The Calverton Surgery Newsletter – January 2024

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A Bleak Winter?

As I sit and write this newsletter it is raining hard and things feel rather bleak in the run up to Christmas. Our local emergency departments are already struggling with their capacity, more junior doctor strikes have been announced and very little seems to have been announced in the Chancellors recent Autumn statement to boost health or social care. Additionally, Nottingham City Council have announced ‘bankruptcy’ with predictions that other councils could follow suit in due course. Of course, 2024 is a general election year, the policies of our political parties are yet to be announced but it seems likely that the NHS and Social Care will feature prominently. This does mean it is your chance to make a difference. I anticipate contacting prospective candidates once they are known to invite them to come to the surgery for a ‘coal face’ account of what we face daily, I hope you will all be similarly motivated to make your thoughts known and potentially shape the views of local politicians.

Regrettably the surgery is not immune to pressure I am extremely grateful to those of you using the 111-triage service either when we are closed or have hit our safe workload capacity. In 2024 we are particularly keen to get local residents not yet registered to sign up with the surgery (as this generates extra resources to provide patient care). Also, many of you will be eligible for a health check with our health care assistants. If you are aged 40 to 74 and have no pre-existing health condition (such that regular checks are already being done) then you are eligible for a health check every 5 yrs. This is an important strategy in preventing illness before it happens and potentially important in reducing our populations ill-health burden for the future. Why not make it a New Year resolution?  Just speak to one of our reception team to get booked in.

Finally, it remains for me to wish you all, on behalf of everyone here at the surgery, a happy and prosperous New Year.                                                                     

                                                                                                                                       Phil Rayner