May 2019
The practice is delighted to welcome Mr David Shedden as the new practice manager. David brings a wealth of experience and knowledge having worked at other practices within Mid Essex for a number of years. This new post follows the resignation of Mrs Linda de Silva who, after 11 years, has stepped down and accepted a part-time position with us from June. We are pleased to keep her local knowledge within our organisation.
February 2019 - Are you interested in a healthy diet and / or losing weight?
The clinicians here at Freshwell are becoming increasingly excited about the low carbohydrate Mediterranean lifestyle revolution. There is emerging strong scientific evidence for the benefits of this way of eating, which can also be a very effective means of losing weight.
Also, we are hoping to host a course to help people diagnosed with prediabetes in the near future.
Please click the link in the right hand column of the homepage on this website for further details.
January 2019 - CHANGE TO STAFF TRAINING CLOSURE TIMES
We will be closed for training between 11am and 3pm on Thursday 31st January. From February 2019 we are changing our training times to be in line with all other practices in Mid Essex. We will be closing at 1pm and will not reopen on the following dates in 2019: Wed 13th Feb, Tue 12th Mar, Tue 14th May, Wed 12th Jun, Thu 11th Jul, Tue 13th Aug, Wed 11th Sep, Thu 10th Oct, Tue 12th Nov, Wed 11th Dec. These dates are also listed on our Opening Times page with details of what to do if you need urgent medical attention whilst we are closed.
April 2019 The Creamer Fund Easter raffle will be held here 8-16 April. Any suitable prizes will be gratefully received and can be left with our reception team. CREAMER are looking for Volunteers to assist selling tickets 8-16. Please leave your contact number with reception and their Social Secretary Sylvia Gould will contact you.
Extended Access and Care Navigation Update
The new care navigation system has been working really well so far. We are delighted that a pharmacist and an advanced nurse practitioner have now joined our team. In addition to these in-house appointments, there are also extended access appointments that our patients can access at weekends and in the evenings. These are held in Chelmsford, Halstead and Braintree. Please ask reception if you would prefer to see someone out of our opening hours at another location.
Aug 2018
Care Navigation
The Freshwell Management have recently been finding ways to diversify the clinical team at the surgery to add further expertise and capacity. Since February we have had an MSK specialist and from next month we will have a pharmacist available in-house. We also hope to recruit a nurse practitioner in the near future. On 3rd Sept we will be introducing a national process called Care Navigation. This involves the reception team asking why you are requesting an appointment. This information will be used to ensure that you are directed to the most appropriate clinician or service. When asked, please give a brief reason eg knee pain or medication review. Please be assured that all staff at Freshwell sign a confidentiality agreement and understand the importance of keeping your information safe and secure.
July 2018
Your Data Matters to the NHS
Information about your health and care helps the NHS to improve your individual care, speed up diagnosis, plan your local services and research new treatments.
Since May 2018, the strict rules about how this data can and cannot be used were strengthened. The NHS is committed to keeping patient information safe and always being clear about how it is used.
You can choose whether your confidential patient information is used for research and planning.
To find out more visit: www.nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters or call 0300 303 5678
If you have already opted out of data sharing you will NOT need to opt out again.
May 2018
With the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) coming into effect from 25th May 2018 we have been busy updating our policies to reflect the increased security surrounding your data. As part of our on-going commitment to data security you can now read and download our privacy notice along with our information leaflet on our website under further information or click here
http://www.freshwell.co.uk/info.aspx?p=7
April 2018
NHS England have advised the Mid Essex Clinical Commissioning Group that they must encourage all member practices to reduce the money spent on prescribing OTC (Over the Counter) medicines.
In the first instance, we will no longer be prescribing the following medicines to patients aged 18 year and over: cetirizine & loratadine tablets, sodium cromoglicate eye drops, beclometasone (beconase) or fluticasone (flixonase) nasal sprays. You will need to buy these from a chemist in future.
Click here for further information http://www.freshwell.co.uk/info.aspx?p=6
February 2018
When you book an appointment, please let the receptionist know a brief reason why you need to see a clinician. This will allow them to book you in with the most appropriate person. Thanks to CREAMER funding, we now have a Orthopaedic Specialist Practitioner working here twice a week. He is able to give advice regarding musculoskeletal injuries. You can book to see him directly without a referral from one of our doctors.
January 2018
Think #3beforeGP
The Royal College of General Practitioners is currently running a campaign asking everyone to help alleviate the pressure on GP Practices across the UK. It simply asks you to consider....
Before making a GP appointment, can I?
1) self-care
2) use NHS Choices or a similar reputable UK resource
3) seek advice from a pharmacist
December 2017
To improve communication we are introducing a new FREE text message appointment booking confirmation and reminder service for all patients aged 18yrs and over. If you would like to be included in this service please make sure we have your current mobile number.
If we already have your mobile phone number you will receive a text messaging asking if you would like to opt in/out of this service. If you choose to opt out this can be done by a simple return of text, but you can always opt in at a later date if you change your mind.
If you remain opted in you will start to receive text messages to confirm your appointment giving you the option to cancel your appointment directly by return of text.
Our plan is to expand this service to allow us to inform you if a clinic has been cancelled, the flu jabs are now available or if the Doctor would like you to book an appointment to discuss recent test results.
Please help us to keep your records up to date by informing us on any changes to your mobile telephone numbers to ensure you continue to be included in this text messaging service.
October 2017
Our children's flu vaccines have now arrived. Children who were 2 or 3 on 31st August 2017 are eligible. Please ring for an appointment if you would like your child vaccinated. Primary school aged children will be vaccinated at school.
We have now installed hearing loops at both the reception and dispensary counters. We would like to thank The CREAMER Fund for financing this important improvement to our practice for patients who are hard of hearing. We have added signs to each counter to help them know where to stand for the best reception. There is also a portable device available for use in the consultation rooms. Please ask at reception if you would like this to be made available when seeing a doctor or nurse. the portable device can be used without a hearing aid if necessary.
September 2017
We are now taking bookings for our flu clinic on Saturday 7th October. Eligible ADULT patients (over 65s, pregnant women, carers, patients with certain chronic diseases, immunosuppressed and obese patients) should phone reception to book. Further information relating to flu vaccinations for children will follow shortly.
August 2017
Our Summer 2017 Newsletter is now on the website and available to download. Head over to the newsletters page to find what has been happening behind the scenes at Freshwell Health Centre.
4th July 2017
Building works are currently underway at the surgery. Because we are having a new reception counter fitted the main entrance is not in use. Please follow the signs to enter at the rear of the building. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.
June 2017
Please note that due to a technical error on the website previous news items have been lost.