelling abroad on the gov.uk website. Make sure there is time to get  proof of your vaccination status before you leave.

A message from Derby and Derbyshire Local Medical Committee.

You will have no doubt seen reports in the national press about changes to general practice appointments and access. Unfortunately these reports have misrepresented the current state of general practice and proposed changes and we, as the representative body of Derbyshire general practice, would like to clarify things. General practice in Derbyshire has been open throughout the pandemic; providing patient care whilst delivering the largest scale vaccination programme in history. Our teams have followed NHS England protocols; moving overnight to use virtual consultations and triage. They have safely opened up more services as national guidance and the intensity of the pandemic allowed. During the entire pandemic, clinicians have continued to see patients face-to-face when clinically needed; always making sure that infection control and social distancing measures were in place to protect patients and staff alike.

The latest GP appointment figures<https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/appointments-in-general-practice/march-2021> in England showed that practices delivered almost 5 million more appointments in March than they did the month before, and nearly 3 million more than they did in the same month two years ago, long before the onset of the pandemic. Simply put general practice is working flat out. With this increasing patient demand, general practice will continue to work smartly to get the balance right; consulting with patients in the most appropriate fashion in as timely a manner as is possible. This means, as per the practice contract with NHS England, that it is for the surgery to determine the manner in which it sees its patients. Only by doing this can we ensure quality care is maintained for the many, rather than servicing the demands of the few. We know it is hard to get an appointment right now. But the above figures explain that this reflects the large number of patients requesting care, not lack of activity within general practice. We are hearing increasing reports of frustration and abuse targeted at practice staff because of delays, and we are concerned that the recent media reporting will worsen this by fuelling inappropriate requests for face-to-face appointments that are not needed and cannot safely be accommodated. We would ask you all to treat each member of the practice team with respect and understanding; we will continue to support our practices and help them to take a zero tolerance approach to any forms of abuse. We thank you for your patience and continuing to work with your surgery.

Dr Kathryn Markus

Chief Executive Derbyshire LMC