Ash Surgery Newsletter

No. 12 Autumn 2025

Update 

Kofo MacGregor-Gauthier, who is the Business Manager at the Practice, brings us up-to-date in each quarterly newsletter.  In this edition she has three essential messages:  Covid and Flu clinics, on-line consultation requests and a note about new staff members - together with a little reminder. 

Covid and Flu Vaccines 

We have had our first drive of Covid and Flu clinics this October and, by the middle of the month, had vaccinated 50 percent of patients who are eligible.  We are due to have more clinics in the near future.  If you have not been able to made the scheduled Covid and Flu clinics, please call our reception team to make an appointment.  To receive the flu vaccine, you must be aged 65 or over and if under 65 have a medical condition that requires you to be vaccinated.  For Covid, you must be aged 75 years or older - or you could be younger if you have an immunosuppressed condition.  If you're unsure you can call our reception team on 01304 812227 and ask if you are eligible.

You may, in the past, have used the e-consult system of requesting a consultation on-line.  This has now been replaced by an on-line program called "Anima"

Anima (On-line consultation requests)

We have begun to use Anima as our online consultation which can be found on the surgery website by clicking on "Contact us online" on the homepage.  There, you will find a link to the online consultation as well as a link to a video aid which advises how to complete the Anima consultation. 

Reminder

Please note that requests booked through the NHS app are for triage only and are not actual appointments - so please do NOT come to the Surgery.  Once you have been triaged, by the duty doctor, our receptionists will call you to book an appointment at the time that is convenient for you. 

New Staff

We have new staff starting in October who will be helping with our secretarial and admin. tasks.  We welcome Paula Shepherd who will be involved with admin. and coding and Michelle Kendall whose job will revolve round medical secretarial duties.

Kofo MacGregor-Gauthier

Satisfaction Survey 

The Practice is always looking for ways to improve the service and we look for the help of patients in doing this.  It would be very much appreciated if you could scan the QR Code below to access a short survey providing the Surgery with feedback.  The results for September's surveys are below. 

Satisfaction Survey - September Results 

In response to the question: "How likely are you to recommend our GP practice to friends and family if they needed similar care or treatment" the survey received the following responses:

Very Good                      67

Good                              17

Neither Good nor Poor   3

Poor                                2

Very Poor                        1

Don't know                      3

 We thank all those who responded.  The written comments will be discussed at our next Patient Participation Group meeting. 

Stress 

A great deal is written and discussed about stress and the adverse effects it can have on our minds and bodies.  A recent comprehensive article in a national newspaper went into minute detail on the subject.  Unfortunately our limited space means that we can't adequately report to you the article's findings.  However a short resume of Fast Facts was included in the article - and here they are:

Stress, depression or anxiety disorders accounted for 16.4 million days lost through work related ill health in 2023-24.

A study shows that poor mental health in the workplace cost the UK economy £102bn in 2023.  Globally, £2.1trn was lost due to employees mental health problems.  

I would be nice to be able to offer simple solutions to the problems but, unfortunately this is not easy.  

Happily though the recognition in recent years that mental ill-health is not something to be ashamed of is transforming attitudes.  What goes askew in our heads can be capable of treatment and appropriate courses of action - not necessarily in the same way - but in a similar way to malfunctions in our other bodily organs. 

Though it appears to be simplistic, the article points out the ternal truism that: "Exercise, a good diet and sleep are crucial for overcoming stress.

Named Accountable GP

In UK healthcare, when a patient has a nominated doctor - more formally called a Named Accountable GP - it means that a specific general practitioner is assigned to oversee their care.  This is a requirement for all registered patients in England under NHS guidelines.

Here's what this actually means in practice:

Role of the Named GP

Oversight, not exclusivity: The Named GP is responsible for the overall coordination of your care, but you are still free to see any GP or nurse in the practice. 

Continuity and reassurance:  This gives patients a sense of continuity, knowing that there's one doctor who's officially accountable for their care. 

Care Coordination:  The Named GP works with other health and social care professionals to ensure that your care is well integrated and meets your needs. 

Health Checks: The Named GP ensures that eligible patients have access to routine health checks outlined in NHS contracts.

What the GP doesn't do

They're not on call 24/7 for you.

They don't have to personally handle every appointment or issue.

Their working hours and responsibilities don't change because of this designation.

Practice Responsibilities 

Every patient must be assigned a Named GP within 20 days of registration.

Practices must inform patients of their Named GP and make reasonable efforts to accommodate preferences if a patient requests a specific doctor.

Overall

It's more about structured accountability than limiting your choices.  If you're wondering who your nominated doctor is, the Practice will be able to tell you - and update it if needed.