Orchard Court Surgery Newsletter

First Edition

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Get Active with Parkrun

Have you considered Parkrun and decided against it because you don’t think you are up to running? Whether you are a runner, a jogger or a walker, Parkrun welcomes you and wants to support you on your journey.

Parkrun is a brilliant, supportive, and free event that can help you get active. You’ll never come last at Parkrun, and whether you have support needs or children, there is a run for you.

Right now, the closest Parkrun is at South Park, Darlington.

Welcome to Donna, our new TNA.

We'd like to welcome Donna our new permanent trainee nurse assistant: "Hi everyone, I'm Donna the new TNA. I used to be medical secretary at a GP surgery for 24 years. I then went on to do a year and a half as a phlebotomist, I really enjoyed the patient contact with this job. I then got a job at PHD doing dementia reviews that’s where I found out about this job role and applied to work at orchard court.

I have done lots of fundraising for dementia over the years including a helicopter ride, skydiving, the three peaks, and the great north run!" Donna has been on placement with us since March 2023 and has now been offered a full-time trainee position. We welcome Donna to the team and hope you will too.

Patient Activity

In January, 89 booked appointments were missed. This equates to 23 hours of time wasted.

Please be sure to call or email, to cancel or change your appointment if you need to. 336 clinical hours in total were wasted across the town which equates to £10,884.

Practice totals

• Number of new registrations: 77 October to December
• Number of cervical smears: 130 October to December
• Number of blood test: 373

Dr Sally Stone retirement

Dr Stone first came to Orchard Court as part of her GP training in 1992 and was offered a partnership to start in January 1996, she was the first female GP employed by Orchard Court.

Dr Stone has said the following - "My early memories include trying to find the right house in the middle of the night for an emergency visit which could be a challenge. I have especially relished seeing most of the new mums and babies for their health check. No two patients are the same, and I liked the challenge of working out what the cause of patients presenting symptoms were. I enjoyed consulting to the individual patient and the options available to treat their condition. I am grateful to my patients for putting their faith in me.

Over the last 28 years it has been a privilege to be part of my patients' lives. I have been able to see many children grow up and have their own children. "

I have worked with a wonderful team lead by Mrs Fuat our Practice Manager. Everyone works hard to provide a quality service and it is so pleasing to see the extremely positive feedback we have received over the years. I will miss being part of a fantastic team and part of my patient lives and the patients are in good hand for the future.

In my retirement I am volunteering in South Africa for 3 months which is both exciting and at times daunting.

Our new GP Dr Wilson has now joined our team working 3 days a week.

Patient Participation Group (PPG)

The PPG welcomes new members who are enthusiastic about improving the care their surgery provides. Current patients of all ages and backgrounds are invited to apply.

How to apply:

Pick up an application form at the surgery.

Sign up to our PPG 

Social prescribing

Social prescribing is a personalised care approach to ensure children, young people and families receive the right to prevent problems from escalating based at Primary Healthcare Darlington. They can provide effective support to young people to focus on the mental health and wellbeing. If you think a referral to social prescribing would be helpful, please contact your GP.

Shingles Vaccine 

The shingles vaccine helps protect against shingles. It is recommended for people at high risk from shingles, those aged 70 to 79 and those aged 50 and over with a severely weakened immune system, and a phasing in module for those over 65. For further info please see our website and FB 

Flu Vaccine

The practice administered just under 2000 flu vaccines to patients during the flu season.

Healthier Together

Healthier together is an NHS service aimed at pregnant ladies, babies and children who are ill to help support them.

Their website gives you information if you are concerned your child is unwell and gives a breakdown of when and if your child needs to be seen by a medical professional.

Learn more about Healthier Together

Published: Mar 19, 2024