Larksfield Surgery Medical Partnership
Goodness Gracious – Great Wall of China !!!
North Herts women aiming to walk the Great Wall of China and raise more than £ 10,000 for Alzheimer ’ s Society
North Herts locals Sue Hutchinson and Lissa McGown have taken up the challenge of walking the Great Wall of China to raise money for Alzheimer ’ s Society and will also be trying to raise further funds with a number of local events in the run-up to their trek . Together they are TEAM TREKSPIRATION !!
Sue Hutchinson , 46 and Lissa McGown , 38 are hoping to raise more than £ 10,000 by taking part in a six day trek of the Great Wall of China in October 2016 covering up to 70 kilometres . They will be flying out to Beijing on 15th October 2016 .
The two friends are also arranging a charity dinner and dance at Letchworth ’ s Broadway Hotel on Saturday 3rd September where there will also be plenty of raffle prizes and other activities . Tickets are priced at £ 35 per person .
The first fund raising event is a 2 hour ‘ Clubberciseathon ’ which will take place at Fairfield Community Hall on Saturday 9th April at 10.30 am . Spaces for this event are filling up fast and are priced at £ 10 per person .
They hope to also hold a quiz night and hopefully other events before the trek .
According to Alzheimer ’ s Society , there are more than 850,000 people in the UK living with a form of dementia and in less than 10 years , that will rise to one million people .
Susan said : “ I decided to take part in this challenge for Alzheimer ’ s Society because so many people are affected by this crippling disease , including the loved ones of many of my close friends . This disease takes away the lives of its sufferers while they are still living and is so sad and devastating for those who love them . This will be a tough challenge for me , but it ’ s nothing compared to what those with
Larksfield Surgery Medical Partnership
My health , my choices
Our health is something we have limited control over ; we are subject to the influences of age , genetics and environment . We can do something about our life style to improve our lot , but any health related choices we can make , enable us to feel more in control of our health , rather than it controlling us . Below are some of the areas you do have choices about .
Firstly , when you join the surgery , for administrative purposes , you are allocated a named doctor . However , if you prefer to see somebody different , the practice will try to enable you see the doctor of your choice ( but , you can only see a particular doctor if there is an appointment available ).
If you have a medical problem and feel that you need to see a specialist , you need to see your GP first . It will only be on the basis of a clinical decision that you will be referred to a consultant or other professional . This also applies to asking for specific tests . Some tests may give false positives or negatives , and so need to be discussed with the patient first to put any potential results into perspective . However there are more options available to the patient with regard to whom they see and where , as well as where to choose to go for treatment should it be necessary . These days most referrals are made through the e-referral system , previously known as ‘ choose and book ’. Once you have your referral , you can choose yourself if you have access to the Internet , if not the doctor will do it for you . You will be offered at least three choices of who to see and where to go for treatment . Sometimes the same clinician can be seen at more than one hospital .
Many patients require blood tests , this may be a single test , or for some conditions , frequent routine testing . There is choice over where you go for these tests also , so please ask . Larksfield has a visiting phlebotomist every Friday and there is a walk in clinic dementia are going through every day .”
“ Throughout these activities , it ’ s great to know I will be raising funds to help support people to live well with dementia today and fund research to find a cure for the future . This will also be my first trip to China , so this is going to be a massive life-changing experience for me too , in more ways than one .”
Jeremy Hughes , chief executive at Alzheimer ’ s Society , said : “ We are delighted that Susan and Lissa are giving their time to support Alzheimer ’ s Society . This year alone , 225,000 people will develop dementia , that ’ s one person every three minutes . As a charity , we rely on the generosity of individuals like Susan and Lissa to help us continue our vital work . We hope people will back them in their fundraising efforts so that Alzheimer ’ s Society can continue leading the fight against dementia .”
To sponsor Susan or Lissa please visit : https :// www . justgiving . com / Sue-Hutch / https :// www . justgiving . com / Lissa-Mcgown /
If you are interested in helping with one of their events or donating raffle prizes or company sponsors ships please contact : Suehutch68 @ yahoo . co . uk lissamcgown @ hotmail . com
every day at the Lister hospital . The Park Drive Health Centre in Baldock ( next to Tesco ) hold a clinic for practice use on Wednesday afternoons and Nevells Road surgery in Letchworth is also available for routine blood tests such as Diabetes or Warfarin anticoagulation checks . Again , please check with the practice to choose which venue is best for you .
With regard to collecting your medication , there is also choice available . If you live within the practice ’ s designated “ dispensing area ” ( Henlow and parts of Arlesey ) medication prescribed by your GP will be available from the Practice dispensary ; but most prescriptions are filled by independent pharmacies . Many local ones offer a free regular delivery service ( if needed ). As long as a pharmacy has EPS ( Electronic prescription service ) you can request your prescription from them . This is a huge advantage as you can choose to collect your medication at whichever pharmacy is nearest your home or even your work . It doesn ’ t matter how far away it is , as it is dealt with electronically . If needed , because you have difficulty dispensing your medication , or are inclined to be a little forgetful , you can request your pills are dispensed by the pharmacy into a dosette box . This is a tray with four compartments for each day of the week . Your pills are dispensed into a separate compartment , according to what time of day you need to take them .
If you take more than two types of medication on a regular basis , and particularly if one of them is for a cardiac or respiratory condition , you can ask to have a medication review with a pharmacist . This is usually offered annually and is a confidential service where you can ask questions about dosage , side effects and interactions of the medication you have been prescribed . If you pay for your prescriptions and have at least one item every month , you will find it cheaper to purchase a pre-payment certificate from www . nhsbsa . nhs . uk .
Finally , if you are unsure of anything , do ask your medical practitioner , remember , your health , your choices .
www . facebook . com / groups / onthebutton / | # infoonthebutton | on the button issue 48 August 2016
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