22/07/2022
If you have been up to the surgery recently you will see there is some building work in progress. It is impacting the waiting room area but hopefully not for too long. More news on this next time… New reception team members: We are delighted to welcome two new ladies to the reception team. Caron joined us two weeks ago and Janet will start at the beginning of August. It takes a while to train a receptionist. The role is so much more than answering the phone. Every call we take is different, there is a huge amount to learn which requires mental gymnastics and the memory of an elephant! It can be mentally exhausting on a busy day – even more so when you are learning – so please be patient with them if they answer your call. Our reception team of Jane, Lisa, Danni, Caron and Janet is hopefully now complete.
New Practice Manager: Sarah Squire I have worked at Chillington for nearly 2 years in the offices upstairs and on reception too, so many of you will have already met me or spoken to me. I am really thrilled to have been offered this opportunity but there is a huge amount to learn – very quickly!
When I started in Primary Care, I had all sorts of preconceptions about doctor’s surgeries. I was completely wrong, about ALL of it! I often wish our patients could be a “fly on the wall” and see what really goes on. Primary Care is an amazing sector to work in, but the challenges are very real. Some days I am frankly amazed that it functions at all, but it does, and we are all very proud to be a part of it.
I am genuinely excited about the positive atmosphere in the surgery, we have an amazing team here and I’m sure we can do great things for our patients. I do however miss sharing an office with the lovely Lynn (and her endless supply of sweets) I hope very much – when things have settled – to spend some time working downstairs every week so you will know who I am, and I will get to know who you are too.
New Website: Our new website has gone live so please take a few minutes to familiarise yourself with the information it contains. It is easy to navigate and crucially for us very quick and simple to update so we hope it will become a really useful source of information for you. www.chillingtonsurgery.co.uk It has a section called friends and family where you can tell us about your experiences as a patient at CHC. What we are doing well (which we obviously love to hear) and where we can improve (which we are very keen to hear too)
It is important to all the staff here that we do everything we can to deliver the best care to you and your families. There are lots of things we do well. Sometimes we don’t get it right and we are happy to learn from those occasions to improve our processes. Sometimes we can’t do what you would like, but I always welcome the opportunity to explain the reasons why and to try and find a solution.
Face Masks:
Covid cases are rising again in our communities and so to protect our patients and ensure we can maintain safe staffing levels we have returned to wearing face masks. We are asking you to do the same if you are able particularly if you have respiratory symptoms. If, like me, you have got out of the habit of carrying a mask with you, we have them in reception – please just ask. SCOF –
Now our doors are open again it was lovely to have a cup of coffee with Cheryl from Start Circle Of Friends (which, in case you didn’t know, is a registered charity run by patients of the Practice for the benefit of patients of the Practice)
The Patient Transport Service they provide plays a vital role in serving the patients of The Health Centre by transporting them to any medical appointment and by delivering prescriptions to housebound patients. They need more volunteer drivers to continue their valuable service…could you help?
You will be paid expenses and any amount of time you can give, no matter how small, is greatly appreciated. If you would like more information, please contact the SCOF Office on 01548 581181 between 10.00am and 12 noon, Monday to Friday.
With Best Wishes For A Great Summer – The Team at Chillington Health Centre
