THE SURGERY
AMERSHAM HEALTH CENTRE


Quarterly Newsletter June 2007


Travel Advice

It’s that time of year when everybody is thinking about and planning for their holidays. If you are going abroad and think you may need vaccinations, please make an appointment with the practice nurse at least eight weeks before you are due to travel, she will be able to advise you on what vaccinations are necessary for your travel plans.

Our practice booklet gives lots of useful advice on what to take with you when travelling and precautions to take whilst abroad. You could also have a look at www.fitfortravel.scot.nhs.uk which covers travelling with children, sun exposure, animal bites and diarrhoea. www.travel-advice.net also has suggestions for items to take when travelling with children

We have already had a spell of quite warm weather in this country this year, our current display in the waiting room has information about looking after yourself during hot weather.

Calling from Abroad!

If you need to call us from abroad on a land line you won’t be able to use the 08444 number, but you can contact us on 0870 8902518.

Hayfever

If you are happy with your hayfever medication it is not necessary to make an appointment for a prescription, just pop in and fill out a repeat medication request form or drop in the repeat form from the back of your prescription and we will organise that for you.

Prescriptions

Please don’t forget that we need 48 hours notice for prescription requests and this does not include weekends. Please plan ahead and don’t let your medication run out before you have put in a request.

If you are going on holiday please put in your prescription request in plenty of time.

Blood Tests

We only do blood testing at the surgery in special circumstances, blood tests at Amersham Hospital are carried out between 8.30 and 4pm, this is a drop-in clinic – no appointment necessary. Unless you are having a fasting blood test it is a good idea to go from lunchtime onwards as it is usually very busy in the morning.

Car Parking

In September last year we sent a petition to Chiltern District Council, signed by six hundred and forty-three patients, asking for some of the parking slots outside the Amersham Multi-Storey/Station car park, opposite the Health Centre, to be designated for short-term parking. This would have meant that our patients, many of whom are elderly or mothers with young children, would not have to park on the upper floors of the multi-storey car park, which is a problem as there is no lift available.

Initially we did not receive a response to the petition and wrote again to the council in March of this year. In April we received a letter from Gill Gowing, Director of Planning and the Environment at Chiltern District Council, the response was unfortunately negative due to the reason given below in her letter:-

“The reason for not supporting dedicated short term parking is to make drivers drive through the car park to find the first available space and this very action provides a deterrent to any thieves or vandals by providing natural surveillance. Having dedicated short term parking and encouraging turnover in a small area of the car park implies that the remainder of the car park is long term where thieves and vandals can operate in the knowledge that they are unlikely to be disturbed. One of our many government targets is reducing car related crime, so I could not support any action that would be likely to increase such crime.”

Gill Gowing however did suggest that patients try the Civic Centre Car Park and the Chiltern Avenue Car Park in front of the Community Association Building as well as the free parking in King George V Road which we have mentioned in previous newsletters. A small map of the parking in King George V Road can be obtained from Reception.