Welcome to The East Norwich Medical Partnership

The East Norwich Medical Partnership was formed in July 2009 from the former Willow Wood Surgery at Aslake Close in Sprowston, and the Sprowston-Thorpe Medical Partnership based in both Thorpe Health Centre, St. William’s Way, Thorpe St. Andrew and Sprowston Primary Care Centre, Aslake Close in Sprowston.

OUR TEAM

Our Practice Manager, Lisa Vandepeer, is responsible for the management of the practice. The practice has 7 GP partners. As well as our Doctors, we have 2 Nurse Practitioners, a team of Practice Nurses, a team of Health Care Assistants, and access to a full range of community based healthcare professionals including District Nurses, Specialist Diabetic Nurse and Palliative Care Nurses.

We have been joined by 2 new Nurse Practitioners, Sharleen Blundell and Helen Pidgeon.  Lisa Tighe has joined our Nursing Team and specialises in asthma and COPD.

Sharon Brooks recently joined our team as a full time Healthcare Assistant

We have now been joined by 2 new Treatment Room Nurses - Rebecca Tennant and Natalie Edwards.

Janine James has recently joined us as our Phlebotomist and she will be undertaking our blood test clinics.

PRIMARY CARE NETWORKS

From 01.07.2019 East Norwich Medical Partnership has become part of the Norwich Primary Care Network.  We will be part of the East Norwich Neighbourhood. 

For more information on PCN's please see the attached:

Primary Care Networks

VETERAN ACCREDITED PRACTICE

East Norwich Medical Partnership has applied to achieve the RCGP Armed Forces Veteran Friendly accreditation.

If you are a veteran please make sure we have been made aware of this so that this can be recorded in your medical records.  Please see our Veterans tabs under Further Information as this provide more information for veterans and their and details of support organisations. 

TEACHING PRACTICE

East Norwich Medical Partnership is a teaching practice and we may be hosting both GP Registrars and Medical Students at various point in their training.  You will be made aware if you are seeing a Registrar or Student. 

If a student will be present with the GP you are seeing you will be informed - you have the right to decline having the student present during your consultation - please advise the receptionist.

Dr. Amarwickrama will be teaching a  new cohort of students from September 2019 who will be with us on Fridays through to June 2020. 

Dr. Singh is an Associate GP Trainer. From 7th August 2019 we were joined Dr Evelyn Hasash will be joining us as an ST1 GP Registrar. Dr Hashash will be with us until early 2020.

CLINICAL PHARMACIST

East Norwich Medical Partnership is pleased to welcome Rita Okeke who has joined us as a Clinical Pharmacist 3 days a week. Rita is a also and independent and supplementary prescriber.  We will benefit greatly from her skills as she will be able to relieve the doctors from signing off repeat prescriptions on the days she is here, undertake our medication reviews, deal with patient medication queries and helping us with clinical audits.  This will help release GP time.

PHARMACIES ON SITE

We have access to 2 Pharmacies on site.  However, it should be noted that these are independent to the Practice and are not part of the practice business:

Boots Pharmacy, Aslake Close -  Tel. No 01603 426887

Thorpe Health Centre Pharmacy, Thorpe Health Centre - Tel. No. 01603 439239

For opening times please see the Opening Times tab.

OVER THE COUNTER MEDICINES

Some common medicines should now be bought over the counter.  The NHS in Norfolk and Waveney have recently spent £5.7m on medications which could have been bought over the counter at the fraction of the price.

By caring for yourself you help save valuable NHS time and resources which can be spent on life-saving treatments.  Patients can often look after themselves and their children: advice for treating minor conditions can by given by a local Pharmacy if needed.

Patients should keep a small supply of simple treatments in their own medicine cabinet so they are able to manage minor ailments at home.  These should be kept secured from young children.

All these medicines are widely available from supermarkets and pharmacies at reasonable cost and do not need a prescription.

Many of these treatments are far more expensive when prescribed on the NHS compared to when they are purchased over the counter. 

Please do not ask your GP for medicines that can be bought over the counter.

For the lists of medications that are available to purchase over the counter please click on the link below:

Over the Counter Medicines

The NHS belongs to everybody and the local NHS leaderships must ensure that their resources are used in the best possible way for all patients.

PATIENT QUERIES

Any patient queries about Over The Counter medicines should be made to:

Norwich Clinical Commissioning Group

Room 202
City Hall
St Peters Street, Norwich, NR2 1NH

Tel. No. 01603 613325

www.norwichccg.nhs.uk

NORWICH PHARMACY OPENING TIMES - AUGUST BANK HOLIDAY 2019

For the list of Norwich Pharmacies that will be open on the May Bank Holidays  period please click below:

Norwich Pharmacy Opening Times August Bank Holiday

Getting your medicines if there's a no-deal Brexit - Medicines Information

The government is working closely with the NHS and suppliers to make sure medicines and medical products continue to be available in all scenarios.

Please keep ordering your repeat prescriptions and taking your

medicines as normal.

The NHS, through your local doctor's surgery and pharmacy, will keep

you informed if there are any changes.

It's very important you don't order more medicines than normal. If you

do, then it may mean that other people won't be able to get their

medicines.

For more information please see the document below:

 Medicines Supply Patient Information

Medicines Information

GABAPENTIN & PREGABALIN

From 1st April 2019 Gabapentin and Pregabalin become Schedule 3 Controlled Drugs.

Good practice requires that repeat prescriptions for this class of drug is now limited to a        1 month supply.  If your repeat prescription for Gapapentin or Pregablin is currently for more than a 1 month supply then the quantity prescribed will be reduced.

We are now able to send prescriptions for controlled drugs via the Electronic Prescription Service to your nominated pharmacy.  If you are not registered for this service please speak to reception who will get this organised for you.

Please order your prescription is plenty of time to help us manage the transition processed required with these changes.

IMPROVED ACCESS SCHEME

From 3rd September 2018 East Norwich Medical Partnership will be participating in the NHS England funded Improved Access Scheme to provide some additional GP, Nurse Practitioner and Nurse appointments for our patients. For patients at registered East Norwich these appointments will be based at:

Lionwood Medical Practice

30a Wellesley Avenue North, Norwich, NR1 4NU.

Under this scheme Lionwood Medical Practice is the Hub for patients registered in practices in the East of Norwich.

For a map of how to find Lionwood Medical Practice please download the instructions below:

Details for Lionwood Medical Practice

PROTECTED LEARNING AFTERNOONS - Thursday 26th Setpember 2019

During the afternoon on Thursday 26th September2019 Norwich Medical Partnership will closed from 1.00 p.m. to  participate in a protected learning afternoons with other practices across Norwich.  Protected Learning Sessions provide the opportunity for GPs and practice staff to attend staff training and updates that are vital to ensure that practices remain up to date on a range of subjects which underpin the healthcare provided for patients across Norwich.  This is supported by NHS England and Norwich CCG.

The surgery will re-open as normal at 8.00 a.m. on the following day

The practice will be closed and all staff including GPs will not be available as usual during the afternoon of training.  However, IC24 will provide cover during the afternoon by providing telephone triage between 1.00 p.m. and 6.30 p.m.  Where appropriate patients will be given an appointment to see a clinician. To access this service please telephone:

NHS 111

Following triage is a patient is deemed to need clinical input he/she will be contacted by an on-call GP and if deemed clinically necessary will be given an appointment at a specified location. 

Dates of future events will be advertised to our patients on our website, in the practice and in our patient newsletter.

The Dates for the Protected Learning Afternoons in 2019 are:

Thursday 9th May 2019

Wednesday 24th July 2019

Thursday 26th September 2019

Thursday 28th November 2019

Thursday 23rd January 2020

Wednesday 25th March 2020

  DISABLED ACCESS

Both our premises are accessible by wheelchair and reserved parking is situated close to the front doors of both sites. A lift is available at the Sprowston site. Both sites have disabled toilets.

 BABY CHANGING FACILITIES

We have baby changing facilities at both sites.

 BREASTFEEDING FRIENDLY PRACTICE

East Norwich Medical Partnership is breastfeeding friendly. Mothers are welcome to feed their children in the waiting room if this is where they feed comfortable.  If you would like somewhere more private to feed your baby please ask at reception and a room will be found for you.

TELEPHONE CALLS

Please note that all calls to and from the surgery may be recorded.

 CCTV RECORDING

Please be aware that CCTV operates at Sprowston Primary Care Centre within our waiting room areas.

  FREE PUBLIC Wifi ACCESS

Public Wifi access is now being provided by NHS England for patients in GP Surgeries.  This is now live at Thorpe Health Centre and  Sprowston Primary Care Centre. Go to the settings in your mobile phone to set up your account. This will then give you access to NHS wifi in any NHS building that has this facility.

MJOG Text/Smart Phone MESSAGING SERVICE

All surgeries across Norwich are now using the MJOG Text/Smart Phone messaging system to help us keep in contact with you.  Please make sure we have your up to date mobile telephone number and that you have consented to let us use this to contact you.  We can confirm your appointments, remind you of appointments, invite you in for reviews and send you information about the practice i.e. notification of closures.  You can also easily cancel appointments by this method.  If you have a Smart Phone you can download a free app from the App Store or get it on Google Play.  See below for a patient guide to downloading the App.

MJOG Quick Patient Guide

ONLINE SERVICES

We offer SystmOne Online Service.  Patients who are registered for this service can book routine GP appointments and order authorised repeat medications.

AUTHORISED REPEAT PRESCRIPTIONS

Save yourself time and energy and trips to the surgery by registering for Online Services and the Electronic Prescription Service - you will then be able to order repeat medications and your prescription will be electronically sent to the nominated Pharmacy of your choice - Simples!  You are then not restricted to getting to the surgery during opening times to order or collect a prescription.  You can also set up proxy access so that someone else can do this on your behalf. Ask at Reception for more details or see the Quick Links - Online Services for more information.

Click HERE to access Online Services 

BREAST SCREENING  - MISSED INVITATIONS

A number of women aged between 70-79 are being offered the opportunity for a breast screen, after some women did not receive an invitation for their final screening, as part of the routine NHS Breast Screening Programme.

Women Under 72

Most women can be reassured that they will have received their final invitation but all women under 72 years old who are affected, will receive an appointment letter from Public Health England and the NHS by the end of May 2018 informing them of the time and date of their appointment.

Women 72-79

Women aged 72-79 will receive a letter providing clear information on what to do next if they choose to have screening and will be asked to contact the helpline who will link with our local Breast Screening Service to arrange an appointment and an invitation letter.

If you fall into this category please telephone the Breast Screening Helpline on:

Tel. No. 0800 169 2692

What If I Do No Receive a Letter

Women aged 70-79 currently registered with a GP who do not receive a letter from PHE can be assured they are not affected and do not need a catch-up screen.

Women not registered with a GP

If you are not currently registered with a GP and believe you did not receive an invitation for screening sometime between your 68th and 71st birthdays then we advise you to in touch with the helpline:

Tel. No. 0800 169 2692

ADDITIONAL SUPPORT

Women who have or have had breast cancer and are concerned about how this incident affects them, and families of those who have died of breast cancer will be able to access specialist clinical support provided by Macmillan and Breast Cancer Care:

Macmillan Cancer Support: Tel. No.0808 808 00 00

Macmillan Cancer Support

Breast Cancer Care : Tel. No. 0808 800 6000

Breast Cancer Care

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON BREAST SCREENING

You can also find more information on the NHS Choices website.  Please click on the link below:

NHS Choices Breast Screening Information

For more information on breast screening please see the leaflets below:

 Breast Screening Helping You Decide

Breast Screening Easy Guide

Over 70 Breast Screening