Willingham Medical Practice – February Newsletter

WILLINGHAM & LONGSTANTON SURGERIES

Willingham 01954 260230  Longstanton 01954 207600  Dispensary 01954 207602

Website: www.willinghammedicalpractice.nhs.net

District Nurse Team: 0330 726 0077       Health Visitors:  0300 029 5050

A&e is not an alternative to a gp appointment – when the surgery is closed please call 111 for medical assistance, or 999 for a life threatening emergency for urgent mental health support, please call 111 and select option 2.

Surgery Closure

Please note the surgery will be CLOSED from 1pm on WEDNESDAY 19th MARCH for whole staff training.

Please plan ahead and make sure you have enough medication to last, remembering to order your repeats at least THREE working days before collection.

Waiting Times

We apologise that, due to the increased demands on the GP’s, there may be delays in being seen for your routine or emergency appointment. Please bear in mind that our staff are working hard to minimise this but it is always advisable to allow a little extra time, just in case.

Healthy You STOP SMOKING

No matter how long you’ve been smoking, you’ll feel the benefits of giving up almost straight away.   Your taste and smell will get better in just a few days plus, as your lungs clear, you won’t get out of breath so quickly. If your loved ones are non-smokers, you’ll also improve their lives.   And don’t forget about how much money you’ll be saving as the average smoker spends over £4000 every year on smoking. That’s enough for a family holiday each year.   For further information, and to access the service, a self-referral can be completed by visiting https://healthyyou.org.uk/services/stop-smoking/ or by telephoning 0333 005 0093  

Hospital Medication

We would like to remind our patients that the best place to collect any medication prescribed by clinical staff whilst visiting the hospital is from the pharmacy located in the hospital itself. We understand that queues and waiting times are often long and frustrating but by not waiting to collect will only cause further delays. To clarify, the dispensary are unable to dispense any hospital requested medication without a clinic letter and these letters are often not received in the surgery for a few days after a clinic appointment/hospital attendance. In addition, the dispensary does not stock hospital medication so it has to be ordered in, which can sometimes take days, again causing further delays. So, please collect your medication from the hospital pharmacy to ensure that there is no interruption to your care.

COUNCIL TAX DISABLED BAND REDUCTION – Are You Claiming?

This is a scheme which aims to ensure that disabled people do not pay more because they live in a larger property than they would have needed if they were not disabled.  To qualify in this context means someone who is substantially and permanently disabled. The person can be an adult or child and does not need to be the person responsible for paying the council tax.

For further information visit

https://www.scambs.gov.uk/council-tax/what-council-tax-discounts-and-support-can-i-get

To request an application form email revenues@scambs.gov.uk or telephone 01954 713000

Vaccinations

The Flu Vaccine is available until 31/03/25 for all pregnant women (including those women who become pregnant during the influenza season), individuals aged 65 years or over (including those becoming age 65 years by 31/03/25) and individuals aged 18 years to under 65 years in a clinical risk group category
The Nasal Flu is available until 31/03/25 for all those aged 2 or 3 years on 31/08/24 (with a date of birth on or after 01/09/20 and on or before 31/08/22)
The Pneumococcal Vaccine is available year round for everyone who is aged 65 years and over.
The RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) is available year round for everyone who is aged between 75 and 79 years of age and for all pregnant women who are over 28 weeks.
The Shingles Vaccine is available year round for everyone who is aged between 70 and 79 years of age and have never received a shingles vaccine, for individuals who reach the age of 65 or 70 years of age during the period 01/09/23 and 31/08/2028 (these individuals should be vaccinated on or after (but not before) their 65th or 70th birthday), individuals who are aged 50 years and above and meet the definition of severe immunosuppression and for those who are aged between 18 and 49 years and receiving a stem cell transplant.

Carers Meetings

If you are a carer for someone and need advice and financial or emotional support, please come along to our carers support meeting on Wednesday 5th February, at the Wilford Furlong Centre in Willingham, where we will be holding a drop in session between 2pm and 4pm. Please come along and get some support from other people in the local community. Refreshments are provided, there’s no need to pre-book and it’s completely FREE! Meetings are held on the first Wednesday of every month and for more information please contact susan.lawson7@nhs.net

Willingham Medical Practice – February 2025