Wyndham House Surgery

So far the timetable is as follows, this is very much work in progress as we finalise arrangements.

The treatment room will have a massage couch with electronic controls so providing ease of use. This also doubles as a chair for foot care. 

Barnes room

Monday. Jigsaws, board games and computer access. On the first Monday of every month Michael Griffin will be holding a Grumblebox session, Michael will be giving more detailed information about Grumblebox in the next issue of this magazine.

Tuesday. A community cafe. Light refreshments.

Wednesday, Art, open session for all abilities, run by local artists.

Thursday. To be arranged

Friday. Respite care day. Can be used as a pop in or carers can leave their loved one with us so that they can have some free time and have a break from 24/7 caring. This is a free service as are all the activities in the Barnes room with the exception of the community cafe! 

Whatever activity is taking place all are welcome to pop in and take part or sit and watch. If you are caring for someone with dementia and having a difficult day, just pop in to the room 4 u and you will be sure of a welcome. If you are down in the dumps, pop in! If you are on top of the world pop in, in fact please just pop in, this is YOUR room so please use it whenever you want. Make new friends and chat with old ones. Compare it with the Coffee House of olden days!

 Treatment room

Tuesday. Laura Packer. Foot care and Reflexology

Wednesday. Pippa Perry Bowen Practitioner

Thursday morning.  Penny King. Massage, Bowen technique and Aromatherapy.

Thursday afternoon. Beata Svanova. Massage, Indian Head Massage, Thai Foot Massage

All the therapists will be taking their own bookings and payment is direct to them on the day. All therapists have been vetted by us and all have up to date insurance and DBS checks.

If you are interested in volunteering or have an idea for a session in the treatment room or the Barnes room, please contact me or John Pizey, 861711, Bob Deed 861258, Geoff Hayne 860650. Stephen Roach 861042

Finally, thank you to Paul Jones who has provided his expertise and support to help us over the final hurdles. To all the people who have donated items for use in the room 4 u, for the bottles of whisky etc to make sure that our raffles at the mini market have really good prizes. Your support has been invaluable, a word of encouragement or an act of support when the going is hard makes all the difference.

We are thrilled to announce the results of our 2017/2018 Patient Experience Survey

96% of all patients ratings about Wyndham House were good, very good or excellent.

We score above average in every category assessed when compared to other GP surgeries across the UK.

A big thank you to all our staff for their continued commitment to providing such a high standard of care

Thank you to all our patients whose sensible use of the services we offer make them so accessible

It’s the season to be sneezy (and safe)

Although Spring has been 3 weeks late this year it has still brought with it an abundance of colour and bright sunny weather that lifts the spirits. As a result we also see a change at the surgery. Chest disease, flu-like illnesses and depressive symptoms reduce but heart disease diagnosis rates increase as people stop driving and start walking. However, Hay Fever is the most noticeable. It is also the most frustrating of conditions; those who suffer badly are sadly limited in their exposure to the bright sunny weather. Decreasing the amount of time spent outside, avoiding cutting the grass, wearing wrap around sunglasses, showering and changing clothes regularly to remove pollen and keeping doors and windows shut are all good lifestyle options to reduce the symptoms. Antihistamines work well as excessive histamine release is the problem. Nasal steroid sprays will not immediately relieve the symptoms and so need to be taken every day throughout the season as a preventative measure. Eye drops are the third useful agent. One good thing is that Hay Fever recedes with age as habituation to the pollen occurs and the immune system dampens its response over time. This is also the reason why I will always see one or two families each year who have just moved to Devon; new area, new pollens, new symptoms. There is limited evidence that taking pollen granules (bought over the counter from health food shops) has an effect but the theory would fit with habituation. There is nothing to be lost for serious sufferers in giving it a try; although it will not work immediately, next year might be better.

Those suffering Hay Fever are unlucky but know their symptoms will only last while pollen levels are high. However, other medical presentations at this time of year are often self-inflicted. Enthusiastic gardeners need to be safe and sensible. The hazards of lawnmowers, ladders and hedge cutters may seem obvious but gardening injuries top the A&E charts in Spring. Those trying out the strimmer they received for Christmas need to beware of Hogweed as this can cause a horrible, extremely painful, burning rash. Full protective clothing and goggles are needed before going near it. So take the antihistamines, be careful with the shears and don’t forget the suncream.

Anthony O’Brien

Wyndham House Surgery

We are always looking for more volunteer drivers to help with Bertie our prescription delivery service sponsored by the Friends of Wyndham House. If you could offer up a morning every few weeks then Jan Topham (our Bertie co-ordinator) would love to hear from you.  She is easily contacted via Reception.

Any other comments?

Friends of Wyndham House Surgery Wellbeing Project

Carer Support Group Lunch

Tuesday 24th April 12.00 Noon Lamb Inn Silverton

Please contact Jayne Isaac to book a place 01392 860 272 Cost £5.50

This is a meeting with a 2 course lunch including tea and coffee where carers can meet & support each other

For details of next meeting please contact Trish Jones via reception at the surgery

The surgery remained open throughout the treacherous weather due to the tremendous efforts of our fantastic staff.  On Friday 2nd March when roads in and out of Silverton were only passable in 4 x 4 vehicles Drs Catherine Burkill and Dr Jeff Solman along with Jenny Plastow kept the doors open, the prescriptions flowing and patients seen.  Jeff stayed at The Silverton Inn for a couple of nights until he was transported out by a Devon Doctors Land Rover on the Saturday morning to go and help them in Honiton.  He is one of many unsung heros during the unprecedented conditions. A massive thank you to all including our patients who used the surgery and emergency services during this period with sense and respect for the difficulties everyone was facing.

Bertie ‘the bridge’ – Parish Magazine article March 2018

The closure of Thorverton Bridge for two weeks in January made us all aware of just how distant patients can be if easy communication links are broken. Suddenly 20 minute visits were taking up to 90 minutes of a GP day as we made the long journey via Cowley Bridge. The District Nurses had to restructure their whole team working: dividing at 9am into two deployable units for each side of the bridge. Occasionally they arranged to rendezvous on foot in the middle of the bridge (as if in a spy thriller) to exchange dressings.

The feeling of being cut off is unsettling and this worked both ways for patients, doctors and nurses during this time. It reminded us at the surgery that this problem is a daily experience for all those patients who are housebound, no matter where they live. It highlighted the difficulties of not being able to jump in a car to carry out an errant whether it be for a pint of milk or to pick up a prescription or simply pop in to see a friend. It is essential to maximize the utility of such trips when they become so valuable. Those who are fit and mobile always have the option of going out again but also take for granted the huge social benefits that these journeys provide. We were all very happy to see the bridge reopened.

‘Bertie’ our prescription delivery service was in its element during this period. Our volunteer drivers rose to the challenge and the temporary loss of the bridge was overcome with panache. However this also reminded us once again that Bertie is a lot more than a drug delivery system. The service has now been running for 12 years and is funded by The Friends of Wyndham House. There are on average 300 patients receiving regular delivery of their medication with 1200 prescriptions being delivered every month. Jan Topham coordinates the service and is always on the look out for new volunteer drivers. If you are able to spare a morning every few weeks to help run the Bertie Service it would be an offer gratefully received not just by those housebound patients who directly benefit but by the whole community. Everyone is now in no doubt that the bridge to Thorverton is an essential part of our communication infrastructure. Likewise on a daily basis at the surgery we see communications about patients via Bertie helping doctors, nurses, reception and dispensary staff provide them more effective care and so also freeing up time for other patients as well. Good communication links are a benefit to everyone and we are in no doubt that Bertie is an invaluable bridge between the surgery and our frailer patients.

Anthony O’Brien

What money cannot buy – Parish magazine article Feb 2018

Despite the daily news reports of NHS failures at the beginning of the year the reality, certainly in the South West, is that it does a very impressive job most of the time in most of the places. Good news rarely makes the news and there are dangers of trumpeting success in such an uncontrollable environment. However we should recognize and praise our local hospitals for coping so well with the recent Flu outbreak. This is an example of forward planning, a coordinated high standard of hospital and community care together the excellence of Devon GPs. However pride comes before a fall so everyone will be quietly getting on with doing their jobs in the hope we will soon see winter pressures subsiding whilst all knowing that there is always the possibility of a sharp turn in the other direction. The balance of supply and demand is always precarious in a system that is driven with efficiency as one of its core values.

There are calls from all parts of the system for the Government to give the NHS more money. The fundamental question is what this money will be used for. Whilst more doctors and nurses are required they cannot be produced from thin air and what the NHS immediately needs, more than anything else, is carers to provide more support for patients at home. Currently the system is struggling to find these employees. One immediate option would be for the politicians to relax local budgeting rules, look at healthcare investment over 5 years or longer and hopefully enable carers to be paid at a higher rate so making the job more attractive.

Of course the most important and unsung heroes of the NHS are not the employees but the voluntary carers who work 24/7 looking after their relatives. I come across amazing care provided by families on a daily basis. It is going to be more and more essential to offer these carers on-going support. In the near future The Friends of Wyndham House will be setting up a Carers Support Group in Silverton hopefully with regular meetings at The Lamb Inn. Keep a look out for the adverts, come along if you are carer and, if not, see if you can maybe help to ensure someone who looks after their relative next door or across the road could be freed up to have a break to make the meeting. These are the people who are not employed, do not get paid, do not shout about what they do, never make the news and yet are one of the cornerstones of the whole system – they need our support and thanks. Without them the NHS would not function.

Anthony O’Brien (Wyndham House Surgery) Feb 2018

Silverton and Exe Valley Seniors

St Mary’s Church Hall Silverton

http://www.sevs.info/

Whist Drives

Alternate Monday Afternoons 2.00 – 4.30pm

Cost £2.50 includes a raffle and refreshments.

Please come along on a Monday afternoon. You will be very welcome.

Coffee Mornings

Usually on the second Tuesday of each month but Afternoon Teas are arranged in July and August.

Coffee Mornings are 10.00-11.30am and Afternoon Teas 2.30 – 4.30pm

Day trips and Holidays for 2018

Please contact Martin Clough on 01392 860971 or email martin.mcassoc@btconnect.com for more information of trips, times and dates and to register for a newsletter.

Senior Citizens Lunch Clubs in 2018

Tuesdays at the Lamb Inn, Silverton

This is a lunch club which is open to all older people at a cost of £4.50 for a delicious two course lunch and a chance to meet up with neighbours and friends.

The lunches are served at 12 noon on the following dates. To book your lunch or find out more details please phone Alan or Jayne Isaac on 01392 860272. If you should need to cancel please let the pub know before lunch on the previous day.

Tuesdays – Cost £4.50, start at 12 noon

Thursday Senior Citizens Lunches at the Lamb Inn

The Lamb Inn also offers senior citizen’s lunches in the bar every Thursday at a cost of £5.00. Please contact the pub as above for further details.

The Thorverton Arms, Thorverton

Senior Citizens Lunch Cost £5.00

These dates are on alternate Tuesdays from The Lamb Inn Lunch Club

Please book in advance with Allison Toogood at The Thorverton Arms on: 01392 860205. All meals start at 12 noon.

Should you need to cancel your lunch at any venue, please phone by 12 noon on the previous day.

The Thorverton Arms Charity Coffee Morning

On the fourth Thursday of each month from 10am -12 noon.

Lunches at The Bridge, Stoke Canon

We are able to offer home cooked lunches on Wednesdays at 12.30pm.

There will be soup in winter and a buffet in summer, with dessert and cheese and biscuits & will cost £5.00

Please book a week in advance by calling Valerie Mills on: 01392 841659

The Bridge Community Centre at Stoke Canon

Bridge Community Centre in Stoke Canon Church on Thursdays at 10.30 to 12

Tea / coffee and biscuits.

Come along and have a chat with friends in convivial surroundings.

If you have any difficulty in getting to the centre please ring 01392 860397 / 841085 and transport can be arranged.