Whooping cough (pertussis) rates have risen recently. Babies who are too young to start their vaccines are at greatest risk.

Pregnant women can help protect their babies by getting vaccinated.

You should have the whooping cough vaccine aroung the time of your mid-pregnancy scan (usually at 20 weeks pregnant), but you can have it from 16 weeks. To give the best protection to your baby, you should have the vaccine before 32 weeks.

Contact the surgery to book your vaccine.

We are delighted to share the success of a recent event held on the 15^th August 2024 that warmly welcomed new registrants from the African Community to Hampton Medical Practice.

Held at the practice and developed through System Development Funding, the event was designed to orientate new patients to local health services, introduce them to the broader NHS system, and provide them with valuable information about the support and activities available across Hampton and Peterborough.

The event was an excellent opportunity for attendees to familiarise themselves with how the NHS works, including how to access healthcare services, register for appointments, and understand the different types of care available. Healthcare professionals, local community representatives and the Integrated Neighbourhood team Project Manager were on hand to answer any questions, ensuring that everyone felt comfortable and informed about their new healthcare environment.

In addition to learning about the practice, the event was also a fantastic opportunity for newcomers to build connections. Many attendees were able to meet others who share similar experiences and backgrounds, leading to the formation of new friendships and support networks. We encouraged everyone to stay connected, and many expressed interest in continuing to meet as a support group or joining a dedicated WhatsApp group to maintain these connections.

The importance of providing tailored services to diverse patient populations is critical to reduce health inequalities and ensure better health outcomes. Hampton Medical Centre have implemented a robust onboarding process specifically designed for new registrants from overseas, ensuring that migrant patients receive the comprehensive care and support they need to navigate the NHS effectively and integrate into their new community.

A Holistic Approach to Initial Assessment

Recognising the unique health challenges faced by migrants, the onboarding process begins with a thorough holistic assessment and health check conducted by an experienced practice nurse. This initial assessment is essential for establishing a strong foundation for ongoing care and for identifying any immediate health concerns. This holistic assessment not only addresses immediate health needs but also sets the stage for building a trusting relationship between patients and our healthcare team. It helps to provide,

• A review of medical history
• Screening and testing
• Vaccination review
• Health education and NHS orientation

Integrating Social and Community Support

Beyond physical health, the practice acknowledges the critical role that social and community connections play in overall wellbeing, particularly for individuals new to the UK. As part of the onboarding process, each new migrant registrant can meet with a Social Prescriber and had the opportunity to attend the support event held on the 15^th August.

The Social Prescriber’s role includes:

• Connecting Patients with Community Resources
• Addressing Social Determinants of Health
• Supporting Mental and Emotional Health

The Importance of Migrant Health

Migrants often face barriers in accessing healthcare, including language differences, unfamiliarity with the NHS, and cultural differences. The onboarding process at Hampton Medical Centre addresses these challenges head-on, ensuring that new registrants are fully informed about their healthcare rights and entitlements, and are supported in overcoming any barriers to care.

By identifying underlying health issues early and ensuring that vaccinations are up to date, we can prevent the escalation of health problems and reduce the long-term strain on healthcare services. Furthermore, building trust with our migrant patients is crucial in encouraging continued engagement with healthcare services, leading to better health outcomes and more efficient use of NHS resources.

Mpox (previously known as monkeypox) is a rare infection most commonly found in west or central Africa. There has recently been an increase in cases in the UK, but the risk of catching it is low.

How you get mpox

Mpox can be passed on from person to person through:

• any close physical contact with mpox blisters or scabs (including during sexual contact, kissing, cuddling or holding hands)
• touching clothing, bedding or towels used by someone with mpox
• the coughs or sneezes of a person with mpox when they're close to you

In parts of west and central Africa, mpox can also be caught from infected rodents (such as rats, mice and squirrels) if:

• you're bitten
• you touch their fur, skin, blood, body fluids, spots, blisters or scabs
• you eat their meat and it has not been cooked thoroughly

Mpox in the UK

Although more people have been diagnosed with it recently, only a small number of people in the UK have had mpox and the risk remains low.

You're extremely unlikely to have mpox if:

• you have not been in close contact (such as touching their skin or sharing towels, clothes or bedding) with someone who has mpox or has mpox symptoms
• you have not recently travelled to west or central Africa

Anyone can get mpox.

Currently most cases have been in men who are gay, bisexual or have sex with other men, so it's particularly important to be aware of the symptoms if you're in these groups.

Symptoms of mpox

If you get infected with mpox, it usually takes between 5 and 21 days for the first symptoms to appear.

The first symptoms of mpox include:

• a high temperature
• a headache
• muscle aches
• backache
• swollen glands
• shivering (chills)
• exhaustion
• joint pain

A rash usually appears 1 to 5 days after the first symptoms. The rash often begins on the face, then spreads to other parts of the body. This can include the mouth, genitals and anus.

You may also have anal pain or bleeding from your bottom.

The rash is sometimes confused with chickenpox. It starts as raised spots, which turn into small blisters filled with fluid. These blisters eventually form scabs which later fall off.

The symptoms usually clear up in a few weeks. While you have symptoms, you can pass mpox on to other people.

The NHS has a dedicated page for Mpox which can be accessed here. 

Diabetes is the second largest cause of preventable blindness in adults, so don’t lose sight of your screening appointment and miss the wonders of the world.

From 1st April 2024, the East Anglia Diabetic Eye Screening Programme is changing. This will be split into two new programmes: Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, and Norfolk and Waveney.

These services will be provided by InHealth Intelligence Ltd on behalf of the NHS.

If you use this service, you will be invited to your next screening appointment. You do not need to do anything.

If you have any questions please email:
Enquiries.pcdesp@nhs.net
Or call the Bookings line:
01223 628800

Bariatric surgery may include laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding, gastric bypass, sleeve gastrectomies and duodenal switch.  They can be accessed on the NHS via strict criteria for referral and ongoing engagement which patients and their GPs may struggle to access, and privately in the local area, regionally, nationally and abroad.  These patients will all potentially access NHS general practice services for their referral and/or follow-up.

How do patients access NHS services locally?
Patients access NHS bariatric surgery services via the Tier 3 weight management system, and must complete the necessary Tier 3 assessment and management processes to meet the criteria for surgery.

Patients may be referred to Tier 3 weight management if they have:
BMI >40 kg/m2; or (BMI = Body Mass Index – defined by weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in metres (kg/m2^.) or:
BMI >35 kg/m2 with other significant disease that could be improved with weight loss (diabetes or hypertension, for example); orare an obese individual with complex needs who has not responded to lower Tier interventions.

Bariatric surgery forms an integral part of the management of patients with severe obesity where other interventions have been unsuccessful.  The MDT assessing patients for referral for Bariatric Surgery will ensure that patients fulfil the following criteria:

BMI >40 kg/m2;  or:
BMI >35 kg/m2 with other significant disease (such as type 2 diabetes or hypertension) that could be improved with weight loss; consider expediting people with BMI >35 kg/m2 with recent onset type 2 diabetes.

And, ALL of the following:

age over 18 years old;  and all appropriate non-surgical measures have been tried; and the person has received and completed intensive management in a specialist (Tier 3) obesity service for 12 months (BMI<50 kg/m2) or 6 months (BMI>50 kg/m2); and the person has attended ≥80% of required Tier 3 weight management sessions; and the decision for suitability for bariatric surgery has been made after discussion between the Tier 3 obesity service and the Tier 4 surgery service.

The exceptional cases referral process can be used for patients who fall outside of this criteria.

What follow-up is needed?
The bariatric surgical provider is responsible for the organisation of structured, systematic, and team-based follow-up of patients for 2 years post-surgery.

After discharge from bariatric surgery service follow-up, all people should be offered monitoring of nutritional status and appropriate supplementation according to need in line with recommendations made in NICE clinical guidelines.  This care should be offered by general practice.  It is important to note that these patients will very often be requiring regular follow-up for other co-morbidities in any case.  0 

Cosmetic procedures (e.g. abdominoplasty) to remove any excess skin folds that may result from rapid weight loss are not routinely funded on the NHS locally, post bariatric surgery.

Patients treated privately for bariatric surgery will only be eligible for NHS Tier 3 weight management services if they met the criteria for access to Tier 3 services at the time of their bariatric surgery.

Patients for whom Bariatric surgery has failed, should be referred back to the Tier 3 service for an MDT assessment and appropriate ongoing management.

What about private patients who’ve had surgery in the UK?
Private patients who have had their surgery in the UK should be receiving the same 2 year follow up from their provider as NHS patients; this is part of the cost of the surgery and so while you may receive communication from the private provider inviting you as the patient’s GP to take over care, care should remain with them until the 2-year point.  A request to hand over care prior to this would require a shared care framework and the agreement of the GP to accept this. This is not core work, and the surgery are able to decline.     

What about private patients who have had surgery abroad?
This is an increasingly common scenario for both primary and secondary care. On the NHS pathway, the pre-op advice process is a year long, for good reason. Short term fixes that only provide the surgery are much less successful, and the operation is merely a weight-loss tool, and only a part of the answer. 

The most immediate medical need for this group of patients is the recognition of complications such as late leaks or internal hernias. These present with continuous vomiting, dysphagia, intestinal obstruction, or severe abdominal pain and require emergency admission. The patient’s history should be flagged, and the bariatric team would need to see them and manage them acutely.   

NHS bariatric services are not able to provide routine follow up to patients who had their surgery done overseas, but will have to manage any surgical bariatric emergencies. These patients should be advised to seek a private bariatric follow up programme in the UK for a two-year period –these are available, and many accept self-referrals.   After this, the monitoring process is the same as for any other patient and the above guidelines should be followed.   If the primary operation did not work in terms of achieving the desired weight loss, it is extremely unlikely the NHS would help further unless a patient had intolerable side effects requiring reversal, or acute life-threatening complications. It would be worth re-referring to NHS services in case the patient may be able to access GLP1 treatment.

In terms of GP follow-up for these patients, their longer-term monitoring would fall under general practice after a two-year period.  In the interim, local guidance states that the Tier 3 service will only accept patients who met those criteria prior to surgery.  We would recommend that patients fulfilling those criteria are referred into the Tier 3 service.  For patients falling outside of that with a follow-up need, we would advise contacting the local bariatric service for advice. 

The new Pharmacy First Service will enable community pharmacists to complete episodes of care for patients without the need for the patient to visit their general practice. This, alongside expansions to the pharmacy blood pressure checking and contraception services, will save up to 10 million general practice team appointments a year and help patients access quicker and more convenient care, including the supply of appropriate medicines for minor illness.

The Pharmacy First Service builds on the previous Community Pharmacist Consultation Service (CPCS) by enabling community pharmacies to manage patients for seven common conditions, following specific clinical pathways.

The seven conditions are:

We are pleased to announce that Hampton Medical Centre has been accredited as an Armed Forces friendly GPO practice.

This means that, as part of the health commitments of the Armed Forces Covenant, we have a dedicated clinician who has a specialist knowledge of military related health conditions and veteran specific health services. This is important in helping ex-forces to get the best care and treatment.

If you are ex-forces, please let your Practice know to help ensure you are getting the best possible care.

A new mental health free text messaging support service has launched in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough to help those who are struggling to cope.

Launched by NHS Cambridgeshire & Peterborough and in partnership with the national service SHOUT, the free to use text service HEAR 85258 provides real-time support to people of all ages who are struggling with their mental health.

When texting the word HEAR to 85258, the person will be connected to a trained volunteer. During the confidential and anonymous conversation, the texter will be supported and signposted to local and national mental health services.

Hypnotic medication or Z-drugs (Zopiclone and Zolpidem) have been used to relieve the symptoms of sleeplessness, however they do not treat the underlying cause.

NICE guidance recommends that doctors should consider using non-medicine or alternative treatments for sleeplessness.

A key concern when prescribing hypnotics is the development of tolerance to their effects and little benefit from long term consumption. Dependence is an unwanted result of long term use. Withdrawal effects can include anxiety, panic attacks, poor memory and confusion to name a few.

A decision has been made by Hampton Medical Centre, not to routinely prescribe Hypnotics or Z-drugs for insomnia.

No Z-drugs would be prescribed to any person under 60 years of age in routine for sleep problems unless clinically decided as short term use under special circumstances only.

Over 60 years of age, it’s on a clinician’s discretion based on individual circumstances.

Hampton Medical Centre are able to provide food bank vouchers to those families who are in need of food. To access this facility you need to contact the surgery on 01733 556 900 and ask for the social prescriber who will triage your needs. 

The food bank facility is based at CSK Hampton Church between 7pm and 9pm each Thursday. Further information can be found here

If you are aged 70-79 or aged 50 and over with a severely weakened immune system, you can book your shingles vaccine at your GP practice.

You can also book after your 65th birthday if you turn 65 after 1st September 2023.

Find out more

We are occasionally asked by patients to prescribe sedating medication for flying. 

We regret that henceforth we are not able to facilitate these requests on the grounds of patient safety and our need to prioritise the delivery of NHS care on the basis of patients' clinical needs.

Sedating medication, e.g. benzodiazepines such as diazepam, can render someone either paradoxically aggressive, or less able to follow instructions in an emergency, thus putting crew and other passengers at risk.

Sleeping tablets similarly have no indication for flying, and again could make a passenger difficult to rouse or transfer if there was a genuine in-flight emergency. Often passengers mix these medications with alcohol, with deleterious consequences. We would not wish you to to be barred from a flight or face prosecution, or find yourself incapacitated due to the unpredictable effects of said medication. The drug driving legislation which came into effect in recent years would also potentially prohibit onward driving from an airport.

Flight anxiety should be treated by Cognitive Behavioural Therapy - a form of counselling, which has long lasting benefits and is safe. Airline carriers offer excellent courses for free, so do speak with your flight provider to arrange to go on a course well in advance of when you know you will be flying.

It is not within the remit of the NHS to render someone fit to travel on a voluntary holiday or business trip, and due to the inexorable demands currently facing general practice, we make no apology for prioritising NHS care for patients on the basis of their clinical need. 

We acknowledge there may be occasion when you have previously received a prescription for this purpose. We regret that we will be unable to agree to such requests henceforth. This is a joint decision, unanimously made by all senior clinical staff within the practice.

Patients are reminded that they are able to arrange a consultation at a private travel clinic should they wish to pursue the option of in-flight medication further, but we cannot accommodate their request and so would politely ask that they respect this universal practice policy from 21 August 2023.

We have been supported in the drafting of this policy by Cambridgeshire Local Medical Committee.