Patient Triage is a great way for you to contact our practice for non-urgent medical or admin requests. It is very simple to fill out so please do give it a go if you need to contact us.
Although the character count is limited on the form, please try to give as much specific and concise information as possible. We really think it is easier for most people than waiting on hold to speak to a receptionist but would love to hear your feedback.
If you do not have access to the internet or find it difficult to use a computer or smartphone you can call reception instead.
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A message from Dr Simon Fullalove:
Dear Patients of Quay Lane Surgery,
I have been truly overwhelmed and humbled by the numerous Retirement cards and the generosity of people with gifts and donations to my Leaving presents. The messages expressed have really moved me. I have had a wonderful working life in South East Cornwall over the past thirty years and consider myself very fortunate indeed to have been part of the Quay Lane Surgery medical practice. The demands on general practice are constantly changing but I have been lucky working throughout my time here in a fantastic and dedicated team of receptionists, dispensers, managers, nurses, doctors, community staff and the Practice Patient Group. It has been a real honour and great to work with such support, always focussed on trying to do our best for the local communities.
Thank you all so very much,
Simon Fullalove
A note from Dr Jon Carty about Dr Simon Fullaloves' retirement:
As many of you may know Dr Simon Fullalove retired in April of this year.
Simon has dedicated almost 30 years of his life to supporting the health and well-being of the patients at Quay Lane Surgery, his contribution to the lives of countless patients goes way beyond any words I can type here. Suffice to say he has been the heart and soul of the practice for the last 3 decades.
All of us here at Quay Lane wish Simon a happy, healthy and active retirement.
I have always been of the strong opinion that with change comes opportunity and I am very excited about the future of the surgery. The past few years have been incredibly challenging across the whole of the Primary Care spectrum. We have battled with funding cuts, increased demand, increased workload coming from secondary care not to mention the incredible stresses and challenges that the Covid-19 pandemic put upon both ourselves and our patients. Saying that, we learned an awful lot about how we can manage our patients' needs during the pandemic. We have adapted the way we work to make sure that patients can consult with us in the traditional face to face manner as well as developing our online and phone consultations allowing working patients to access help without taking time away from work or other important commitments.
General practice has never been busier, the pressures that all of us face here at the surgery have never been higher. Couple that with a cost of living crisis and below inflation funding announcements the resilience of the service is being tested like never before. However, I am very pleased to say that Quay Lane Surgery is flourishing despite this. Our amazing feedback from patients both from the national GP Patient Survey and the friends and family feedback we receive every month really does keep us going.
As for the future, we hope to have a new GP partner joining later this year which is a great achievement for the practice. We know many practices both locally and nationally are struggling to recruit and are turning to large national companies to run their surgeries. Whilst this was a consideration for us, ultimately I felt it was not in the best interests of our patients and staff. I’m delighted to be able to say we can continue to offer holistic, personal, family primary care with an emphasis on continuity of care where we remain in control of what happens to the practice and crucially our patients.
As always Emma, Ayla, Jack and I remain proud and privileged to be your GPs. Claire and the nursing team, Claire and the dispensary team and Debbie, Judy and the reception staff are here to help you and ensure we do our best to keep you happy, healthy and fit.
Thanks for your continued support,
Dr Jon Carty
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NHS SYMPTOM CHECKER
If you’re not sure what condition you have, or how severe it is, you can use the NHS 111 symptom checker. The checker will:
- Answer questions about your main symptom.
- Help you find out when and where to get help.
- Arrange for you to be contacted by a nurse, if needed.
To use the checker, click here: https://111.nhs.uk/
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Homeshare Scheme
We are Supportmatch Homeshare a not-for-profit organisation, we have partnered with Cornwall Council and the Cornwall Voluntary Sector Forum (VSF) to deliver a Homeshare Scheme in Cornwall. Supported by Kate Shields, CEO Integrated Care System and Rachel Wigglesworth, Director of Public Health.
The Scheme provides live-in support to adults by matching people who need live-in support (the ‘Householder’) with those that can give it (the ‘Homesharer’). More specifically, the Scheme involves matching someone with a spare room that would like practical support around the home and companionship with someone that needs affordable accommodation and can provide practical support and companionship for an agreed number of hours per week.
The benefits are significant and can improve quality of life, for both the Householder and the Homesharer, through reducing loneliness and provide practical support such as cooking and helping prepare meals, basic meals, general housekeeping and provide an overnight presence for both parties (note: this arrangement does not include personal care).
Typically support and companionship is between 10-15 hours per week and the accommodation provided is very affordable, safe and secure. Both parties are vetted and safeguarding is a crucial element of this Scheme.
If you, your colleagues, residents or family/friends, as a Householder, has a spare room and want to learn more about Homeshare and the many benefits of having a Homesharer provide you with live-in companionship and support, we can help! Click on the link for further information:
Homeshare Leaflet
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Hospital Waiting Lists
Anyone waiting for a hospital appointment, operation or treatment, can now access the NHS My Planned Care Patient Digital Platform [https://www.myplannedcare.nhs.uk/] which gives them direct access to the latest average wait time information for their trust, as well as helpful advice and support whilst they wait.Updated weekly, the site is easy-to-use and is ‘open-access’ so their carer, friends, relatives,and can NHS team can also access this information. We encourage people to look at this site where they may find the information they need before contacting their GP or hospital for an update about any elective procedures they are waiting for.As well as wait time information, the platform also includes helpful details about how to manage pain, mental health, keeping healthy and accessing financial help and other local support whilst they wait. It can also help people to prepare for their appointment/operation, including how to make a plan for their care and treatment alongside their healthcare professional.__________________________________________________
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