June 2019

Breast Cancer awareness

We would like to thank colleagues from the Royal Derby and the Derby County Community Trust for providing an engaging education event for 15 of our female patients on June 27. Together with one to one counselling provided by our Health Care Assistant, this has generated a list of 23 patients who now understand the benefits of screening. We are working with the hospital to arrange screening invites soon.

Peartree’s Respiratory Day

Derby Hospitals Respiratory Consultant Ruth Aldridge brought her team out to the surgery on Wednesday June 19 for an engaging afternoon. Her team met with around 25% of those patients diagnosed with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder (COPD) at the surgery and offered tips and advice on health education and self care.

Derby City Council joined the session a little later meeting with nine smokers looking to quit.

Thanks to everyone who made the event such a success and to those patients who agreed to their photograph being shared online. Ruth also publicised the Breathe Café session which is meeting on the last Tuesday of the month at the café on Normanton Park. All COPD and chronic asthma sufferers welcome. More details available  from the surgery.

Derby Community Parent Programme

We have arranged for the Derby Community Parent Programme to run one of their coffee mornings at the surgery on Wednesday September 11. This will be to share information with new & expectant parents and to be available to answer questions and provide reassurance. It will also be an opportunity for patients to meet other community members who are experiencing parenthood for the first time. More details nearer the time.

Cancer screening can be vital

Have a look at our latest information on cervical cancer screening for ladies aged 25-64. Whilst a lot of our ladies have been screened there are a lot that have not particularly our younger females. Early detection of any unwelcome deterioration in health improves the chances of successful treatment significantly. Don’t let ignorance damage your health! We will shortly be running some education sessions on the screening programme with Derby County Community Trust and will be in touch with those unscreened patients at that point.

Skin cancer is also a growing concern potentially affecting all patients. Our latest board explains the danger signs to watch out for and you should discuss this with your doctor or nurse if you have any concerns. Again early detection improves the chances of successful treatment significantly.

May 2019

The decorators are in!

The whole surgery will be repainted over the summer months. The decorator is starting upstairs where the impact on our patients and daily services will be barely felt. However, over the summer we ask patients to bear with us while downstairs is complete. Wherever possible this will be done when we are closed.

Advance Notice: Ladies Only Patient Group

The next meeting of our popular Ladies Only Patient Group has been arranged for Tuesday 2nd July 10.30 – 11.30am. Dr Singh will be in attendance together with other colleagues from the surgery. All welcome.

Advance Notice: SignPost event

Our next SignPost event will be held on Thursday July 4 2019 from 1330 for an hour or so in the waiting room. Our interpreter & Care Coordinator will be available to meet with patients to discuss any additional health and well being needs. This is not a session for medical advice but for us to explain any additional support that may be available to patients. We have good contacts with the Council, Derbyshire Carers and others. Please come & ask us if you need more help.

Safeguarding vulnerable patients

For many vulnerable children & adults domestic violence is a constant worry and concern.Speak in confidence to your clinician if this affects your daily life or that of your family. Our noticeboard explains more.

Hayfever and self-care

We are of course entering the high season for hay fever sufferers. Our latest waiting room noticeboard includes useful tips on self-care and minimising its irritating effects. It also looks at the impact on asthma sufferers too.

Ordering repeat prescriptions by phone: coming soon

The surgery will be signing up to the new Medicines Order Line System (MOLS) with a go live date tentatively agreed for September 16, 2019. In the meantime patients can find out more by clicking on the link below.

MOL Information Leaflet

Further information will be made available nearer the time.

Support for patients with breathing difficulties

We are pleased to be able to welcome Dr Ruth Aldridge and her team to the surgery on Wednesday, June 19, from 1100 to 1230. Dr Aldridge is Respiratory Consultant at the Royal Derby Hospital and will be available to provide FREE advice and guidance to all our patients suffering some breathing difficulties through either chronic asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD), bronchiectasis or lung fibrosis.

This will be followed at 1 pm by a session to help smokers to stop smoking. Our colleagues at Livewell will lead on this.

We will be in touch with appropriate patients nearer the time.

Meningitis, measles, shingles… the danger signs

Patients are asked to familiarise themselves with our latest noticeboard

We are encouraging patients to use our online services and this noticeboard sets out some important messages for staying safe online.

Breast Cancer Screening explained

We have arranged for hospital specialists to visit the surgery on Thursday, June 27, from 1130 for an all female session to discuss the risks of remaining unscreened; the benefits of screening and the nature of the procedure. This will be a discussion session only and no procedures will take place on the day. We will be in touch with our unscreened patients nearer the time.

April 2019

Thanks to all diabetics for coming!

We were very pleased to welcome 42 patients to our session on April 30 on how best to manage diabetes during Ramadan. This was the best attendance by far in the several years that we’ve run this session. The Question & Answer session format also worked well and it was felt that all patients were able to engage with the specialists and have their questions answered. Thanks are extended again to the diabetologists Dr Idris, his colleague and our own nursing and interpreting staff.

Hot Topic: Dementia

Our latest information board illustrates important background and guidance for our elderly patients and their relatives. Improved awareness will provide better outcomes for patients developing this condition. Please have a read.

Walk with Lorraine!

Our Health Care assistant Lorraine would be pleased to welcome anyone who would like to walk with her on a Tuesday morning. Improve your health in the company of others by meeting at the surgery (0900) or at the Arboretum Park gates (0915). Just allow an hour.

Derbyshire Carers

To support the return of on site carers assessments to the surgery (following a break while future service providers was clarified), more information on carers support can now be found in our porch area. If you shop, cook for or support any of our patients please talk to your clinician or to Reception to ensure that you are receiving all the FREE help that you are entitled to. You will receive a free confidential assessment in the surgery.

Nutrition News

Derby County Community Trust kicked off our month of focusing on nutrition by supporting two sessions in April aimed at improving nutrition awareness for our patients. One session for males (18 attended) & one for females (13 attended). We plan to repeat the events later in the summer and we thank all those participating and for agreeing to share this image on our website.

National Cancer Diagnosis Audit

Following on from our extensive local efforts to improve cancer screening in our patient population, the GP Partners have elected to join this national audit to share information about the incidence of cancer in the UK. This will better inform the future detection and prevention of all types of cancer for all patients.

Please click on the links below for more information on data sharing and its safeguards together with the wider benefits of the audit.

• PHE Cancer Registration information leaflet
• PHE Cancer Registration FAQs
• NCDA GP Practice Poster

If you are a patient at Peartree Medical Centre, have previously suffered with cancer or are currently a sufferer AND you are not happy to be included as part of this audit, please let us know. We will exclude you from this. We have written to all current cancer sufferers to establish their consent.

Diabetes Prevention Week

News from national Diabetes Prevention initiative.

More hot topic noticeboards

Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm is a potentially life threatening event. The NHS offers free screening for those patients most at risk (males over 65) and our latest poster describes this condition in full. Make sure your family members are screened.

Patients are also reminded of the symptoms of lung cancer through this noticeboard. Anyone wanting support or help to quit smoking please talk to us.

Nutrition in the spotlight

In the forthcoming month ahead of Ramadan, in association with our partners, we have a number of community health events to educate and support patients to improve their nutrition.

Derby County Community Trust will be in the surgery on April 17th & 24th with FREE tips, guidance and reference material particularly targeted at our largely South Asian population. No appointments are necessary and their advisors will be here from 1000 to 1400 each day to answer questions. Just drop in when it suits you. We will set aside one day for male patients (17th) and one for female (24th). Text messages will be sent out nearer the time.

Our Senior Practice Nurse is running a ‘meal preparation’ education event with the dietician on April 28 to support our most poorly controlled diabetics. This group of patients is finding it helpful to meet together and be supported by health professionals.

Don’t forget Dr Idris is here from the hospital on April 30 to provide his expert views on how diabetic patients can observe Ramadan safely. To support this work Lorraine our Health Care Assistant is also identifying patients for one to one advice in her consultations on diet and general health ahead of Ramadan.

We look forward to seeing you at one of these events.

Early warning! Check again here later in the year for developing project work with Diabetes UK particularly for our younger patients aged 25 to 39 years old. Diabetes does not have to be inevitable and we’ll have help & advice on how to reduce the risks or delay its onset. Its a sad fact of life that South Asians are more at risk of diabetes and our community work continues to reflect this.

Derby Community Parent Programme Outreach

Following a short break due to staffing issues, representatives from the programme will be in our surgery waiting room on Thursdays again in the near future. New mothers to be and their partners do not need to book an appointment for free practical advice and guidance. A private room can be made available if you would prefer to talk privately. Click on the link for more information.

• Community Parent Programme

March 2019

Patient Group

Thanks are extended to the 16 patients who gave up their time together with our two guest speakers. This made for a productive and enjoyable discussion.

Next Patient Group meeting

This has been set for an early evening start at 1800 on Thursday, March 14th. An interpreter is arranged. All patients are welcome. A Briefing Note of key discussion points has been issued and this will be the basis of our discussions. A copy of this can be viewed by clicking on the ‘Patient Group’ tab to the right and by looking under ‘Meeting Minutes’. A clinician – usually Dr Singh – attends every Patient Group meeting.

Derby Healthwatch representatives will again be present to listen to patient feedback. We will also be joined by representatives from the Derby County Community Trust who will talk to us about their plans for Health Education in Normanton with the support of surgery staff.

February 2019

“Fibro Friends” support group

The “Fibro Friends” support group meets regularly at the Jamia Mosque. They offer interesting speakers & a chance to talk with others living with recurring pain. Nutrition, yoga and massage to be discussed at next few meetings. Ask our Care Coordinator or Reception for meeting dates or more information. All ladies welcome.

• Fibro Friends Poster

Derby Healthwatch are listening

Colleagues from Derby City Healthwatch will be in the surgery waiting room from around 0900 on Tuesday February 12 to listen to feedback from patients on medical services delivered by Peartree Medical Centre and also by other providers to the Normanton community. Come and let your voice be heard.

Coping with diabetes during Ramadan

We will be running our popular session with diabetologist Dr Idris from the Royal Derby Hospital on Tuesday April 30 from 1430 in the surgery. Dr Idris is a regular annual visitor into Normanton to give new and old diabetics the latest advice and guidance on staying well during Ramadan whilst fasting. We will be in touch with diabetics nearer the time and all will be welcome.

Annual Complaints Report

The main findings will be discussed with patients in our next round of Patient Group meetings in the spring.

The report pulls together all patient feedback including not only complaints but also Friends and Family Test feedback, comments on NHS Choices, the National Patient Survey and any relevant Significant Events. This data is triangulated to determine learning outcomes for discussion with our Patient Groups and to feed into the annual Service Improvements Action Plan.

January 2019

Travelling abroad ? Don’t forget those vaccinations

Have a look at our dedicated notice board or talk to your clinician about it. Its as important as remembering your passport!

SignPost Event

Our next SignPost event will be held on Wednesday, 6 February, 2019 from 1230 for an hour or so in the waiting room. Our interpreter & Care Coordinator will be available to meet with patients to discuss any additional health and well being needs. This is not a session for medical advice but for us to explain any additional support that may be available to patients. We have good contacts with the Council, Derbyshire Carers and others. Please come & ask us if you need more help.

STOP PRESS: We were pleased to see patients making use of this session and the Care Co-ordinator has actions to follow up for five patients.

Hot topic: Sepsis

The dangers of developing Sepsis have been prominent in the media in recent times. Patients are asked to review our latest informative noticeboard for further information and if they have any questions to ask their clinician at their next appointment.

We have posted out information material on Sepsis to our most vulnerable patients. Free information leaflets and advice is available by asking your doctor, nurse or reception staff.

December 2018

Ladies Only Group

Thank you to the five ladies who came along to share their views with ourselves and Healthwatch on December 11 2018. A note of the meeting has been posted under the Patient Group/meeting minutes tab.

Friends & Family Test Feedback 2018

We are very grateful to those 209 patients (4.2% sample size) in 2018 who have taken the time to give us their personal feedback on our medical services. For a surgery which strives to use patient views & feedback to drive its services, this is vital information. The data shows that 173 (83%) of those patients are either ‘extremely likely’ or ‘likely’ to recommend the surgery and is based on a mix of responses either handwritten in the surgery or online via smartphone/internet. There are themes particularly around access to our services that recur regularly and which are fed into our discussions with the two Patient Groups.

If you did not partake as a patient in 2018, please do so in 2019. If you want to join the Patient Group (s) all are welcome. We want to hear your views.

For more information on the 2018 results please click on the link below.

• Friends and Family Test Results 2018

GP net earnings 2017-18

The practice accountants have calculated GP net earnings in accordance with published guidance at £144,000 per GP for the year.

November 2018

More hot topics

New noticeboards have been prepared for patient information. This covers information on asthma, prostate cancer and how we can help to protect our older male population as well as details on our Care Quality Commssion inspection status.

Diabetologist and dietician at the surgery

For the past few months we have been hosting clinics for both the diabetologist and dietician at the surgery. This makes it much easier for patients to receive specialist support in familiar & local surroundings.

From January 2019, we are extending this support by holding a group session with the Senior Nurse and dietician for our most poorly controlled diabetics covering diet regimes and other lifestyle changes. This is a development that we want to build on during 2019. This is a continuation of detailed work undertaken with a cohort of patients whose diabetes worries us the most.

Derby Healthwatch Ceremony

Thanks are extended to all patients, partners and in particular colleagues from Derby City Healthwatch for joining Peartree staff at the recent awards ceremony. The Chair of Healthwatch Derby presented Dr Singh and the team with the National Runner Up award in the “NHS at 70” category. Practice Manager Mike Newbold responded on behalf of the Practice & its partners thanking Healthwatch for this morale boosting recognition.

Further news is available on the Derby Healthwatch Facebook page. Click on the following link

• Facebook Healthwatchderby

General information about the work of Healthwatch can be found on their website by clicking:-

• Healthwatchderby website

October 2018

Diabetes Prevention Programme

Our friends at the National Diabetes Prevention Programme will be with us again on Wednesday November 28 to promote the programme’s aims to educate and inform. Type 2 diabetes is not an inevitable health consequence and the NDPP will teach patients how to avoid this potentially very debilitating condition.

The session on November 28 will introduce the programme and seek feedback from patients on those who may benefit from it. The programme is FREE.

We will be in touch with our eligible patients nearer the time.

STOP PRESS: We were pleased to welcome 11 patients who all opted to join the programme.

Celebrating the NHS at 70: National Award Announcement

We are delighted to announce that at the Health Watch National Awards on October 3, Peartree Medical Centre finished as Runner Up in this special category to mark the 70th birthday of the NHS. The award is described as follows:-

Across England, doctors, nurses and other care professionals regularly go the extra mile to ensure the public are looked after. This year, as the NHS turns 70, we have created this special award to recognise the health and social care organisations that have put people first. Nominations were put forward by local Healthwatch.

We feel proud not only of our own services but also of those delivered in partnership with other local organisations and agencies. This is recognition for partnership working in Normanton. Further details below:-

2018 Healthwatch Award winners announced

Ladies Only Patient Group Meeting: Advance Notice

The next meeting of the group has been scheduled for 1100 on Tuesday, December 11, 2018. We will be in touch with patients nearer the time. The Autumn 2018 Briefing Note to be found under the Patient Group tab to the right will be used as the basis for the agenda.

STOP PRESS: Thank you to the six ladies who joined us and shared their views in a lively discussion. It was particularly pleasing to see some new faces.

Jamia Mosque Presentation, October 2nd 2018

We thank the mosque for hosting a presentation by Dr DNP Singh today to a selected audience of ten community members. Dr Singh discussed a range of free cancer screening available to the community. He also discussed life expectancy rates in Normanton compared to other parts of Derby and the main causes of death including specific cancer types. The audience was encouraged to spread the message about FREE screening.

Telephony Problems – Monday, October 1st 2018

We are sorry if you experienced issues accessing the surgery by phone this morning. This was due to national telephony issue outside the control of surgery staff though we were in constant contact with our supplier to find out when the fix was going to be installed. Services were back to normal by the afternoon and we thank you for your patience.

Carers Assessments with Derbyshire Carers

We are delighted to welcome back our colleagues from Derbyshire Carers who will again be conducting full carers assessment within the surgery building. The purpose of the assessment is to ensure that our vulnerable patients and their carers are not missing out on any health or social care support. We will be identifying those patients who we feel will benefit most from this service but any carer can access the service. Please contact us for further information. There is no charge for this service.

Our first assessments will take place on Thursday, October 4th, 2018.

Patient Group Meeting: September 27, 2018

Thank you to the nine patients who attended and made it such a productive discussion.

Arthritis/Fibromyalgia Support Group

The next meeting of the Group will talk place on Monday, October 22nd, from 12:30 to 14:30 at the Jamia Mosque. More details available from the surgery or the Care Co-ordinator Aneesa.

September 2018

A reminder about our extended opening hours

Regular readers of this website will know that we have been working with other Derby surgeries for nearly 18 months to offer extended access to GPs and nurses from the surgery building as well as from other sites across the city. We are open on both Saturdays and Sundays as well as up to five weekdays evenings between the hours of 18.30 – 20.00.  This is under the umbrella of ‘Primary Care Plus’. Opening times for other sites can vary and Reception staff can advise accordingly.

We are providing a wide range of services from GP appointments to Advanced Nurse Practitioners appointments alongside clinics for Dressings, Phlebotomy (Blood taking) & Smear Clinics.

We work closely with Livewell, Derby City Council’s wellbeing service www.livewellderby.co.uk and together provide ‘Lose Weight Feel Great’ classes, Smoking Cessation and ‘Active Ewe’.

Feedback on this service is very important & all patients will be asked to complete a short form after their consultation.

We hope that this initiative – funded by the Department of Health – will improve health & well being support for our patients and particularly help those patients who may struggle to attend during normal opening hours eg working age patients; patients who can access childcare support during the evening but not during the day.

Appointments can be booked in the normal way but we would stress that it is not the same as services offered by Peartree Medical Centre. Please ask us for further information.

Over 20% of Peartree patients have used the service at least once since it commenced.

Hot Topics

The hot topics included on our noticeboards this month include healthy eating, our new walking group, Stoptober, Breast Cancer awareness, use of antibiotics and Flus. Patients are encouraged to familiarise themselves with these. Don’t let ignorance damage your health!

Arthritis/Fibromyalgia Support Group

Our Care Co-ordinator will be hosting another meeting of this support group on Monday, September 17, at the Jamla Mosque. If you are interested in attending please contact the surgery for more information.

STOP PRESS: Eleven patients attended and are sharing their experiences and concerns with each other & the Care Co-ordinator.

‘Xpert’ help to manage your diabetes

There are currently over 540 patients registered with us who suffer either with Type 1 or Type 2 Diabetes. This is 15% of our adult population over the age of 16. We would encourage all patients to consider the FREE NHS programme called Xpert which is designed to support, advise and educate all diabetics.

Our colleagues from the Xpert team will be holding an introductory talk on Wednesday September 5 in the surgery waiting room to explain the programme to our patients from 1030 to 1330. No procedures or tests will be undertaken on the day. Interpreters will be available.

All diabetics and their carers or family members are encouraged to attend. No appointment needed. Just drop in to learn more without any obligation.

STOP PRESS: Thank you to the 32 patients who accepted Dr Singh’s invitation to attend this event and to those 20 who chose to sign up to the programme. We hope that you find it helpful.

August 2018

Stoptober: Want to stop smoking ?

Want to stop smoking but need some help & advice ? Our friends from Derby City Council Livewell Service will be in the surgery on Tuesday October 9 2018 1430 to 1630 to offer free advice on how to successfully quit. All patients & community members welcome.

STOP PRESS: We welcomed 5 patients to this session and we hope that they found the advice and free materials useful. We will run similar events in future in partnership with Livewell.

Next Patient Group Meeting: September 27 2018

Dr Singh would like to invite all patients to the next meeting of the main Peartree Patient Group on Thursday September 27 at 1800 for about an hour or so.

The customary Briefing Note is available to read under the Patient Group tab accessed from the Home Screen.

A meeting of the Ladies Only Group will be convened later in the year.

Latest noticeboard information

More information on the out of hours services run each evening and weekend mornings in conjunction with Primary Care Plus.

Guidance on healthy eating and maintaining a balanced diet.

Information on the role of the Care Quality Commission and how they reassure patients that they are receiving safe care.

July 2018

Flu Clinics: Advance Notice

Subject to the prompt receipt of the vaccines, our flu clinics for the winter of 2018-19 are scheduled as follows:-

Drop in Clinics

Adults

• Thursday 20th September 2018 – 08:45 to 13:15 & 14:30 to 19:15
• Wednesday 26th September 2018 – 08:45 to 13:15 & 14:30 to 18:15
• Tuesday 9th October 2018 – 08:45 to 13:15 & 14:30 to 16:15
• Thursday 18th October 2018 – 08:45 to 13:15 & 14:30 to 19:15

Childrens

• Wednesday 17th October 2018 – 09:30 to 13:15
• Thursday 25th October 2018 – 16:00 – 19:15

As always we hope that this mix of days and times will make it as easy as possible for eligible patients to be vaccinated and for this to work well around family, home and work commitments.

Heatwave advice

With the heatwave showing no signs of abating, Peartree Medical staff will be contacting our most vulnerable patients to ensure that they are well and aware of the best advice to follow when the temperatures are so high. If patients are concerned about themselves or their family, please talk to our staff for reassurance. You can also access further advice online by clicking on the following link:-

How to cope in hot weather

Arthritis/Fibromyalgia Support Group

Please note that the next meeting on 20th August has been cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances. A new date will be published shortly. We apologise for any inconvenience.

We are indebted to our friends at the Derby Jamla Mosque who are hosting the next meeting of this group on Monday July 16 starting at 1230. Our records suggest that up to 50 patients may find this group helpful and Peartree staff have been contacting them this week to make them aware of the group. We hope patients find it useful and provide our group leader Aneesa (Care Co-ordinator) with some useful feedback.

Fibromyalgia/Arthritis Support Group 

STOP PRESS: Aneesa was delighted to welcome 27 patients/community members to the meeting and there is a strong appetite to continue with this self-help group. Next meeting on August 20.

Phone issues resolved

Our telephony supplier has reported that the system is once again stable (July 5) and has apologised for any inconvenience caused. If patients should encounter any issues either now or in the future, please let us know.

Thank you for your patience.

NHS at 70 Award nomination

As part of the 70th birthday celebrations for the NHS, we were delighted to hear that Healthwatch Derby have nominated Peartree Medical Centre for an award under the Primary Care category. The nomination refers to our work with both Patient Groups and enhancing health education and cancer screening with our patient population. We have been told this week that our nomination has been shortlisted. Click on the link below for more information from Derby City Council

Peartree Medical Centre shortlisted for national award

Peartree Medical Centre shortlisted for national award

There is also further information on the Healthwatch site. Please click on the following link

Healthwatch: Peartree staff go the extra mile

We will post more information when we hear more.

Problems with the phones

We are sorry if you have experienced difficulties getting through to us in the last week or so – since June 25. The problem that has been identified is an intermittent fault which leads to calls being ‘dropped’ by the system. Our supplier is working with BT to identify the source of the problem and diagnostic work is scheduled for the morning of Tuesday July 3. We will post further updates here once the problem is fixed and thank you for your patience in the meantime.

June 2018

Walking to better health?

In another first for Peartree Medical Centre, we are pleased to offer our patients and other community members the opportunity to join a regular walk from the Arboretum Park at 0915 each Tuesday morning commencing July 17. Our Health Care Assistant Lorraine will be the walk leader which has been organised in conjunction with our colleagues at Livewell. Further information is available from the surgery or your doctor/nurse at the next consultation. Please click on the file below

• Walk Well with Peartree Medical Centre

New HANDi App for Childcare

A new smartphone app has been launched to provide advice and support to parents and carers looking after children with the most common childhood illnesses.

The HANDi App has been developed by local clinicians including GPs and paediatric consultants. The app describes care plans and guidance for the most common childhood health concerns, including:

• Abdominal pain
• Chestiness
• Diarrhoea and vomiting
• High Temperature
• Common problems during the newborn period

The app is aimed at reducing unnecessary use of the system, including general practice and urgent care settings.​

Download the FREE App today

Download the HANDi App for Android phones at Google Play For iPhone or iPad you can download it from the App Store using the search term ‘HANDi app’.

Arthritis/Fibromyalgia Support Group

A second meeting of this Group will take place on Monday, June 18, at 1pm. In view of the numbers attending last time, the meeting will be in the Library Room at the Pakistan Community Centre. Aneesa the Care Co-ordinator has arranged the meeting & will be in attendance. Anyone who would like more information or would like to attend please contact the Reception Team for more information or to arrange to talk to Aneesa.

Key Patient Messages 2018

Following discussion with our Patient Groups in the Spring of 2018, it was agreed to start a rolling programme of text messages covering key points to keep our patients fully informed.

We are also trying to contact as many patients as possible without a mobile phone number recorded. We can then update their record with a mobile number so that the audience for these messages is as wide as possible.

Click on the link below to see the messages for 2018.

• Key Patient Messages 2018

May 2018

A radio star in the making ??

Following our third and recent education session on coping with diabetes during Ramadan, we have been approached by Radio Derby to see if any diabetic patient would be willing to discuss how they cope with their condition during the fasting season. If you would like to share your experiences with the rest of the community, please let us have your details.

General Data Protection Regulation (GPDR)

A copy of our Privacy Notice & Explanatory Patient Leaflet updated for the new GDPR legislation can be found under the appropriate tab to the right or from the home page. Paper copies can be obtained from the Practice together with a copy of our complementary Data Protection Policy. This includes contact details for our Data Protection Officer.

Chai with Healthwatch Derby

Our colleagues at Healthwatch Derby are holding a listening event to hear the community’s thoughts on a variety of health services in Normanton. This will be held at the Indian Community Centre on May 10, 2018.

STOP PRESS: We were delighted to hear that around 200 patients/community members from Normanton attended these event providing invaluable feedback to service providers.

• Chai with Healthwatch Derby

April 2018

General Data Protection Regulation

This new regulation will become law from May 25 2018 and has been described by some commentators as the biggest root & branch reassessment of Data Protection in a generation. It is also seen as making the legislation more relevant in a digital age.

Data Protection and patient confidentiality are at the very heart of all our services and so we expect to be meeting a high proportion of the new requirements already. However, we are benchmarking our current processes & policies. Updates to reassure patients will be posted here shortly.

Livewell – lifestyle coaching

We continue to welcome our colleagues from Livewell into the surgery. They hold regular sessions for our patients in familiar surroundings and can offer advice on weight management, smoking cessation & other lifestyle choices at no charge.

Patients wishing to explore this service further can find out more by clicking on the website link below or by asking your doctor or nurse at your next consultation.

Livewell Derby

March 2018

Living with diabetes through Ramadan

For diabetics wanting to observe Ramadan, the fasting period can be a challenging and difficult period. For the third consecutive year, we have arranged for the local diabetologist, Dr Idris, to advise patients on safeguarding their health and well being during Ramadan.

This session will take place just prior to Ramadan on Friday May 11 2018 at 1500. Venue is now confirmed as the Thornton Room at the St James Centre in Normanton.

We will be in touch with our diabetics nearer the time.

STOP PRESS: Thanks are once again extended to Dr Idris and his colleague who answered medication & other questions from an audience of eleven community members on the day.

Women’s Muslim Group – First Meeting!

Our Ladies Only Patient Group has been running for a number of years and we are now pleased to be able to develop this further with a group aimed at supporting Muslim Women. The first meeting of the Group is scheduled for Monday May 14 2018 and our first contributor at the meeting will be Creative Carers. Creative Carers want to better understand the needs of our Muslim patient community and to exchange ideas on tailoring support. The event will be supported by our Care Co-ordinator and Interpreter. It will develop further in the future depending on what patients feel might be most useful. Why not join us at the start of this exciting new project?

STOP PRESS: Lower than anticipated numbers joined Creative Carers and our Care Co-ordinator for this inaugural meeting. We remain hopeful however that as word spreads that more female patients will join us for the second & subsequent meetings. Future meeting dates will be posted here.

Pharmacy First/Minor Ailments Scheme

We are delighted to see that more and more patients are using the Minor Ailments Service available at their local Pharmacy. To provide more information on this invaluable service, we have arranged with our Medicines Management colleagues to come into the surgery waiting room on Thursday, April 26, 2018 to answer any patient questions and to provide more information in different languages.

We will remind patients nearer the time by SMS and information will be posted in the surgery waiting room.

In appropriate circumstances, Drs Singh & Joseph recommend this service to patients as more tailored to their needs.

STOP PRESS: Medicines Management colleagues spoke to all patients attending for appointments – around 60 in all – to explain and promote this helpful scheme. Peartree Reception staff complemented this session with a further noticeboard (see below).

GP net earnings 2016-2017

The practice accountants have calculated GP net earnings in accordance with published guidance at £98,000 per GP for the year.

Organ Donation – ‘opt out’ consultation

The Government has launched a consultation in December 2017 to consider a system where patients have to ‘opt out’ of organ donation. More information can be accessed at the link below.

• Opt Out Consultation launched

A number of our patients have expressed their reservations about this proposal for cultural, religious or personal reasons. We understand your concerns.

However, this is not yet law and we will await the outcome of the public consultation. Once this is known, we will consider providing more tailored information to our patient population. It is our understanding that patients will continue to be able to say that organ donation is not for them and if we can assist patients to ensure that their wishes are respected, we will do all we can to assist.

More information will be posted here once it is known. Here is a link showing the latest thinking (August 2018).

• Update on organ donation August 2018

Patient Group for Ladies

Although adverse weather prevented a higher number of patients coming, those ladies attending were able to discuss our latest service developments with GP, nurse and other staff. A copy of the minutes can be found under the Patient Group tab on the right.

February 2018

Patient Group Meeting For All

The next meeting of the main Patient Group has been scheduled for Thursday March 22 2018. We will start around 1800 as usual. This will be in Consulting Room 7 at the surgery.

A Briefing Note of all the latest issues has been produced to act as an agenda and to inform patients who may be unable to attend on the night. This can be found under the Patient Group tab on the right.

January 2018

Ladies Only Patient Group

Our next meeting of the Ladies Patient Group will take place on Tuesday March 6 2018 from 1100 to around 12 noon in the surgery. All female patients welcome. Agenda to be prepared nearer the time.

December 2017

Arthritis/Fibromyalgia Support Group

One of the members of our Patient Group has asked if we would help with setting up an informal support group for arthritis sufferers. We are happy to oblige and the recent extension gives us more space to be able to offer this on surgery premises. Our Care Co-ordinator is looking at ways to support the group with speakers, advice etc and the first meeting will be held on Monday April 23. Any patient who wishes to register their interest now should leave their details with Reception. We will also be in touch with suitable patients nearer the time. Patients should of course be aware that by joining the group other community members will become aware of their pre-existing condition.

STOP PRESS: Thirteen patients joined the Care Co-ordinator for this inaugural meeting. The invited speaker gave advice on lifestyle and advice. Patients have asked for a monthly frequency to help the group members support one another.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Information Session

We are pleased to be offering another innovative health and well being initiative – this time with our colleagues from the Derby City Council Livewell team on Saturday 17 February 2018.

We will be hosting a Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Information Session at Peartree Medical Centre to help patients to find out more about their condition and the positive changes that can be made to manage their condition and symptoms.

This session will be supported by a nurse, lifestyle behaviour specialist and the British Lung Foundation.

If this works well, it is likely that this trial will be extended to other surgeries in our local hub for the benefit of the wider community. We will be writing to suitable patients and ringing them nearer the time but if any patient has any questions, please get in touch.

STOP PRESS: Nine patients attended for an informative and helpful session which we hope will assist them to manage their condition.

Patient winter awareness

Winter is upon us and we are anxious to provide any support or guidance to vulnerable patients over this period. There is information to be found on the waiting room noticeboards and our colleagues from Healthwatch will be in the surgery on Thursday December 7 to pass on their knowledge and advice. All patients welcome!

Electrical repairs affecting extended hours opening

Due to essential electrical repairs, the surgery will not be offering extended hours opening from Peartree Medical Centre on the mornings of Saturday 9 December & Sunday 10 December. Appointments will still be available from 0800 to 1200 on both days but these can only be accessed from the Park Surgery in Chaddesden, our partner site.

We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

November 2017

Bowel Cancer Screening: Free advice

There are still around 60 of our patients who have not responded to invitations to participate in Bowel Cancer Screening. This is a free service open to all 60-74 year olds. Bowel Cancer like most cancers can kill unless detected early. Drs Singh & Joseph would encourage all eligible patients to participate.

Our colleagues at Lister House surgery are holding a free advice workshop on Tuesday 21 November commencing at 10.30 am. Patients from the wider community are also welcome so if you have questions about the procedure, this is your chance to ask. No procedures will take place on the day and a specialist from the hospital will be happy to take any questions.

Don’t let ignorance damage your health!

More extended opening hours!

Regular readers of this website will know that we have been working with eight other Derby surgeries to offer extended access to GPs and nurses from the surgery building. We are now open on both Saturdays & Sundays from this weekend (November 4/5 08:00-12:00) as well as five weekdays evenings between the hours of 18:30 – 20:00 .  This is under the umbrella of ‘Primary Care Plus’.

We are providing a wide range of services from GP appointments to Advanced Nurse Practitioners appointments along with a range of clinics for  Dressings, Phlebotomy (Blood taking), Smear Clinics,  Long Term condition clinics (Asthma, COPD and Diabetes) and specialised Asthma clinics in conjunction with Royal Derby Hospital.

We work closely with Livewell, Derby City Council’s wellbeing service www.livewellderby.co.uk and together provide ‘Lose Weight Feel Great’ classes, Smoking Cessation and ‘Active Ewe’.

Feedback on this service is very important & all patients will be asked to complete a short form after their consultation.

We hope that this initiative – funded by the Department of Health – will improve health & well being support for our patients and particularly help those patients who may struggle to attend during normal opening hours eg working age patients; patients who can access childcare support during the evening but not during the day.

Appointments can be booked in the normal way but we would stress that it is not the same as services offered by Peartree Medical Centre. Please ask us for further information.

October 2017

Demise of Derbyshire Carers ?

We have worked closely with Derbyshire Carers over the last year to provide carers assessments in the surgery. We have helped nearly 40 carers in this way to identify any wider health & well being support that they could access.

It is with considerable disappointment that we hear that funding has been withdrawn from Derbyshire Carers and that we will have to suspend this service until future City Council plans are clearer.

Diabetes – a new enhanced service

Diabetes is a chronic condition affecting a large proportion of our patients. Patients who find it difficult to control their sugar levels are running a substantial risk of developing life changing problems later in life including blindness, kidney failure and limb amputations.

Peartree Medical Centre is preparing to take part in a new enhanced service to assist and support these patients to manage their condition more effectively. This will be led by our GPs who will oversee a number of interventions to improve the health & well being of our poorly controlled diabetic patients.

We will be analysing patient data and selecting a cohort of patients that we may be able to assist. We are working with other practices in Normanton to support the wider community.

More flu clinics – ensure you are protected!

We will be holding more drop in flu clinics on Thursday November 9 0845 to 1315 and again on Monday December 11 1430 to 1800. If you are eligible for the free vaccine please call in for your jab. No appointment necessary

Asthma Diagnosis Testing for kids

Sometimes diagnosing asthma in children can be problematical when symptoms from other causes can be very similar eg chronic cough, bronchitis. A misleading diagnosis can lead to delayed or inappropriate treatment. This is particularly unhelpful for children during the colder winter months when symptoms may be exacerbated. We have arranged therefore with our colleagues from secondary care to hold clinics in November & December to run a series of FeNo tests.

During inflammation of the airways, higher-than-normal levels of nitric oxide (NO) are released from the bronchial wall. The concentration of NO in exhaled breath, or fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO), can help identify airway inflammation, and thereby support a diagnosis of asthma when other objective evidence is lacking.

This is a new innovative service that we are trying and builds on the successful partnership work with the IMPACT team on adult asthma. We will target children of concern to us and the clinics will be scheduled for late afternoon after school.

We hope that this will reduce the incidence of children having to seek emergency treatment and reduce the occasions when parents have to witness their children struggling for breath.

STOP PRESS: We saw 28 of our asthmatic children in November & December. Regrettably half of these had abnormal FENO levels and three were diagnosed with asthma. This diagnostic testing though will help us to target appropriate care and monitoring more quickly and also acted as a useful prompt to remind parents to keep a close eye on their child’s compliance with medication. Many of these children routinely visit the Emergency Department during exacerbations & we hope that this preventative work will reduce their need to seek emergency treatment. We are indebted to our colleagues at IMPACT for their innovative assistance. We hope to repeat this work in 2018.

STOP PRESS: On 7 February 2018, we followed up on 11 asthmatic or wheezy patients with colleagues from secondary care. Six of those had started new treatment after the sessions in late 2017. Of those encouragingly five were showing an improvement in the inflammation in the airway readings. The one who had risen was a compliance issue. We also reviewed two adults who showed raised FENO levels. Individual action plans agreed for those two & this will be followed up in due course.

Any patient wishing to be considered for this study should let Reception know.

TV Screen in the waiting room

Our new TV screen has been installed in the surgery waiting room. This will display general health & well being messages and in time, specific information to address known patient issues in Normanton.

How we use your personal information

Click on the link below to see how the NHS and this surgery use & safeguard your information

• GP Fair Processing Notice – Oct 2017

Patient Group meeting Briefing Note

Our next Patient Group meeting is on Thursday 12 October 2017 starting at 1815 in the surgery waiting room. All patients are welcome.

• Patient Group meeting Briefing Note

September 2017

Freedom To Speak Up Guardian

The surgery is committed to fostering an open culture amongst staff, patients and other people who come into contact with our services. We hope this open culture will encourage comments, feedback, complaints and concerns to be raised without fear or the fear of intimidation.

We are therefore happy to embrace the latest guidance to nominate a Freedom to Speak Up Guardian. This Guardian is independent of our surgery and comments can be directed to them.

The Practice Manager at Derby Family Medical Centre has agreed to become the Guardian on behalf of Peartree Medical Centre. Comments should be directed to her in the first instance.

Our whistleblowing policy will be updated accordingly.

Derbyshire Carers Newsletter

For more details on Peartree Medical Centre’s work supporting carers, there is helpful coverage in the Summer 2017 Derbyshire Carers newsletter. Please click on the link below.

• Derbyshire Carers Newsletter

Breast Cancer Screening explained

We will be welcoming specialist female breast cancer screening nurses at the surgery on Wednesday, 18 October, 2017 from 12 noon to offer our ladies advice on the screening process. No procedures will take place on the day. We will simply be offering advice and allowing patients to make an informed choice.

We will be targeting those ladies in the relevant age group of 50 to 70 who have not been screened recently and those 48 & 49 year olds who will be eligible shortly.

Cancer can kill and Drs Joseph and Singh strongly recommend that patients at least come along and listen to the advice. They would also recommend that all patients are screened for all types of cancer. Early diagnosis can be critical and all processes for eligible patients are FREE.

STOP PRESS: Nine ladies came along to listen to the advice. Of these 5 were unscreened and at risk; 2 will be getting an invite shortly when they turn 50 and the other 2 have been screened previously but are not currently up to date. We hope that they found the session helpful.

CCTV installed

For the added safety of patients and staff alike and to protect the building when we are closed we have now installed CCTV cameras on our site.

Tell us you are here automatically!

We now have a computer screen in the waiting room which allows you to tell the nurse or doctor that you have arrived. There is no need to see the Reception team or to wait in the queue. The screen is set up in a number of languages and only requires you to enter your date of birth. Reception staff will be on hand to assist patients if required.

Peartree Patient Group meeting

The next meeting of the main Patient Group will take place as follows:

• Thursday October 12th 2017 from 18:15 to around 19:30 in the surgery waiting room

All patients are most welcome. Our agenda will include the following:-

• Derby City Healthwatch will be here to explain their role; listen to your opinions and also to observe our Group meeting.
• A ‘FREE’ (!!) tour of the new consulting rooms & clinical storage room plus sight of the new log in screen and waiting room tv.
• An update from our last Ladies Only Patient Group meeting
• An update on extended opening hours to three evenings per week plus Saturday mornings. Improved access to GPs and nurses since June 2017. We call this ‘the hub’. It is slightly different to our normal services & we will explain further.
• Extra services from the hub including wound dressing, Livewell & Asthma at more varied times
• Our award from Derbyshire Carers for supporting patients who are carers.
• Plus plenty more!!

Technical problems with the phones

Our phone system has been down today (Thursday 14th September 2017 10:30). This has been diagnosed by our phone supplier as the failure of a piece of onsite equipment. We are currently waiting for replacement kit to arrive. In the interim the normal service has been disrupted and our contingency plans are in hand to restore services as quickly as possible.

We apologise for any short term inconvenience to our patients.

Update: Thursday 14th September 12:00. All external lines have been rerouted to allow patients to talk with us.

Update: Thursday 14th September 15:00. Engineer has now repaired the fault and normal service has resumed.

Flu Clinics 2017

We have now taken delivery of the 2017 vaccines and will be starting the process to protect nearly 1500 patients. Initial clinics are planned as follows:-

• 21st September 08:45-13:15 & 14:30-19:30
• 28th September 08:45 – 13:15 & 14:30-19:30
• 2nd October 08:45 – 13:15 & 14:30 – 18:00

Letters to all eligible patients will be dropping through letter boxes shortly. No appointment is necessary and patients can simply turn up and be seen.

Further information on this years campaign and patient eligibility can be found on our waiting room noticeboard or by asking the doctor or nurse treating you.

August 2017

Increasing Services plus Saturday mornings

We are pleased to advise patients that from Saturday August 26 we are now able to offer a wound dressing service from the surgery. This is part of the Primary Care Plus hub opening based at both Peartree Medical Centre and The Park Surgery at Chaddesden.

We are now offering extended hours opening in the evenings as well as Saturday morning. In addition to wound dressing, there is a GP and nurse available each session and we are looking to add other services such as asthma/COPD & diabetes clinics. Colleagues from Livewell & the IMPACT asthma team will also be lining up alongside us to offer more services in these extended hours.

We hope that this initiative – funded by the Department of Health – will improve health & well being support for our patients and particularly help those patients who may struggle to attend during normal opening hours eg working age patients; patients who can access childcare support during the evening but not during the day.

Appointments can be booked in the normal way but we would stress that it is not the same as services offered by Peartree Medical Centre. Please ask us for further information.

Service Disruption

We would like to apologise to those staff and patients affected by a disruption to our services on the afternoon and evening of Monday August 14. Due to a significant power outage, we lost our phones and computers for the remainder of the day after 1500.

The electrician is now working to provide us with a long term solution but in the meantime services were restored in readiness for Tuesday morning.

Our noticeboards – a mine of information!

Passing on important information to our patients is something that we are committed to doing. We think as creatively as possible of different ways to do this. One of our main opportunities is through our waiting room noticeboards. We would kindly ask patients to be aware of these ever changing panels where further information to safeguard your health and wellbeing can be found. The current boards cover the following topics:

Ladies’ Only Patient Group meeting

Thanks are extended to the seven patients who gave up their time to attend. We are most grateful for this.

July 2017

Ladies Only Patient Group meeting

Our next meeting of the Ladies Only Patient Group will take place on Tuesday July 25th from 10:30 to 11:30 in the surgery waiting room. An outline agenda has been drafted and will cover

• Telephone Triage
• GP HUB – out of hours appointments & next phase
• New Consulting Rooms
• CCTV
• Care Co-ordinator role
• Carers award – carers assessments
• Prescription consultation – proposed changes
• Expected Service from your local hospital – outpatient prescriptions
• Flu clinics & Shingles vaccine
• Resourcing update
• Diabetes education – Xpert programme
• New staff – New role of HCA, New Clinical Pharmacist.
• Patient Cancer screening (Bowel, Breast, Prostate Cancer)
• NHS Choices
• Thoughts for future meetings – Timings, venues, agendas etc.

It is a full agenda and patients are invited to attend for as long as possible. We look forward to seeing you.

STOP PRESS: Seven ladies came to our meeting which Dr Singh, the Care Co-ordinator, Interpreter and Senior Receptionist hosted. Notes of the meeting will be posted under the Patient Group tab shortly.

National Patient Survey results published

The latest annual results have been published and are available to view on the Patient Survey website. We are not yet aware of any local media coverage of these this year but will post any links to this if it becomes available. Please click on the link below for access to our information.

• GP Patient Survey

79 Peartree patients or 1.65% of our total patient population responded to the survey. The national team sent out over 300 forms and the response rate was 21%.

We were particularly pleased to see some high scores on appointment waiting times, care by GPs and nurses and 85% of the respondents stating that their overall impression of the surgery was Good.

We value all feedback from our patients and regularly collect Friends and Family Test data. If you are a patient and would like to take part in this, further details can be found on our Home Page. Make sure your voice is heard!

Out of Hours Service update

We are working with eight other practices across Derby City to offer extended hours opening. This is part of a pilot study funded by the Department of Health.

For July 2017, we are opening for five evenings per week from 1830 to 2030. Doctors and nurses will be based both at Peartree Medical Centre and The Park Chaddesden and will see patients from all nine surgeries.

From August 2017, based on feedback we will open for three evenings per week plus Saturday mornings at Peartree Medical Centre.

Patients can book appointments in the normal way. This is a different service to our normal services eg patients are unlikely to see their regular GP or nurse,; there is no prescription collection service and the phone lines are not open.

As part of the pilot study, patient feedback on the service is vitally important and service users will be asked to complete a short feedback form.

National Diabetes Prevention Programme (NDPP)

We welcomed our colleagues from the NDPP again on July 4 as they conduct another round of assessments on patients who have been referred to the programme.

If any patient is worried about developing diabetes and would like to find out more about this FREE innovative programme please ask your doctor or nurse at your next consultation. Alternatively let Reception have your details and we will be in touch.

Medicines Co-ordinator training

The surgery is participating in innovative training to increase the skills of our Reception team to support the doctors and nurses in the management of medication for our patients. This innovative scheme will start shortly and will reduce the bureaucratic burden on GPs without compromising patient safety.

Ladies’ Only Patient Group

Our next meeting of the Ladies Only Patient Group will take place on Tuesday, July 25, from 1030 to 1130. Venue to be confirmed but either the surgery or library. If you are a female patient at Peartree come along & listen to the latest update on new services and changes. If you have any concerns or comments about our services, please come and discuss them with the team. Feedback from our patients is always very important. We look forward to seeing you.

SignPost event

Sometimes patients may need a little extra help to support their health & wellbeing. Our SignPost event is an opportunity for patients to discuss and be ‘signposted’ to support from other agencies or organisations in Derby City. It is non-medical and no doctors or nurses are involved.

Often the surgery is aware of such issues and will contact patients directly to assist but any patient who feels that they need extra support or just needs an interpreter to talk to other organisations, please come along. We will do what we can to help.

The next SignPost event is on Wednesday, July 19, 2017 from 1330 to 1430 in the surgery.

June 2017

Extension handed over

Subject to some final finishing touches, the new extension is complete and will now be fitted out with furniture, phones and IT equipment. Thanks are extended to Oakmore Construction for a thoroughly professional job and for working around the needs of a busy surgery and its patients.

Peartree Medical Centre: Top of the tree!

Independent data published for the winter flu season of 2016-17 shows that Peartree Medical Centre achieved the highest adult vaccination rate in the Notts & Derby area. Around 87% of all eligible under 65s and over 65s were protected.

Carers award for Peartree Medical Centre

Dr Singh and Practice Manager Mike Newbold were invited to the Derbyshire Carers Annual Tea Party at the Derbyshire County Cricket Ground on Thursday June 15. As representatives of Peartree Medical Centre, we were proud to accept an award recognising our support for carers in our patient community.

The surgery regularly reviews its Carers Register and directly encourages carers to attend for a needs assessment to ensure that all possible support – financial & other – is being provided to the carer. This is done with the support of Derbyshire Carers and  assessments are undertaken in the familiar surroundings of the surgery.

Since the partnership work started in late 2016, 30 carers have been assessed and wherever possible, between two & four assessments will be undertaken each month.

Patients can refer themselves to this service and should contact Reception for more details.

New extension nearing completion

We are confidently expecting handover of the new building and refurbished waiting room by the end of June. We will then set about furnishing it with the clinical and office equipment. Internal photographs showing the consulting rooms and waiting room on 14 June are shown below.

The extra space will enable us to enhance services from the surgery including the recently introduced evening sessions five nights a week. We are also commencing a regular session with the City Council Livewell team from July 17 for patients to receive lifestyle advice including quitting smoking.

Record sharing with partners

Derbyshire Healthcare records are proposing a wider share of information with our health and social care partners. Have a look at their animation by clicking on the link below for more information

• Derbyshire healthcare records

or with subtitles

• Derbyshire Healthcare Records with subtitles

Patients who do not wish to participate should tell us. We will be writing to all patients who previously opted out of the Summary Care Record in due course.

May 2017

Out of Hours service opens

The first patients were seen under the new out of hours service operating from Peartree Medical Centre on the evening of Tuesday May 30. There are nine surgeries across Derby City working together under a new government initiative to provide increased access to clinicians. Patients can book appointments through their surgery as normal to be seen ‘out of hours’ between 1800 & 2000 at either the Park Surgery Chaddesden or here at Peartree Medical Centre.

It is important to stress that this is a different service to what Peartree patients would expect during normal working hours eg there is no prescription collection service and the telephones are not answered.

Patient feedback for this government pilot is very important and patients using the service will be asked for their views on the usefulness of the service.

FREE patient services

Our CQC inspection last year highlighted a number of innovative services that the team at Peartree Medical Centre are fostering & supporting for wider patient benefit. The following is a list of FREE extra services:-

• Pregnancy pals and birth buddies volunteers are in the surgery most Thursdays to support & help new mums or mums-to be.
• The IMPACT team are in the surgery every Thursday offering high quality diagnostic asthma services for those patients particularly suffering. It is hoped that this will prove to be a particular help during the forthcoming hay fever season.
• Derbyshire Carers are visiting the surgery twice each month to offer assessments for those patients or families supporting a loved one. Assessments consider a wide range of support that can be made available and assess that patients are receiving full benefits.

In addition to these regular sessions, the Practice arranges a number of other sessions throughout the year including:-

• Sessions to promote better diabetic & pre-diabetic care through structured programmes and support from the diabetologist at the hospital.
• Cancer screening workshops
• Weight management and stopping smoking help in association with our colleagues at Derby City Council Livewell.
• TB awareness & screening
• Keeping warm in winter awareness sessions

We are also working closely with neighbouring surgeries to offer extended opening hours five nights per week at the surgery. This is also likely to offer us the opportunity to offer further FREE services outside normal opening hours & will benefit patients who may find it difficult to attend during a normal working week. Further information will be given as this becomes available.

Peartree staff will identify patients where we think these services will help but patients interested in finding out more should ask their doctor, nurse or any of the Reception team at their next visit.

New Clinical Pharmacist

We would like to extend a warm welcome to Kuldeep Virdee who joins our team as the surgery’s part-time Clinical Pharmacist from May 15, 2017. Kuldeep’s role will allow patients to meet with a qualified pharmacist to discuss any medication issues.

Living with Diabetes during Ramadan

For the second year, Dr Idris from Royal Derby Hospital joined patients and staff from Peartree Medical Centre to offer advice and support for diabetic patients and their families to safely observe the forthcoming Ramadan fasting period. Patients can be exempt from fasting but those diabetics who wish to fast were advised:-

The Care Co-ordinator has been in discussions with officers from the Southern Derbyshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) to explore the possibility of introducing Personal Health Budgets either for patients approaching the End of Life or for particularly chronic conditions.

This is innovative work which will need to meet the scheme’s criteria as well as reflect individual patient needs and the needs of our patient community.

Sugar testing, blood pressure monitoring and dietary advice

The unexpected disruption to computer services gave our nurses & interpreter the opportunity to join colleagues from the Southern Derbyshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) at a health education event at Pak Foods in Normanton Road on the morning of Tuesday May 16. This was part of our ongoing education programme with the CCG to promote good health education and to also promote the Xpert Diabetes programme.

The nurses reported that this was very well received by the Normanton community and there was a constant stream of people asking to be tested. 80 members of the community in total were seen.

National disruption to computer services

We would like to apologise to all our patients who have experienced disruption to our services following the recent ‘cyber attack’ on the NHS computer services. We were told to power down all computers at around 1500 on Friday 12 May and these were not restored until 12 noon on Tuesday May 16.

Clinicians and administrative staff fell back onto our contingency plans and we managed patient care as safely as possible. Patients appointments for routine monitoring will be rearranged for a later date.

We would like to thank our patients for their understanding during this unprecedented period.

Weight management and stop smoking

Our colleagues from the Derby City Council Livewell service will be in the surgery waiting room on Wednesday May 17 to offer free advice and aids to patients to help with weight management and stopping smoking. We will be ringing round as many patients as possible to advise them of this session but all are welcome.

STOP PRESS: Twenty patients took the opportunity to come and talk to the Livewell team. Dr DNP Singh also spoke with patients and our new Clinical Pharmacist was on hand to answer any medication queries.

Extension Progress

The new two room extension is progressing well. This is the scene on Monday May 8 showing the front elevation with door now fitted and white rendering on the outside. Inside the internal walls are in place giving a real sense of the room dimensions and the floor has been screeded.

The rear shot shows the breeze block wall awaiting rendering and with windows in place.

The builder is confidently advising us of a handover in mid-June 2017.

We are indebted to NHS England who are part funding the work under the Primary Care Infrastructure Fund initiative.

Extended hours pilot: MEETING CANCELLED

STOP PRESS: THIS MEETING HAS BEEN CANCELLED AND WILL BE REARRANGED IN DUE COURSE.

Peartree Medical Centre is working with eight other surgeries across Derby City to pilot a new government initiative to offer extended hours access for patients to GPs, nurses and other local services. There will be two ‘hubs’ for these services – one at the Park Surgery in Chaddesden and one here at Peartree Medical Centre. The Chaddesden hub is now up and working and offering late night opening five days per week. The current plan is for the Peartree hub to open from the end of May offering similar access.

Patients will be offered appointments each week by contacting the surgery as usual. Peartree’s ‘share’ of the extra appointments will be nine per week at each site.

If any patient would like to find out more or influence how services will be delivered, there is an information evening as follows:-

• Date: Wednesday 17th May
• Time: 18:30
• Venue: Derbyshire County Cricket Club, Directors Lounge, DE216DA

Tea/coffee/biscuits will be served upon arrival

Patient feedback is a vital part of assessing the success of the pilot and securing funding for the future.

April 2017

Patient Group minutes

Minutes from the latest Patient Group meeting have been posted on the website under the Patient Group tab.

Thanks are extended to the dozen patients who came to the meeting.

March 2017

GP net earnings 2015-16

The practice accountants have calculated GP net earnings in accordance with published guidance at £87,000 per GP for the year.

Online services a bit of a mystery?

Perhaps as a patient you are aware that you can book or cancel appointments online; can order your repeat medication or can access your medical records securely and confidentially ? If so, you may still be unsure how to use the technology on your phone or a lap top ?

With the help of patient members of our Patient Group we will be running some sessions in the waiting room to setup the access for patients and to allow patients to try it for themselves. This is likely to be after the extension is completed due to the disruption in the waiting room and also after Ramadan.

We will send text messages out nearer the time.

Extension: Progress so far

Bricklayers making good progress. The scene on March 24th.

Vitamin D deficiency

Professor Sahota will be meeting with Peartree clinicians in March to discuss his considerable experience of managing and understanding Vitamin D deficiency. Both GP Partners at Peartree Medical Centre have a special interest in Vitamin D management and have conducted audits and treatments of their own in recent years. It is hoped that this meeting will enhance our local knowledge to further support our South Asian patient population in the coming years.

Diabetes Prevention

We will be holding a workshop for those twenty patients who recently expressed an interest in joining this education programme to forestall the onset of diabetes. In the familiar surroundings of their own surgery, patients will be able to discuss the programme further and have their initial assessments in confidence ready to join the programme thereafter. This workshop will take place on Wednesday 5 April 2017.

Any other patient worried about the possibility of developing diabetes should talk to either the nurse or doctor for more information.

Help and support for diabetics

We will be holding another workshop in the surgery to promote the education programme – Xpert – to our current diabetics. The event is free and no confidential information will be discussed. If you or a family member would like to find out more about living with diabetes and reducing the risks of serious harm, you will be most welcome.

We will be contacting patients who we think might benefit the most in due course.

The workshop will be on Monday April 3 at 1330 and should take no more than an hour.

STOP PRESS: We were pleased to discuss the programme with 19 patients and 9 of those agreed to join the programme which will start later this month.

The new extension: Full speed ahead?

The bricklayers moved in on March 13th 2017 (see photo below).

Living with Diabetes during Ramadan: Advance Notice

We have arranged for Dr I. Idris to once again give guidance and advice to our Muslim diabetics on how to cope with their condition whilst observing Ramadan. This was a very popular session last year so we have changed the venue to accommodate an anticipated larger audience. It will now take place as follows:-

St James Centre, Malcolm St, Derby, DE23 8LU (off Dairy house Rd) on Wednesday 10th May 2017 from 11.00 – 13.00

The surgery interpreter, Practice Nurse and administrative staff from Peartree Medical Centre will be attending to help support patients. There is a large car park and lift access to all floors.

We have asked our colleagues from the Xpert Diabetes Programme to attend to discuss the FREE advice which is available to those patients who might be struggling to manage their condition throughout the year. All diabetics and their families are most welcome.

We will contact patients nearer the time who we think might benefit from this session the most.

TB awareness and screening

Some members of the Normanton community – and therefore potentially a number of our patients – have been identified by the Clinical Commissioning Group as at higher risk of developing tuberculosis. The at risk groups are generally in the age range 16-35, will have been resident in a high risk area for TB including India and Pakistan for at least 3-6 months or will have been in close proximity to a sufferer. The condition can be dormant or latent for some time before manifesting itself.

The Peartree Clinical Team met with Derby City Council Public Health and TB Screening nurses in March to discuss how best to protect our at risk patients.

Peartree Medical Centre will be routinely offering screening to any new patients based on questions asked in our new patient health check. For existing patients, we will be working with Derby City Council Public Health and the TB Screening nurses to evaluate those to be offered screening during the course of 2017-18.

If any patient is concerned about the possibility of having been exposed to TB, please talk to the nurse or doctor at your next consultation for further advice.

Sharing the good news!

We are delighted to add our own personal congratulations to Sajda Kausar from the Derby City Council Public Health team who has won the 2017 Derby & Derbyshire Inspirational Women Award for her work in the health sector. Sajda has long been a friend and supporter of this surgery and the wider Normanton patient population. She has specifically helped us with improving bowel cancer screening rates; wider cervical cancer screening awareness; promoting wider awareness of diabetes and self help and care over the cold winter months for patients.

This is a fitting recognition for her sterling efforts.

Patient Group meeting

We will be meeting in the surgery waiting at 1800 on Thursday, 23 March, 2017. All patients are most welcome.

• Briefing Note for Patient Group meeting March 2017

February 2017

Annual Complaints Report

Each year the Practice publishes a report on the number and nature of complaints made to the Practice Manager. The latest report covering complaints from February 2016 to January 2017 can be found by clicking on the Complaints & Feedback tab.

The key findings and trends will be discussed at the Patient Group in March 2017.

Patient Group meeting date announced

We propose to hold our next main Patient Group meeting on Thursday March 23rd 2017 commencing at 18:00 in the surgery waiting room. A Briefing Note of all the main discussion items will be produced nearer the time. All patients are most welcome.

The new extension

Our contractors have encountered a number of issues below ground with rainwater drains and accommodating the rainwater tank which is a condition of the planning consent. The small nature of the site has also given the contractors little flexibility in accommodating all the underground pipework. This has led to some delay while plans have been redrafted but the surgery remains hopeful that the new consulting rooms will be available to us from the Spring.

We would like to apologise for any inconvenience the building works are causing our patients.

This was progress on the foundations at 24 February 2017:

Care Quality Commission report: Language options

The Care Quality Commission have made our summary report available in Urdu, Hindi, Mirpuri and Punjabi (Indian). These reports can be accessed via the following link.

• Care Quality Commission reports – other languages

Diabetes Prevention Advice

The Practice hosted three workshops to promote the new national Diabetes Prevention Programme in the surgery waiting room during late January. Surgery staff targeted those patients whose latest blood tests indicated that they were most at risk. We were pleased to discuss the programme with 37 patients and 20 of those agreed to be referred onto the programme.

This free programme offers practical advice and information to reduce the risk of the onset of this debilitating condition. We will be running further workshops later in the year but interested patients can discuss the programme with their clinician in the interim.

January 2017

The new extension

Recent visitors will have noticed that ground preparation work has started at the front of the surgery to build our two new consulting rooms and clinical waste store. On Sunday January 22, the gas main was diverted and drainage pipes for rainwater will now also be relaid.

Keep warm this winter!

We were pleased to support our colleagues at the Indian Community Centre on Thursday January 19 to promote simple steps that patients and the wider community can take to keep themselves warm & well over the winter period. This complimented our own sessions that took place in the surgery at the end of 2016.

Health Literacy

Peartree Medical Centre hosted a multi-disciplinary event on Monday January 23 to discuss the communication issues surrounding health literacy for our patient population. Clinicians and other staff learned a range of techniques to consider when interacting with patients. Thanks are extended to our patient MV who sits on our Patient Group and made this possible.

Asthma clinic

From Thursday January 5, we will be holding a regular asthma clinic each Thursday morning for patients suffering exacerbations or particular problems coping with their condition. This will be provided by our colleagues from the IMPACT asthma team at the Royal Derby Hospital. They are experts in their field and have the most up to date equipment for measuring airflow and assessing symptoms.

Surgery staff will be reviewing all our asthmatics and assessing whether this service will be helpful to each patient. We will be contacting patients accordingly. This does not prevent patients from asking themselves if they want to be referred to the service.

It is possible to see the Impact team on other days but this would be at another surgery. This can be arranged with the help of our Reception staff if Thursday morning is inconvenient.

This is a FREE local service for a minimum period of 12 months.

December 2016

Peartree Medical Centre in the news

Following the recent Care Quality Commission report, the local independent Derby website has reported on our successful inspection. Please click on the following link.

• Independent Derby News

The Builders are coming

Our contractors are expected on site from 3 January through to the end of April. They will be building our new two room extension on the front of the property on the church side. The computer image of the new extension can be found by scrolling down through the latest news section to August 2016.

There will inevitably be some disruption during this process. We kindly ask that patients bear with us and also take heed of all warning notices particularly when entering or leaving the site. The pedestrian gate will be inaccessible for two weeks.

Ladies’ Patient Group

Thanks are extended to the five ladies who attended our latest meeting on December 13 2016. We were pleased to welcome Public Health colleagues to talk about cervical cancer screening. Patients also had an update on the various issues set out in our Autumn Briefing Note. This can be found under the Patient Group tab on the right hand side.

Pregnancy pals and birth buddies

We are working with colleagues from the Community Parent Programme to support our new mums or expectant mums. They are there to support all new mothers or mothers to be to stay well during and after pregnancy and direct them to other services such as Livewell and Healthy Start. This is a new FREE service which will start on Thursday January 19 2017 and thereafter every fortnight. Interpreters will be available.

Care Quality Commission report published

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has published its statutory report following the comprehensive inspection of all aspects of our care and services on 13 September, 2016. It has rated our services as “Outstanding” which is the highest grade possible. The inspectors have also graded us as “Outstanding’ for the care given to six groups of patients including the elderly, those with long term conditions and working age patients. A list of the various gradings is given below.

All staff within the team have contributed to this excellent outcome and they in turn would like to thank all patients who contributed either through their Friends & Family Test feedback; through the two Patient Groups or by meeting with the inspectors on the day. Drs Singh & Joseph acknowledge the contribution of all.

We have asked the Care Quality Commission to provide the report in Urdu also for those patients whose first language is not English. We are awaiting their advice on this & will update the website when we hear more.

• Summary Ratings
• Detailed Ratings

All staff within the team have contributed to this excellent outcome and they in turn would like to thank all patients who contributed either through their Friends & Family Test feedback; through the two Patient Groups or by meeting with the inspectors on the day. Drs Singh & Joseph acknowledge the contribution of all.

We have asked the Care Quality Commission to provide the report in Urdu also for those patients whose first language is not English. We are awaiting their advice on this & will update the website when we hear more.

Diabetes: Self-help for patients

Representatives from the Diabetes Xpert programme, including a GP, came to the surgery waiting room on Wednesday 30 November. The programme aims to foster & support patient self-help in managing their diabetes. Nine patients came in to listen to the experts and eight asked to be referred onto the FREE programme.

Further discussions will be held with members of the Xpert programme to repeat the event in 2017.

National Diabetes Prevention Programme (NDPP)

The NHS has recently launched a new education programme to support those patients most vulnerable to developing diabetes. As this is a new service, we have arranged with the providers of the course to run three short hour long workshops in 2017 to explain this in more detail. Patients can then make an informed choice about lifestyle and other changes to reduce the risk of developing this chronic condition. The workshops will take place as follows:-

• Tuesday January 24th 11:00-12:00
• Thursday January 26th 18:30-19:30
• Wednesday February 1st 13:00-14:00

It is hoped that by offering different days & times that this will make it easier for patients to attend. We will be contacting our ‘at risk’ patients as defined by the NDPP early in the New Year.

Stay warm this winter

Our colleagues from Derby City Council Public Health will be in the waiting room on Mondays December 12 & 19 to talk about staying warm over this winter. They can provide advice on the Handyperson Scheme & keeping homes warm (taking referrals for carrying out interventions on boilers etc if possible/ needed).

There will also be lifestyle advice from the Livewell service.

Pharmacy First

From 1 December 2016, patients will have access to another service to help them with minor ailments and conditions. FREE advice and medication for under 16s and for those who do not pay for their medication will be accessible from your local pharmacy. Further details on eligibility and criteria for the scheme can be viewed by clicking on the links below; by talking to Reception staff or by talking to the Pharmacists themselves.

• Pharmacy First Poster

November 2016

Be ‘Safe at Home’

We will be pleased to welcome our colleagues from the Fire Service on the morning of Monday, November 21, 2016 to offer patients FREE advice on how to be safe at home. All patients welcome.

Diabetes: Self help for patients

We are pleased to be working with colleagues from the Xpert Diabetes programme who will be in the surgery waiting room on Wednesday November 30 from 1130 to 1300. They will explain the FREE self-help programmes that are available to our diabetic population. This will include dietary advice, exercise advice and how to maintain overall well being. We will be particularly targeting patients who have trouble controlling their diabetes but all patients will be welcome.

Come and hear what is available to you on the NHS.

October 2016

The builders are coming!!

We are delighted to report that after a long process, final approval has been given for a new two room extension at the surgery. This will offer patients and staff alike additional capacity and the ability to offer more services from the surgery in future. Builders are likely to be on site moving the gas main in November and thereafter building the new block on the side adjacent to the church.

We will try to keep any disruption to a minimum but would ask patients to bear with us while the improvements are made. Click on the link below for more information.

• New extension

SignPost Event

We are pleased to report that our next SignPost event will take place on December 7 2016 from 1230-1330. If you need help to be ‘signposted’ to other services or agencies, please come along. It is a FREE event.

Patient Group meeting

Minutes of the last meeting have been posted on the website. Thanks are extended to the 11 patients who attended.

A meeting of the Ladies Only Group will take place on December 13, 2016 from 1100-1230. Further details will be given nearer the time.

Breast Cancer Screening Awareness

Our colleagues from the Breast Cancer Unit will be available in the surgery on Wednesday, October 12, from 10:00 to 11:00 to explain the process and to answer any patient questions. We will be in touch directly with any patients who will be due for screening shortly but all female patients are welcome.

The session will be all female.

STOP PRESS: Twelve ladies attended our event with specialist advisors from Royal Derby Hospital.

Want help to quit smoking ?

Our colleagues from Livewell will be in the surgery on Wednesday, October 19, from 11:30 to 13:00 to talk with patients about their smoking habit and how to get help to quit. We will speak with patients who have expressed a desire to stop in the past or who might benefit most from stopping but all patients are welcome.

STOP PRESS: Nine current smokers wanting to quit received FREE resources and advice & tips on how to kick the habit. We will run another session in early 2017. Thanks to our colleagues at Livewell for their assistance.

September 2016

Care Quality Commission (CQC) Inspection

The Care Quality Commission inspection team visited the surgery on Tuesday 13 September.

Thanks are extended to those patients who completed a feedback form or who gave up their time to speak with the inspection team.

The inspection team also spoke with virtually all clinical and non-clinical staff on duty on the day as well as the wider community clinical team.

Further telephone discussions will take place between the Lead Inspector and the Practice Manager in late September before a draft report is issued on the CQC findings. Further updates will be given on this website and to the Patient Groups once this is known.

August 2016

Peartree Patient Group

Our next meeting will be on Thursday 29 September commencing at 1800 in the surgery waiting room. All patients are welcome for however long they can stay. A briefing note on current issues which will form our agenda will be sent out nearer the time and posted on the website.

It was fantastic and so supportive that 20 patients gave up an hour of their time to attend in March & it would be great to have a similar turn out again.

With patients at the heart of everything we do, we are sure that this contributed to our excellent rating in the recent national patient survey. (see item below).

XPert Diabetes Course

If you have diabetes, this course may be for you. Ask your GP or nurse for more information

• X-PERT Diabetes Recruitment Poster

Arboretum Park Fun Day

Come along and meet the team on Thursday, August 11, 2016 at the Arboretum Park. On what promises to be a sunny day, come and ask for FREE advice and let your families enjoy all the stalls and attractions.

Closure of Clarence Road Surgery

Patients may be aware that the surgery of Drs M & A Iqbal closed to all patients on 31 July 2016. The surgery was previously located on Clarence Road but latterly has been operating from the Lister House building. Neighbouring surgeries were given a matter of a few days notice of the closure by the South Derbyshire Clinical Commissioning Group when we were also told that the 3,800 patients registered at Clarence Road would be dispersed amongst neighbouring surgeries. This has had a major impact and is likely to be felt for some time yet.

In the first week or so, Peartree has registered an extra 100+ patients. Careful clinical and practice management will be required to safeguard the care of all existing and new patients both now and in the coming months. This will be discussed with patients at our next Patient Group meeting in the autumn.

The impact on clinical and administrative resources can only be fully assessed when we know how many patients will eventually choose Peartree Medical Centre.

It is understood that many patients may choose to follow Drs M & A Iqbal who are continuing to operate as GPs from other neighbouring surgeries.

If there are a substantial number of new registrations, the following item on the two room extension will be particularly important and will endorse our previous forward planning.

New two-room extension

We are pleased to report that after a lengthy preparatory phase including obtaining planning permission, we have now issued tenders for our new two room extension. This will be built on the front of the property on the church side. We are hoping to commence construction work in September. Architects plans for the extension can be viewed by clicking on the links below.

• Extension visual – August 2016
• Extension Plan – Aug 2016

Sure Start Children’s Services

We are delighted to report that representatives from Sure Start Childrens’ Services will be in the waiting room on Mondays, September 5 & 12 and Tuesday 6 September to explain their services to our patients with young children.

• Whats on guide

July 2016

What links Hollywood with Normanton?!

Click on the link below to hear what a famous Hollywood actor has to say about the importance of a good diet and exercise. Don’t let ignorance damage your health!

• A diabetes warning for all

Cancer Awareness: Dr Singh talks to patients

There was a large audience of up to 100 patients at the Indian Community Centre on Thursday July 14 2016 to listen to a multi-agency presentation on cancer awareness. Dr Singh from Peartree Medical Centre delivered the major contribution at the end stressing the importance of FREE cancer screening and explaining the impact of various forms of cancer on South Asian populations. All agencies had stalls at the event and Peartree MC were pleased to sign up 8 new patients for bowel cancer screening.

Patients discuss screening with Practice staff.

Dr DNP Singh addresses patients & the wider community

A comprehensive summary with more photographs can be found at Cancer Awareness Day

National Patient Survey results published

The latest survey results have been published. We are delighted to report that Peartree Medical Centre is in the top third of Practices nationally and in the top ten for Derby City. We thank our patients for their feedback and support.

We recognise that demand for our services often outstrips what we have available but we remain committed to working with both our patient groups to discuss and agree any changes to services in the interests of all patients.