Staying Safe in Hot Temperatures
Breathe Easy
Email Breathe Easy on: breatheasydarlington@hotmail.com
Website: Supporting Lung Disease in the UK | Breathe Easy Darlington
Breathe Eas Darlington
There are rising levels of abuse directed towards GP practice staff and this is wholly unacceptable, including violent threats and verbal assaults❗️
GP surgeries have been working tirelessly to continue to provide a full service for patients whilst tackling an increase in demand for services, with over 169,000 face to face appointments held in Tees Valley last month alone.
Please remember that staff working in general practice are doing their very best to help in very challenging times
Need to see a GP outside normal surgery hours?
Don't forget we offer early morning appointments 7.30am and 7.45am at the Practice (Monday to Thursday) and evening appointments from 6.30pm to 7.45pm on Thursdays. You can also access evening appointments (Monday to Friday) from 6.30pm onwards and between 9am and 1pm on Sundays at Forsyth House on Woodlands Road. Appointments can be booked by contacting our reception team.
FACE MASKS
The guidance on wearing of face coverings in healthcare settings was updated on 1st June. The guidance for patients attending primary care is that 'patients with respiratory symptoms who are required to attend for emergency treatment should wear a facemask/covering, if tolerated, or offered one on arrival. All other patients are not required to wear a facemask unless this is a personal preference'.
We would, however, ask patients with symptoms suggestive of covid such as a cough or sore throat to wear a mask whilst in the practice to protect other vulnerable patients.
We must not forget Covid has not gone away and there were 18,389 Admission to hospitals in England throughout May 2022 compared to 2,569 in May 2021, with 614 deaths within 28 days (835 within 60 days) in the last week.
So please let's protect our most vulnerable patients – if you are concerned or are a vulnerable patient our advice remains that you should continue to wear a face covering and we would urge ALL patients to continue to wear face coverings in the practice so that we can protect our most vulnerable patients.
Our clinical staff will continue to wear face coverings in all face to face consultations.
Thanks for your co-operation.
Following feedback from our patients through both the GP survey and other routes, we acknowledge that your access to appointments needs improving. We are currently working to redesign our processes to improve access. We will communicate changes as they occur.
We now have available pre-bookable appointments up to 12 weeks in advance for non- urgent and routine conditions, these can be booked throughout the day to avoid long delays when calling the surgery. Can we encourage you to avoid calling at 8am if your need is not urgent (so that patients with urgent, same day, requests can be dealt with promptly). For routine appointments we encourage you to ring after 11am as we can be more responsive once urgent demand has been dealt with.
Can we also encourage patients to use the dedicated Prescription e-mail address darccg.px.carmel@nhs.net for any medication request or queries.
We hope that this achieves an improvement in access to appointments.
Better Health at Work Award
Bronze Award
We are an Armed Forces veteran friendly accredited GP practice.
This means that, as part of the health commitments of the Armed Forces Covenant, we have a dedicated clinical who has a specialist knowledge of military related health conditions and veteran specific health services. This is important in helping ex-forces to get the best care and treatment.
If you are ex-forces, please let your GP know to help ensure you are getting the best possible care.
To find out more, ask your nurse or GP.
Public Health England
Carmel Medical Centre has been selected to take part in an important study to test the use of self-sampling in the NHS Cervical Screening Programme in England. Self-sampling is a new method that is being considered for the NHS Cervical Screening Programme; this test can be completed at home and if implemented in the programme could increase access to screening for many people.
Before self-sampling can be offered as part of routine screening, it needs to be tested to ensure that the results are as accurate as the results from a sample taken by a doctor or nurse.
HPValidate is a study that is being led by Public Health England which will compare self-taken samples with samples taken by a doctor or nurse. This will help the NHS Cervical Screening Programme to decide what device/s could be used for HPV self-sampling in the future.
Over the next few weeks we will be inviting patients who are due for routine cervical screening (smear test) to take part in this study; participants will be asked to use one of the self-tests before having their sample taken by the doctor or nurse. If you receive an invitation letter with information about the study please talk to your doctor or nurse when you come in for your appointment and they will be able to provide you with further information.
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT REGARDING PROF FUAT'S RETIREMENT
The time has come for me to retire from general practice as a GP at Carmel Medical Practice on 1st October 2021. I would like to thank all our patients, their families, and carers that I have had the privilege of looking after over the last 35 years. I have really enjoyed my time as a General Practitioner and am humbled that I have been able to carry out this role for such a long time and had the most amazing support from my staff and colleagues over the years. I will continue in an advisory capacity ONLY at Carmel Medical Practice and will carry on conducting valuable research tohopefully help the lives of future generations. It is with sadness but also a great degree of pride that I sign off as a general practitioner. Thank you all once again.
Warm regards
Prof A Fuat
NHS Covid-19 Vaccine Research Registry
The NIHR officially launched the new NHS Covid-19 vaccine research registry: www.nhs.uk/sign-up-to-be-contacted-for-research
This has been designed to help large numbers of people be recruited into vaccine trials over the coming months.
We would very much appreciate your help in raising awareness of this register within your community.
DUE TO GOVERNMENT GUIDANCE ON THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC PLEASE SEE BELOW FOR IMPORTANT CHANGES.
WHEN ATTENDING THE SURGERY FOR AN APPOINTMENT, COULD YOU PLEASE WEAR YOUR OWN FACE MASK/COVERING WHENEVER POSSIBLE AS OUR SUPPLIES ARE VERY LIMITED.
THIS IS NOW A COMPULSORY REQUIREMENT.
MUCH APPRECIATED AND MANY THANKS.
PLEASE WHERE POSSIBLE USE E-CONSULT AS YOUR FIRST POINT OF CONTACT. THIS CAN BE FOUND ON THE FRONT PAGE OF OUR WEBSITE. WE WILL RESPOND WITHIN ONE WORKING DAY. www.carmelmedicalcentre.co.uk
WE ARE NOW TRIAGING ALL GP AND NURSE APPOINTMENT REQUESTS BY TELEPHONE. PLEASE CALL RECEPTION AS USUAL THE Clinician WILL THEN DECIDE HOW TO PROCEED.
WE ENVISAGE BEING ABLE TO RESOLVE MANY PROBLEMS IN THIS MANNER, HOWEVER, PLEASE BE ASSURED THAT IF THE GP NEEDS TO SEE YOU FACE TO FACE, THEY WILL ADVISE YOU OF THIS ON THE CALL AND BOOK YOU IN APPROPRIATELY.
THIS IS TO KEEP OUR PATIENTS AND TEAM MEMBERS SAFE. THANK YOU FOR UNDERSTANDING.
We are an NHS doctor partnership working from purpose-built premises opened in July 1989. The surgery offers suitable access for all disabled patients and a play area for children. We have a full complement of ancillary staff comprising: practice manager, receptionists, practice nurses, health care assistants, health visitors, secretary and computer staff. We provide a full range of general medical services, including maternity care, cervical smears, contraception, minor surgery, childhood and adult immunisations, healthy heart, asthma, diabetes, osteoporosis and menopause.
Our Doctors
Professor Ahmet Fuat
Dr Anna Mullenheim
Dr Mellissa Randall
Dr Hasnain Raza
Dr Gemma Geddes
Dr Anna Johnson (previously Dr Inkster)
Opening Hours
Monday - Friday 8.00am - 6.00pm
The surgery offers extended hours for patients who require them due to work commitments etc. Please ask for further details at reception.
The surgery is closed on Tuesday lunchtimes from 12.30 - 1.30pm, for staff training. In case of an emergency please ring 111.
REPEAT PRESCRIPTIONS:
Please allow 2 working days
URGENT PRESCRIPTIONS - these will not be ready until 5:00PM
For out of hours care please contact 111.
From the 1st September 2019 your pharmacy will not be able to order your repeat prescription, but you can still collect it from your chosen pharmacy.
You will have 4 options of ordering your repeat prescription:
- Online
- In person
- Send request via post
- Email - darccg.px.carmel@nhs.net
SystmOnline
SystmOne is the clinical system that we use at the surgery which enables you to order prescriptions in a much easier way. Each patient will be given a username and password to access this system. Please contact the Surgery for more information.
Before you can use this service you will need to contact reception for log in details
Please use the following link to get to the login page:
Notes for SystmOnline Users
Type your username and password exactly as detailed on the printed page given to you by the surgery. If you need to get your password reset contact the surgery, allow at least an hour for it to take effect.
Remember to change your password as soon as you log into the system, as the original one will expire two weeks after the date of issue.
If you are unable to order your prescription, it may be that your medication needs to be reviewed by your doctor. Please contact the surgery if this happens.
Online Access to your Medical Records
From the 1st April 2015 you will be able to access and print summary information from your medical record. This is currently limited to medications, allergies and adverse reactions.
If you would like this access you need to complete the registration form (SystmOnline Registration Form), and take this to the surgery along with your ID. Once checked by a member of staff the registration form will be scanned onto your records and access will be given.
Once a child reaches the age of 13, any parental access will automatically be stopped.