The temporary overnight closure of the Hexham Urgent Care Centre has been extended for a further 3 months until September. The unit will remain closed from midnight until 8am.
Have Your Say
Healthwatch Northumberland, the independent champion for health and social care, will be at the Primary Care Centre to talk to patients about access and their experiences of care overall on Monday 10th July between 9am and 11am.
School Leavers - Meningitis Vaccination
Teenagers born between 01/09/1998-31/08/1999 (2017 school leaver cohort) are now eligible for urgent catch-up with MenACWY vaccination. MenW disease continues to increase and around a third of MenW cases in unvaccinated 15-19 year olds have been fatal. There have, however, been no cases in teenagers vaccinated under the current vaccination programme. Vaccination is important for all teenagers in this group, not only school leavers and those going on to higher education. Please make an appointment with a Practice Nurse for vaccination.
Travel Health
If you are planning to travel abroad on holiday or for business you may require disease prevention advice and possibly vaccination. Our Practice Nurses offer this service to our patients and we have recently introduced a new travel form for you to complete before you see the nurse. This will help us to provide a better service. The form can be downloaded from our website. Please be aware that there are global shortages of some vaccines (currently Hepatitis A is in short supply). In addition the NHS no longer funds Hepatitis B vaccination for travel, though we can provide that vaccination on a private basis.
You can find out which vaccinations are necessary or recommended for the areas you'll be visiting on the NHS Fit for Travel website. You should aim to complete your course of vaccinations well in advance of your trip so please book your travel appointment in good time.
Looking Forward to Summer?
For most people some warmer, sunny days are very welcome. But there are some health concerns to look out for:
Sunburn increases your risk of skin cancer. Sunburn doesn't just happen on holiday – you can burn in the UK, even when it's cloudy. There's no safe or healthy way to get a tan. A tan doesn't protect your skin from the sun's harmful effects. For practical information on keeping safe in the sun see the NHS Choices website.
If you have a mole that you are concerned about then the Practice has purchased two dermatocopes which are used by Dr Chalmers and Dr McClintock. They have undertaken additional training to use these devices which help identify early signs of melanoma. Around 13,500 new cases of melanoma are diagnosed in the UK each year but caught early it can be successfully treated.
Hayfever can be miserable. There's lots of information available online and your local pharmacist will be able to offer advice on products to help alleviate symptoms.
Heatwaves can be particularly difficult for vulnerable groups. Check out these tips on coping in the heat.
Stop Smoking
We continue to offer a successful Stop Smoking clinic run by a specialist smoking cessation advisor. The clinic is held on Tuesday afternoons and appointments can be made on 01670 813135. If you prefer, our Practice Nurses continue to offer advice on quitting smoking.
Team Changes
There have been no recent changes to our team of doctors who are as follows:
Dr Noreen Powell
Dr David Shovlin
Dr Paul McClintock
Dr Nick Hargreaves
Dr Anne Chalmers
Dr Nikki Franc
Dr Sarah Frew
Dr Emily Bryant
Dr David Jones (GP Registrar until August)
Dr Lucy Prince (GP Registrar until December)
You can find out more about our GP team on our website.
Please complete our online Friends and Family Survey.
We also have a Friends and Family feedback touchscreen device in our waiting room.
