IMPORTANT: Car Parking at The Hall Practice

The Allan Practice, based in the Calcot Medical centre building, is installing ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) cameras in their designated car park section later this month. Hall Practice patients will soon need to park in clearly-marked Hall Practice bays at the top of the car park or use the free 1-hour parking at Chalfonts and Gerrards Cross Community Hospital. Parking in Allan Practice designated bays may result in a fine. 

Hall Practice staff will continue to park at the community hospital car park to ensure that all Hall Practice spaces are available for patients. We're really sorry for any inconvenience and appreciate your understanding. 

The line painters are due any day now to mark out the Hall Practice bays and more information will be texted to all patients and posted on our Facebook Page with photos as soon as they’re done so you know which spaces you should park in to avoid a fine. 

How we're doing

You asked, so here they are; The Hall Practice key stats from March 2024. If there's a stat missing that you'd like to see, let us know:

• 9 out of 10 GP appointments were face-to-face. (Hall Practice always offers our patients the choice as you know!)
• 68 per cent of all our appointments were face-to-face (2,098 appointments) 19 per cent were by telephone (601 appointments) and 10 per cent were home visits (319 patient contacts). These included weekly ward rounds conducted face to face at four of our local care/nursing homes.
• 26 per cent of all our appointments were available for the duty GP to book urgent 'on the day' requests.
• The average wait for a booked appointment was 6 days, and the average time spent in the waiting room waiting to be seen was just 4.7 minutes.
• 69 extra appointments were available for Saturday or Tuesday evening clinics. This is increasing now Dr El-Shirbiny is back with appointments on Friday afternoons and evenings.
• 1 in 5 of our patients (not counting patients returning multiple times for dressings etc) were seen in March. 
• 3,976 medications were issued in March.
• Over 5,300 calls came into the practice during March with an average wait of 1 minute 18 seconds to be answered. Over 340 hours were spent on the phone to patients, hospitals and other care providers by The Hall Practice team!

Staff Updates in May

We have two new members of our admin team; Kirstie and Mandy who have joined us this month. They will be spending the next few weeks training with our Patient Services Team.

Now we're into summer, we have a couple of staff away on holidays here and there. If you're lucky enough to be getting away this month and taking medication, be sure to check you have enough to last you the bank holiday and get your repeat prescriptions in nice and early so the team has time to turn them around for you. Using the NHS App is still the quickest way.

Before we go, we've had a lovely update from Dr Jo Withers who you may remember is working up in Yell, one of the Shetland Isles at the moment. She writes:

"I am having a really interesting time. Yell is one of the Shetland Isles, and lies a short ferry journey north of Shetland Mainland (the name of the largest island in the group). It measures 19 miles by 7, and beyond it lies the island of Unst where the new Saxavord Space Port is under development. There are plans to have the first vertical rocket launch from the UK there later this year. The rocket itself arrived by ferry recently and reportedly great excitement.

Yell is largely covered by a thick peat blanket, and sustains crofting, fishing, transport and tourism. The population numbers approximately 900. 

My job here as a GP is to hold surgeries, do home visits and look after the local care home, and to provide any emergency medical care that is required.

There are no paramedics on the island, although there is an ambulance which is manned by volunteer first responders. The closest A+E department is at the Gilbert Bain Hospital in Lerwick, which is a ferry journey then a 40 minute drive away. Emergency evacuation can be arranged with the coastguard helicopter, and Aberdeen is the closest larger hospital for specialist services. (Actually Bergen in Norway is closer...)

It is lambing time here and many of my patients are very busy at present looking after their ewes and newborn lambs in addition to other jobs they do. A lot of broken nights for them!

The small communities are very resilient and people here provide great mutual support for each other. The sense of belonging to Yell, going back over many generations, appears to be very strong. Whilst the young may head away to study or work they often choose to return later to live and bring up their own families here, in turn.

Certainly being here is a great contrast to Chalfont St Peter in a number of ways, and I feel very lucky to be able to experience both. Sending greetings to you all, 620 miles south!"

Dr Jo Withers

Helping your teens stay calm during exam season

It's that time of year again for GCSEs and A-levels! A couple of us on the team have teens taking their exams at the local schools.

It's naturally an anxious time for youngsters and us as parents, so I thought I'd share 3 useful tips for both parties:

It's okay... it's a big deal

First and foremost, it goes without saying, but it's essential to validate their feelings and avoid dismissing their concerns as 'no big deal.' Exams are a huge deal for most kids, even the ones who tell us they're not bothered about school. 

We know a lot of teens keep things bottled up, reserved for friends only so best advice is not to be too overbearing with lots of questions. Just keep an eye out for the tell-tale signs your child might be feeling under pressure or anxious, which Mind summarises really nicely here.

Play head of household wellness

Keep encouraging healthy habits for everyone in the house, like regular exercise or walking the dog if you have one, good sleep routines, and cooking their favourite meals. Making time for fun activities like watching a funny film and planning short breaks away from revision to relax and recharge is important, too. 

Leaving "revision survival treats" in their bedroom with healthy snacks, drinks and motivational notes is a nice touch too. Just hold off giving them a hard time for not bringing their cups and glasses back downstairs for now!

When things get overwhelming

If anxiety is really ramping up, get them to pause and concentrate on taking six deep belly breaths. Breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth, or two short, sharp inhales and one long exhale.

Guided muscle relaxation and mindfulness exercises from YouTube are really good for quick relief, and be sure to check out ASMR videos while there if you have trouble sleeping.

Above all, set a good example as a parent by taking breaks yourself and doing things you enjoy during this period. It's tough for you, too, and be sure to keep watch for signs that may be more than typical pre-exam nerves, including persistent worrying, panic attacks, problems sleeping, or avoiding school and social situations altogether. In these cases, don't wait; make an appointment with a GP who can check for underlying issues and refer to NHS Talking Therapies if appropriate.

All the best for the exam season!

Dr Yeomans

Ask the GP: Men's Health

Next month's health theme is men's health, so if you have a burning question or topic you'd like to ask our GP Partner, Dr Jasraj Panesar, to answer anonymously in the June newsletter, tell us here.

We'll try to answer the top 10 questions across the newsletter and our Facebook Page.

Phlebotomy Clinic Update

The phlebotomy clinics previously held at Chalfont & Gerrards Cross Hospital have permanently relocated to The Hall Practice. This means the local community continues to have access to routine blood tests locally instead of having to go to Amersham Hospital.

The clinics are operated and run by FedBucks (the local GP Federation), so please note that The Hall Practice is not responsible for bookings or cancellations. For all enquiries, contact FedBucks directly at 01494 419230 between 10am and 12pm, Monday to Friday. 

Meet Jen Lande

Practice Nurse at The Hall Practice since February 2024

I joined THP as a 'return to practice' nurse after taking some time out after having children. When I last nursed, I worked in a hospital in London, so this is very different and new to me, but I'm enjoying being back. 

I work on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday as part of the nursing team at THP giving childhood immunisations, routine and travel vaccinations, wound care and supporting patients living with long term conditions. 

A large part of my role is health promotion and prevention of ill health, and I love meeting different people every day. No two days are the same! 

Outside of work, aside from keeping track of three teenage girls, I enjoy running and I've recently come back from Boston, USA after doing the marathon there.

Meet Jorgo Nikollo

First Contact Practitioner at The Hall Practice since 2021

I'm a patient-focused physiotherapist with 14 years of musculoskeletal knowledge, experience and the necessary skills needed to help patients who have physical injuries or illnesses regain a range of movement or control over their pain. 

I previously looked after patients who required wound care, cardiac rehab, balance training and back injury protection in both hospital orthopaedic and medical departments.

I do face-to-face consultations every Thursday and phone consultations every Tuesday.

Meet Dr Turner

GP Partner at The Hall Practice since 1997

I've had the pleasure of serving this community since 1997 and consider myself fortunate to call it home. You'll usually find me in the practice on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays.

Beyond direct patient care, I'm committed to maintaining the exceptional standards we hold ourselves to. I work closely with our partners to ensure ongoing CQC compliance and continually search for ways to improve the quality of care we offer. I'm incredibly proud of our consistent 'Outstanding' ratings!

It's important to me to help shape the future of healthcare, which is why I serve as a trainer for the next generation of GPs. It's incredibly fulfilling to share my experience. And when I'm not in practice, I try my best to stay active and embrace new experiences. My latest interest is pickleball!