Wyndham House Surgery

Christmas Parti-cipation

Throughout the pandemic we have been working closely with College and Bramblehaies Surgeries in Cullompton and Blackdown Practice in Hemyock.  During November we have been making our plans for Covid vaccinations.  If vaccines are distributed in December we will be ready and we will be using College Surgery as the delivery site.  The logistics will be complicated but we are extremely confident that we will be able to vaccinate all our patients in a safe and timely manner.  There will be a short time frame for using each batch of vaccines and patients will be offered vaccination in a specified order.  It is likely that we will be asking for volunteers to help transport patients to Cullompton and marshal the clinics.

Currently there is a lot of discussion about vaccines in the media.  There are two important facts that I think everyone needs to remember.  The first is that the rules governing the introduction of a vaccine have not altered in any way.  All vaccines have to pass each testing stage; current vaccines under consideration are in the final stage but the numbers involved in the trials have been identical to any previous vaccine.  There have been no short cuts.  Recruitment to trials has been easy and so the large numbers needed have been achieved in a much shorter timespan than normal. This leads to the second important point. No vaccine will be released that is not considered safe. You will hear arguments that any new vaccine will not have been used for long enough to know whether it might have long term problems.  This is true but due to the nature of how vaccines work highly unlikely. Vaccines act by priming our own immune systems to work.  They are the equivalent of showing a photofit of a criminal to the police.  There are a variety of ways of doing this but ultimately the success of a vaccine is solely dependent on its ability to correctly pre-warn and arm our own body’s immune system.  They do this within the weeks after the vaccination and so side effects or problems are seen within this time period.  The benefits of a Covid vaccine for everyone will be enormous, the risk for each individual will be extremely low.

We all know Christmas is going to be different this year and the importance of connections with friends, family and community has never been greater.  Trish Jones our Health and Wellbeing coordinator can be contacted on 0748 437 7289 or at silverwellbeing@gmail.com    and Joan Povey (wyndhamsp@gmail.com) is also available for anyone who would like some help setting up or enhancing their internet communication skills.  If you, or anyone you know, would benefit from their help please contact them directly or via the surgery reception.

Wishing everyone a safe and happy Christmas.  I am hoping we will be extremely busy with the vaccination programme and that everyone will participate in it.

Anthony O’Brien

Wyndham House Surgery

Lots of patients are choosing to send us photos of skin problems or other conditions and this is working very well

The best way to do this is using the eConsultation tool at the bottom of the website

The surgery has a legal responsibility to protect staff and patients from risks associated with COVID-19.  We have conducted our own risk assessment to determine necessary controls, and we ask that patients please apply a face covering before entering the surgery, when possible.

Wearing a face covering is an added precaution that may have some benefit in reducing the likelihood that a person with the infection passes it on. Evidence shows a face covering can help in reducing the spread of droplets; it stops them from leaving the mouth and nose area and reduces the size of area in which they spread.

This change takes place from 1st June 2020 and is strongly supported by the surgery. Unfortunately, if a face covering is not worn, you may be unable to see a clinician.

A medical-grade clinical mask is not necessary. These need to be prioritised to clinical staff working in high-risk areas. Instead, for patients who are visiting healthcare sites, a face covering is sufficient and there is guidance for people to make these at home with items they may already own.

Contaminated droplets can also be picked up from surfaces by touch and subsequently from touching the face. It is important people refrain from touching their face covering when wearing it, where possible, to avoid hand to mask transmission of the virus. Face coverings are not a replacement for social distancing. Regular hand-washing remains an important action.

Blood pressure tests can also be carried out at home using your own digital blood pressure monitor.

This can give a better reflection of your blood pressure, as being tested in somewhere like a GP surgery can make you feel anxious and can affect the result. It can also allow you to monitor your condition more easily in the long term.

You can buy a variety of low-cost monitors (starting from about £20).

To get the best information from blood pressure readings we suggest you should take blood pressure at least twice daily in the morning and evening.  For each blood pressure recording, take three consecutive measurements at least 1 minute apart and whilst you are seated.  Do this for a minimum of 4 days, ideally for 7 days.  Record your results on this Home_Blood_Pressure_Record_Sheet-1  and then e-mail or drop into the surgery.  One of our GPs will then ring you to discuss the results and any action that is needed

Use this link to a useful storybook from the illustrator of The Gruffulo and many other popular children’s books

Because of the Coronavirus pandemic, we are working in a different way so that we can ensure that patients are seen when and where they need to be seen. We are asking parents and carers to help us by using a tool called Handi Paediatric app which you can download free onto your smartphone. Many children who have mild illnesses do not need to see a GP or health practitioner and can be managed safely at home.

For parents and carers, the App provides guidance for parents on the most common illnesses that their child may experience. It provides a home care plan to help look after the child at home, and it offers guidance as to where, and how quickly, to seek medical advice when a child is reported to have symptoms which may indicate that further assessment is needed.

Click this link to assess NHS 111 Coronovirus service

If you think you have Coronovirus this is the route you should use to access testing and advice re next steps

If you think you have Coronovirus do not go to a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital.

The latest information on symptoms of coronovirus infection and areas where recent travel may have resulted in a high risk of exposure can be found on https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

NHS 111 has an online coronavirus service that can tell you if you need medical help and advise you what to do.  Use this service if:

•you think you might have coronavirus

•in the last 14 days you’ve been to a country or area with a high risk of coronavirus

•you’ve been in close contact with someone with coronavirus.

Do not go to a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital.

Call 111 if you need to speak to someone.

Everyone is being reminded to follow the public health advice on the NHS website to avoid catching or spreading coronavirus.

We are really excited to announce that we have just appointed our new Digital Social Prescriber whose role will be to offer teaching to anyone who wishes about everyday use of computers and phones. There will be no assumption of prior knowledge and participants will be able to set their own pace and style. We will run groups of varying sizes and abilities to help as many patients who would like to learn how to use and explore the Internet with all the benefits it brings. Room4U has some equipment that the classes will use and I would encourage anyone who would like to find out more to sign up at the surgery reception. We are hoping that those who take part will learn new ways of finding out about social activities and community events or simply enhance their communication with friends, family or anyone in the wider world!

What about a nightcapsule? Parish Magazine Article Feb 2020

For over thirty years Wyndham House has been involved in medical research work. In the 1990s we were part of the Devon Primary Care Research Group and were involved in several important studies that went on to win national recognition. Colin Greaves who worked with us then is now Professor of Psychology Applied to Health at Birmingham University and advises the Government on how to promote healthy lifestyles. We are now mostly involved in larger South West research projects and one of these hit the national press at the end of last year. This was a relatively simple study that asked the question ‘When is the best time to take your blood pressure medication?’ Many of our patients were enrolled in this massive study of almost 20,000 people. The study design was not complicated: those involved were divided into two groups, one to take their blood pressure tablets at bedtime, the other to take their blood pressure tablets on waking. The study ran for 6 years and the results were surprising. There was a significant difference between the two groups. There were a lot less cardiovascular events (heart attacks and strokes) in the bedtime dosing group. Those taking their tablets at bedtime had better blood pressure control, mostly due to a lower blood pressure when sleeping. So a simple small change can make a big difference. We will be encouraging everyone to start taking their blood pressure pills at bedtime and will be changing the instructions on patients’ medications over the next few months. If you are not sure which tablets are for blood pressure please ask us when picking up your next prescription.

Of course, more important than when you take the medication is that you actually take it. If you are likely to forget taking tablets at night then it is much better to stick to a regular morning regime as taking them is better than not taking them at all!

Anthony O’Brien