Welcome to the Courtfield Summer Newsletter!
Helping You With Your Travel Plans
Hopefully you will all have an opportunity to take a well-deserved break in the next few months and if travelling abroad it may be necessary to protect yourself against illnesses which may be more common in those countries that you are visiting – particularly against hepatitis A, tetanus, polio, diphtheria, typhoid, tick borne encephalitis and rabies.
We always keep a supply of these vaccines if any of these are relevant to you.
If you’re not sure and wish to discuss your travel plans, please email the Practice in the first instance if you require specific advice on your travel.
Teenage/Pre-university Health Screens
The quiet summer months are also a good opportunity to consider having a full health check particularly for those of you who will be starting university this autumn.
At Courtfield we offer a 45 minute teenage/pre-university health check – please click here for further information.
Protection against meningitis B is particularly important as the late teenage years (especially during the 1st term at university) represent a peak time for this potentially fatal type of meningitis. Most teenagers in the UK will not have received protection against this illness, as it has only been part of the routine vaccination program for babies since September 2015.
Adult Health Screens
We have recently updated our suite of health screens on our revamped practice website, and there you can also find a recent article by Dr Russell Ward on the importance of prostate cancer screening.
Courtfield Membership Scheme – Why not become a member?
Our membership scheme is designed, particularly, for those of you whose costs to consult are not covered by your health insurance, and offers excellent value for those who consult regularly.
From £110/month our membership scheme enables you to come as often as every month.
We have a new family membership scheme for new joiners where a second child (and subsequent children) have a 50% discount if a parent and first child are already registered (there is no additional joining fee if members of the same family register together or at a later date).
We are delighted to have one of our earliest membership patients recording her thoughts on being a member of Courtfield.
Welcome Back from Maternity Leave Sophie & Estefi
Dr Sophie Ladbrooke (who has a special interest in paediatrics and dermatology) will be returning to work from maternity leave on Monday 7th July and Estefi will be returning as Practice Manager from 1st August (much to the relief of Dr Tim Ladbrooke who has been heroically covering this role during her absence!)
New Website and Social Media
Please do have a look at our updated website and let us know what you think – we always value your opinion. Dr Sophie Ladbrooke has been working hard on it during her maternity leave and is keen to hear your thoughts!
Mother and daughter team Dr Sophie Ladbrooke and Dr Jill Harling have also been working together on our Instagram page – have a look at Dr Harling’s very helpful and entertaining advice on simple exercises for maintaining strength over 60.
We are also on LinkedIn and Facebook.
Video Consultation
Video consultations are becoming increasingly popular – particularly for those of you at work and unable to take time off to attend in person.
It is now possible to book these online via our website (together with routine in person appointments) – please simply write in the comments section that you would like the appointment to be via video and you will be sent a secure link prior to your appointment to join the call with your doctor.
Late Evening & Out of Hours Appointments
As you may know, we now offer a 24/7 service at Courtfield, as Dr Krishan Joseph who joined us last year, is available to answer your calls and provide home visits when the practice is closed throughout the night and at weekends. For those few occasions when Dr Joseph is not available (such as during annual leave or sickness), our of hours cover will be provided by our colleagues at Concierge Doctor.
In addition to ensuring that a Courtfield GP is available out of hours, Dr Joseph will also be offering a late evening surgery (until 8pm) on Tuesdays from September.
Guidelines for Use of Weight Loss jabs
The government has this month announced strict rules for the use of weight loss medicines such as Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro.
These should only be initiated following a comprehensive face-to-face assessment, including a baseline blood profile. This can be done in a routine 30 minute consultation.
We would strongly advise against obtaining prescriptions online, particularly if they involve reconstituting the medicine from a powder. Whilst these medicines are on the whole proving to be safe and effective, it is important that they should be managed under regular medical supervision, supported by dietary management and exercise.
Developing good habits with respect to nutrition and exercise is proving to be the key factor in successfully maintaining weight loss when eventually stopping these medications.
Please Be Kind
Though the warm weather has brought lots of joy it can also contribute to feeling hot and bothered – we would like to take this opportunity to remind you that our admin team are always trying their best to help you so please be patient if they’re not able to solve your problem straight away. Thank you.
Upcoming Changes to Childhood Vaccination Programme Announced
The JCVI (Joint Commitee on Vaccination and Immunisation) has recently announced changes to the childhood vaccination program which come into effect on 1st July – please see our updated paediatrics page to review the new vaccination schedule.
Google Reviews
If it’s not too much trouble we would be extremely grateful if you wouldn’t mind leaving us a google review. It really helps to let future patients know about us and expand the Courtfield family.
To leave us a review please click here.
We wish you all a happy, healthy and rainproof summer!
