News
MMR What is the background?
Measles cases are rising in England this year. There were 128 cases from 1st Jan – 30th June, of which the majority were in London, this is not expected to be higher. The vaccination rate is lower than the 95% target set by WHO and as low as 60% in some areas of London.
MMR Vaccine: what is it?
The MMR vaccine is a safe and effective combined vaccine. ( Green Book of Immunisation - Chapter 21 Measles (publishing.service.gov.uk))
- One vaccine
The MMR vaccine is a single injection that is administered into the thigh of young children or the upper arm of older children or adults. It is a live vaccine which means that it contains weakened versions of measles, mumps and rubella viruses. These have been weakened enough to produce immunity without causing disease.
- Two doses
The MMR vaccine gives long lasting protection with just two doses of the vaccine. The first dose is given at the age of 12 months and the second dose is given at around three years and four months, before starting school. Having both doses gives long lasting protection against measles, mumps and rubella. In adults and older children the two doses can be given with a one month gap between them. ( Green Book of Immunisation - Chapter 21 Measles (publishing.service.gov.uk))
- Three infections
The MMR vaccine protects against three infections; measles, mumps and rubella. These are viral infections that can quickly spread to unprotected children and adults – they spread more easily than flu or the common cold.
Effectiveness of the MMR vaccine (https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd/mmr/public/index.html)
The MMR vaccine is very effective.
After 2 doses:
- around 99% of people will be protected against measles and rubella
- around 88% of people will be protected against mumps
People who are vaccinated against mumps, but still catch it, are less likely to have serious complications or be admitted to hospital.
Protection against measles, mumps and rubella starts to develop around 2 weeks after having the MMR vaccine
Diabetes Self-Management Programme (DSMP)
Diabetes Self-Management Programme (DSMP)
What is it?
DSMP is a FREE 7-week course for people who live with Type 2 Diabetes. DSMP is designed to help you better manage your diabetes and gain control of your health. The course covers information about living with Type 2 Diabetes (e.g., managing diet, exercise, medication) as well as skills and tools to help you learn to self-manage e.g., finding solutions to everyday problems when living with diabetes, relaxation techniques, communication with friends and family and other coping strategies.
The next courses are:
Online Diabetes Self-Management Programme
Starting Thursday 11th Jan 23 h 1:00pm-4:00pm for 7 weeks . Delivered via ZOOM
F-2-F Diabetes Self-Management Programme
Starting Friday 12th January 24 1:30pm-4:30pm for 7 weeks
Location: Hornsey Rise Health Centre
Hornsey Rise N19 3YU
Tel: 0207 527 1558
Email: whh-tr.Self-Management@nhs.net
The course is co-delivered by a Lay tutor living with Type 2 Diabetes and a Healthcare Professional (e.g., a nurse). The course runs for 3 hours each week.
How DSMP can help you:
People who have come on the course tell us it has made a big difference to them, they feel more positive, able to manage their health and enjoy life again. Benefits include:
- A ‘Tool kit’ of techniques that you can try out for yourself.
- Different topics covered each week.
- Times to share and discuss.
- Building confidence that you can cope with your condition and work towards what’s important to you (your personal goals).
- Being with others who know what it’s like and can share tips.
- Focusing on taking control of your condition rather than it controlling you
- Taking small, gradual steps – pacing.
What our participants say!
“…it was fantastic…helped me to control my diabetes. … it helped me and made a lot of difference. I look at things objectively, I don’t sit down and start getting angry with myself… diabetes is not going to control my life, I will try to control diabetes. I do things that will improve it… walking, control my diet… this course has helped me!” Sophie
“The DSMP gave me the tools to seek help and advice from my health carers and to find the solutions to the various problems. I now have improved health, take less medication, and feel a lot better. The feeling that I was alone and did not have anyone who cared or listened to me has gone. I feel in control of my own health.” Abdul
“… that was the first course I’d had for many, many years, and you tend to forget things. You’re reminded how to look after yourself, and you listen to other people’s problems… I am reminded that I have to look after me, and can’t leave it to the doctors all the time. I have to do my share of being responsible for me… and keeping in touch with my doctors” Anna.
Content of the course:
The Diabetes Self-Management Programme includes information on managing long term health conditions in general as well as diabetes in particular. You are not expected to become an expert at all the things, or even find all of them helpful. The programme is designed to give you a taster of a number of self-management strategies so that you can take away and practice the ones that you feel are most helpful to you.
How much does it cost?
These courses are absolutely FREE. You don’t pay anything to attend any of our courses.
Who are the courses for?
The courses are for anyone who has had their health condition for more than 3 months and who lives, or has a GP, in Islington or Haringey. If you’d like to discuss whether a course is for you, please do call us (see contact details).
Do I have to be referred by someone?
No, you don’t. Although healthcare professionals do refer people to us, many of our participants have simply called us up themselves.
Do I have to attend all the sessions?
To get the most out of the course it is best to attend as many sessions as you can, but we understand this might not always be possible.
Do I need to talk about my own condition?
There will be times when you will be asked to share how your condition affects your life and what you would like to change. However, it is up to you what you want to share and how much detail you want to give. All discussions are confidential.
Where are the Courses held?
The courses are held online on Zoom and at accessible local venues with good access to public transport adhering to COVID-19 infection control regulations.
Will I get a break during the session?
Yes, there is a 20-minute break halfway through each session. However, you are free to get up and move around whenever you need to.
Do I need to bring a carer / assistant with me to the course?
If you need a carer, you will need to bring your carer with you as the course tutors won’t be able to assist you with personal care.
Please do bear in mind that if you are related to your carer, it may be difficult for you to discuss certain issues freely. This is your time to focus on how you would like to manage your health. If you decide you would like your carer to be present, they can take part as a participant. Please let us know beforehand if you are likely to bring a carer or assistant.
I have specific communication requirements – can these be accommodated?
If you have specific communication requirements, please do contact us beforehand. For example, we can arrange for a BSL interpreter to attend or for large-print materials to be available.
Do you provide transport?
Unfortunately, we are unable to provide transport. We would recommend attending our online courses, where possible.
What happens after the end of the course?
We hope that once the course is over you will start putting the skills and knowledge you have learned into practice to help you manage your health and feel more confident.
Can I feedback my views about the course?
Yes, we are always seeking feedback about our courses to help us improve them. At the end of the course, you will have an opportunity to feedback, and you are always welcome to contact us at any time.
Contact Details:
If you are interested in finding out more or attending DSMP, please contact us:
Telephone: 020 7527 1558 / 1189
or
Email: whh-tr.self-management@nhs.net
For further information, visit our website: https://www.whittington.nhs.uk/selfmanagement
We look forward to hearing from you!
Self-Management Support and Behaviour Change Team
Whittington Health NHS Trust
Patient advice and liaison service (PALS)
If you have a compliment, complaint or concern please contact our PALS team on 020 7288 5551 or whh-tr.whitthealthPALS@nhs.net
Winter Newsletter 2022
By: Sherif Al-Marayati – Business Manager
As many of you are aware the NHS continues to experience many challenges this winter due to a multitude of factors happening in tandem. In addition, to the increased demand we would usually expect at this time of year due to seasonal illnesses such as flu and (now) Covid-19, we have been very busy trying to manage our routine care e.g. annual health reviews, flu invitations along with ensuring our child population are protected against the rise of Polio in London. This is all coupled with managing lots of unwell patients who haven’t had a chance to see their Doctor for many years due to COVID. This all means that St John’s Way is experiencing higher demands then in previous years.
We want to take a moment to thank all our patients for your understanding during this time as we know you have perhaps had to wait longer than hoped to see one of our clinical team or have your query managed. Please know that we are working as hard as we can and always striving to provide high quality care to our patients.
To cope with increased demands, we have several new initiatives to help our patients get the medical support they need at the right time by the right person – this might mean consulting in different ways e.g. by phone, video call or email or speaking to a range of different primary care professionals – not just a GP.
Meet our Diverse Team
SJW has a burgeoning multi-disciplinary team made up of many skilled professionals to provide our patients with care and support. These now include: Sergio our First Contact Physiotherapist, Dalmar and Huda our Clinical Pharmacists, Wlaisa our Health Care Assistant and Marie our new nurse.
Signposting
To support us with managing the exceptional levels of demand that we are experiencing we are trying to signpost our patients to online and local services that will help deal with many common illnesses. For example, on our website you can find lots of articles about Health Advice for conditions such as the common cold, asthma, diabetes and many others: https://www.stjohnsway.nhs.uk/health-advice
Our New Website
We upgraded our website this year to try to make it easier for our patients to find the information they are seeking. There is also information our website on how to request prescriptions including how to do this online or via your smartphone: https://www.stjohnsway.nhs.uk/prescriptions
New Community Pharmacist Consultation Service
We are also referring many patients to local Pharmacies through the Community Pharmacist Consultation Service. This service offers patients a same-day appointment for minor illnesses with their local community pharmacy for conditions such as acne, athletes foot, cough, cold and flu, headaches, hearing problems, lower back pain, skin rash, vomiting and many others. For a full list see below along with a video clip explaining more about the CPCS program.
Helping yourself to stay well
The best care is the medical care that is not needed – we want to do our best to keep you well and some of the ways to do this are to take up the opportunity to attend your health check, annual long term condition reviews, screening appointments and book in your vaccinations/boosters when offered.
We know that a lot of our patients are struggling at the moment with financial difficulties and that these problems can have negative effects on their health and wellbeing. If you feel you need help or support to meet your bills, heat your home or feed yourself and or your family there is help available. You can speak to a Social Prescriber who can refer you to local services who can help. Please fill in an eConsult on our website https://www.stjohnsway.nhs.uk/appointments if you are happy for us to pass your details to the Social Prescribing team or speak to a GP.
Out-of-hours Services
We are still advising patients to contact NHS 111 in some instances when our on-the-day or emergency appointments are gone, as they might be able to advice patients on what else they could do if they cannot speak to a doctor on the day.
I also want to inform you of the new iHub appointments that are currently being held here at St Johns Way Medical Centre (until April 2023, when it moves to another practice in the area). Some patients might be asked to see a GP or another healthcare professional during evenings or the weekends in some cases.
How can you help us improve?
We are always open to feedback and we one of the ways to do this would be to join our Patient Participation Group please check out the relevant section on our website here https://www.stjohnsway.nhs.uk/patient-participation-group
A Greener Future
We are looking at various green initiatives to be more environmentally friendly. If you have suggestions on how we can improve things please email us at sjwpatient.enquiries@nhs.net and direct your query to Dr Edwina Lawson.
Polio Immunisation information
Child Booster Vaccination - UCLH are providing a walk-in clinic for 6 to 9 year olds eligible for the extra supplementary Polio booster from Saturday 3rd Sept, please click the following link for more information - https://nclhealthandcare.org.uk/keeping-well/baby-and-childhood-vaccinations/polio/polio-walk-in-vaccinations-for-6-9-year-olds/
St John's Way Medical Centre are still offering appointments to any child or adult that is not up to date with all their polio or other age appropriate vaccines. Please check your red book to see what vaccines your child has and hasn’t had. If they are missing any vaccines please call us to book an appointment.
For more information on the vaccine please see our new webpage for patients about Baby & Childhood Vaccinations which has a dedicated page about Polio: https://nclhealthandcare.org.uk/keeping-well/baby-and-childhood-vaccinations/
Long Term Condition Reviews - A new streamlined process
Our patients with long term health condition/s such as diabetes, high blood pressure or asthma will already be aware that annual review processes at St John’s Way have been disrupted over the last two years due to the demands of coronavirus pandemic. We truly appreciate your understanding and patience during this period of intense challenge for us and the wider health service. There has however, been one silver lining, which has been the opportunity for our team to review and streamline our long term review processes in a way that we hope will improve patient experience moving forwards.
How has the LTC Annual Review process changed?
From April 2022 patients with the following long term conditions will be invited for review within the month of their birth. If you have more than one of these long term condition we will try to group these as far as possible, to streamline your overall number of reviews and reduce unnecessary duplication of tests and checks.
| Asthma | COPD | Diabetes |
| Non Diabetic Hyperglycaemia (NDH) | Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) | Peripheral Vascular Disease (PVD) |
| Stroke | Atrial Fibrillation (AF) | Heart Failure |
| Transient Ischemic Attack | Hypertension | |
How will this change affect me?
If you have a one or more long term condition please expect to be invited each year around your birthday for review. You may also be sent a text with a questionnaire in advance of your review so that we can collect information about the control of your condition and your general health. Responding to these messages will better inform the clinician who undertakes your review – so please try to do so where possible.
Once completing baseline tests and observations you will then receive a letter summarising your results which we invite you to read and familiarise yourself with in advance of your Part 2 appointment. We will include a copy of the ideal result parameters to help you judge your progress. Attached there will also be a short questionnaire which we hope will help our patients to think about the health goals that are most important to them in the coming year. These goals can then be discussed at your Part 2 appointment with a clinician at the practice.
Our Hope for the New LTC System
We really hope that the new system will provide a better experience for our patients – helping you know when to expect your reviews in the calendar year and giving more control over your results and your overall health condition. As it is a new process, we will be keen to get your feedback over the coming months and will create opportunities to do so in due course.
Flu Vaccinations - who should have it and why
For information on the national flu campaign and to find out if you should have it any why, please click HERE.