Welcome to Wyndham House Surgery

Wyndham House Surgery is committed to high quality, accessible, community based healthcare.  We are a friendly, healthy, hardworking, innovative team who share core values of empathy, trust and honesty, in a harmonious, supportive environment.

Rated “Outstanding” by the CQC (Dec 2015)

 

You think we’re excellent!

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Thank you to everyone who completed our recent Patient Survey. The results are back and have been analysed. You can read the report here.

In summary everyone who completed the survey think that the surgery is overall “Excellent” or “Very Good”. People commented that they feel safe, secure and well cared for by the surgery. Most people find it very easy to get an appointment when they want one and with the person they would like to see. Comparing these results to surveys from previous years shows an increase in satisfaction levels.

A few Action Points have been noted from the survey. Services available to Carers will be advertised more clearly, as 75% of respondents did not know what was available. Work will continue to improve the customer service given by staff, particularly in dispensary. Plans are underway to change the layout of the dispensary and reception, to allow the dispensary to work in peace and quiet to dispense your medications safely while maintaining a presence at the hatch to answer your queries and deliver your prescriptions.

 

Talking local newspaper!

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Mid Devon Messenger – Talking newspaper for the visually impaired

Do you want to keep in touch with local news and views, what’s on, planning decisions and family announcements, etc?

Do you, or someone you know, have difficulty reading the newspaper?

The Mid Devon messenger can help keep you up to date.

They operate a totally FREE service, offering you a weekly recording (on memory stick) of news from your local paper, PLUS the free loan of a simple device on which to play it.

If you would like to trial this free service, without obligation, please contact Helen McIntosh on 01884 855464.

The early bird……..but only if……

Anthony O’Brien explains recent changes in the fight against cancer

 

Every GP in the UK will see on average 3 patients/day who present with symptoms that might be caused by a cancer. However each GP will actually only have one new case of cancer per month diagnosed from the approximately 2000 patients they are responsible for. This demonstrates the difficulty of diagnosing cancer at an early stage. Catching cancer early is worthwhile as it significantly increases the prognosis for the patient. It is just clinically very difficult to do.

 

The NHS has been running a rapid access cancer investigation service for nearly 20 years. Patients who present with symptoms that make the ultimate diagnosis of cancer more likely are ‘Fast Tracked’ into a Two Week Wait appointment system. They are investigated and diagnosed quickly and if cancer is the cause then treatment can start as soon as possible. The thresholds for utilizing this Fast Track system have recently been lowered. This will have three effects. The first two are interdependent – the number of patients who will have rapid appointments and investigations will increase whilst the percentage of these patients who have cancer will decrease. Hopefully the overall effect will be a larger number of cancers being detected earlier and the population will reap the benefits of this.

 

The third effect relates to the costs of placing more people through the system. There are two elements to this. The first is the predictable financial strain on the NHS of seeing and investigating more patients overall. However this has a very measurable benefit in the expected improvement in UK cancer outcome statistics (currently lagging behind other countries in Europe). The other cost is harder to measure. More patients will be sent down the Fast Track system with the knowledge that they might have cancer and this will understandably cause concerns and anxieties. Currently only 10% (1 in 10) of patients who are ‘fast tracked’ end up with a diagnosis of cancer. In the future with the lower thresholds for investigation this is likely to fall to 5% (1 in 20). So if you do come and see your GP and are given a rapid access appointment you can be reassured that the odds still remain heavily in your favour. However if you are the unlucky patient you can also be reassured that you are getting quick investigation and treatment.

 

Of course in this battle we continue to fight against cancer the above system only works for patients who come to see their GP with their concerning symptoms (such as unexplained weight loss, change in bowel habit, blood in the stools). Most of the current delay in cancer diagnosis is not due to the systems or the clinicians running them it is down to the patients not using both of these early enough. The bird at least needs to have a chance of seeing the worm…… no matter how early he arrives!

 

Anthony O’Brien GP Wyndham House Silverton

Patient Survey

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This year’s patient survey is now complete. Thank you for all the responses. Keep your eyes open for the report on this year’s survey results. They will be displayed online and in the waiting room.

 

Spring Newsletter now out!

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The Spring 2016 edition of our regular surgery newsletter – Triage, is now out. Read all about our newest GP, who starts in March, and all our other latest news.

Read it here.

This year’s SCENE booklet

Trish Jones and Lucy Mottram have just finished editing this year’s SCENE booklet. This is full of information about activities in the area for the over 60s. Find a copy here or collect a copy from the surgery.

If you find any of the information out of date or want to add something new then please let Trish Brown know via the surgery.

New SystmOnline menus

You may have noticed that our prescription ordering service has changed recently. Our System provider TPP SystmOne have updated their systems and introduced a few new features, which means the menus have changed slightly, with some new sections available.

If you are having trouble with the new system then this Help Guide may help:

A Simple Guide to using SystmOnline

If you are still having problems after using this Help Guide please call the surgery on 01392 860034.

We’re Outstanding!

Wyndham House Surgery was inspected by the CQC on the 26th August 2015 and they have now published the report of their findings.

We were rated as Outstanding overall, with Outstanding ratings in both effectiveness and responsiveness.

 

This is the press release from the 16th December:

 

Wyndham House Surgery, Devon rated Outstanding by CQC

The Care Quality Commission has found the quality of care provided by Wyndham House Surgery in Silverton, Devon to be Outstanding following an inspection carried out in August.

Inspectors found that the practice was providing an innovative, caring, effective, responsive and well-led service that meets the needs of the population it serves.

A full report of the inspection has now been published and is available at: http://www.cqc.org.uk/location/1-582329107

Under CQC’s new programme of inspections, all England’s GP practices are being given a rating according to whether they are safe, effective, caring, responsive and well led.

 

Professor Steve Field, Chief Inspector of General Practice said:

“I am delighted to highlight the exceptional service care  which is being provided by this practice. People are entitled to services which provide safe, effective, compassionate and high quality care.

“The GPs and staff at Wyndham House Surgery have demonstrated a real commitment to their patients. All of this hard work and dedication pays off in making a real difference for their patients – which is why we have found this practice to be Outstanding.

“I hope other trusts will see this as a model for excellent care.”

 

Ruth Rankine, Deputy Chief Inspector of General Practice in CQC’s South region said:

“We found that Wyndham House Surgery is providing an outstanding service. Feedback from patients and clinical teams was excellent and staff went above and beyond their level of duty to care for patients. The practice also had a positive working atmosphere and was committed to continuing to improve services for its patients.

“We found that the practice displayed an excellent understanding of the differing needs of their patients and staff demonstrated a commitment to help and support them. The practice proactively reached out to the community and worked with other organisations to improve patient outcomes.

“All of this hard work pays off in making a real difference to patients – which is why we have found this practice to be Outstanding.”

 

Linda Prosser, Director of Commissioning for NHS England in the South West, said:

“This is a great acknowledgment of the staff at Wyndham Surgery and the standard of care they provide to their patients in the local community. The achievement of an ‘outstanding’ rating by the CQC reflects the practices’ exemplary approach in planning and delivering services. This is an excellent example of what outstanding care looks like.”

 

The report on Wyndham House Surgery highlights a number of areas of outstanding practice, including:

A pharmacy delivery service which delivered over 1310 prescription products per month to over 300 vulnerable, isolated and housebound patients. This service had led to improved communication and feedback between patients and the practice with staff being alerted sooner to any special needs of patients. The service had proved popular with patients and meant that very frail patients who had their medicine organised in dosage boxes were guaranteed a weekly visit from one of the team. Inspectors were given examples of where these visits removed the need for hospital admission.

 

The practice employed an outreach nurse who had been commissioned by the friends of Wyndham group. The role was to target older, frail, vulnerable or isolated patients to review care plans, conduct risk assessments and provide health care advice; this scheme had helped patients to maintain their independence at home and reduce the need for hospital admission. This opportunistic visiting had helped to identify social and medical needs which could be tackled proactively with, for example, the involvement of enablement teams, clarification of medicines and involvement of carer support agencies.

 

One of the GPs wrote regular columns in two local parish magazines. The monthly articles had included updates on public health or medical education issues. The GP also gave an annual presentations to patients in the town outlining and explaining local healthcare issues. These talks had been attended by over 100 people and have become a part of the annual community calendar.

 

For further information please contact CQC Regional Engagement Manager, John Scott on 07789 875809 or, for media enquiries, call the press office on 020 7448 9401 during office hours.  Journalists wishing to speak to the press office outside of office hours can find out how to contact the team here http://www.cqc.org.uk/media/our-media-office  (Please note: the duty press officer is unable to advise members of the public on health or social care matters). For general enquiries, please call 03000 61 61 61

 

About the Care Quality Commission

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and social care in England. We make sure health and social care services provide people with safe, effective, caring, well-led and responsive care, and we encourage care services to improve. We monitor, inspect and regulate services to make sure they meet fundamental standards of quality and safety and we publish what we find to help people choose care.

Christmas Tree Festival

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This year, for the second year, Wyndham House Surgery took part in the Silverton Christmas Tree Festival, in St Mary’s Church, Silverton, between 4th and 6th December.

Our tree is titled “A Wellness Winter Wonderland” and is now situated in the surgery if you missed the Festival.

 

 

Friends of Wyndham House AGM

The Friends of Wyndham House Surgery

Annual General Meeting

 

Will take place on Wednesday 2nd December at Silverton Community Hall at 2.30pm

 

The undermentioned are the members of the Committee:

Sylvia Wakeham, Chair

Bud Wendover, Vice Chair

Cliff Jones, Treasurer

Audrey Hooper, Interim Secretary*

Roger Higman

Barry Forrest –Jones

John Baynes- Reid

Molly Luxton

Judith Hook

All the above offer themselves for re-election

* Following the very sad and sudden death of Andi Barnes,
Audrey Hooper has kindly agreed to help with the secretarial duties

Anyone who wishes to be proposed as a member of the committee should contact Sylvia Wakeham, email: sfwakeham@aol.com or leave a letter with Reception at Wyndham House Surgery
Closing date for nominations, 17th November 2015

 

 

Dr Anthony O’Brien will speak on

“Our Practice – the next five years”

 

All are welcome.

 

You can read more about the Friends of Wyndham House Surgery at their page. Follow the link to find out more.