Practice Newsletter November 2025
Christmas and New Year Closures:
Please note the surgery will be closed over the festive period on the following dates:
Thursday 25th December 2025, Friday 26th December 2025 and Thursday 1st January 2026
To ensure your prescriptions are processed in time, we ask that you submit any requests by Wednesday 17th December 2025. This will allow our team sufficient time to review and send them to your nominated pharmacy for timely collection. If you run out of medication during the closure period, you can contact NHS 111 or visit a local pharmacy for further advice.
In addition, please be aware that we have a Staff Training Afternoon on Wednesday 19th November 2025, during which the surgery will be closed from 14:30hrs and will reopen at 08:00hrs on Thursday 20th November 2025.
We understand that an afternoon closure may cause some inconvenience; however, this protected time is essential for all GP surgeries. It enables both clinical and non-clinical staff to complete mandatory training that cannot take place during routine operating hours.
Breast Screening:
Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women in England, the chance of getting breast cancer increases as you get older. Regular breast screening is one of the best ways to spot a cancer that is too small to feel or see yourself – it saves around 1,300 lives each year in the UK.
Anyone registered with a GP as female aged from 50 up to their 71st birthday will be invited for NHS breast screening every 3 years. You will automatically get your first invite for breast screening between the ages of 50 and 53. You will get a letter in the post inviting you.
Finding cancer early can make it more likely that treatment will be successful. Breast screening can detect cancer long before you can even feel it. Or more likely, put your mind at rest. So, when you are invited, save the date, it could save your life.
Visit https://www.nhs.uk/breast to find more.
Evening Appointments:
As a surgery, we have been offering patients a choice of evening and weekend appointments. However, these appointments were not within our practice and were offered at other surgery locations. From 3rd November 2025, we are now able to offer patients appointments at the Wootton Vale surgery. If you would prefer to see one of our team after 18.30hrs, please ensure you let us know when you submit your online request.
Help and Support from Our Pharmacy Team for patients taking Pain Killers:
Strong opoid painkillers such as morphine, oxycodone and tramadol may help with some types of pain for a couple of months, but over time they can also cause serious issues such as anxiety, despression, sexual dysfunction and increased infections … the list goes on.
If you have been taking these medication for more than a few months, and you have not noticed much change in your pain, simply taking more will not help and may even make the pain worse.
We would like to help you manage your pain in different ways. Our Team can support you to reduce the medications safely and help manged your pain better. If you would like to speak to the team about this support, please submitt a SystmConnect or alternatively please go to livewellwith pain.co.uk for further information.
Patient Participation Group (PPG):
Wootton & Shortstown Surgery would like to say a huge thank you to those patients who have offered to join our PPG. We hold bi-monthly meetings and listen to the views of our patients so that we can make improvements wherever possible. If you are interested, please either complete our online form at Patient Reference/ Participation Group Registration – Wootton Vale & Shortstown Surgery or alternatively pop into the surgery.
You Can Do IT!
As you are aware we now offer a Total Triage service for all appointments at the Practice. As part of this we have been working with local charities and groups and are pleased to be able to let you know in the New Year, there should be opportunities for you to learn how to access a number of service online – these may include using email, booking GP appointments, ordering repeat prescriptions, using WhatsApp.
We will post the information on our website and also within the surgeries.
DNA Numbers:
September: 360 – 3.4% of our available appointments.
October: 490 – 3.5% of our available appointments.
Please help us to maximise appointment availability by contacting us as soon as you know you will be unable to attend your scheduled appointment.
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.