Orchard Court Surgery Spring/Summer Newsletter

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We are pleased to send you our spring/summer newsletter which contains practice news and wider primary care messages and announcements, which you can expect to receive on a quarterly basis.

Hello to our new GP Dr Sophie Wilson

I’m Dr Wilson and I recently joined the practice in February having previously worked as a junior doctor in London. I chose to move back up North to complete my GP training and worked at several local GP practices and hospitals during this time - I’m from Darlington originally so it’s great to be back!

Within medicine, I am particularly interested in palliative care and medical education. Outside of work I enjoy travelling, running, and spending time with friends and family. I have enjoyed settling in and being part of the team here at Orchard Court. I look forward to meeting you all if I haven’t already!

Goodbye to Dr Stevens

Having started my GP training in Orchard Court under Dr Russell in 1992 and worked here from January 1996 as a partner I have had an association with the practice for thirty-two years. Before joining as partner, I had a stint of working abroad in New Zealand as a GP in a student health centre and general practice which gave me a love for that country and travelling. Friends and family pulled me back to the UK. I have seen the complexity of medicine change enormously over the last thirty years and, with achieving targets, growing patient expectations and growing practice population the job has become more challenging. Gone are the half an hour breaks after morning surgery when our district nurses Betty and Angela used to make us tea and toast and we could chat about our housebound patients (and last night's Coronation Street). Now twelve-hour days with lunch at the computer are not unusual. However, I don’t really think that people have changed that much and, amongst all this activity I hope we have retained the core attributes of what makes family medicine so special; a long-term bond with someone who knows and cares for you. I leave knowing we have such a fantastic team both in reception and clinically and I am sure the practice will continue to go from strength to strength.

Pharmacy First

Pharmacists can give you advice on a range of conditions and suggest medicines that can help. They may also be able to offer treatment and prescription medicines for some conditions, without you needing to see a GP (this is called Pharmacy First). Conditions they can treat as part of Pharmacy First are:

• earache (aged 1 to 17 years)
• impetigo (aged 1 year and over)
• infected insect bites (aged 1 year and over)
• shingles (aged 18 years and over)
• sinusitis (aged 12 years and over)
• sore throat (aged 5 years and over)
• urinary tract infections or UTIs (women aged 16 to 64 years)

If you go to a pharmacy with one of these conditions, the pharmacist will offer you advice, treatment or refer you to a GP or other healthcare professional if needed. They will then update your GP health record.
If you are not within these age ranges, a pharmacist can still offer advice, but you may need to see a GP for treatment.

Healthy Living

Get Active

It's the perfect time to get active. No matter how much you do, physical activity is good for your body and mind. Adults should aim to be active every day. Some is good – more is better still.

A daily brisk walk can give your body a boost, lift your mood and make everyday activities easier.

Try these tools, tips and special offers to move more every day.

• Couch to 5K is a running programme for absolute beginners and has help millions of people start running.
• Active 10 is an app the records every minute of walking you do.
• THIS GIRL CAN was launched in 2015 to help promote sport in women. they are on a mission to tackle the gender activity gap, show what exercise really looks like (no filter!) and connect with women of all shapes, sizes, abilities and backgrounds who might feel that getting active isn’t for them.

Quit Smoking

When you quit smoking, good things start to happen — you can begin to see almost immediate improvements to your health.

It’s never too late to quit and it's easier to stop smoking with the right support. Check out our free tools and tips to help you stay on track.

Never give up giving up!

What happens when you quit?

• After 20 minutes Check your pulse rate, it will already be starting to return to normal.
• After 72 hours If you notice that breathing feels easier, it's because your bronchial tubes have started to relax. Also, your energy will be increasing.
• After 2 to 12 weeks Blood will be pumping through to your heart and muscles much better because your circulation will have improved.
• After 3 to 9 months Any coughs, wheezing or breathing problems will be improving as your lung function increases by up to 10%.
• After 1-year Great news! Your risk of heart attack will have halved compared with a smoker's.
• After 10 years More great news! Your risk of death from lung cancer will have halved compared with a smoker's.

Published: Aug 15, 2024