Wootton & Shortstown Surgery – Newsletter April 2025

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REQUESTING PRESCRIPTIONS (from 6th May 2025)

Unfortunately, the Practice has a backlog of prescriptions to be processed, this is further impacted by the number of patients who are making urgent requests.  Therefore, for the practice to be able to address this situation, for the foreseeable future, we now require a minimum of 5 working days to process medicine requests.  This includes repeat prescriptions, as well as new medicines started by hospitals or specialists.  It is your responsibility to ensure that you order your prescriptions in sufficient time.

As mentioned above, we are receiving an increasing number of requests for urgent prescriptions.  Requests for prescriptions outside of the normal 5-day process impacts significantly on staff and increases the risk of prescription errors.  Our reception staff are not authorised to bypass the process, and we will not tolerate any abuse of our staff if your request is not processed as fast as you would like.

Urgent prescription requests should only be used for emergency situations where missing a dose may cause harm.  For example, requests for creams or nose sprays will not be treated as urgent.  Many medications can be safely missed for a few days, and there are often alternatives that can be purchased from pharmacies in the meantime.

Ordering your repeat prescriptions using the NHS app is quick and easy.  You can also see when medications have been approved and change your nominated pharmacy. 

111 Emergency Supply Through Pharmacies

If you forgot to request your repeat prescription in time, you may be able to get help from your pharmacy.  You can complete an online 111 referral using this link https://111.nhs.uk/emergency-prescription.  You will then need to contact your pharmacy.  The emergency supply of medicines is at the discretion of the pharmacist.  The pharmacist may decide that it does not fall under the emergency criteria and ask you to submit a request to your surgery using the normal processes.  This service does not cover Controlled Drugs.

Emergency prescriptions – NHS 111 111 online Emergency prescriptions. Use this service to request a limited emergency supply of a medicine you’ve completely run out of. This must be a medicine you are prescribed regularly, through a repeat prescription.

Coming Soon – Anima Online Triage

We are pleased to announce an update to the way our patients can request appointments and other healthcare-related items. In June/July we will be introducing a new triage system called Anima, which will replace SystmConnect.

Anima seamlessly and confidentially integrates with your medical record bringing improvements to how you request appointments and how our staff assess your condition.

Anima allows our team to continue to improve access times by helping us to direct you to the most appropriate care for your medical and administrative needs. This ensures we make use of our limited resources in the most safe and efficient way. All appointments will continue to be offered according to clinical urgency and need. By using this triage system, it means that patients will be managed more equitably and effectively, connecting our patients efficiently to the right person for the right service.

We will be working closely with our patients to ensure that the transition to the new system will be safe, efficient and seamless.

IT’S HAYFEVER TIME AGAIN!

Hay fever is a common allergy that causes sneezing, coughing and itchy eyes. You cannot cure it, but there are things you can do to help your symptoms, or medicines you can take to help.

Symptoms of hay fever include:

  • sneezing and coughing
  • a runny or blocked nose
  • itchy, red or watery eyes
  • itchy throat, mouth, nose and ears
  • loss of smell
  • pain around the sides of your head and your forehead
  • headache
  • feeling tired

Symptoms are usually worse between late March and September, especially when it’s warm, humid and windy. This is when the pollen count is at its highest.

A pharmacist can help with hay fever

Speak to a pharmacist if you have hay fever. They can give you advice and suggest the best treatments to help with symptoms, such as allergy eye drops, antihistamine tablets or steroid nasal sprays.  You do not need a prescription for these treatments.

Find out more about hay fever from AllergyUK   

https://www.allergyuk.org/types-of-allergies/hayfever

Call Volumes:

The volume of calls we have received into reception highlights just how busy the practice is and we are working tirelessly to meet that demand.

Here’s a look at recent demand:

  • March: 6,627 calls
  • April:    6,034 calls

Despite this significant volume, our team is committed to ensuring that every patient receives the attention they need.

As a result of the on-line consultations, our call volumes have reduced due to the alternative methods of access to the practice.  Call volumes, especially at busy times, have reduced and the number of calls missed has also reduced.

DNA Numbers:

March:                319 which was 6% of our available appointments

April:                    264 which was 5% of our available appointments

We understand how important it is to have quick and reliable access to the surgery, and we are constantly looking for ways to improve. Your feedback is invaluable to us, and we appreciate your patience as we continue to refine our services.