Practice Updates

Dry January Challenge

January is rapidly approaching and with it, the Dry January Challenge! 

Welcome in the New Year by taking on the 31-days alcohol free change for a total mind and body reset. There is a lot to gain from challenging yourself to go alcohol-free this January; from better sleep, better mental health, saving money and time, and an overall health and energy boost. 

Use the free Try Dry app to track and set your own custom goals for Dry January and monitor your achievements and wellbeing. You can also use it to take of a dry month at any time of the year. 

People who do Dry January by downloading the Try Dry app are twice as likely to have a totally alcohol-free month compared to those who try to avoid alcohol on their own. The app is available for download on Google Play for Android or the App Store for Apple. 

The Cinnammon Trust

The Cinnammon Trust is a wonderful charity that assists older people and the terminally ill care for their much loved pets.

 They have a network of over 20,000 volunteers that help owners provide vital care for their pets and aim to keep them together. Some examples of assistance they can provide are taking a housebound owner's dog for a walk, fostering pets if the owner is admitted to hospital, fetch pet food or other necessities, or even clean out the bird cage!

The Trust also provides long term care for pets whose owners have made arrangements with the Trust in advance, so owners have peace of mind knowing their beloved companions will have a safe and happy future.

For more information about The Cinnammon Trust and their mission, including details of how they can help or how to volunteer, please visit their website.

You can call them on 01736 757900 or complete a contact form if you are a pet owner looking for help.  

0 - 5 Years Journey

Wiltshire Together have launched a new 0 - 5 Years Journey webpage that provides helpful information, guidance and advice to help you navigate yours and your child's journey from pregnancy to starting school. 

Couples Therapy for Depression

Published on 13th Nov 2024

Update to Private Work

As of September 2024, we will no longer be able to provide pilot licence medical assessments or GP letters/certificates for participation in activities which fall under the extreme sports category, such as diving, skydiving, parachuting, bungee jumping, marathons, etc. This private work is above the standard NHS requirements for our practice and as such, it has been decided that we cannot provide this service to our patients due to the medical legal implications and risk involved as GPs are not covered by medical indemnity.

2024 National GP Patient Survey

The Lodge Surgery is delighted to share the results of the 2024 National GP Patient survey.

You may compare the results our patients gave regarding the experience they’ve have at Lodge Surgery, with both National and Wiltshire ICS figures.

We would like to thank those patients who completed this survey in February 2024.

 To view the full report for any surgery , follow this link https://www.gp-patient.co.uk/

FEAR OF FLYING

With the holiday season in full swing, we have received a number of queries regarding the prescription of sedative drugs to alleviate a patient's fear of flying. 

The Lodge Surgery does not prescribe Diazepam for a patient’s fear of flying. There are a number of very good reasons why prescribing this drug is not recommended that can be found on this leaflet.

We appreciate that fear of flying is very real and very frightening. Another approach is to tackle this properly with a Fear of Flying course run by the airlines.

Red Cross Wheelchair Service

The Red Cross are making changes to their mobility aids service this month to a direct-to-customer home delivery service. Customers will now need to book a wheelchair via their website or phone line rather than attending in person and delivery will be made direct from their hub. The wheelchair hire service at Swindon will therefore cease. 

https://www.redcross.org.uk/get-help/hire-a-wheelchair

Phone: 0300 456 1914 

Diabetes Week 10 - 16 June 2024

Diabetes Week is a week to make some noise, raise awareness and shout about the things that matter to people with diabetes, shining a light on what it’s like to live with day in, day out. 
 
This year, we want to talk about the health checks you need when you have diabetes.

We know life with diabetes can feel like number, check and test overload. You might feel fine, or feel like you don’t have the time. Or maybe you’re not sure what checks you should be getting. But these regular diabetes health checks are vital to keep you healthy, so you can continue living life to the full.

Find out how you can get involved here, and if you have any questions, get in touch by emailing diabetesweek@diabetes.org.uk

Coeliac Awareness Month 2024

May 2024 marks Coeliac Disease Awareness Month. 

Coeliac disease is a condition where your immune system attacks your own tissues when you eat gluten. This damages your gut (small intestine) so your body cannot properly take in nutrients.

1 in 100 people in the UK have coeliac disease, but only 36% are diagnosed. That leaves a staggering 500,000 people suffering with unexplained symptoms. 

Please follow the below link to see details of the Coeliac Awareness Campaign running throughout May, offering lots of activities ranging from raising general awareness of coeliac disease in press and on social media, to advice on gluten free living, and a Facebook live cookalong.

Coeliac Awareness Month - Coeliac UK

Have you booked an appointment you no longer need or can’t attend?

Don’t forget to cancel it so your GP surgery may offer the appointment to someone else – not only will you help us reduce our number of missed appointments, but you’ll also help someone else be seen more quickly!

You may cancel by:

• Using your NHS App
• Via your SystmOnline account
• Replying to your text appointment reminder
• Emailing: enquiries.lodgesurgery@nhs.net
• Completing the cancellation form below: https://www.thelodgesurgery.co.uk/cancel-an-appointment-1
• Calling us 24 hours a day on (01249) 479809 – you can leave a message when we are closed.

CST Programme

Alzheimer's Society will be running a Cognitive Stimulation Therapy Programme for patient's diagnosed with Dementia, in the early and mid-stages.

It will commence on Thursday 30th May and be held at Salvation Army, Foghamshire, Chippenham, SN15 1HB. 

The sessions will be held for 14-weeks, once a week on Thursdays at 10:30am. Each session will last for 45 minutes.

Patients will be able to self-refer by contacting Alzheimer's Society on 01249 443469 or emailing them at wiltshire@alzheimers.org.uk. 

To find out more information on Cognitive Stimulation Therapy, please visit the the following link:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30092585/

No Worries!

No Worries! is a young people's sexual health and contraception service for Wiltshire residents aged 13-24 years old.

The Lodge Surgery offers this confidential service.

You just need to ask for a ‘No Worries!’ appointment at reception and you will be able to see a practice nurse, on the day, during surgery hours.

Services available are:

• Emergency hormonal contraception (EHC) / Emergency copper coil (IUD) - depending on your preference
• Free condoms and condom demonstration
• Pregnancy testing
• Chlamydia self test kits and treatment available for patient and partners
• Advice and support around sexual health

Confidentiality

We offer a free & confidential sexual health service, you do not have to be registered at the surgery.

We would only share your information with other professionals to protect you or others from serious harm. 

We would always try to discuss this with you first.

If you have any questions about confidentiality, please feel free to speak to the nurse or your doctor.

Priority Services Register (PSR)

The Priority Services Register (PSR) is a free UK wide service which provides extra advice and support, including when there is an interruption to your electricity, gas or water supply. 

You are eligible if you: 

• have reached your state pension age 
• are disabled or have a long-term medical condition
• are recovering from an injury
• have a hearing or sight condition
• have a mental health condition
• are pregnant or have young children
• have extra communication needs (such as if you don't speak or read English well) 
• need to use medical equipment that requires a power supply
• have poor or no sense of smell 
• would struggle to answer the door or get help in an emergency 

If you have a different reason and want to see if you are eligible, or if you are eligible and want to register, follow this link to find out more. 

Telephone System Upgrade

We are excited to inform you that we have upgraded our telephones to a new cloud-based system.

Patients will benefit from several new features including:

• Patient Callback, which allows the patient to hang up, save their place in the queue and automatically receive a call back from a receptionist when they reach first position. This saves patients both time and money by shortening the call.
• Patients will now be able to identify calls from the surgery more easily as our number, 01249 479809, will be displayed.
• The telephone number you are calling from will automatically retrieve the relevant patient record linked to that number, which will speed up the care process.
• Patients also have the option to navigate to the right team for their query, whether it's for an appointment booking, a referral, a private report or a prescription query.
• Better quality lines for clearer conversations.
• Call recording of all calls, for staff training and development.

Our staff have received full training however, we would ask patients to be patient while we transition to the new system.

Importantly, our telephone number has not changed.

We hope and expect patients will experience a more efficient and user-friendly service.

Are you struggling with your sleep?

Access to Medical Records

The Lodge Surgery Health Route

We are delighted to share details of a project that Dr Heath worked on in conjunction with NHS Forest.  The project aims to improve the health and wellbeing of patients, staff and communities by increasing access to green space on or near NHS land.

Spending time in nature can reduce anxiety and improve your mood and physical activity is known to reduce your risk of diabetes, depression, dementia and cardiovascular diseases.  It is free and fun!

Dr Heath received grants from Tesco Bags of Help scheme and Chippenham Town Council to fund the project.

You may have already spotted the signs on lamp posts marking the walk but you can download a route map here or ask Reception for a copy if you are unable to print it. And let us know if you do the walk!

For more information about the project visit www.nhsforest.org