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Summer Newsletter

August 2025

Well, what a summer! I hope you are managing to stay cool and hydrated, at least we do have the advantage of that lovely sea breeze to keep the temperature down a bit.

Members of the PPG have been hearing that several folks find it hard to work out which of the 3 healthcare information apps are best for them to use regarding their NHS treatment and care (NHS app, MyCare and SystemOne).

We were fortunate to be joined by a representative of the Primary Care Network (PCN) at our meeting last month. She works with the 5 local GP practices, which make up our PCN, to support existing and implement new technology for the benefit of both staff and patients. As part of her role, she came to us to gain more insight into the patient perspective of these tools. She understood that there is confusion and so I spent some time with her reviewing the information sheet she has kindly produced for patients – you will find the results enclosed in this issue! We hope this information is helpful and, as always, appreciate your feedback on such matters.

Another problem we have heard quite a lot about are the recent changes to audiology services, previously provided by Chime. Please see inside for more information about the new service. We know that the provision of hearing aid batteries has been of particular concern.

Finally – we have a health information talk coming up in October. This talk is entitled "Palpitations and Dizzy Spells/Blackouts" and will be given by Dr Ben Dyer on October 7th, 6pm at Seachange. Space will be limited so please collect tickets (free admission) from reception at the Medical Centre. The café at Seachange will be open before the event if you wish to purchase teas/coffees etc. There will not be an interval during the talk (at Dr Dyer’s request).

I look forward to seeing you on October 7th.

Sue Lake
Chairperson, Budleigh Medical Centre PPG

You can contact the PPG by leaving a letter for us at the Medical Centre, we will respond as soon as possible.

Patient Group Committee

Sue Lake - Chairperson
David Forward - Vice Chairperson
Deborah Mitchell - Secretary
Peter Frean
Robert Harland
Chris Kitson
Mark McGlade
Lynette Oram
Liz Plaatsman
Jacqui Ruhlig
Julia Vaughan Smith
Judy Wright

Contact Us

By post to:

Budleigh Salterton Medical Centre, 1 The Lawn, Budleigh Salterton, EX9 6LS
Webpage

In this issue

Message from PPG Chairperson; Welcoming New Faces; NHS Apps; RSV Vaccine; Audiology Service; Budleigh Health Centre Charity; Practice Activity; "Palpitations and Dizzy Spells / Blackouts” Patient Talk; How to Contact the Medical Centre.

Welcoming new faces

We would like to extend a very warm welcome to Dr Barak St John who we are pleased to advise has joined our team here at Budleigh.

Many of you may already have met Dr St John as he has worked with us during the past two summers and more recently covered Dr Craven’s maternity leave.

He became a permanent member of our team in May 2025, following Dr Davis’ retirement and will be seeing patients on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

“I qualified from Warwick University in 2014. Having spent just over three years working as a doctor in rural Uganda, I have recently moved to Devon with my wife and our three children. I enjoy time with my family and church community, music and going on adventures. I am passionate about people, good food and making the world a better place.”

Your health care – your information – your apps!

Each app allows you 24/7 access your medical records. Currently you are unable to see both your GP medical records and your hospital medical records in the same app.

SystemOnline is managed by your GP practice and allows you to:

Order and review progress of requests for repeat prescriptions
View GP test results
View and cancel GP appointments
Securely view your GP health record
Message the practice

NHS App is managed by NHS England and allows you to:

Order and review progress of requests for repeat prescriptions
View GP test results
View and cancel GP appointments
Securely view your GP health record
Register to be an organ donor
Check your symptoms

MyCare is managed by the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital and allows you to:

View results of hospital tests when they are available
View upcoming hospital appointments, along with details about attending
Search for information on past RDUH appointments
See hospital letters and recent clinical information
Send a message directly to your hospital care team from within the app if you have any questions about your hospital care

RSV vaccine – adults 75+ and pregnant women

RSV is known to cause significant respiratory illness, often requiring hospital admission, particularly in older people and infants less than one year of age.

The government are sending reminders to all eligible patients to remind them to contact their local surgery to book an appointment for this vaccine. If you have received a message and have not yet received this vaccine, please contact the medical centre on 01395 441212, after 10.00am, to book your appointment.

Audiology hearing and hearing aid services

If you need to register for an audiology service, Scrivens is one of the four companies that now cover audiology services in this area. They run appointments from one of the rooms in Seachange, just as Chime used to do.

If you would like to go onto Scrivens patient list then please call them and they will ask for your name, Date of Birth, Address, NHS Number and Details of your GP Surgery - 0800 027 4487 or 0800 027 5102.

Once you are registered with them you will be able to call their customer services for replacement batteries.

If you are not yet registered with Scrivens, or are registered with another NHS Audiology provider, you can call Exeter Audiology on 01392 305746 and they will send out batteries in the post. Please have all the same details listed above when you call.

Please note that neither Seachange or the medical centre have been provided with batteries and no longer keep a supply for patients.

Budleigh Health Centre Charity

A big thank you to the Health Centre Charity for providing our doctors with brand-new, upgraded scales to use during consultations with our youngest patients.

These scales feature a high lip to help keep even the wriggliest babies safe from falling. They’re also suitable for seated toddlers weighing up to 20kg — making them a versatile and valuable addition to our clinic. They are being expertly modelled by 9-month-old Max!

Since 1996, the charity has helped funded thousands of pounds worth of equipment. Many patients would have benefited from one or more of the many items bought by the Charity over the years without even knowing. For more information, please visit our website and search “charity”.

You will find a bookcase in our waiting room, and every book sold helps support the Health Centre Charity in funding equipment like these new baby scales. All books are just 50p, and if you’re clearing space at home, we gladly welcome donations of paperbacks!

Thank you to our reception and administration team

Budleigh Medical Centre supports the health needs of 8,400 patients. Our reception and administration team plays a vital role in supporting our GPs and clinical staff by managing correspondence, appointments, referrals, and patient records. Their work ensures key information is passed on promptly, allowing our doctors and nurses to focus more on patient care.

They also liaise with hospitals, community services, and patients to ensure clear, timely communication. By tracking referrals, organising follow-ups, and managing test results, they help keep everything running smoothly with great attention to detail.

What makes them so good is their reliability, organisation, and discretion. They work efficiently behind the scenes, often under pressure, maintaining confidentiality and accuracy at all times. Their contribution is essential to the smooth functioning of the practice, making them a truly valued part of the healthcare team.

Practice Activity July 2025

Telephone Statistics:

Inbound calls answered: 4,153
Outbound calls made: 4,050
Callbacks from queue: 349
Average waiting time: 4m 22s

Activity

Appointments: 2,672
DNA: 132 Did Not Attend / 32 hours Clinical Time
Patient's Attended: 97.5% - Thank you, this is fantastic!
Home Visits: 66
Patient Triage: 259
Bloods Taken: 539
Prescriptions Issues: 3,803
Letters Received and Sent: 2,409

Palpitations and dizzy spells / blackouts

You are invited to a patient information evening on “Palpitations and Dizzy Spells / Blackouts” by Dr Ben Dyer, Consultant Cardiologist on Tuesday 7th October 2025 at 6.00pm - Seachange, East Budleigh Road, Budleigh Salterton, EX9 6HF

Admission to this free event is by ticket only – so please collect your tickets from the surgery reception – there are a limited number of tickets

Please arrive earlier than 6.00pm if you would like to purchase refreshments at the Seachange Cafe.

How to contact the medical centre

We are open Monday to Friday, 8.00am to 6.00pm (excluding Bank Holidays) and can be contacted:

Telephone: 01395 441212
NHS App (24/7) (send messages through your medical record and request medication)
SystmOnline App (24/7) (send messages through your medical record and request medication)
Patient Triage via the website for non-urgent enquiries (8am-6.30pm Mon-Fri – excluding Bank Holidays)

Please phone 01395 441212 for anything which is urgent and requires same day advice – we appreciate there can be waits, but these will not exceed 20 minutes and we ask for your patience.