Newsletter: June 2023

Welcome to June’s edition of the Practice Newsletter.

On Friday we said a fond farewell to Maggie, Dispensary assistant who has worked at Wateringbury surgery for over 9 years.

• We wish her a very long, happy and healthy retirement, she will be greatly missed by patients and staff.

We would like to welcome Christine the new Dispenser who recently joined the team.W

ateringbury Patient Participation group has welcomed two new members Barbara and Ruth who are already proving to be active and enthusiastic members. We are still open to welcoming new members to the group from all ages and backgrounds the only criteria is that you have to be a registered patient at Wateringbury or the branch surgery Larkfield.

I would really appreciate any articles or updates you would like to read about so please do let me know your ideas.

Nikki Howe
Assistant Practice Manager/Publisher Practice Newsletter

Klinik Update

An update regarding new Klinik triage, the system has now been built and is in the testing phase.

It will be looked at by the clinical staff making any necessary adjustments. The Practice Staff will be having extensive training before a ‘going live’ date is set, please check social media and our website for updates.

In the meantime you can continue to book an urgent or routine appointment  by calling the surgery from 8.30am.

• Additional staff will be available to assist with the increased calls whilst we wait for Klinik to go live.
• Again, if you have any questions regarding the new service please feel free to ask a member of the team. Thank you 

Adult Mental Health Practitioner

Gill Elliot-Tyrell

My name is Mrs Gillian Elliot-Tyrrell, but you can call me Gill I’m new to the Practice so wanted to let you know who I am and what I do.

I’m a Mental Health Nurse and will be in the Practice on a Monday afternoon. I cover 4 other practices throughout the week so that is why currently you will have a Mental Health Nurse on just one afternoon at the moment.

My background in Psychiatric care is quite varied. I have worked in a women’s only acute ward as well as on a ward for male mentally disordered offenders. I have worked as a community psychiatric nurse and as a liaison nurse for older adults (over 65’s) in a general hospital.

I have recently moved from working in 3 London Boroughs to now working in GP surgeries in glorious Kent.

My role here as a Mental Health Practitioner is to support the GP Practice in regard to patients with any mental health issue

If you have any issues that are affecting your mental health, please come and see me. It may be a simple matter of finding the right service for you and pointing you in the right direction.

Please don’t suffer in silence—Gill

Minor Treatment Centre Sevenoaks

This is a service available for patients in Kent & Medway

The Sevenoaks Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC) , operating from Sevenoaks Hospital , is open 8am – 8pm , 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

Patients can be seen by a GP in the UTC either by obtaining an appointment through NHS 111 by asking for a booked appointment, or alternatively as a walk-in. There are two GPs working throughout the day. This service is suitable for same day, urgent appointments that cannot wait 24 hours.

The types of issues which would be suitable to attend the UTC for include:

• Strains and sprains
• Suspected broken limbs
• Minor head injuries
• Cuts and grazes
• Bites and stings
• Minor scalds and burns
• Ear and throat infections
• Skin infections and rashes
• Eye problems
• Coughs and colds
• Feverish illness in adults
• Feverish illness in children
• Abdominal pain
• Vomiting and diarrhoea
• Emergency contraception

This is not an exhaustive list, but it shows some of the minor illness and minor injuries which could be treated at a UTC. We would ask patients to consider this when making a decision on whether to attend the UTC.

Examples of the types of patients not suitable for a UTC include:

• Acute severe problems (e.g., severe acute chest pain, bleeding , psychiatric emergencies)
• Complex and ongoing medical problems that would benefit from continuity with own GP.

Should you have any queries or would like further information about the UTC , please do not hesitate to contact us.- Vedrana van Rheede, Operations Manager

Published: Jun 19, 2023