Ash Surgery Newsletter

No. 10 Spring 2025  

Update The Surgery has recently added three new Medical Receptionists to the front desk team.  These are Alisha Falconer, Jazmin Dowling and Anikia Moore.  Sadly Natalie Austin will be leaving us this April for pastures new.

Other exciting news, is that we are switching to new technology for our online consultation ("e-consults") which we hope to fully implement by the end of May.  With this we hope to improve the ease of completing an online consultation and also simplify the processing of received consultations. 

Each quarter, in the newsletter we like to include a few words about a member of the Practice.  We have a bonus in this edition. You can see, above, the Practice Update from Kofo Macgregor-Gauthier.  We asked Kofo to pen some notes about herself - and you'll find these over the page. 

First, though, Dr Fox, who is GP Principal, tells us about herself.

 

Dr Aleksandra Fox

I was born in Serbia, where I completed Medical School in 2000.  I met my husband the same year, and after we married we moved to England where I subsequently completed all my postgraduate studies. 

Prior to qualifying as a GP, in 2008, I worked in gynaecology at Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle and St Thomas' and Guy's Hospitals in London.  While I trained in General Practice in South East London, my husband and I frequently visited the beautiful beaches in Broadstairs.  We fell in love with the place and decided to move here when our boys were four and five. 

I have had the pleasure of caring for patients in Ash and the surrounding area for more than eights years, even though some of them still think of me as being new! 

Getting to know our patients and their families, is what I love about General Practice.  These relationships can be invaluable in offering holistic care.  My areas of special interest are female health, contraception and menopause, but I am also very passionate about care for older people, chronic diseases like diabetes and disease prevention.

I enjoy teaching; both Dr Lambie and I have supported training of new doctors.  

Furthermore, I am actively involved in Kent Local Medical Committee as East Kent representative and since recently, I represent our Primary Care Network.

My goal is to see Ash Surgery continue to grow with an increasing number of patients cared for by a team of doctors and allied health care practitioners.  We are lucky to have an active Patient Participation Group who help by giving us constructive feedback.  We look forward to continuing with their support in the future. 

 

Patient Involvement Opportunities 

Dr Fox has drawn our attention to "Let's Dance".  She says:  "This looks quite fun, it would be good if we can have someone interested in organising something in Ash". 

You can just search for Lets Dance (ignore the David Bowie album which comes up!)

Or you can type in the address https://lets-dance.org.uk/

If you'd like to get involved - or even run some sessions - please get in touch with the surgery and mention that you have seen Dr Fox's idea here in the Newsletter. 

 

Ask me a Question! 

The Patient Participation Group held a quiz evening in March at Layham Garden Centre in Staple.  Our Chairman Andrew Minter was question master and the evening went with a swing.

Here are some of the members of the gathered assembly waiting to be quizzed - with their brains fully charged!

 

New Business Manager 

Back in September 2024 the Practice welcomed, as its Business Manager, Kofo Macgregor-Gauthier.  She is still the Business Manager but has undertaken aspects of the Practice Manager role since Sue Skinner left in December. 

Kofo's previous experience has been in Domestic and International Product Development/Marketing for the BioPharma and health diagnostics industry.  This has enabled her to travel and visit may parts of the globe as well as work with colleagues from various countries.  Kofo has lived in this area of Kent for the last decade and a half. 

She is a tennis enthusiast so, in the summer, you will find she is either playing or watching tennis in her free time.  She also, when time allows, enjoys drawing and painting.  She says she has no preference for a particular subject as long as its something that interests her. 

 

A day in the life of a GP surgery

The guardian newspaper has produced an 8 minute video which looks at the problems faced by a Practice in Gateshead.  Things vary up and down the country but there are similar situations everywhere. It's well worth having a look at it. 

The web address is rather long but we suggest you persevere with typing it into your browser.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/video/2025/feb/18/fix-poverty-fix-health-a-day-in-the-life-of-a-failing-nhs

 

Fancy 40 Winks at Work?

Your brain can soar to exceptional heights if, instead of imposing the rigours of your work on your brain, you impose the rhythm of your brain on your work.

What this means is that, like the other parts of your body, your brain needs rest.  There's now evidence that the bain works in 90 minute cycles needing proper rest between sessions of intensive thought.

In the work situation we're sometimes driven by deadlines, and we feel we have to "give value for our pay packet"!  Modern research suggests, though, that taking breaks reduces stress and helps to maintain performance. 

The ultimate break is "taking a nap", which prevents  the brain being exhausted.  If you can't nap at work, find a chair or sofa, or go outside and sit on a park bench.  Then just zone-out for 15 minutes. 

Even microbreaks of just a few seconds, or up to a couple of minutes have been found to reduce stress, boost mental functioning and make work more enjoyable.  (As a bonus, short naps can promotes a healthier heart too). 

There's jut one drawback.  You'll need to persuade your boss! 

 

The purpose of the Newsletter is to keep patients informed about medical matters generally and the running of Ash Practice in particular. 

If you have anything that you feel needs to be brought to the attention of the Practice, or other patients, please let us know and, and, hopefully, we'll be able to see that it gets an airing in the Newsletter.