NEWS UPDATE October 2011
CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU AT OUR SURGERY
Despite a change in personnel over the last 12 to 18 months the CAB is still a well used resource at the surgery.
For the first 8 years or so of the service, Will McKellar was the main adviser,. However, Leo Fell has now taken over this role and has been very grateful to the support from the surgery staff and found clients to be appreciative and equally supportive.
The range of enquiries the CAB has dealt with at the surgery has always been varied and this continues to be the case, although once again the majority of enquiries are split between welfare benefit and money advice. This reflects the main areas of enquiry dealt with at the main Macclesfield office. The other types of enquiries break down as employment, family & relationships, consumer and housing.
The service operates four forty-five minute appointments and has an average of over three clients per session. These sessions take place one a month at the surgery.
Feedback from clients indicate that the service is still very much appreciated and so with the demand as high as ever, the CAB remains committed to providing a service at the George St.
We have been able to quantify the benefits of the service to clients at the surgery through “money gained”, that is additional income which clients have been able to access via our service,. This has been made up of welfare benefits, disability benefits, payments recovered following dismissal and tax credits. Between August 2010 and August 2011 clients have benefited from £16,398.
We are able to gather some of the qualitative benefits of service through feedback questionnaires posted out to clients. In the 2010/11 we received a number of comments on the service,. These were all positive and permit an insight into the added benefit of CAB and the surgery working together e.g.:
Client had developed decreasing mobility due to chronic health problems, CAB was able to support and push for a move to more appropriate accommodation.
“I wouldn’t have known where to start, the CAB and the lady from Shelter have made this all possible”
Client who had been dismissed without due notice and arguably unfairly, a settlement was negotiated with employer by CAB
We hope you have enjoyed the lovely weather at the end of September which we are sure you agree was long overdue!
GP NEWS!
Félicitations!
I am delighted to announce that I married my fiancé, Craig Taylor, in South Africa on 5th September. We are expecting our first child on 20th November and I am now on maternity leave until April 2012. My name has now changed to Dr Taylor . My activities with Buxton Mountain Rescue team are on hold for the time being but we have just produced our 2012 calendar (featuring yours truly as Miss April!) so I will bring some copies in for you. The collection box in reception continues to receive impressive donations and I would like to once again offer my thanks for your support.
Dr Vicki Gilmore
Dr Hannah Knowles will be covering Dr Taylor ( was Gilmore’s) maternity leave from 31st October 2011 ( please see overleaf for her message).
Au Revoir
Unfortunately I've had to make the difficult decision to leave the Practice. Although I have loved working here I have had a very long commute and it has begun to take its toll. My time here has been great and there are a lot of people I am very sad to say goodbye to, both colleagues and patients. On the positive side I have a new job very close to my home and I am looking forward to making the most of the spare time that this provides me. Lots more time to run and cook and spend time with my dog. I will miss the practice very much.
Dr Anthony Cunliffe
Bonjour
I am excited to have joined the team at Alderley Edge. I have worked locally for the last couple of years after completing most of my hospital posts at Manchester Royal Infirmary. I am a keen runner that has led to an interest in joint and muscle disorders. I live locally with my young family; this has led to an intimate understanding of children and their health problems that is supported by previous paediatric placements. I look forward to meeting you all, but not too frequently!
Dr Peter Speake
I graduated from Liverpool University in 2006 and went to work as a junior doctor in Warrington for 2 years followed by my GP training in Macclesfield qualifying in 2011. I have a special interest in women’s health completing a diploma in Family Planning. I enjoy trail running recently completing the 15km Coniston challenge. I also enjoy the great outdoors, having camped since childhood, canoeing, white water rafting and paragliding. I enjoy cooking, horse riding and renovating houses and aspire to become an expert photographer.
Dr Hannah Knowles
JOIN OUR NEW VIRTUAL PATENT GROUP
We are committed to involving our patients in the development of our services and appreciate you may not have time to personally attend our Patient Group meetings so are moving with the times and encourage you to join our new virtual group. All that we ask is that we contact you via e-mail from time to time to ask you a question or two about how we are doing. Please pick up a leaflet/contact form from Reception.
NEW SURGERY PROJECT
It is several months since we last updated you on the long term project to
provide new medical premises for the practice. To re-cap we have had a series
of 5 developers who presented their projects. These were short listed down to
2 developers who we had further discussions with at the end of last year and
we are now down to a short list of one. We have been working with their architect
to draw up the final set of plans for the new medical centre on the front of
the Festival Hall site.
We have also been meeting simultaneously with the Parish Council who own the
site and who also wish to refurbish the Festival Hall as well as provide the
village with a medical centre. We are now at the stage where the Parish Council
and architect will be having discussions with the planning authorities prior
to applying for formal planning permission.
The other challenge we face is finance as the current NHS financial constraints
mean that we will have great difficulty in obtaining a realistic rent from the
Primary Care Trust to cover the new improved and expanded medical centre. We
are currently looking at alternative ways to raise money to cover the short
fall which will include applying for grants.
Although we still have a long way to go with this project everyone is feeling
optimistic that we will get our new medical centre for Alderley Edge.
Dr Edwin Thompson
