Restalrig Park Medical Centre Newsletter Autumn/Winter 2023/24

Welcome to Restalrig Park Medical Practice Autumn/Winter Newsletter with some exciting and useful information for all our patients.

Team Update

Maria Gasparini recently retired after many years as Assistant Practice Manager and we thank Maria for her hard work and dedication. Gillian Ramage has been promoted to Assistant Practice Manager and is looking forward to working with the team to provide administration support to both our patients and GPs. Vicky and Justina have also recently been recruited to assist in our Admin team and have both settled in well.

Dr Ally Lough has recently left us and Dr Amanda Parisotto, our GP Registrar, has now completed her training and we wish them both well. Dr Nikolas Samal, GP Registrar, will be joining us in February to continue his training.

We welcome Dr Rebecca Orr, GP, to our team and look forwards to Dr McFarlane returning from maternity leave in February.

Training Practice

The practice recognises the importance of medical education as these will be our doctors and primary health care workers of the future. For many years, we have been committed to this and have reached and maintained the high standards set for training practices. We always have a GP registrar, who is a qualified doctor undergoing further training to be a General Practitioner. We are grateful to our patients for their support and understanding in this matter.

The practice also hosts 2^nd year medical students and we are enormously grateful to our patients who volunteer their time to help them learn communication and examination skills. Should you like to be a patient volunteer please pass your name to reception.

Clinician Spotlight

We would like to introduce you to Jenny Walsh, our Advanced Nurse Practitioner.

Advanced nurse practitioners are highly trained health professionals that can undertake complex reviews of patients, similar to GPs. They can assess symptoms and prescribe medication where necessary.

Jenny has 25 years nursing experience and holds a master’s degree in advanced nursing practice, including a prescribing qualification.

Having been an advanced nurse practitioner for 11 years, Jenny has predominantly worked at the Western General, specializing in emergency medicine and ambulatory care. Transitioning to primary care two and a half years ago, she has been an invaluable member of the Restalrig team for the past year and a half.

She is experienced in the assessment, examination, and treatment of acute conditions in adults. She can refer patients for further outpatient investigations and assessments. She is competent in chronic disease management and manages her own patients.

As part of her commitment to continuous improvement, Jenny is currently enhancing her expertise by gaining experience and training in treating children under 16 years old. We are delighted to have Jenny on board, bringing her wealth of knowledge and dedication to patient care at our practice.

Where do I go with a health concern?

There are several places that you can go to with a health concern, and the GP surgery may not be the best suited in all cases. Below are some of the alternatives and the ailments that they can help with.

North East Leith Cluster Resource Portal

This website has a very useful overview of local services, a symptom checker, and advice for a variety of issues. https://www.nelcrp.co.uk/

Pharmacy First

At this time when coughs, colds and winter skin complaints are very much still with us, it’s great to be aware of the Pharmacy First scheme.

This is where (after consultation with a pharmacist) you can get a prescription medication free of charge for various minor ailments such as constipation, thrush, impetigo and earache. They can also prescribe antibiotics for UTIs if you’re a female aged 18-65 and meet certain criteria.

Call NHS 24 on 111

• if it’s outside Practice opening hours (Mon-Fri 8am-6pm) and you have a health concern you think needs immediate attention
• any time of the day if you think you may need to go to A&E – the 111 and Lothian Flow Centre teams will assess you and book you into A&E if needed. For life-threatening emergencies continue to attend A&E immediately or call 999
• any time of the day if you have a minor injury – the 111 and Lothian Flow Centre teams will assess you and book you an appointment at A&E or a Minor Injury Unit if needed

What are minor injuries?

• injuries that happened in the last 5 days – unless to the chest, abdomen or back, or caused by a dangerous situation – for example a road accident over 40mph or falling from more than your own height
• something stuck (a foreign body) in your nose or ear
• wounds less than 24 hours old where bleeding is controlled, with or without a foreign body
• crush injuries to fingers or toes with no wound
• ring removal from fingers or toes
• minor burns or scalds – unless it’s to the neck, face and genitals, or a chemical or circumferential burn (where a full thickness burn affects the entire circumference of a digit, extremity, or even the torso)
• head and face injuries – unless there’s a loss of consciousness, vomiting, disturbed vision or altered behaviour
• eye injuries – unless there’s visual disturbance or penetrating injury
• limb injuries (below shoulder or below knee)
• animal bites, including insect bites & stings – unless there’s swelling in the place other than where the bite is, or if there’s an allergic reaction
• patients with a fracture that needs reviewing, after being treated outside  NHS Lothian