Being a partner in my care: Realistic Medicine together

We would really value your input at one of our workshops to help further develop the Being a partner in my care app. This app aims to provide people with tools and resources to collaborate with health and care professionals over decisions about their care, based on what matters to the person.

See this document for more information.

New Diabetes Pathway

Over 26,000 people with diabetes in Tayside to benefit from care closer to home

More than 26,000 people in Tayside are living with diabetes. NHS Tayside is significantly transforming the way that people with diabetes receive their regular blood tests and screening appointments.

Rape and Sexual Assault

• A dedicated NHS sexual assault service is available for you to get support if you have been raped or sexually assaulted within the last 7 days, if you are not ready to tell the police or are unsure.
• Anyone aged 16 and over can self-refer to the service.
• The service will help with your immediate healthcare needs and if the assault has happened within the last 7 days, it may be appropriate for you to have a Forensic Medical Examination
  (FME).
• An FME is a specific type of medical examination for people who have experienced rape or sexual assault and is carried out by a specially trained healthcare professional. You can ask to have a trusted friend or relative with you before, during and after the examination if you wish.
• The service can keep this evidence for up to 26 months in case you want to tell the police at a later date.

Sharp rise in scam GP telephone calls

Members of the public receive a call appearing to be from their GP asking them to press a button to update their details. Some of these messages suggest that if the person does not update their details, they will be removed from the GP practice list.

What to do

1. If you receive a telephone call from an unknown number asking you to update your details, hang up. 

2. Do not provide any details or press a number on your handset.

3. If you receive a scam telephone call, you can report this to Police Scotland on 101.

4. Find out more about scam telephone calls on the National Cyber Security Centre website

Fear of Flying

Ravenswood Surgery does NOT prescribe sedatives for fear of flying. This policy decision has been made by the GP Partners and is adhered to by all prescribers working in the practice.

The reasons for this include:

1. Diazepam is a sedative, which means it makes you sleepy and more relaxed. If there is an emergency during the flight it may impair your ability to concentrate, follow instructions and react to the situation. This could have serious safety consequences for you and those around you.
2. Sedative drugs can make you fall asleep, however when you do sleep it is an unnatural non-REM sleep. This means you won’t move around as much as during natural sleep. This can cause you to be at increased risk of developing a blood clot (DVT) in the leg or even the lung. Blood clots are very dangerous and can even prove fatal. This risk is even greater if your flight is greater than four hours.
3. Whilst most people find benzodiazepines like diazepam sedating, a small number of people experience agitation and even aggression. They can also cause disinhibition and lead you to behave in a way that you would not normally. This could impact on your safety as well as that of other passengers and could also get you into trouble with the law.
4. According to the prescribing guidelines doctors are required to follow (BNF), Benzodiazepines are contraindicated (not allowed) for phobia (fear). Your doctor is taking a significant legal risk by prescribing against these guidelines.
5. Diazepam and similar drugs are illegal in a number of countries. They may be confiscated, or you may find yourself in trouble with the police.
6. Diazepam stays in your system for quite a while. If your job requires you to submit to random drug testing you may fail this having taken diazepam.

We appreciate that fear of flying is very real and very frightening. A much better approach is to tackle this properly with a Fear of Flying course run by the airlines, and we have listed a number of these below:

• Easy Jet   www.fearlessflyer.easyjet.com   Tel: 0203 8131644
• British Airways   www.flyingwithconfidence.com   Tel: 01252 793250
• Virgin   www.flyingwithoutfear.co.uk   Tel: 01423 714900

ANGUSalive

We are trialling the ability for patients to manage some of their appointments online. You can now:

• View past and upcoming appointments
• Cancel appointments
• Schedule telephone appointments for early morning extended hours clinics

To use this system, you need to be registered with our online services system - if you're not, please speak to our reception team.

Log in here to manage your appointments.

Spring/Summer 2024 Newsletter

You can download our latest newsletter by clicking here. If you would like a paper copy, please pop in to the surgery.

Scam - or genuine?

Sometimes it can be hard to tell whether a contact made to you is genuine or a scam. If you are in any doubt, please don't hesitate to contact the surgery and ask for advice. Here are two examples of things that have happened recently.

Genuine

If you are currently on the waiting list for an orthopaedic procedure, you may receive a text message from NHS Scotland. Please note this is NOT a scam. Some procedures are being offered to patients earlier if they are willing to have their surgery done elsewhere in Scotland.

If you do receive a message, please engage with it and complete the questions if you are able. However, if you are unable to complete the questions or if you do not have a smart phone, please do not worry as you will be contacted by telephone over the coming weeks.

Scam

Another practice in the area let us know of an encounter they had with one of their elderly patients. The patient informed them that he was approached by a company called 'Premier UK Healthcare'.  This company telephoned the patient, they seemed to know his medical condition and that he was a patient of that Practice. The patient felt reassured that this was a genuine call when the company mentioned his practice name. He was offered a home visit and during the visit they looked at his mattress and unfortunately he has paid a £200 deposit towards the purchase of a £2,000 mattress. The Practice has clarified with their patient that they would never disclose patient information to companies or to any third party without the patient's consent, and they have advised the patient to contact the police to report this incident.

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Up to Date Patient Contact Information

Please ensure your contact details are up to date with our Surgery.  Updating your contact details with your GP automatically updates all systems including NHS Tayside, NHS 24 and Scottish Ambulance Service.

Practice Closure Dates

The Practice will be closed on the following dates:
(On dates marked *, the practice will be closed to patients for training all afternoon from 1pm, but emergency calls can still be taken)

Please note that the Practice will be closed from 1pm - 2pm every day for Protected Learning Time.

PLEASE CONTACT NHS 24 ON 111 IF YOU REQUIRE ADVICE. 
IN AN EMERGENCY, DIAL 999 FOR AN AMBULANCE.