Welcome to Abbey Medical Practice
With patients' needs at the heart of everything we do, our website has been designed to make it easy for you to gain instant access to the information you need. As well as specific practice details such as opening hours and how to register, you’ll find a wealth of useful pages covering a wide range of health issues along with links to other relevant medical organisations.
Encourage Your Muslim Patients to Plan Ahead for A Healthy Ramadan
With Ramadan due to start on the evening of Saturday 2 April 2022, it is important that we encourage Muslim patients to plan ahead to ensure a healthy and safe holy month.
This advice is particularly important for anyone who has diabetes takes prescribed medicines or who needs a medical appointment during the holy month.
Diabetes advice
If any of your diabetes patients want to fast during Ramadan, please discuss with them the safest way to do this or encourage them to speak to their diabetes nurse. Diabetes UK has lots of advice on fasting and managing diabetes during Ramadan, including tips on healthy eating and a factsheet in English, Arabic, Bengali and Urdu. Note that there is an exemption from fasting for people with diabetes, especially for those on insulin or who have any medical complications.
Taking prescribed medicines
If a patient is taking prescribed medicines, they should continue taking them during Ramadan. Please check with them if the doses need to be adjusted or the times that they take them need to be changed.
Attending medical appointments
If a patient has a medical appointment booked during Ramadan, it is very important that they attend. If they need to adjust the time of the appointment, please advise them to contact the relevant healthcare organisation to do so.
Advice on illness while fasting
The British Islamic Medical Association advises that if someone becomes unwell during Ramadan, they should stop fasting and seek medical advice. We are advising people to do this by visiting 111.nhs.uk or their GP practice’s website or if they don’t have access to the internet, by calling 111 or their practice directly.
Please note: Fasting is not considered compulsory for many groups – including people who are unwell with a physical or mental illness or have a long-term condition; people who are very frail; people with learning difficulties; and women who are pregnant, breastfeeding or menstruating. In addition, those with increased risk of contracting Covid-19 should consider alternative options to fasting.
Covid-19 vaccination
A spring booster Covid-19 vaccine is now being offered to those aged 75 and older, as well as other clinically vulnerable people. We are encouraging people not to delay having their spring booster vaccine during Ramadan, when invited.
Last year the British Islamic Medical Association reviewed the analysis of Islamic scholars and confirmed that having the Covid-19 vaccine does not invalidate the fast. The vaccine does not contain pork or other animal, foetal or alcohol products – this reflects the advice of the majority of Islamic scholars that it is permissible. First, second or first booster doses of the vaccine are still available for anyone who has yet to have them.
If a patient develops symptoms of Covid-19 while fasting, we advise that they stop fasting, self-isolate and get tested – refer to the British Islamic Medical Association’s statement on having a lateral flow or PCR test during Ramadan. If they are worried about their symptoms or are not sure what to do, we advise they visit 111.nhs.uk/covid-19 or speak to their GP practice.
Useful resources
GP videos on managing diabetes and medicines during Ramadan, plus advice about Covid-19 vaccinations. Available in English, Arabic, Somali, Sylheti and Urdu
Diabetes UK advice on fasting and managing diabetes during Ramadan and factsheet in English, Arabic, Bengali and Urdu
Diabetes UK tips on healthy food and drink choices during Ramadan
Muslim Council of Britain Ramadan advice and health factsheet
British Islamic Medical Association and Muslim Council of Britain Ramadan Safety Guidance
British Islamic Medical Association statement on fasting and taking a Covid-19 lateral flow or PCR test
British Islamic Medical Association statement on fasting and the Covid-19 vaccinations
British Islamic Medical Association’s Covid-19 vaccine hub – statements
British Islamic Medical Association’s Covid-19 vaccine hub – answering the myths.
Barking and Dagenham diabetes programme tackling health inequalities wins 2022 HSJ Partnership Award
It was a big night for North East London at the HSJ Partnership Awards, which recognises the most effective collaborations within the NHS, with a win for a diabetes project commissioned by NEL CCG and a Barts Health project being highly commended.
The innovative diabetes education programme that is supporting people in Barking and Dagenham took home the trophy for Most Impactful Project Addressing Health Inequalities. The award was given for the ‘Reducing Variation of Care and Outcomes Particularly as it Relates to
Socioeconomic, Cultural or Racial Determinants’ project, which aims to reduce health inequalities by taking a person-centred approach to providing diabetes care through one-to-one phone and video sessions with diabetes specialists and dieticians from the local community, educational materials and via an NHS-approved smartphone app.
Dr Anju Gupta, Barking and Dagenham, Havering and Redbridge Diabetes lead for NEL CCG comments: “We are humbled to have won this award, and to have our innovative programme recognised in such a prominent way by colleagues in the wider NHS family.”
“Diabetes is primarily self-managed by people at home and the aim of our programme was to empower them by providing personalised support and tools to better manage their condition. We know that the uptake of diabetes education is particularly low among people from ethnic minority groups, which contributes to the health inequalities that already exist in these communities. To help make the care we provide as accessible and engaging as possible, the dieticians on the programme came from the local communities and they delivered the support in 22 different languages. We now plan to use our learnings from this project to inform our approach to tackling health inequalities in diabetes across all of North East London.”
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank Dr Jagan John, our NEL CCG GP Chair, who provided invaluable support to me and the programme team when we were bidding for the funding for this project and for his ongoing advice.”
The successful projects from North East London are listed below with full details of all the winners available on the HSJ website.
REDUCTION IN SERVICES AFFECTED BY COVID/ OMICRON VARIANT
Due to the current National situation with the large increase in the Covid Variant Omnicron, we are experiencing an increase in staff absences due to staff illness and isolation. This will affect our service provision and may lead to a reduction of appointments available with clinicians. We ask you to bear with us during this difficult period, and make use of alternative NHS services such as the GP Hub, and NHS 111, and local Pharmacies.
COVID-19 VACCINATION ROLL-OUT
Following the government approval of the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine, local rollout of the vaccine is starting from 14th December 2020.
The vaccine gives you the best protection against coronavirus. we will be contacting Patients in order of priority groups soon to book your first dose. Two doses will be required to achieve 95% immunity.
Your local vaccine clinic will be at Parsloes Avenue Surgery COVID SITE, and Vicarage Field Shopping Centre.
Your GP surgery will be able to answer any questions or concerns you want to discuss ( Please do not contact Highgrove Surgery unless you are a patient registered there )
A guide on the vaccine is attached for further information.
Attachments:
(https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/941464/PHE_11843_Covid-19_guide_for_adults_leaflet.pdf )
CORONAVIRUS - LATEST NHS GUIDANCE
For general information on coronavirus, please use this url: www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19
For patients concerned that they may have coronavirus or may have come into contact with someone who has, the NHS 111 ONLINE service has created coronavirus pages that tell patients what they should do based on their particular circumstances. These can be accessed at: https://111.nhs.uk/service/covid-19
CORONAVIRUS LATEST NHSE ADVICE
FIXIN'D-2- Diabetes Remission for Type 2 Diabetes
Abbey Medical Centre, together with NHSE support, is starting an initiative to explore ways to reverse Type 2 Diabetes for some of our patients using a Low Carb Diet and Lifestyle Change programme. Please see attached poster and contact Reception for more information.
Fixing D2 Poster
Winter Contingency Plans
The winter months see significant pressures put on the healthcare system due to extreme bad weather, flu epidemics and higher patient demand. To avoid additional strain on local A&E provision, patients are advised to make greater use of NHS 111 Services and Extended Hours Hubs, as well as local pharmacies and walk-in centres.
VACCINATION AGAINST MENINGOCOCCAL DISEASE FOR ADOLESCENTS - MenACWY vaccine
Meningococcal disease can affect all age groups, but the highest rates of disease are in children under five years of age, with the peak incidence in those under one year of age. there is a second peak in incidence in young adolescents aged 15 to 19 years. It is this second group that we are targeting for the MenACWY vaccine, and eligible patients will be contacted by the surgery.
a short video on this can be viewed on https://www.envisage-media.info/video/1210/men-acwy-vaccination-2017
Vicarage Field Branch Surgery Closure
The Branch Surgery at Vicarage Field Health Centre will be closed from Monday 14th January 2019, following a CPO notice served on the building in connection with the Barking Town Centre Redevelopment. All patients have been notified and their care transferred to Abbey Medical Centre. For any queries please ring Abbey Medical on 0208 090 8106