To all our patients,

We hope this newsletter finds you well and that you are enjoying the better weather and more freedom as the covid-19 restrictions are being lifted. We wanted to update you on some changes which are happening at the surgery.

Dr Loh

Many of our patients will know Dr Loh who has been at the surgery for quite a few years, initially as a locum doctor and then as a salaried doctor. We are delighted that he will be joining us permanently as a partner at the surgery from the beginning of May onwards. His working days are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. His areas of particular interest include men’s health, blood pressure problems and diabetes management.

‘Get to Know the Team’ Posts

As our Facebook followers will have seen, we have been posting information about members of our team to help awareness of particular roles within the surgery and special interests that our staff may have. We hope you will find this useful and informative.

Appointment System

As most of you know, we have been open and working throughout the pandemic with a mixture of telephone appointments and face-to-face appointments. At the moment, we will continue to book patients in for telephone appointments for their issue and then subsequently if they do need to come to the surgery to be seen face-to-face we will usually offer an appointment the same day. Many of our patients find this is a convenient way to access care and we can see you in person if required.

Physiotherapy self referral

As you will be aware many of the local services and clinics that we access to have been very restricted with longer waiting lists than usual. Thankfully, self-referral for physiotherapy is now back up and running and can be accessed via our website under ‘Community Services’.

Facemasks in the Surgery

We have recently received clarity from NHS Lanarkshire regarding facemasks in clinical settings – they have asked that these remain at present. Please do not be offended if we do ask you to wear a face mask in the surgery. Our staff will continue to do so for now. This is to protect our most vulnerable patients as well as reduce staff illness due to common respiratory illnesses including covid-19. We will keep this under regular review and update you with any changes in the policy.

Chronic disease management

Our active management of chronic diseases was put on hold in 2020 during the initial period of the pandemic. We have been working hard over the past year to catch up with those who may have been missed or delayed. Conditions that have annual monitoring include diabetes, hypertension (raised blood pressure), chronic kidney disease, thyroid disease, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and asthma. Please let us know if you think you have missed your annual chronic disease review and we will arrange this for you.

Travel Vaccinations

Travel vaccinations previously provided by GP practices are being moved to the responsibility of NHS Lanarkshire via community pharmacies. From 1st April 2022, specific travel vaccines will be provided by pharmacies for people who live in Lanarkshire or are registered with a Lanarkshire GP practice.
The vaccines available free of charge are:

• Hepatitis A
• Typhoid
• Hepatitis A and typhoid combined
• Cholera
• Revaxis (polio, diphtheria, tetanus)

Some travellers may need other vaccines and anti-malarials which are not provided free of charge through the NHS. Pharmacies may provide this additional service, however there will be a charge for these.
Please visit the Fit for Travel website in advance of your appointment for travel advice and visit the following website to see which pharmacies you can visit for vaccination.

Resources for Mental Health

1 in 4 people in Scotland will experience a mental health problem each year and the pandemic has been a source of anxiety and stress for many. A useful resource for information and resources for your mental health was launched in NHS Lanarkshire. This is called Lanarkshire Mind Matters and can be accessed at the following website.