Newsletter Spring 2025
Welcome
Thank you for taking the time to read our newsletter. This is our latest update following our Autumn newsletter released in October. We hope you find this issue informative and valuable. If you have any questions about anything you read, please speak to a member of our team.
More information regarding the surgery can be found at: www.swanmedicalgroup.co.uk
In This Issue:
- GP Changes
- Easter opening hours
- Dispensary changes
- EConsult opening times
- Your Paper letters
- Living Well in Old Age
- Covid Vaccine—Spring campaign
- Social Prescribers drop-ins
- Cancer awareness
- Social prescribers sessions
GP Changes at SMG
Announcement
We would like to inform our patients of an upcoming GP retirement.
Dr Suzy Holden will be retiring at the end of August 2025. Suzy has worked at Liphook and Liss surgery since 1995, so has been with the practice for an amazing 30 years!
She is well loved by patients and colleagues and we will all be sad to see her go, but wish her all the best in a very well deserved retirement.
Farewell
After 30+ years each at Swan Medical Group Dr Andrew Holden and Dr Steve Buckley retire at end of March.
After looking after thousands of our patients and generations of families across our sites, we are sure you will join us in wishing them all the best for their very well-deserved retirement!
Welcome
Dr Dorin Teodorescu joined Swan Medical Group in January and is based in Liphook Village Surgery. His working days are Mon, Tues, Wed & Thurs and he has taken over the patient list of Dr’s Buckley and Holden.
New GP Dr Faye Tate joins 1st April and she will be working Tues, Thurs and Fridays also based at Liphook Village Surgery, we look forward to you meeting and welcoming her to the SMG team.
‘I am extremely grateful to both the Swan Medical Group staff and my patients for making me feel so welcome since I started working here in January 2025.
I look forward to helping every one of my patients to the best of my ability.’
Dr Dorin Teodorescu
Dispensary Patients update
From the 20th March our dispensary collection service in Liphook Station Road Surgery will be changing location to Liphook Village surgery.
Dispensing services are available at our Liphook & Liss surgeries between the hours of 8:00am and 6:30pm. However, current regulations stipulate that we are only able to dispense to those patients who live one mile or more from the nearest chemist (as the crow flies).
If you qualify against this criteria and would like your medications dispensed by us, please contact the surgery and we will amend your records to show this.
The new collection point in Liphook is:
Liphook Village Surgery
The Square
Liphook
GU30 7AQ
Change to e-consult opening hours
From the 10th March our e-consult opening hours change to 8am – 6.30pm, Monday to Friday.
eConsult is our digital triage and online consultation platform that allows us to better understand the needs of patients, so you are better supported to get the right care at the right time and in the right place.
If you’ve not used the service before you are also encouraged to check your symptoms, find verified NHS self-help information and find appropriate local or self-referral services, or submit consultations for your dependents.
Did you know that eConsult is designed by NHS GPs?
Patient Letters
We kindly ask that all letters from patients be opened and reviewed by our reception team before you leave the practice.
Please note, we are unable to accept letters that request follow-up appointments and these instead must go through the system as directed by our reception team.
Once a letter is accepted, it will go through the following process:
1) Scanning
2) Coding to the medical record
3) Clinical Workflow
4) Return to the reception team for patient contact.
This process involves four departments reviewing and actioning your letter, which often leads us back to the reception team needing to follow up with you to guide your request.
On average, we receive 450 letters per day from both NHS and private sector professionals.
We appreciate your understanding as we work to reduce the administrative burden on our team. Coordinating your care efficiently through our reception team will help us address your needs faster.
Thank you for your cooperation.
Easter Opening Hours
Thursday 17th April 08:00 – 18:30
Good Friday 18th April Closed
Easter Monday 21st April Closed
Tuesday 22nd April 08:00 – 18:30
Living Well in Old Age
Our next Health Promotion Event is ‘Living Well in Old Age’ in collaboration with our PPG (Patient Participation Group).
We are excited to bring you this event on Saturday 26th April between
10:30am -12:30pm at The Avenue Pavilion in Petersfield.
- Dr Tom Price (our Frailty lead) will be giving a presentation on this important topic.
- Our Social Prescribing team will be giving a presentation on their roles and how they can provide help, advice and information on what local support is available.
After this you will have time to mingle, ask questions, and explore our ’marketplace’ of local organisation’s stalls find out more about how you can be Living Well in Old Age.
This is a free pre-bookable event, with limited spaces, to book your place please call us Mon—Fri after 2pm.
Covid Vaccines – Spring campaign
We will be starting our Spring Covid Vaccination campaign from 1st April, with pre-bookable clinics on weekdays and Saturday 5th April. Eligible patients will be contacted directly by the surgery to book an appointment.
The eligibility criteria is as follows:
- Patients aged over 75
- Immunosuppressed patients
- Patients aged 65 and above who reside in a care home.
Social Prescribers
Need some help or advice? Come to one of our drop-in sessions for a chat with our two Social Prescribers. We can help with mental health support, diet and exercise, food and warmth support, financial issues and much more.
Social Prescribing Community Drop In Sessions
**NO APPOINTMENT NECESSARY**
THURSDAYS: 9:30 to 12:30, St Peters Church, Petersfield, GU32 3HS
Cancer
MARCH IS COLORECTAL CANCER AWARENESS MONTH
ARE YOU AT RISK OF PROSTATE CANCER?
1 in 8
In the UK, about 1 in 8 men will get prostate cancer at some point in their lives.
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK.
OVER 50 YEARS OLD
Prostate cancer mainly affects men over 50 and your risk increases with age. The average age for men to be diagnosed with prostate cancer is between 70 and 74 years.
FAMILY HISTORY AND GENES
You are two and a half times more likely to get prostate cancer if your father or brother has been diagnosed with it, compared to a man with no family history of prostate cancer.
Your risk of getting prostate cancer is higher if your mother or sister has had breast or ovarian cancer.
ETHNICITY
Black men are more likely to get prostate cancer than other men. In the UK, about 1 in 4 black men will get prostate cancer at some point in their lives. If you’re black, you may be more likely to get prostate cancer if you’re aged 45 or over.
PROSTATE П CANCER UK
Speak to our Specialist Nurses: 0800 074 8383* | prostate canceruk.org
Check your risk in 30 seconds: prostatecanceruk.org/risk-checker
Know the symptoms of bowel cancer
- Bleeding from your bottom
- Blood in your poo
- Bowel Cancer UK
- A change in how often you poo, or regularly having diarrhoea or constipation
- Losing weight but you’re not sure why
- Feeling very tired all the time but you’re not sure why
- A pain or lump in your tummy
If you have any of these symptoms, talk to your GP and ask about an at-home test.
OVARIAN CANCER
TAKE ACTION. NOT CHANCES.
- Know the Signs & Symptoms
- Bloating
- Feeling Full Quickly
- Abdominal or Pelvic Pain
- Know Your Family History
- Talk to Your Doctor
- 1 in 75 women will develop ovarian cancer
- #1 cause of gynecologic cancer deaths
- PAP does NOT test for ovarian cancer
Do you know the symptoms of ovarian cancer?
- Weeing more
- Stomach pain
- Bloating?
- Struggling to eat?
ovarian.org.uk