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NHS Funded rooms at the Woodford Memorial Hall

Why We Are No Longer Using the Rooms at Woodford Memorial Hall

We wanted to take a moment to explain why Byfield Medical Centre is no longer using the NHS-rented rooms at Woodford Memorial Hall, given the misinformation circulating online.

Everyone is aware that space is at a premium in the Byfield location, and so we have been striving for many years to find ways to bring the Woodford space back into practical use, the barriers so far have been insurmountable, but it is not for the lack of intent, regardless of what less-informed speculation is being shared.

The space requires significant investment to bring it up to a clinical level of 'fit for purpose' - this is not a matter of opinion, but of NHS guidelines to which we must adhere. Regardless of history and intent, it currently lacks the basic infrastructure needed to deliver safe and effective modern healthcare. A Doctors surgery by its nature experiences crises and emergencies regularly - the environment, equipment, safety and security must all be up to par to provide any service to you, whilst ensuring our staff are safe and being as productive with their precious time as possible.

Key issues include:

• No telephone line installed – medical staff are forced to rely on mobile phones, and signal in the area is often poor. Dangerous situations can and did occur, we had a clinical incident, the doctor had no phone signal and had to leave the patient whilst he used a landline in the village. Likewise verbal and physical attacks on staff do happen and without the appropriate staff safeguards in place we cannot put our staff at risk.

• No NHS-standard IT infrastructure – the cost to upgrade and equip the rooms would fall to the NHS.

• Poor physical environment – the room is dated and does not meet clinical standards.

• Additional concerns raised about the space also impact on the patient experience - soundproofing, etc. - which would require significant investment to rectify.

Funding

We have explored the possibility of upgrading the space using Section 106 money from the Taylor Wimpey development. However, we are bound by onerous contractor rules and the costs involved from them far exceeded the funding available, and there is no additional NHS capital funding to support the improvements required. The space in the Memorial Hall is leased by NHS Property Services, not Byfield Medical Centre, when we knew the Section 106 money would not allow us to upgrade the rooms we did ask that NHS Property Services look at a way of breaking the lease unfortunately this did not happen.

Had we been able to make the necessary changes, this is how the space would have been used :

Enable our physiotherapist to work in Woodford instead of Greens Norton

Provide a private, local space for our Social Prescriber to meet clients face to face

Offer a base for our Clinical Pharmacist to support patients in the community

We know how important it is to have access to services locally, and we will continue to look for opportunities to improve the way we deliver care to our patients. Unfortunately, the current space at the Memorial Hall simply does not allow us to do that safely or effectively.

Thank you for your understanding.

Dr Harvey and Dr Nawaz, Partners

HRT costs

📢 Important Information About HRT and Testosterone Prescriptions

We would like to clarify an important point regarding HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) prescriptions.

💊 Testosterone is not classed in the same way as other HRT medications.
If you are using a prepayment certificate (PPC) specifically for HRT, please be aware:

➡️ Testosterone is not covered by the HRT PPC.
➡️ It must be issued on a separate prescription and is subject to the standard prescription charge unless you are exempt for another reason.

If you have any questions, please speak to a member of our team. Thank you for your understanding.

NHS Mounjaro

You may have hear in the News that the NHS is allowing GPs to prescribe Mounjaro to patients for weight loss who meet certain criteria

The criteria is:-

BMI over 40 or 37.5 for people from minority ethnic backgrounds

and at least 4 of the following:

Hypertension (high blood pressure)

Type 2 Diabetes

Dyslipidaemia

Established cardiovascular disease

Diagnosed sleep apnoea

We have just had this update from our Intergrated Care Board

The National Institute for Health and Care and Excellence (NICE) has published a Technology Appraisal for Tirzepatide for managing overweight and obesity (TA1026).

This Technology Appraisal makes Tirzepatide available for weight management, under the brand name Mounjaro. Unlike previous weight management medication, this can be prescribed in Primary Care, however it still needs the same wrap around services as Wegovy (semaglutide), so that patients are supported to make the changes needed for the medication to be most effective.

Northamptonshire ICB knows there are many patients eligible for this medication who would like to be able to access this as soon as possible.

However, this medication will be made available in phases over a number of years. We ask that you are patient with us whilst we wait for further communication from NHS England on how Mounjaro will be rolled out and establish the best way to do so to meet our county’s needs.

We also ask that you do not contact your GP surgery to try and obtain Mounjaro for weight loss just yet. GP practices are incredibly busy at this time of year and the additional resource required to manage enquiries will mean they have less time to offer patient appointments.

We have also asked our GPs not to prescribe Mounjaro for weight loss at this time, while we work with clinical colleagues to develop options for the new service, including the training and education needed for these medications to be safely prescribed. We are also working with a range of experts from across Northamptonshire to develop a specialist weight management service for patients with more complex needs, which will prescribe weight management medication in future.

A series of FAQs are published on this page, which may give you more information. In the new year we will be making changes to this webpage to put all of our weight management information into one place. This will also be where any updates on weight management services will be made. We will let you know, via our social media platforms, when this is being launched.

Important Notice for Patients:

Please be advised that General Practitioners (GPs) are not allowed to prescribe for dental issues. If you are experiencing dental problems, you must see a dentist. If you do not have a dentist, please contact NHS 111 for the emergency dental service number.

We kindly ask that you refrain from telling reception staff that your issue is not dental-related when it is, as this results in wasted appointments. If you arrive with a dental issue, the GP will advise you to seek treatment from a dentist.

Thank you for your understanding.

MENOPAUSE INFORMATION EVENING

We will be running a group clinic on 27th March 2025 starting at 6.30. The Clinic will run for approximately an hour to an hour and half.

This needs to be your first discussion about menopause, the clinic will be led Dr James and Practice Nurse, Amy.

During the clinic your blood pressure will be taken, a follow up call will be arranged for the following Monday with Dr James where you can discuss starting medication.

To book please call 01327 265841 and ask to book into the Menopause Clinic

National Collective Action - what you need to know

As a practice we are taking part in the national collective action; we will continue to provide safe levels of clinical care for our patients

Dear Patients

We wanted to give you an update in relation to our decision to support the National Collective Action being taken by GP practices across the country.

For clarity we are NOT striking nor are we taking industrial action!

We can assure you that this a collective response to ever increasing demands and pressures placed on primary care. With inadequate funding to meet these demands.

We will continue to work within our GP contract however there will be some changes to support the National Collective Action.

GPs are on your side:

We are taking this action because general practice is collapsing in England.

General practice is not receiving nearly enough funding to handle increased patient demand which means practices cannot afford to hire extra GPs they need, in our case we also do not have the physical space.

Currently for 2024/25 only 6.6% of the overall NHS budget goes to core funding for general practice. This equates to £107.57 per year for each patient, whatever their health needs this equates to 30p per day.

We need safety, stability and hope with a long term commitment to General Practice.

Following guidance from the British Medical Association we have taken the decision to limit GP contacts with patients to 25 contacts per day, this includes appointments and phone calls. Currently each GP at this practice has over 30 contacts per day. This means that there will be fewer appointments available each day. A lot of practices took this decision last year and we held off but following consultation have agreed to make this change. Each appointment will now be for 15 minutes an increase of 5 minutes per appointment. This takes effect on 9^th September 2024.

As stated this means that there will be fewer appointments this decision has been taken by the partners of the practice we therefore ask that you do not take out any frustration on the reception staff.

GOOD NEWS

Following negotiations between Northamptonshire Integrated Care Board and our Local Medical Committee the tarrif being paid to practices to carry out blood tests has been increased, meaning we are no longer making a loss on each blood test taken. From today the practice will carry out blood tests that are requested here at the practice or by hospitals.

Thank you for your patience whilst we were unable to take hopsital blood tests and also for applying pressure by way of communicating your dissaproval to the Integrated Care Board.

The rest of the changes to working practice will apply, if you need a sick note when leaving hospital this will need to be provided to you by the hospital, the hospital should provide medication to you before you are discharged also any onward referral should be undertaken at the hospital and will not be done by the practice.

Podiatry service

We have a podiatrist working at the practice, she works on Wednesday afternoons - please call to book an appointment, please note she is not here to deal with toe nail cutting or corns

Podiatrists are the experts in all aspects of foot and lower limb structure, function and health.
They are highly skilled healthcare professionals trained to diagnose treat and rehabilitate and prevent disease and complications of the feet, ankles and lower limbs. They can prevent and manage foot problems, relieve pain, treat infection and support foot irregularities, to keep people of all ages mobile and active. A First Contact Podiatrist’s role is to assess and manage foot and ankle problems but they cannot provide routine foot/nail care or ongoing podiatry treatment. Our Podiatrist is able to carry out some minor surgical procedures and works closely with our GPs to manage a wide range of foot problems.

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Network Services

Our PCN is pleased to be part of a one-year pilot to have a specialised children's mental health worker attached to the PCN. Young people contacting their GP surgery with a mental health concern can be either booked directly to speak to a mental health worker or can referred by another clinician. Appointments are available within a few days and the specialist practitioner is able to do a thorough assessment by video consultation. They can then offer initial advice and refer on to other services as appropriate.

Page last reviewed: 10 July 2025
Page created: 05 September 2023

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