Elm Hayes Surgery

04/06/2026

📊 Behind Closed Doors - May 2026 - Elm Hayes Edition📊

Behind every appointment, prescription, phone call, and triage request is a dedicated team working hard to support our patients and community.

During May, our practice delivered:

✅ 3,418 appointments provided
✅ 1,722 AccuRx triage requests processed
✅ 2,234 telephone calls answered
✅ 3,729 prescription requests issued
✅ 91 missed appointments (2.6% DNA rate)

These figures represent thousands of patient interactions and demonstrate the commitment of our clinical, administrative, reception, and dispensing team who work tirelessly every day to ensure patients receive the care and support they need.

We would like to thank all of our staff for their professionalism, compassion, and dedication. Your hard work makes a real difference to the health and wellbeing of our patients.

We also thank our patients for their continued support and cooperation. Together, we help keep our practice running smoothly and ensure healthcare remains accessible to our community.

03/06/2026

💙 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗡𝗛𝗦 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘆 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 💙
If you’re aged 40–74 and have not been diagnosed with certain long-term conditions, you may be eligible for a free NHS Health Check 🩺

This quick appointment helps assess your risk of developing:
❤️ Heart disease
🧠 Stroke
🩸 Type 2 diabetes
🩺 Kidney disease
During your check we may review:
📏 Height and weight
🩸 Blood pressure
🧪 Cholesterol
💬 Lifestyle and general wellbeing

Even if you feel well, a health check can help spot early signs and support you to make informed choices for your future health 🌱

If you think you may be eligible or have received an invitation, please contact the surgery to book your appointment.

03/06/2026

💊 𝐌𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐮𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭💊

If you have recently been seen by a consultant or hospital team and changes have been made to your medication, please be aware that the surgery cannot issue or amend prescriptions without receiving written confirmation from the specialist.

𝐓𝐨 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐮𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬, 𝐰𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝:
📄 A clinic letter or discharge letter
💊 The medication name
📏 The confirmed dose and instructions

This helps ensure prescriptions are accurate and safe for all patients.

If you have been advised of a medication change but the surgery has not yet received correspondence, please contact the hospital department or consultant’s secretary to request this is sent to us.
Thank you for your understanding and support.

02/06/2026

👁️ 𝗗𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗯𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗲𝘆𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁💙

If you live with diabetes and receive an invitation for diabetic eye screening, please make sure you book and attend your appointment 📩

Diabetic eye screening checks for changes in the back of your eyes caused by diabetes — often before you notice any changes to your vision.

Early detection can help protect your sight 👀✨

A few reminders:
📅 Attend when invited
🚗 You may wish to arrange transport, as eye drops used during screening can temporarily affect your vision
💊 Continue taking your medication as usual unless advised otherwise
❓ If you have questions, please contact your screening service
Looking after your eyes is an important part of managing diabetes

29/05/2026

📢 𝐏𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩 – 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭 📢

Our Patient Participation Group (PPG) will be hosting a Talking Table in our waiting room, and we’d love to hear from you!

🗓 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝟏𝐬𝐭 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔
🕤𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞: 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝟗:𝟑𝟎𝐚𝐦
📍𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: 𝐌𝐚𝐢𝐧 W𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 r𝐨𝐨𝐦

Our PPG members are volunteer patients who work alongside the surgery to represent your views and help shape services.
This is a great opportunity to share your thoughts with them, suggestions, or feedback about your experience.

💬 Come along for an informal chat — your voice matters, and we’re here to listen.

We look forward to seeing you there!

29/05/2026

🍼 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗮𝗯𝘆’𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗷𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘆? 🍓🥦
Weaning is an exciting milestone and usually begins at around 6 months of age, when your baby is developmentally ready to explore solid foods alongside their usual milk feeds 👶✨

Some signs your baby may be ready include:
👀 Staying sitting and holding their head steady
🤲 Coordinating hands, eyes and mouth to pick up food
😋 Swallowing food rather than pushing it back out

Top tips to get started:
🥄 Begin with simple tastes and textures
🍎 Offer a variety of foods over time
💧 Continue breast milk or formula alongside weaning
⏰ Go at your baby’s pace — every baby is different

If you have questions about weaning or feeding, please speak with your Health Visitor.

Weaning means introducing your baby to solid foods alongside their usual breast milk or infant formula. We're here to guide you through the journey.

27/05/2026

☀️ 𝐇𝐨𝐭 𝐖𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 ☀️🥵

With temperatures rising this week, please take extra care in the heat.

Here are some simple ways to stay safe:

💧 Drink plenty of water regularly – even if you don’t feel thirsty
🏠 Stay in the shade or indoors during the hottest part of the day (11am–3pm)
👒 Wear loose clothing, a hat and sunscreen if going outside
❄️ Keep your home cool by closing curtains/blinds in sunny rooms
👵 Check in on older relatives, neighbours, young children, and anyone with long-term health conditions

Watch out for signs of heat exhaustion, including:
• dizziness
• headache
• feeling sick
• excessive sweating
• tiredness

If symptoms worsen, or someone becomes confused, stops sweating, or has trouble breathing, seek urgent medical help.

Please stay safe and look after one another ☀️

26/05/2026

💧 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐇𝐲𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 – 𝐄𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐦 𝐖𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 💧

Dehydration can happen more quickly than many people realise — particularly in hot weather, during illness, or after being more active than usual.

Common signs of dehydration include:
• Feeling thirsty
• Dry mouth, lips, or tongue
• Dark yellow urine or passing urine less often
• Headache
• Feeling tired, dizzy, or lightheaded

Simple ways to prevent dehydration:
✅ Drink water regularly throughout the day — don’t wait until you feel thirsty
✅ Keep a drink nearby if you’re out and about
✅ Drink extra fluids during hot weather or if you’re unwell with vomiting, diarrhoea, or a fever
✅ Offer fluids regularly to children and older relatives, who can become dehydrated more easily

⚠️ Please seek medical advice if you or someone you care for is showing signs of dehydration that aren’t improving, is very drowsy or confused, unable to keep fluids down, or has not passed urine for a long time.

𝑻𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒎𝒆𝒓 𝒘𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 — 𝒂 𝒇𝒆𝒘 𝒓𝒆𝒈𝒖𝒍𝒂𝒓 𝒔𝒊𝒑𝒔 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒂 𝒃𝒊𝒈 𝒅𝒊𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 💙

22/05/2026

☀️☀️ 𝐖𝐞'𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐨𝐭 𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤 ☀️☀️

Anyone can become unwell when the weather is hot, so here are some tips for keeping well and cool.

🌥 Try to keep out of direct sun, especially during the hottest part of the day from 11am – 3pm.
👒If you're going out in the sun, walk in the shade when you can. Get ready by applying sunscreen and wearing a hat, sunglasses and light, loose-fitting, light-coloured clothes.
🌟 Regularly apply sunscreen (it should be at least SPF 30 and have a 4 or 5 star UVA protection, which will be marked on the bottle).
🥛 Drink plenty of fluids, but avoid excess alcohol
🏃‍♀️ Avoid extreme physical exertion. If you can't, try to keep it for the cooler parts of the day such as the morning or evening.
👴 Check in on older friends, family and neighbours, particularly those who live alone, who may struggle to keep themselves cool and hydrated during the hot weather

22/05/2026

Three Valleys Health PCN are recruiting. Please follow the below link for more information.

Three Valleys Health Primary Care Network is a group of eleven GP practices, working with others, with the aim of improving health and wellbeing and addressing health inequalities in the South West. http://www.threevalleyshealthhealth.co.uk/