Welcome to Elmswood Surgery
We aim to use this website to keep you informed about our services, and to update it with any changes or innovations.
You can also see who our clinical staff are, and get information about our patients group, for example.
Dr Blackwood
We are sorry to announce that Dr Chanele Blackwood is leaving the practice. Her last working day here will be the 3rd January 2020.
We will be recruiting a new GP during the next few months.
Patients whose "usual " GP was assigned as Dr Blackwood have been reallocated to one of the other five partners, on an alphabetical basis. To find out who your new usual GP is, please ask reception, or check on your prescription if you get medication from us.
You may still have an appointment with any of the partner GPs, a registrar, or with a locum, who we have booked to help us at the moment.
MESSAGE TO PATIENTS
WE HAVE RECENTLY HAD SOME PROBLEMS WITH OUR PHONE SYSTEM, IN PARTICULAR THE PART THAT HANDLES CALLS TO THE PRESCRIPTION LINE. THIS SHOULD ALL NOW BE RESOLVED, AND WE APOLOGISE FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE THIS MAY HAVE CAUSED.
We are pleased to announce that we are now officially a Parkrun practice.
This is part of the latest initiative to try and get both staff and patients more active.
We have some information in the waiting room about becoming more active.....
Our "home" Parkrun is Colwick, and we hope to send a team or group to run and or volunteer sometime in the next few weeks.
You can google Park run, or Colwick parkrun in particular, if you would like to find out about what they are..
FLU VACCINES 2019/20
We are still offering flu vaccinations for this season.
The campaign is well under way.....
If you are aged 65 or over by 31st March next year, or are in an "at risk group"
Vaccine for children is also available. This is for those aged 2 and 3, and for "at risk" under 18s only.
Reception can tell you if your child falls into the age category for this...
Sherwood Health Centre
Despite the fact that the website address for this GP practice(Elmswood surgery) is named directly as Sherwood health centre that is the name for the actual building from which other NHS services also operate.
If you wish to speak to anybody at the Health Centre about podiatry, midwives, district nurses etc please telephone 8831400 between 8.30am and 5pm, on weekdays only...
Our staff cannot help you with any of these other services......
Training closure afternoon
Please note that the practice will be closed on Tuesday 21st January at 12 noon. Any urgent call during the closure times will be dealt with by the out of hours service. they can be contacted vis the surgery phone system, or by calling 111
MEASLES
PATIENTS MAY BE AWARE THAT THERE IS A MEASLES OUTBREAK IN NOTTINGHAM
People who have not been vaccinated with 2 doses of MMR vaccine are more likely to catch MEASLES. Children do become ill when they catch the disease, but so do adults. All three diseases which the vaccine targets can be very serious. They can make adults very ill and cause problems for women who are pregnant and people who have weakened immune systems (and can’t fight infection well).
Measles is a serious illness that is highly infectious. It is caused by a very infectious virus causing a rash and high fever and can be very serious. The illness can be more severe in adults and can last for longer. Someone with measles usually has to spend about five days in bed and may be off school or work for ten days. Adults are also at higher risk of complications.
Complications of measles can include ear and chest infections, fits, diarrhoea, encephalitis (infection of the brain), and brain damage. About one in 5000 individuals with measles is likely to die. There have been three deaths from measles in England since 2006.
Measles is highly infectious – a cough or a sneeze can spread the measles virus over a wide area. If you come into contact with it and are not protected, the chances are that you will be infected.
It is recommended that people who have not had the disease or had 2 MMR vaccinations should be vaccinated as soon as possible. If you are not certain about this please ask a receptionist. People born before 1970 generally DO NOT need vaccination as they will have immunity or may have had the disease as a child.
To be protected from measles and other infections including mumps and rubella, you need to be immunised with 2 doses of MMR vaccine.
Usual GP
If you are unsure who your "usual GP" is please ask a receptionist. This information is also on your repeat prescriptions if you are a patient who uses medication.
ONLINE ACCESS FOR PRESCRIPTIONS AND APPOINTMENTS
Please note that the website for online appointments and prescription ordering has been updated and the link on this website may not work.
If this is the case please use this link:
Or this one:
www.patientaccess.com
We apologise for any inconvenience. If you are still struggling please call the surgery on 0115 9858822
Evening & Weekend Appointments bookable through your GP practice
Patients registered at this practice are able to access additional routine appointments during evenings and weekends through the new GP+ and GPX Nottingham City service.
Appointments will be available to see GPs, Practice Nurses, Clinical Pharmacists and Physiotherapists in a fully equipped accessible location on Upper Parliament Street in Nottingham City Centre.
Opening hours will be:
16:00 – 20:00 Monday – Friday 09:00 – 13:00 Saturday & Sunday
This will not be a walk-in service, and is for routine appointments.
Appointments are required and will be bookable through the reception team at this GP practice from March onwards.
APPOINTMENTS
Patients will be aware that, in common with a lot of surgeries, there is increasing pressure on our appointment system, particularly for appointments with GPs. We would ask that you bear with our receptionists, who will do their best to help you, but they may need to ask for a small amount of information regarding your health issue , so that they can best direct you.
Please do not ask for an urgent appointment to deal with repeat medication or for a sick note, or for something which the pharmacy could help you with. Urgent appointments are really only for one urgent problem and for one person.
Please only use phone call requests from a GP for quick queries, not for repeat medication or sick notes, to request an appointment directly from the GP, or for something where the GP would need to examine you.
A lot of our appointments get wasted as people cannot make it or forget and so fail to turn up without telling us. Please let us know if you cannot attend. If you use the online system you can cancel that way, or if you get a text reminder you can reply "cancel" to remove your appointment from our system.
We will always do our best to help you. Please bear with our very busy reception staff!!
REPEAT PRESCRIPTIONS
There are several ways to order your repeat medication.. please see the prescription section on this website
Many patients find it useful to register for the online service as this is available 24hours a day 7 days a week, and the prescription will usually be processed when we are next open . Please ask about this at reception
REGISTERING WITH THE PRACTICE
We will are requesting ID from patients wishing to register with the practice. If you are coming to register, please bring with you two forms of ID, and we will need proof of your address. The ID should preferably include photo some ID, for example your driving licence, passport, or travel pass. If you do not have ID this does not usually prevent us from registering you, but it helps us to locate your medical records, and is useful if you later wish to register online ordering of prescriptions, appointment booking, and viewing aspects of your medical record
RESEARCH
This practice is research active
Did you know that clinical research takes place at this GP Practice?
We're proud to give our patients the opportunity to take part in research here so that together we can develop new treatments and medicines for the future. There are many different types of research available for people to take part in, and the overwhelming majority of people have a positive experience of research.
Last year. more people took part in research in primary care settings (such as GP practices) in the East Midlands than in any other part of England. Join them, and help us to improve healthcare.
When we are told about research projects in the area we often invite appropriate patients to join in the research so you may get a personal invitation!!
INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION SUPPORT NEEDS
We want to be able to communicate with our patients as well as possible. We want you to be able to read and understand the information we give, both at the surgery and in letters. If you find it hard to read our letters or forms, or need somebody to support you at appointments in the practice please let us know, and we will do our best to help. This includes providing letters in larger print and interpreting services. If you think you need help please start by telling one of our reception staff.
ONLINE MEDICAL RECORD VIEWING
If you are registered to book appointments, or order medication, online, you may now request that you see much more of your record, but this will not include documents, or text written during consultations. If you wish to do this, reception have forms for you request this extended access. This will be at the GPs discretion
If you would like to be able to use our online system, please ask a receptionist for details and an application form next time you come to the surgery. We ask that you bring some ID with you preferably including a photo, because the latest version allows viewing of your medical record.
If you are a child aged between 11 & 16 years of age, you will find that your access has been turned off, in accordance with RCGP guidelines, to protect the privacy of patients in this age group who may have proxy access set for their parents. If children of this age wish to have online access they must register in their own right. They may if they wish give proxy access to another person, eg their parent, but they must understand that that person will at the very least be able to see their appointments and medication.
FRIENDS & FAMILY TEST
In accordance with government requirements, we are asking for your views about the practice in a very short questionnaire called the Friends & Family test. Some questionnaires will be available in reception for you to fill in and return. Alternatively you may do the questionnaire online at www.cfep.net/0qt
The results will be collated and a short report produced every month
Named GP for all patients
All our patients have a named GP who has overall responsibility for their care. Of course, patients are still free to see GPs other than their named GP if they prefer. This GP will be named on your medical card, repeat prescription slip, and usually on any correspondence you receive.
If you are not certain of the name of your accountable GP please ask reception, (or look at your medical card if you have it to hand)
TEXTING SERVICE
We have a texting service to remind patients of booked appointments. If we do not have your mobile number and you would like to take advantage of this service, please let us your know so we can update your records. If we have your mobile number but you may have forgotten to update it on our records please let us know.
We will also be able to use this to remind patients to come for flu jabs, for example.
We hope you like this service!
HELP US TO HELP YOU
We want all our patients to be able to get through to us when they need to, and avoid the frustration of an engaged telephone. We therefore ask that unless your problem is urgent and you need an appointment that morning, please DO NOT phone between 8am and 10am. For results, in particular, we ask that you phone in the afternoon,when the surgery can be a little quieter and the phone lines less busy.
Please remember that most appointments are only 10 minutes long. This means that your doctor or nurse may only be able to deal with one problem in each appointment.
Urgent apppointments are only for those problems which are MEDICALLY urgent, and cannot wait until a routine appointment is available.
You can book routine GP appointments and order authorised repeat prescriptions via the internet - just click below
Click Here to book/cancel your appointment online
Click Here to order your repeat prescription online
We have an automated arrivals screen, situated just before you reach the reception desk. Please feel free to record your arrival for your appointment on the screen. It is very user friendly. We hope this will give the receptionists more time to help with queries and booking appointments. It will however not allow you to check in that way if you are more than 5 minutes late or more than one hour early!!
How You Can Help Us with our service 
Patients can help us by:
Turning up on time for appointments
Avoid phoning us first thing in the morning, unless your need is urgent
Being patient if the doctor or nurse is running late
Only requesting home visits if you are too ill to attend surgery
Letting us know if you cannot keep your appointment
Telling us if you change your name, address or phone number
With your help we can offer routine appointments within two working days, avoid you waiting too long in the waiting room, process repeat prescriptions rapidly, and see you on the same day if your problem is urgent.
WE HAVE A PATIENT PARTICIPATION GROUP, run by Dr Irfan Malik. Meetings are held once a month for about an hour alternating between Friday afternoons and wednesday evenings, here at the Health Centre. If you are interested in being involved please contact Dr Malik at the surgery, or by e-mail to drimalik@hotmail.co.uk
There is a special page for this group.. In the "Have your say" section
(Site updated 08/01/2020)