SUMMER NEWSLETTER 1998

Holidays

We hope you all enjoy the summer. A few simple measures will avoid many medical problems:

• Remember your sunhats and cream - especially in children. We are seeing a steady increase in skin cancers related to unprotected exposure.
• Enjoy alcohol but remember to rehydrate particularly on hot days.
• Drink and wash food only with treated water when abroad.
• Protect yourself from pregnancy and infection in holiday romance.

Emergency service

As our workload particularly out of normal hours has increased massively in recent years the practice has begun to use a private emergency service. This is a national organisation that is staffed by highly trained telephonists and fully qualified doctors.

When you ring the emergency line you will be put through to a central switchboard which at peak times may request you to hold. They will take details and assess the urgency of your call. You may be called by a doctor with advice or invited to an emergency surgery if you can travel. This service guarantees you a time rather than a wait of possibly several hours. It also leaves the mobile doctor free for the most serious cases.

(PrimeCare website is at http://www.primecare.uk.net/primary/index.asp)

Appointments

As the Doctors and Nurses take their Summer holidays we naturally lose appointments, and remaining doctors also lose appointments to cover emergency surgeries. If you have a longstanding problem please be patient and try to wait for your usual doctor as seeing another doctor is not ideal.

Comcast

PLEASE INFORM US IF YOUR PHONE NUMBER HAS CHANGED - in case we need to reach you urgently.

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