Dundrum Surgery, 14 Church View, Dundrum, Newcastle, BT33 0NA 028 437 50700
Clough Surgery, 1 Castlewellan Road, Clough, Downpatrick, BT30 8RD 028 44 811535

Noticeboard

COVID VACCINATION CLINIC

We will be offering Covid-19 vaccinations to our patients as per Department of Health guidance. Please do not contact us as we will contact you when it is your turn.

PATIENTS AGED 50-64YRS

Patients aged 50-64yrs who have not received the flu vaccination should contact the surgery to book an appointment with one of the Nursing Team.

CORONAVIRUS UPDATE

To help reduce the potential spread of infection, we are advising all patients to phone the surgery.

When you ring us, our staff will ask you some questions to determine your condition. Some of these questions may include if you have a temperature or a cough. These questions help us to determine the best action to take but also helps protect our staff and other vulnerable patients.

If appropriate, you may receive a call back from a GP or be given other relevant advice. Please ensure the practice has up to date contact numbers for you and that you are available for a GP to call you back.

If you need a repeat prescription, please ring the practice on 028 4481 1535 and select option 2. Please advise which chemist you wish your prescription to go to as you will not be able to collect it from the practice.

Coronavirus related fit notes should be downloaded from NHS 111. Patients can self-certify for up to 7 days and self certificates can be accessed online at HMRC website.

For general Coronavirus queries, please refer to the Public Health website - htpps://www.publichealth.hscni.net/news/novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov

SEASONAL INFLUENZA VACCINATION - 2020/2021

If you are eligible for the flu vaccination, but do not wish to have it, please let us know so we can update your medical records.

SHINGLES VACCINATION PROGRAMME - 2020/2021

Shingles vaccines are available for eligible patients born between 2 September 1949 and 1 September 1950.

If you were born between 2 September 1940 and 1 September 1942 or 2 September 1943 and 1 September 1949 and have not already received the shingles vaccine you are also eligible to receive it.

Please contact the Surgery to arrange an appointment with the Nurse to get your Shingles Vaccine.

PIP's LETTERS

Unfortunately, due to increasing workload in general practice, GPs will no longer be able to provide supporting letters for PIPs.

PROTECTION FROM MENINGITIS AND SEPTICAEMIA

As part of the NHS vaccine programme, patients born between 2 July 1996 and 1 July 2001 who have not already received the Men ACWY vaccine, will be eligible to request the vaccine up until the age of 25 years. First time university students up to the age of 25 are also eligible.

This meningococcal ACWY vaccine protects against meningitis (inflammation of the brain) and septicaemia (blood poisoning) caused by meningococcal groups A, C, W and Y.

The number of cases of meningococcal W disease continues to increase year on year so it is vital that young people are offered protection.

GROWING DEMAND FOR APPOINTMENTS

Due to our growing list size we are having a significant increase in demand for GP appointments. There is a province wide shortage of GPs and over the next few months you may need to wait longer for routine appointments. We are actively trying to recruit additional GPs to join our Primary Care Team.

NEW ADVICE ON VITAMIN D INTAKE - see further information section for more details

COUNTERSIGNING PASSPORT AND DRIVING LICENCE APPLICATIONS AND PHOTOGRAPHS

The Doctors at Dundrum and Clough Surgery are no longer able to countersign passport and driving licence applications and photographs. Please refer to the recognised professions on the passport website - www.gov.uk/countersigning-passport-applications and DVLA website - www.nidirect.gov.uk for further information.

NON NHS SERVICES

Most of the Practice's clinical and non-clinical services are provided without cost under the NHS.  However, there are some items, for which we charge, as they are not provided under the NHS.  Please click on the clinic and services tab above for a detailed list of our current non NHS fees. 

ANTIBIOTIC PRESCRIBING - see further information section for more details

BLOOD PRESSURE MONITORING

A blood pressure monitoring system is now available to use in a private side room in Clough Surgery. Please feel free to take your own blood pressure whenever you wish, hand the blood pressure reading print out to the receptionist along with the completed form so that your medical records can be updated. At times, a GP or Nurse may ask you to do this.

NEW PATIENTS

We welcome new patients. However, from 5 April 2016, we are only able to accept new patients who reside within our Practice Area as approved by HSCB. (see our Practice Area map under New Patients)

REPEAT PRESCRIPTIONS ONLINE

Did you know that you can order your repeat prescriptions online?  Call into Dundrum or Clough Surgery for personalised login details and then follow the links on the website.

WHOOPING COUGH VACCINATIONS

Whooping cough vaccinations are advised for pregnant women who are 16 weeks and over. This is to prevent whooping cough in newborn babies. If the surgery has not yet contacted you, please phone to arrange this vaccination. It is safe to have the flu and the whooping cough vaccinations together.  The flu vaccinations can be given at any stage in pregnancy.

Have you used the FREE Minor Ailments Scheme? For further information click on the link under further information.

Please see our Self Care section under our further information.

Self Care

Dundrum & Clough Surgery is a Self Care Aware practice

What is self care?

Self care is about looking after yourself in a healthy way. It can be anything from brushing your teeth, doing some exercise, managing common conditions (like headaches, colds and flu) or living with a long-term health problem, such as asthma or diabetes.

As a Self Care Aware practice we are here to help you feel able to look after your own health when it is right for you. So, when you come in for a consultation, the doctors, nurses and healthcare assistants in this practice will talk to you about what you can do to help maintain and improve your health.

 

Did you know?

  • The NHS belongs to all of us – help us to keep it working smoothly by turning up for appointments
  • Every time you see a GP it costs the NHS £43, on average, for a 12-minute consultation
  • A visit to Accident and Emergency costs £112

 

Self care for healthy living

Staying healthy is important for everyone, even if you are living with a long-term condition. This means eating healthily, exercising regularly, quitting smoking and drinking in moderation.

This practice runs weight management courses and smoking cessation clinics that can help you live a healthy lifestyle.Speak to the practice team for more information.

If you are not sure what changes you can make to help improve your health, NHS Choices offers a LifeCheck. Just answer a few simple questions and LifeCheck can give you advice on what changes may help you. Click here for a LifeCheck.

Find out more about self care for healthy living

NHS Choices provides lots of useful information on how you can improve your health and wellbeing. Click on the links to find out more.

I want to lose weight

I want to stop smoking

I want to get fit

I want to drink less alcohol

 

Self care for common conditions

Did you know that one in five GP visits are for common conditions, such as backache, headache or cough?

For most people, they are not serious health problem – you just want to know how to relieve it and you want a treatment that acts fast. You also want to know how long you’re going to suffer or what you should do if your symptoms change.

The good news is that self care can help you manage most of these problems. It may mean you don’t have to spend time waiting to see your GP but can get on and start tackling your symptoms. Self care for common conditions can also help free up some of your GP’s time, making it easier to get an appointment when you have a more serious condition.

 

Find out more about self care for common conditions

The Self Care Forum has produced Factsheets to help you take care of the most common ailments. These provide useful facts about your condition, what you can expect to happen, how to help yourself, when you should see your GP and where to find out more information. Research shows people using these Factsheets felt more able to manage their common condition.

Click on the link for the Factsheet you need:

 

 

For information on other common conditions, visit the NHS Choices or Patient UK websites. If you are not sure about your symptoms, click here for the NHS Choices symptom checker where you can get advice on what to do next.

If you need more advice or you are unsure what the right thing for you to do is, ask your pharmacist for advice or call the surgery to speak to a doctor or make an appointment to discuss your problem further.

 

Self care for long-term conditions

Did you know that if you are living with a long-term condition, you will spend, on average, six hours a year with a healthcare professional and the remaining 8,754 hours managing your health for yourself?

Living with a long-term condition brings challenges and it’s important to have the confidence, support and information to manage your health. Self care can help you make the most of living with your condition, rather than avoiding or missing out on things because of it. Self care puts you in control.

Research shows that people with long-term conditions who take more control of their health feel more able to cope with their health problem, have better pain management, fewer flare ups and more energy.

We are committed to helping you live your life with a long-term condition. That’s why we run services where you can get advice on the following conditions:

  • Asthma
  • Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
  • Diabetes
  • Hypertension
  • Chronic conditions

We will also work in partnership with you to create the right care plan for your needs. It’s important to think about what you want from a care plan – it can help if you know what you want to discuss with your GP. NHS Choices suggests some questions you could ask:

  • Where can I find out about self help courses for people who have long-term conditions?
  • I want to find out more about my condition. What are the best places to do this?
  • Is there any new equipment that might help me manage day-to-day. If so, how do I get it?
  • How do I meet other people who have the same condition as me? Is there a local or national support group?
  • Are there any lifestyle changes I should make to help my health, such as giving up smoking, avoiding certain foods, or doing more of a certain type of exercise?
  • What are the results of my tests and what do they mean for me?
  • What happens next?
  • What can I do?
  • What can the doctor do?

 

Tips for living with a long-term condition

NHS Choices has created some practical tips on living with a long-term condition. To download a leaflet that explains these in more detail, click here:

  1. Accept you have a persistent health condition...and then begin to move on
  2. Get involved – building a support team
  3. Pacing – pacing your daily activities
  4. Learn to prioritise and plan your days
  5. Setting goals/action plans
  6. Being patient with yourself
  7. Learn relaxation skills
  8. Exercise
  9. Keep a diary and track your progress
  10. Have a plan for set-backs
  11. Team work – work with your practice team
  12. Keeping it up

 

Find out more about self care for long-term conditions

There is a range of free courses aimed at helping people who are living with a long-term condition to manage their condition better on a daily basis:

  • the Expert Patients Programme – click here for information
  • DAFNE (Dose Adjustment for Normal Eating) and DESMOND (Diabetes Education and Self Management for Ongoing and Newly Diagnosed) for people with diabetes
  • Breathe Easy for people with asthma – click here for information

These courses usually run over several sessions and will provide advice and tools to put you in control of your condition. Ask your GP or the receptionist for details of courses in this area or visit NHS Choices. Click here for more information.

The following websites provide good information that can help you understand more about the common condition or long-term health problem that affects you: