Welcome to RK Medical Practice

Did you know that you can book a telephone consultation with the doctor, without all the waiting in line on the telephone - please click the "Learn More" button above.

Dear Patients

You may have noticed that, over the last few years, the clinical team at RK Medical Practice has expanded significantly, both in terms of numbers and the range of professionals and skills available

Part of this expansion includes a range of healthcare professionals (HCPS) that were never previously available in General Practice. These HCPs enable us to provide a higher number of appointments and treat a wider range of conditions. At RK Medical, we have many of these new kinds of HCPs available to us, and these include Physician Associates, Clinical Pharmacists, Dietitians, First Contact Physiotherapists, and Mental Health Practitioners.

They all offer appointments over and above the provision of more traditi9nal GP appointments (not instead of), and they bring a much wider range of knowledge and skills to primary care than we previously had available to us. They are complimentary to the role of the GP, and have never been intended as replacements for them, but they provide additional capacity in a much stained system and help to improve access to care for patients.

As an example, the Physician Associate (PA) is a role that has been around in the NHS for almost 20 years, and almost a third of qualified PAs work within General Practice currently. PAs are complimentary to the existing practice team, working in conjunction with GPs to provide patients with improved access to care and continuity. They take medical histories, perform physical examinations, diagnose conditions and treat a diverse range of patients including those with acute and chronic illnesses. As a complementary member of the healthcare team, PAs are playing a critical part in the drive to tackle the backlog faced for healthcare in both community and hospital settings.

All our HCPs work in conjunction with our team of GPs and are fully supported and, where necessary, supervised in their roles. Feedback from patients who have seen them has been excellent across the board.

Over the coming weeks and months, we hope to put out more information across our channels to introduce you personally to these newer members of the team, and bring further information on their roles and range skills. In the meantime, they have appointments available to book through reception.

This week is Loneliness Awareness week

Phone a friend or family member who you think maybe lonely.

Smile, wave or chat with a neighbour.

Help out through volunteering by picking up food, medicine, or by offering regular conversation to someone living alone.

Remember a smile can make someone's day

UPDATE from Chief Medical Advisor - regarding smoked fish and Listeria

Smoked fish and listeria

Due to a listeria outbreak linked to smoked fish, people at higher risk of serious infection (including people who are pregnant) should only eat smoked fish products that have been thoroughly cooked.

When cooking smoked fish products at home, make sure they are steaming hot all the way through.

Find out more about the listeria outbreak in smoked fish from the Food Standards Agency

09/05/2022 - 15/05/2022 is Mental Health Awareness Week.

Please go to http://mind.org.uk for more information or www.rethink.org please don't suffer in silence, talk to your health professional, who is here to help you. We also have a Mental Health worker who comes to the surgery on a Monday morning, if you feel she will be able to help you, please telephone reception and ask for an appointment with her.

Some dates for your calendar

Bank holiday

We will be closed on Thursday 2nd, Friday 3rd June for Bank holidays, we will re-open on Monday 6th June @ 08:00 - 6:30pm- please remember to order your medication in enough time taking into account that it is 48hrs for a repeat.

Friends and Family surveys

We are reintroducing our popular Friends and Family forms for patients to complete - when you see a doctor or visit the surgery/ telephone call, please will you complete one of our Friends and Family form, this will enable us to see how we are doing - you can complete the Friends and Family form on here or you can also go online to:

www.england.nhs.uk/fft/

Help us to help you

If you are aged 70 -79 we are offering Shingles vaccines, if you feel that you would like this vaccine to protect you from the virus, please telephone reception and make an appointment.

If you are aged 65/over and have not had a Pneumococcal vaccine, we are offering this as well, please telephone reception and make an appointment.

https://www.wythenshawecovidvaccination.com/

CORONAVIRUS UPDATE

We are actively doing Covid-19 vaccinations (spring boosters) for the over 75's and immunosuppressed patient's - we will be working our way through the age groups, please look out for your invite.

If you still haven't had your 1st, 2nd, 3rd (booster) please book for it now at the link below.

Which dose of COVID-19 vaccine do I need?

Correct as of 17th January 2022

12 - 15years old - 1st dose - 2nd dose 12 weeks after 1st.

16 - 17 years old - 1st dose - 2nd dose 12 weeks after 1st - booster 13 weeks after 2nd.

18+ - 1st dose - 2nd dose 8 weeks after 1st - booster 13 weeks after 2nd.

16+ who are frontline health and social care - 1st dose - 2nd dose 8 weeks after 1st - booster 13 weeks after 2nd.

12+ weakened immune system - 1st dose - 2nd dose 8 weeks after 1st - 3rd dose 8 weeks after 2nd - 4th dose (booster) 13 weeks after 3rd.

If you test positive for COVID - 19 and want to get vaccinated - you must wait:

4 weeks (28 days) for 18+ year olds

12 weeks (84) day's for 12 - 17 year olds

4 weeks (28 days) for 12 - 17 year olds and at high risk patients.

If you are already eligible for your booster or any other Covid vaccination you can book by

Visiting www.nhs.uk/coronavirus

Calling 119 or the Gateway on 0800 092 4020 or 0161 947 0770

Visiting one of our walk-in clinics - more information is available at www.manchester.gov.uk/getmyjab

If you need help getting to your vaccination appointment, then the Gateway can help arrange a free taxi to and from the site.

If you were not already eligible, please do not contact us, you will be contacted when it is your turn.

The coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines are safe and effective. 1 dose is being offered to children aged 12 to 15 to give them the best protection against COVID-19.

This includes children who turn 12 on the date of vaccination.

Some children are being offered 2 doses of a vaccine if either:

they live with someone who is more likely to get infections
they have a condition that means they're at high risk from COVID-19
Most children will be given their vaccine at school during school hours. They will be given 1 dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.

Great NHS number finding app

https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/online-services/find-nhs-number/

Finally, should I still get tested if I feel unwell after receiving the COVID-19 vaccines?

Yes. So this is a question we're being asked a lot. So, we've been saying over the last year that if you experience symptoms of fever or respiratory tract infection, flu, cold please arrange to get tested for COVID-19. Now, we do know that some people after they receive the COVID-19 vaccine may experience mild side effects. Of course, you may get pain or redness or swelling at the site of the injection, but also for the next day or two you may feel a little bit feverish, tired, or achy as a side effect of the vaccine. If that happens, at this time, you don't need to get a COVID-19 test. But if you have symptoms like that, and you also have a runny nose, or a sore throat, or a cough, or difficulty breathing, that could definitely be COVID-19, and you should be getting a test."

To book a test visit www.nhs.uk/coronavirus

or call 119. For more information about local rules visit https://tinyurl.com/y2mkvasv

Please use hand sanitiser when entering the building, we ask all visitors to wear face coverings.

We ask all patients attending the practice to wear a face covering, this is for your protection as well as our staff. If you do not have any, one will be provided on arrival, please use the hand sanitiser when entering the practice, please dispose of your face mask in the bin provided at the entrance.

With patients' needs at the heart of everything we do, our website has been designed to make it easy for you to gain instant access to the information you need. As well as specific practice details such as opening hours and how to register, you’ll find a wealth of useful pages covering a wide range of health issues along with links to other relevant medical organisations.

Get Well, Keep Well

If you need URGENT medical advice for something that isn’t life threatening, please visit www.111.nhs.uk or call 111 before going to A&E to ensure you get the right help. If you need to go to hospital you may be given a booked time slot, which will shorten how long you have to wait. This will help to keep you, your family and friends safe during the pandemic.

Of course we’re not just here for when you are unwell. Our team of healthcare professionals and back-up staff offer a number of clinics and services to promote good health and wellbeing whatever your medical condition.

Join In

We hope you enjoy having a look around the site and familiarising yourself with some of the online features such as ordering a repeat prescription. Whatever your thoughts, be sure to let us know via our feedback function. Comments and suggestions are always a great way of helping us continue to enhance the way we look after you.

Access & Parking

At Brownley Green Health Centre there is a car park available for patients near the entrance of Hollyhedge Road. There are also parking facilities for Blue Badge Holders, please have your badge on display when parking in the available spaces.

All entrances to the health centre are wheelchair friendly as well as all our consultation rooms.

YOUR DATA MATTERS

Your health records contain a type of data called confidential patient information. This data can be used to help with research and planning. You can choose to stop your confidential patient information being used for research and planning. You can also make a choice for someone else like your children under the age of 13. NHS Digital will never sell your data. There are strict rules about how NHS can use your data. It's only shared securely and safely. Shared data helps the NHS. It has been used to find the first treatment for coronavirus and for vaccine research.

If you're happy with your confidential patient information being used for research and planning you do not need to do anything.

Any choice you make will not impact your individual care. Please click on the link to find out more and opt out if you wish to do so.

https://www.nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters/

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(Site updated 30/06/2022)