Ridgeway Recorder - Edition 1

A welcome from Dr Genevieve Small

Many thanks to our patients group for the chance to welcome you to their new publication, the Ridgeway Recorder, which has grown from their previous newsletter On the Ridge.

As a doctor at the surgery I have the chance to see all the valuable work done by the patients group, whether it is organising talks about current issues or running their regular Life Saving courses. Most importantly they also represent the interests of all our patients and we talk regularly with them about the surgery. I can promise you that they make sure we are in touch with the views of our patients, passing on both compliments and complaints.

As doctors we realise how much our patients depend on the surgery. We are constantly looking at ways to improve. We are always looking at ways to improve. including at how we can support patients who find using technology hard as well as identifying patients who would benefit from more consistency or continuity of their health care. We have improved the way we deal with PATCHs which means we can deal with more requests every day compared with last year, as well as having PATCHs open for more time during each day. There is much more to do but we know. There is much more to do but we know that the patients group will continue to challenge and support us.

Reading about Covid here reminded me of the extraordinary efforts of our patients to help with vaccinations, helping Harrow achieve one of the highest vaccination levels in the country. This experience brought home to us that we can rely on our patients to answer a call for help. You can read more about volunteering in this bulletin. I was particularly impressed to read about how Jayshree, one of our patients group committee members, started volunteering and the difference it has made to her as well as the people she helps.

Dr Clare Etherington, one of the Ridgeway doctors, has been working with the patients group, speaking at their events at the North Harrow Community Library. She has been answering questions about prescriptions in this issue. We will be offering the opportunity for you to ask questions in the future, just let us know what you would like to read about. Just contact the patients group on rspatientgroup@hotmail.com.

With Best Wishes
Dr Genevieve Small

Latest news from your Patients Group

Some of you may have noticed that we have a new blood pressure machine in the main surgery, and we have also bought the surgery a defibrillator. These were funded by a generous legacy from a patient and the patients group made the final decision about what to buy. We have also used group funds to buy some garden furniture so that staff and doctors can take a break outside when the weather is better.

We are also running Life Savers courses for patients to learn how to use a defibrillator. This is knowledge that could save a life while you wait for a paramedic or ambulance.   Our next course is on May 19th 2025. We have a defibrillator and there is also one opposite North Harrow station. Do you know where others are placed? let us know by dropping us an email at rspatientgroup@hotmail.com. We need to tell people where they can find a defibrillator as well as how they can use one.    

Sometimes we have questions that we don’t think are important enough to bother a doctor but still leave us wondering. We asked Dr Clare Etherington some simple questions about prescriptions.  

Q. What do you consider before you decide what to prescribe to a patient?

A Pharmacology and prescribing are complex areas of clinical practice. The person signing the prescription is responsible for checking that you understand why you are taking the medication, the risks and benefits (including discussing other options such as lifestyle changes, or even not having a prescription), how long you should take the medication and how often you should be checked. 

We are lucky to have clinical pharmacists and nurses, who have done their full clinical training practice as well as masters level extra training to become prescribers, working in the surgery. Many of our local community pharmacists are highly experienced, and have also done this extra prescriber training. This is why so many community pharmacies in Harrow are able to provide the Pharmacy First services, which allows them to write prescriptions for some simple ailments.  

Q. I take a number of drugs every day and find it difficult to manage the different pills, which come in different shapes and sizes. I have a box with daily compartments in it which I fill up regularly. I believe some chemists will do this for you. Is this the case and do you recommend this?

A. Our local community pharmacists will be happy to discuss ways of helping you remember to take your medicines. These could include the use of dosette boxes that can be filled by you or by the pharmacy. You need to think about where you keep your drugs – perhaps it would help to keep them by your toothbrush or your coffee maker or teapot to help you remember. 

You could also consider a reminder on your phone or use post it notes, telephone calls or a reminder app. If you are bothered about the number of pills you have to take you could ask your pharmacist if you could review what you take or ask to see our surgery pharmacist.  

Q. I have to take a pill twice a day but find it difficult to remember to take the second dose, if I miss it would it be dangerous to take two doses in the morning or just not worry if I have missed the second dose?

A. There is no simple answer to this question. Your liver and kidneys work very hard at getting rid of any medication as soon as you take it (that is why some medicines work better as injections or patches). How fast the liver and kidneys do this depend on the type of medicine, your general age and health and the mixture of medicines that you take. So the answer to this question is different for every patient.  You need to understand the importance of timing when we prescribe something for you, and you can always talk about this with your community pharmacist. Some medicines such as contraceptive pills may not work if you miss a dose. Other medicines work best at particular times of day. For some medicines such as heart or epilepsy medicines it is particularly important that we get the dose exactly right.

Q. I have been reading a lot about statins, some people say everyone over a certain age should take them, others talk about side effects. What is the best advice you can give? Will I get in trouble if I don’t take statins?

A. We would never be angry with you for not taking a medicine. Your consultations should be a conversation with us that allows you to understand enough about the choices available to make your own decisions. 

Statins drop the level of a sort of fat, cholesterol, in the blood. Higher levels of cholesterol make up part of your risk of heart disease and stroke. The other risk factors include family history, being from a small group of families that have an inherited risk of very high cholesterol, increased age, smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes and some forms of chronic inflammation. 

Lifestyle changes such as increasing how much you move around, exercise and a fibre-filled ‘Mediterranean’ diet can, for many well people, be just a good as a statin. If you have many long-term medical conditions, we will talk about statins at your review. If you are well without a worrying family history, we can offer you a free NHS health check. 

The important thing is to talk to us before you make your decision.  Some of the team in Harrow have helped produce some advice to help everyone reduce their risks of heart disease, find out more here.

Q. I have a lot of prescription drugs at home that I think are out of date and unwanted – how do I dispose of them?

A. All local pharmacies will take back unwanted medication. This is much safer than leaving them around the house where a pet or child could get hold of them or putting them in the bin or down the toilet, where the drugs might be dangerous for someone who finds them or contaminate our drinking water. 

One of the reasons for being careful that we make sure that you understand why you are being prescribed a medicine is to try to cut down the large numbers of medicines that are wasted. For example, around the country there are programmes trying to encourage the recycling of asthma inhalers. It is worth remembering that prescription medicines are one of the biggest contributors to the carbon footprint of the NHS. 

If you have a question that you would like answered, please let us know at  rspatientgroup@hotmail.com.

Bringing partnership to life – looking back at Covid.

It is now five years since our lives were changed by lockdown. The effects of Covid are with us still. For some it will be the loss of a friend or family member or the memory of catching an unpleasant disease.  Our hospitals and GP surgeries were overwhelmed as they battled to help the people affected while attempting to make sure people were vaccinated.

In Harrow we had one of the highest vaccination rates in the country and were congratulated by the Health Secretary Matt Hancock on our efforts.  In Harrow we established a special Covid centre at the Alexander Avenue surgery for the borough with our own Dr David Lloyd in charge.

The key to our success was partnership, with people from across the borough volunteering to support the health service. At the Ridgeway the job was handled by the patients group. We had signed up 166 volunteers within four weeks of lockdown. Many worked at the Tithe Farm vaccination centre, with more than 39,000 vaccinations carried out by a team of clinicians.  Across the borough there were three vaccination centres carrying out 126,963 vaccinations.

Volunteers were at the heart of the fight against Covid. ‘Our volunteers were extraordinary,’ said senior partner Dr Geraldine Small, ‘Volunteers from across our community came together to meet an historic challenge with enthusiasm and energy.’

We asked Dr Lloyd to reflect on his experience running Harrow’s Covid hub.

‘Looking back, it is so hard to reconnect with the emotions and actions that shaped us. I remember feeling strangely important, driving to work on empty roads, and the enormous pleasure and admiration I felt working alongside young doctors and nurses in the COVID hub. The rapid pace of scientific advances made the work exciting — perhaps the most satisfying experience of my professional life.

‘But at the same time, the terrible toll COVID took on our patients was devastating. I remember seeing young men, blue in the face, knowing they would not survive the week. I remember admitting fellow doctors who did not survive. Time and again, I would have discussions with very sick patients, and the second question would be: “Are you vaccinated?” — and hearing "no" as the answer, over and over.

Science, society, and grief — an extraordinary, haunting mix.’ he told us.

Five years later our volunteers are continuing to make a real contribution to the surgery and to the community as a whole. Jahshree, one of our committee members, writes about her volunteering journey. 

Coffee cups raised to Macmillan fundraising success

The patients group takes part in Macmillan’s Biggest Coffee Morning every year.  When we first began we held it in the surgery, which was successful but rather crowded and inconvenient for doctors and patients alike.

More recently we have been lucky to have the use of St Alban’s Church, which provides a much better experience for everyone concerned. Most recently we have moved the coffee morning to a Saturday in the hope that more people would be able to come. This has proved to be the case and the event was well attended by patients, friends and doctors from the surgery. We were pleased to welcome the Mayor of Harrow Cllr Salim Chowdury who spent time meeting and chatting to people. 

Thank you to St Alban’s for their warm welcome and to everyone who supported the coffee morning in any way, by donating items for the cake stall and the extensive raffle or just coming along and enjoying a cup of coffee. 

Seen at the Macmillan coffee morning in St Albans Church North Harrow in the image above are (left to right) Dr Clare Etherington from the surgery, Sue Bush, chair of the RSPG, Harrow Mayor Cllr Salim Chowdhury, Sonoo Malkani and Saroj Aggarwal and Liz Ball from the patients group who helped organise the event.   

The next Macmillan copy morning will be on Saturday September 27.

Making a difference every day

All the members of the patient’s group are volunteers, who help to support the surgery and represent the views of patients to our doctors.  Many of our volunteers are also involved in other community activities like Jayshree.. We asked her to explain what volunteering has added to her life and to pose for a photo (left).

‘Having taken early retirement, I wanted to do something to keep me occupied. I had always thought of volunteering but never seem to have the time or energy.  

The opportunity fell in my lap when my daughter asked if I could go to help out at the local primary school Christmas Fair as she couldn’t do it. I was slightly apprehensive as I had not entered a school for years but loved every minute, watching how excited the children were.   It made me realise what I had lost by working at home for the last two years. 

I felt really enthusiastic and started thinking about other ways I could volunteer. When I went to the Healthways Pharmacy to get my flu jab the nurse asked if I would like to help with the vaccination campaigns for flu and covid. I was soon on the rota and was invited to the Christmas dinner. 

At the dinner someone mentioned that they were looking for volunteers at North Harrow Community Library and I would be most welcome to join, which of course, I immediately did. Another colleague mentioned that they did service for a temple which distributed food to the homeless at Charing Cross station every Friday if I was interested. Of course, I was.  By now I had the volunteering bug and loved meeting different people at various places and making friends along the way.  

I would definitely recommend volunteering to anyone who would like to get out and spend time with people and can spare a couple of hours each week. A whole new world will be open up which you did not know existed.’ She told us. You can find out about volunteering here:
Volunteer in Harrow – Volunteering Opportunities | Voluntary Action Harrow (VAH)

It can happen to anyone – don’t get scammed!

Everyone knows someone who has been approached by scammers, whether it has been somebody knocking on the door and offering to repair your roof or contacting you to try and get your financial details by pretending to be your bank or credit card company.

But although it is common, people are often unprepared for a scam attempt. It is important to remember that financial fraud or scamming as it is commonly known, is becoming increasingly popular with criminals. Nearly a third of all fraud is committed over the phone.

One of our committee members was targeted by a group of fraudsters recently who were trying to get information about her financial circumstances. On this occasion she was contacted by someone pretending to be a policeman. ‘It was extremely convincing, ‘she told us, particularly as they arranged for her to verify his identity by ringing Scotland Yard. 

Fortunately, and despite a determined attempt by a woman masquerading as a PC to get information about her bank accounts, she was able to get through her call without passing on any significant financial information.

She did not realise how lucky she was until she spoke to her bank, who advised her to check with Scotland Yard. ‘Apparently it is a common technique by scammers who rely on your natural instinct to co-operate with the Police.’

The incident is being followed up by Scotland Yard and she has been reading about how to protect herself in the future.  ‘We all need to remember that criminals can impersonate your bank, the police, the tax office, software companies and other trusted organisations and they will try to convince you to part with your money.’ she told us.  

There is plenty of advice available about how to avoid fraud on the internet:

• Scams advice – How to spot and avoid scams | Age UK
• Action Fraud 
• 30 ways to stop scams: MoneySavingExpert
• 3 common online scams and how you can protect yourself from them - BBC Bitesize