We try and carry out most adult flu immunisations in our ‘flu clinics, where our nurses are immunising every 2 minutes, but we do have patients who for one reason or other, need to book into the nurse sessions at the Surgery. Unfortunately this, combined with some nurse sickness has caused quite a problem with nurse appointments this autumn. Despite putting on extra nurse appointments we apologise that some patients have had to wait longer than would be preferred.

Minchinhampton, being a rural practice, provides blood testing to prevent our patients having to travel to hospital. Every week several hundred blood tests are performed. We also have close to 150 patients on the drug Warfarin which requires regular blood testing at the Surgery. It is therefore frustrating when booked appointments are wasted by patients not attending and forgetting to cancel. Please do remember to cancel if you no longer need your appointment. We do understand that there are sometimes exceptional circumstances which mean an appointment is not kept.

If you need to be seen as an emergency, please try to phone early. The Triage nurse can then arrange an emergency appointment if necessary before Morning Surgery finishes at 11am.

Telephone Calls

The GPs are noticing an increasing number of requests from patients wanting to speak to a GP. They understand there is sometimes an urgent matter that needs a prompt response. If it is not urgent, it will be dealt with, but not necessarily the same day. Please consider whether the advice may be obtained from Carol, our Senior Triage Nurse who is available on the phone every morning for urgent medical matters, or even if the information can be obtained from sites such as NHS choices www.nhs.uk

Winter depression (seasonal affective disorder or SAD) is thought to affect up to one in 15 Brits Every year between September and April. Many more of us (about 17%) get a milder form of the condition, known as the winter blues.  (Extract from NHS choices www.nhs.uk  )

KEY SYMPTOMS
• depression
• sleep problems
• lethargy
• overeating
• irritability
• feeling down and unsociable

According to Sue Pavlovich of the Seasonal Affective Disorder Association (SADA), these 10 tips could help. “Everyone’s affected differently by SAD so what works for one person won’t for another. But there’s usually something that will help, so don’t give up if the first remedy you try doesn’t work. Just keep trying," she says.

1. Keep active: Research has shown that a daily one-hour walk, in the middle of the day, could be as helpful as light treatment for coping with the winter blues.

 2. Get outside: Go outdoors in natural daylight as much as possible, especially at midday and on bright days. Inside your home, choose pale colours that reflect light from outside, and sit near windows whenever you can.

3. Keep warm: Being cold makes you more depressed. It’s also been shown that staying warm can reduce the winter blues by half. Keep warm with hot drinks and hot food. Wear warm clothes and shoes and aim to keep your home between 18ºC and 21ºC (or 64ºF and 70ºF degrees).

4. Eat healthily:A healthy diet will boost your mood, give you more energy and stop you putting on weight over winter. Balance your craving for carbohydrates, such as pasta and potatoes, with plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables. "Some people tell us that taking extra vitamin D helps," adds Pavlovich. Good food sources of vitamin D include oily fish and eggs.

5. Lighten up:Light therapy can be effective in up to 85% of diagnosed cases. One way to get light therapy at home in winter is to sit in front of a light box for up to two hours a day. Light boxes give out very bright light that is at least 10 times stronger than ordinary home and office lighting. They’re not available on the NHS and cost around £100 or more.
"Some people find that using a dawn simulator [a bedside light, connected to an alarm clock, which mimics a sunrise and wakes you up gradually] as well as a light box can enhance the beneficial effect," says Pavlovich.

6. Take up a new hobby: Keeping your mind active with a new interest seems to ward off symptoms of SAD, says Pavlovich. "It could be anything, such as playing bridge, singing, knitting, joining a gym, keeping a journal or writing a blog. The important thing is that you have something to look forward to and concentrate on," she adds.

7. See your friends and family: It’s been shown that socialising is good for your mental health and helps ward off the winter blues. Make an effort to keep in touch with people you care about and accept any invitations you get to social events, even if you only go for a little while. It will really help to lift your spirits.

8. Talk it through: Talking treatments such as counselling, psychotherapy or cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) can help you cope with symptoms. See your GP for information on what's available locally on the NHS and privately.

9. Join a support group: Think about joining a support group. Sharing your experience with others who know what it's like to have SAD is very therapeutic and can make your symptoms more bearable. SADA is the UK’s only registered charity dedicated to seasonal affective disorder.

10. Seek help: If your symptoms are so bad that you can't live a normal life, see your GP for medical help.