Shankill Family Practice

02/12/2022

Important announcement

St Vincent’s University Hospital laboratory, who analyse all our blood tests and other samples, have requested that we defer all non-critical tests for a minimum of two more weeks. We have already deferred many blood tests at their request for the last 2 weeks. This is due to a significant backlog of samples that has built up in the system. Unfortunately if samples are not analysed within a reasonably short timeframe the results become unreliable.
With this in mind we will have to cancel all routine blood tests that are due in the next fortnight. We will automatically rebook all the appointments for mid January 2023. A text will be sent out to everyone who is rebooked the week before the new date to give time to rearrange again if needed. If you require an urgent blood test for a hospital appointment or test this is best arranged through the hospital phlebotomy/ blood taking department
St Vincent’s 01 2916188 or https://www.swiftqueue.com/pre_timescreen.php?id=10075
St Colmcille’s (01 2115265) or
St Michael’s Hospitals https://stmichaels.ie/appointment-bookings/.
Apologies for the inconvenience and disruption this is causing but we will do our best to progress our patients care while also working with our laboratory colleagues as they address this unprecedented situation.

14/03/2022

We have moved! After busy weekend for the practice we can now be found in the unit above McCartan's Pharmacy and beside Costa. We are sharing the upstairs space with Dr Maria Bohane's Woodside GP Surgery. The new space is larger and offers better wheelchair accessibility. Entry to the practices is via the door facing Corbawn Lane. There is a lift and stairs to the first floor where the practices are. Stephanie, Sarah Jane and Suzanne will be on hand this morning to help with any queries. Unfortunately we had some difficulties porting the phone number which should be resolved mid morning. Our phone number and email address will remain the same. Thanks to all the practice staff and IT/movers/telecoms for making the move relatively seamless.

18/12/2021

And thats a wrap! Many thanks to our stellar admin and nursing team for all their work today. More than 530 booster vaccines delivered safely. A LONG day but a good one. Wishing everyone a safe and happy Christmas.

17/12/2021

We are sending out new texts for the additional vaccine places this morning. Please follow the link to book in. When attending for vaccination remember short sleeved/loose upper garment and not to linger near the surgery following the vaccination. We don't wish to disrupt access for the residents and have very limited parking so please walk/cycle or park away from the surgery if possible.

16/12/2021

Given the concern regarding the arrival of the new CoVid variant the HSE will deliver a large number of extra vaccines to the practice tomorrow. We are making arrangements to administer these vaccines on Saturday 18th December. The vaccination clinic will be open to patients of the practice only. To receive the vaccine you must be aged over 16 and be more than 3 months since your last CoVid vaccination or at least 6 months since a confirmed CoVid infection.

We issued text messages to patients who would be eligible and the response was unprecidented. To facilitate as many vaccinations as possible we have enlisted extra help. This has given us significant extra capacity. We will double check all the arrangements tomorrow morning and issue links to those who were unable to book a vaccine appointment today. Please bear with us while we make these arrangments.

Thank you for your patience and support.

And of course, Merry Christmas to all!🎅

12/11/2021

Phone gremlins have struck this morning. Engaged tone for all incoming and outgoing calls. Technicians working on the problem as we speak. Hope to be back on the air soon. In the meantime please email any queries/requests to [email protected].

09/11/2021

The boosters for practice patients aged 70-80 are arriving in Shankill Family Practice this weekend. We are moving the vaccination clinic to St Annes Resource Centre due to the limited space available in Athgoe Drive. The clinic will run this Saturday, from 9am until the early afternoon.

We are adopting an online appointment booking system called Calendly due to the large number of eligible patients. Practice patients aged over 70 can book their slot via the button on the practice website or via link in text from the practice. We encourage all our eligible patients to use the system and recruit friends or family to help if necessary. Ciara and Sarah Jane will be available at reception (01 2720475) for any queries.

Patients younger than 70 attending hospital clinics should contact the consultant secretary or team directly to enquire re arrangements in hospital. Please do not contact the surgery if you do not meet the age criteria for vaccination with us.

The usual advice for attending the vaccine clinic applies.

Attend on time - the scheduling is important to avoid crowds and spread of virus

Wear short sleeved shirts or loose necked tops to facilitate injection

Walk or cycle to the centre, if possible, to limit local traffic congestion (any exercise before vaccination has been shown to enhance immune response)

Once the observation time has passed please exit the centre again avoiding congregation.

Masks must be worn indoors and hand hygiene performed.

13/04/2021

There are currently almost daily changes to the advice regarding CoVid vaccination and understandably we are receiving “a high volume of calls” as a result. Such is the rate of change I suspect that advice we give today will be out of date by the end of the week. To this end we will refer all CoVid vaccine queries to the HSE website https://www2.hse.ie/covid-19-vaccine/ and HSElive on 01 240 8787.
We will continue to vaccinate our patients over 70 in the fortnightly weekend clinics. As soon as HSE have vaccines available for us to vaccinate other groups, either by age or condition, we will arrange clinics and offer the vaccine to those eligible.
In the meantime I have asked reception not to discuss individual situations in order to keep our phones available for patients who may be unwell. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
Dr Joe Marry

The COVID-19 vaccine will offer you protection from COVID-19 (coronavirus)

08/06/2020

Good morning. The HSEs final Stress Control course prior to summer is starting today. This is an excellent online course designed to help us manage stress in our lives and is particularly relevant at the moment. Have a look at www.stresscontrol.ie if you are interested, or know anyone who may be struggling curently.

11/05/2020

It is good to see the easing of restrictions due to everyone’s hard work over the last 8 weeks. There is no doubt that this is a very psychologically demanding time for a lot of people. Uncertainty regarding health, family, employment and the economy weights heavily on all of us. With this in mind we would like to highlight 2 quality initiatives available currently.

Firstly, the HSE are running their very effective Stress Control course starting today and tomorrow. This is usually run in one of the health centres locally but has been changed to online format due to the pandemic. The need to physically distance should not prevent us finding tools to cope with the situation we are currently in. This course is high quality and free of charge.
https://stresscontrol.org/

Secondly, for parents, Jigsaw.ie, the youth mental health service, is running a webinar this evening at 8pm. This specifically helps parents manage any anxiety that their children may be experiencing due to the CoVid 19 outbreak. Information via the link below. https://twitter.com/JigsawYMH/status/1259484959967981568?s=20
https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/7195019780941079565

Finally, if you have any concerns, either CoVid or nonCoVid related, your GP is available by phone, video or in-person as needed. Please don’t allow fear of CoVid prevent you from addressing any health concerns. The HSE, the hospitals and General Practice have invested greatly in creating a safe health service for everyone. The location, structure and format may be different but, underneath it all, the care is the same.

15/03/2020

With the closing of schools, and more recently pubs, the seriousness of the CoVid19 situation has become much more apparent. Our newsfeeds and social media are filled with little else currently. We are expecting a lot of phone enquiries tomorrow but there are several areas that need addressing before then. We are hoping to avoid a situation where unwell patients cannot access care due to volume of less clinically urgent queries.

CoVid19 testing has been made available by the HSE. Your GP can order the test and the results will return to your GP. The test itself will be performed in a testing hub or at home by the National Ambulance Service. The appointment for testing may take several days and the results, at least 3 working days to return.

If you are UNWELL with worsening cough, fever and shortness of breath please phone the surgery and we will arrange a phone or video consultation to discuss your best management.
If you are WELL but have the above symptoms, we would appreciate if you could contact the surgery by email ([email protected]).

Our front door will be locked tomorrow but our staff will be available to help with enquires by email and phone. Please follow the guidelines above in requesting appointment, either by email or by phone. Only patients who have been allocated appointments by the team will be admitted to the surgery.

The measures above are designed to keep the health service functioning for your care. If you require an appointment for any other reason please phone the surgery. Do not delay a review of concerning symptoms due to fear of Coronavirus.

Anti-inflammatories. Contrary to circulating messages there is currently no reliable evidence that anti-inflammatories cause harm if infected with CoVid19. This area is being actively studied at present. For now, if you have fever not controlled by paracetamol alone please use anti-inflammatories as needed.

Blood Pressure Medication. Similarly, there is no evidence that 2 common types of blood pressure medication cause worsening of CoVid19 infection. Again this is an area of active study but the best advise is to continue your current medication with no changes.

Travel. Our advice to anyone whose travel has been affected will be to phone Department of Foreign Affairs or consult the www.dfa.ie website for guidance. Please check with your insurer if a doctor’s letter is necessary in making a claim. The likelihood is not.

Social Welfare Certificates. If you need a social welfare certificate due to CoVid19 please see the graphic below that explains the process well.

Remember and respect the rules regarding social distancing, hand hygiene and face touching to minimise the spread of the virus.