Newcastleton Medical Practice

PLEASE cancel any appointment you no longer need.

Please note that we will be closed this Friday, 17th January, for one hour between 12:30 - 1:30pm for staff training. Medical Emergencies will still be dealt with. Thank you.

Christmas Plea We really need our patients to work with us to make it possible to provide the best service we can. We are processing around 1100 medications per week! Yet even today we have patients coming to say they've ran out and need it now despite the final date for ordering being 1 week ago. We can't sustain the level of service we would like to when patients put us under pressure. All we ask is that you follow the guidelines we set. We set them for a reason which... is so we can provide our patients with the best care we possibly can without putting so excessive pressure on the GP's and staff that it is unmanageable.
Think about whether you actually need an appointment or can you manage it yourself. “What we want to do is to be able to give you the tools to spot symptoms, know how to treat them and when to get more advice. “Self care is just as it sounds, it’s looking after yourself to the best of your ability when you have a medical problem, and there are a wide range of things you can do to help yourself and be ready for when minor illnesses and health issues start.
”You can start soothing things like sunburns, coughs and headaches, straight away with remedies in a well-stocked first aid kit and medicine cabinet. By treating common ailments with self care they can be resolved quickly and you can get back to enjoying your life.”
We recommend always having the following items at home – all for fewer than £10:
Painkillers such as ibuprofen and paracetamol Aspirin (should not be taken by children under 12) Antihistamines for allergies and hay fever Diarrhoea relief Constipation relief Throat lozenges Antacids
https://www.nhsinform.scot/
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Please allow 5 FULL working days to collect your prescription. If you order on a Monday then it will be ready the following Monday and so on. We are currently under extreme pressure which is why today is the last day to order your medication to cover you over the christmas and new year and why we always ask for 5 full working days.

Today is the LAST DAY FOR ORDERING REPEAT MEDICATION IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS. Please double check you have enough to last you over the christmas and new year period.

We are getting closer to the last day to order your medication to cover you over the christmas/new year holidays. Please have your repeat prescriptions in NO LATER than MONDAY 16th DECEMBER.

If you are travelling abroad and require vaccinations you are required to make an appointment 6 weeks prior to travelling for a travel consultation and 2 weeks following that for your vaccinations. These appointments should both be made with Paula Downey. To ensure we have availability to book these appointments please phone to make the appointments 3-4 weeks before you require them. If you do not give us this amount of notice then you will have to attend a travel clinic.

Alcohol Awareness Week 19th - 25th November 2019
It is estimated that the cost of alcohol on society is in excess of £21 billion. The aim of Alcohol Awareness week is to get people to think about alcohol - how it affects us as individuals, families, communities and society as a whole. If you would like help and advice regarding Alcohol Awareness please make an appointment with Paula Downey.

Don’t miss the Border news tonight at 6pm. We are featured 😊

Fantastic news for everyone to wake up to today. Dr Kennedy WON the Doctor Award at the Scottish Health Awards. We are all absolutely delighted for him and it couldn’t go to a more deserving doctor. Everyone at the surgery is so proud of him. Here he is with his award.

A huge congratulations to Libby Kennedy our pharmacist on winning at the 2019 Scottish Pharmacy Awards last week. Libby won Respiratory Project of the Year Award which is thoroughly deserved with the enthusiasm and knowledge Libby shows. Tonight Dr Kennedy is off to the Scottish Health Awards where he is up for the category of Doctor Award, for GP's that go above and beyond. FIngers crossed for him tonight but no matter what the result he has done amazing to be in the top 4 in Scotland. He's No 1 in our eyes :-)

CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR MEDICATION AND OPENING TIMES
Last Day for Ordering Repeat Medication Please make sure you have enough medication to last you over the Christmas and New Year Holiday period. The last day for ordering your repeat medication is Monday 16th December 2019. Any requests made after this date cannot be guaranteed to be ready before Christmas.
... Christmas and New Year Opening Times At Christmas we close on Tuesday 24th December 2019 and reopen Friday 27th December 2019. At New Year we close on Tuesday 31st December and reopen Friday 3rd January 2020.
We no longer accept emails for repeat prescriptions. Below is 3 ways you can order repeat medication 1. Hand in your slip to the surgery ticked with what you require. 2. Phone the surgery after 10am 3. Use Patient Access which is a website/App you can log in to. It allows you to view and order your repeat medication electronically. If you would like details to access the system please come in to the surgery and we will provide you with your log in information or phone us to request a log in and you can collect the letter to register at your own convenience.
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Our new supply of Flu Vaccinations for patients aged 65 and over are now in. If you wish an appointment there are some for today and next Wednesday so please phone in for one.
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Unfortunately our Flu Vaccines that should have been delivered on Tuesday did not come. This left us with only 100 for the over 65 years clinic yesterday. Apologies to the patients who came when we had ran out of them.
Those who came but did not receive it will be contacted by us at the end of next week and we will let you know when you can come in. The delivery of more flu vaccines is due to arrive on Wednesday, 6th November.
Any patient who did not come yesterday but st...ill wishes the vaccine can phone us next Thursday onwards to find out the arrangements we will be putting in place to attend.
Thank you for your patience and apologies for the inconvenience.
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REMEMBER: Drop In Flu Clinic tomorrow for age 65 and over from 1.30pm - 3.30pm. Tea and coffee will be served afterwards in the community room. Please share

We are delighted and proud to say that Dr Howard Kennedy has made it to the finals of a prestigious national competition. Dr Kennedy, has been named as one of the final four in the Doctor Award category of the 2019 Scottish Health Awards. The scheme’s run by the Daily Record in conjunction with NHS Scotland and the Scottish Government. It was established to celebrate the work of unsung heroes in the health service, especially those who go the extra mile for the benefit of their patients. The winners will be announced at a special black-tie awards ceremony at the Edinburgh Corn Exchange hosted by Fred MacAulay on Thursday November 14. We'll be keeping our fingers crossed that he wins, but even being in the top 4 in Scotland is an achievement in itself. The Daily Record are publishing the nominees this week in their newspaper.