Resources

Patient Resources

Scarlet Fever (Strep A) Parent Advice

There are currently high rates of Scarlet Fever (caused by Group A Strep) in the UK.

Scarlet Fever is much more common in children than in adults and it is important that children with Scarlet Fever are seen by their GP so that they can be started on antibiotics.

The rash of Scarlet Fever often begins with small spots on the body that then spread to the neck, arms and legs over the next 1 to 2 days. It is often ‘sandpaper’ like to touch and is sometimes itchy.

Your child may also have a:

  • Sore throat/tonsillitis
  • Fever (temperature of 38°C (100.4°F or above))
  • Painful, swollen glands in the neck

Alcohol: Unit & Calorie Calculator

Want to know what’s in your drinks? Easy – just tell us a few things about what you drank and this unit and calorie calculator will work out the number of alcohol units and calories you consumed.

https://www.drinkaware.co.uk/understand-your-drinking/unit-calculator

How to take a useful photograph for your doctor or nurse

Although photographing something seems simple, there are a few rules of thumb that will make it much easier for your doctor or nurse to be able to make a diagnosis

1. Adequate lighting

Please make sure the area is well lit. Not flooded with light, but enough light to make the area (for example, a mole on your arm) clear to see, and stand out from the surrounding skin.

2. Some sort of scale

It is important to be able to tell the size of lesion, so place a tape measure or ruler alongside it. Alternatively, something like a 5p or 10p piece coin alongside will be very helpful

3. Indication of location

In some photographs, it can be very difficult to tell what part of the body the photograph is of. Please make this clear, either in the photograph, or in accompanying message. The side of the body (right or left) is also important.

4. Indication of orientation

It can sometimes be difficult to tell which way up a photograph is. Please try to make it clear on the photograph which way is up!

6. Be aware that photographs sent to your doctor form part of your medical record, and will be filed within the record for this reason, unless you specifically ask us not to.

How to use AskMyGP

Ask my GP

Ask my GP is an online tool that we use to offer most of our GP appointments. Once you complete your request a GP will contact you. They will either reply by email, send you a text or call you to arrange a face to face appointment. You should select the GP who knows you best. Please do not use this for medication requests. You can also use it to request Pharmacist, Nurse and Health Care assistant appointments.

How To Use Ask My GP

If you choose not to vaccinate your child, understand the risks and responsibilities

Social Prescribing

Better health, better communities

Improve your health and wellbeing through activities and services in your community
Hackney Social Prescribing Patient Leaflet

Staying well: your guide to mental wellbeing in City & Hackney

Free, quick and easy access to a range of services

Flexible online services you can access in your own time

Guided self-help supported by professionals

Face to face services if and when you need it
Primary Care MH Wellbeing leaflet 14 09 18

Self-certification and Statement of Fitness for work


You do not require a doctor’s sickness certificate for any illness lasting seven days or less. Your employer may however, require you to complete a self-certification form (SC2) which is available from your employer or on the HMRC website.

The doctor will not issue a note if you have not been off work for a whole week.

Evidence that you are sick

If you are sick for more than a week, your employer can ask you to give them some form of medical evidence to support payment of SSP (statutory sick pay).

It is up to your employer to decide whether you are incapable of work. A medical certificate, now called a ‘Statement of Fitness for Work’ (see below) from your doctor is strong evidence that you are sick and would normally be accepted unless there is evidence to prove otherwise.

You could also provide evidence from someone who is not a medical practitioner, e.g. a dentist. Your employer will decide whether or not this evidence is acceptable. If your employer has any doubts, they may still ask for a medical certificate from your GP.

Statement of Fitness for Work – ’Fit Note’

The ‘fit note’ was introduced on 6 April 2010. With your employer’s support, the note will help you return to work sooner by providing more information about the effects of your illness or injury.

For more information see the DirectGov website (where this information was sourced).

Smoking Cessation

Smokefree Hackney is a free stop smoking service, supporting Hackney residents to live a healthy and smoke free life. With our help, you are four times more likely to quit than if you go it alone.

Our local smoking cessation service is one of the most successful in the country:

https://www.smokefreehackney.org/

or

Call the Smokefree advisers on 0800 046 99 46

Core Stability Excercises

Your and your New Baby


INFORMATION FOR NEW PARENTS

Congratulations on the recent birth of your baby.

Over the coming weeks you will find yourself settling into a very new routine with your baby. This is a very exciting time but can also be very challenging and difficult. We are fully aware of this and want to support you as much as possible and we hope you find the following information useful.

Your health care team:

HEALTH VISITOR: Phone: 020 7683 4695

Your health visitor takes over the care of both you and your baby from the midwife. They are a registered nurse whose role is to help families, especially those with young children. The health visitor will do a ‘new birth home visit’ usually between 10-14 days after the birth where she will check your baby’s health and development and can give you advice on feeding, sleeping and any other queries. Please contact her if you have any worries or concerns about you or your baby.

GP: Phone 0208 986 7111

Please be sure to register baby with the GP as soon as possible after the birth.

If you have any routine concerns or questions then please come to the Baby Clinic.

If you have any more urgent concerns or your child is unwell then there is an emergency doctor available to speak to on the phone every day. This duty doctor can give telephone advice but also put you in touch with appropriate professionals or arrange an appropriate appointment with a GP or nurse at the practice. Please make it clear to reception when you call that you would like to speak to the duty doctor.

Please ensure that you bring your baby’s red book records (‘red’ book given to you by the health visitor) with you when you attend any appointment for your baby or child. Don’t forget to bring a clean nappy. Your baby’s red book has important information about which immunisations your baby will be offered, and other health information.

YOUR 6-8 WEEK CHECKS

Six to eight weeks after the birth you should be checked by your GP to make sure you are feeling well, to check your body is returning to normal after the birth, to discuss contraception choices and any other concerns. This is known as your postnatal check.  Your baby will also need their ‘6 week check’. This is something that the GP will do at our baby clinic.  We will call you to arrange an appointment for you and your baby to have your check (they will be done at the same time).  If we haven’t contacted you a month after delivery, then do please call reception and ask to speak to Aysha Gardezi (Operations Supervisor) to arrange.

Baby and child immunisations

For current advice on immunisations, please visit the NHS Choices website.

Appointments for immunisation can be booked online or directly with reception. It is very important that your baby is immunised according to the current schedule, according to their age, so that they can be protected against many very dangerous infections. Baby immunisation clinic appointments are longer than usual appointments, so please do not book into a 15 minute appointment without discussing this first.

Please look at this document about meningitis B vaccination and paracetamol, and make sure that you have baby paracetamol at home to be given after the 1st and 3rd immunisations.

HEALTHY START VITAMINS

To prevent vitamin D deficiency all women who have given birth within the last year, and all children from 4 weeks* to 4 years old, who are registered with a City and Hackney GP, are entitled to free healthy start vitamins.

These are available from all local pharmacies.

*Please note, babies fed infant formula should not be given Healthy Start vitamins unless they are drinking less than 500mls (about 18fl oz or 1 pint) of formula a day because formula is fortified with vitamins and no other supplementation is required.

HEALTH FIRST PHARMACY

This enables you and your child to get FREE treatment and advice for minor ailments directly from the local pharmacy without a doctor’s prescription.

You need to register for the scheme. The form is obtained from the surgery receptionists. Hand the form into your local pharmacy and you will be registered. Next time you have a minor ailment instead of booking a GP appointment , you can visit your local chemist without an appointment and get free advice and medicine if required.

We look forward to seeing you soon and meeting your new baby.

Staff Resources

FIT test (stool test for hidden blood in poo)

Fluoroquinolone Antibiotics: Side Effects

What antibiotics are involved?

Ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, moxifloxacin and ofloxacin are examples of Fluoroquinolone antibiotics that treat serious and life-threatening infections.

What do I need to know?

Although most patients tolerate these antibiotics well, a few patients may develop serious side effects that involve tendons, muscles, joints and nerves (see below).

In a small proportion of patients these side effects cause long lasting or permanent disability.

Taking a steroid in addition to a fluroquinolone antibiotic may increase the risk of tendon problems. However this will have been considered by your Doctor on a risk/benefit basis.

Doctors will take special care if you are older than 60 years of age. The following groups also have a higher risk of side effects: patients whose kidneys do not work well, or those who have had an organ transplant.