FPS has been given the chance to collaborate with the Maltings PPG in St Albans on an online webinar called ‘Is That Blood In My Poo?’ on Tuesday 10th May at 6.30pm.
There’s always a sense of panic if we find the unexpected in our stools; but how should we react?
What would you do if you discovered there was blood in your stools?
Do you know what this could indicate with regard to your health?
Is it cancer? Or could it be something else like an anal fistula, piles or haemorrhoids, or gastroenteritis?
Could it be the result of a medication you are taking? Or even a sexually transmitted disease?
The reasons for spotting blood in your stools don’t always have to be related to bowel cancer but it’s something that must not be ignored if it happens. Rectal bleeding (bleeding from the bottom) is often noticed as small amounts of bright-red blood on toilet paper or a few droplets that turn the water in the toilet pink. You should always get rectal bleeding checked. If you would like to know more about this topic and what it entails then please join us on 10th May at 18.30 where we are delighted to be joined by Mr Colin Elton who will have all the answers!
To book your free space on this webinar, click the link below:
Mr Elton works for HCAHealthcare, a private healthcare provider. As such, he may discuss treatments which are not available on the NHS and cannot be provided by Parkwood Surgery. Any fees mentioned for his services are optional and only payable should a patient decide to pursue private healthcare. This webinar is provided entirely free of charge.
There are a number of providers of online services for patients, we are unable to recommend any particular one but they are all listed below so you can look your self and make an informed decision.
Not all will allow you the full range of online facilities so make sure you sign up to a provider that is going to offer you the services that you require. Some access providers will require you to apply and register for online services via your GP surgery as an additional step and this will require you to complete the register for online services form on this website and provide the surgery with photographic ID. This is to ensure that access is only granted to the correct individual. We do not currently offer the facility for proxy registrations for online services.
The Friends of Parkwood Surgery, or FPS, is a Patient Participation Group: we are patients of Parkwood Drive Surgery who volunteer our time to share your views with the Practice, with the aim of improving the services provided to you.
The FPS Committee works with the Practice, providing the patient perspective and working together on initiatives to improve all areas of care delivered by the Partners and staff at the surgery for the benefit of all its patients.
FPS is part of a national association of Patient Participation Groups, supported by Government, encouraging your participation in your healthcare at grass roots level by engaging with the FPS to provide views, feedback and suggestions for improvements and changes to the Practice and the healthcare provided.
We represent the patient perspective, representing you in discussions with the Practice about how services might be improved.
The purpose of FPS is:-
To give patients and Practice staff the opportunity to discuss topics of mutual interest with regards to healthcare and act as a link between the patients and the doctors
To encourage health education within the Practice, for example through talks about health issues or organised activities
To raise funds for equipment of benefit to patients and Practice that cannot be provided centrally
To represent patients of the Practice when called upon to influence the local provision of Health and Social Care.
Please note that the FPS are not able to assist with complaints. The practice has a separate, defined complaints procedure if required.
The FPS Committee has defined Terms of Reference which you can read here.
Become a member of FPS
The Friends of Parkwood Surgery aims to represent all its patients: please support us by joining FPS and supporting our events and initiatives.
This is your Patient Participation Group. There are over 17,000 patients in this Practice but for FPS to make a difference we need input from you in the form of ideas, feedback and volunteers even if it’s just to help with tea and coffee. Together we can make a significant and positive difference to the benefit of the Practice and all its members.
Join FPS – complete our short form, then renew annually every September/October
Contact FPS with your feedback, good or bad, and your suggestions for improvements
Volunteer your time to assist with organising a specific event or fund raising activity
Join our FPS Committee: we meet on a monthly basis and it’s amazing what can be achieved with just a few hours work!
Health Talks
We try to arrange a number of health talks each year, with the aim of making information more widely available, helping you to make more informed choice and giving you the opportunity to ask questions of the experts.
Usually on specific Tuesdays at 19:30 they are well attended but we’re happy to review dates and times if there is the demand to support a different schedule.
Fund Raising
Over the years we have raised funds towards various items including:
Over £2,000 towards the cost of the electronic doors at Parkwood Surgery which were officially inaugurated by Mike Penning MP in June 2010. They enable much easier access for those in wheelchairs or pushing prams, and for those of us who are not as agile or strong as we once were!
Over £2,000 to replacing the bench seating in the Parkwood Drive Surgery
Most recently the Friends raised £358 at the Christmas Raffle and £550 at the 2017 Easter raffle which has been added to the £1,000 donation from Councillor Terry Douris from his local community projects budget and funds from the Practice to purchase two defibrillators, for the Gadebridge and Boxmoor surgeries.
Fund raising is achieved in two ways:
Donations from members when joining or renewing membership of FPS. membership is free but we suggest a small donation of £2 per household per year.
Specific events such as our Easter Raffle
Please support FPS – your donations enable us to fund FPS initiatives such as our health talks and to purchase items that will either improve your experience at the surgery or enable the use of much needed equipment at the Practice that may well benefit you, and which the Practice is otherwise unable to provide.
FPS Health Walks
FPS doesn’t just raise money to help buy important equipment: we also look for ways to help you stay healthy, active and independent. To this end, we have established a “First Steps” health walk designed for those who perhaps don’t walk, can’t walk very far, or are recovering from an illness or surgery.
These walks are a gentle stroll around the local park, with trained leaders to ensure you are safe and looked after. Fancy joining us? You do not have to book onto this so please just turn up. Due to the success of our pilot this year, Herts Health Walks has adopted First Steps as a permanent fixture! These walls take place every Tuesday at 10:00, meeting at Parkwood Surgery.
Visiting our Surgeries from Thursday 24th February, 2022
(Parkwood, Gadebridge and Boxmoor)
Dear Patients,
Whilst the Government is relaxing the Covid rules, within a healthcare setting the guidance is not changing at present due to the higher risk nature of our settings, and therefore we are continuing to uphold our infection control measures and current Covid restrictions that are in place.
We will still be asking patients to wear face coverings whilst attending the surgery.
We would still encourage patients to contact the surgery by phone rather than visiting in person, where possible. This is to try and keep our staff and as many patients as possible safe – including those who cannot be vaccinated or whose immune systems are weak or compromised.
Thank you for your co-operation and understanding
Parkwood Surgery
Are you pregnant or have a child under four? Did you know you could be missing out on free fruit, vegetables or milk worth at least £220 a year and free vitamins?
If you are more than 10 weeks pregnant or have a child under four years old, and in receipt of certain benefits, you could be entitled to a Healthy Start prepaid card worth £4.25 per child per week, to spend on healthy food and milk.
If you are entitled to Healthy Start you will also get free vitamins designed to help pregnant and breastfeeding women and growing children.
Pregnant women and parents of children over one and under four years old can apply online for a new Healthy Start digital prepaid card which will be topped up every 4 weeks. Parents of children under one year old can get £8.50 per week.
You can also use the benefit-checker on the County Council’s website, and access free information about benefits that you might be missing-out on – www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/benefits
Visiting our Surgeries from Thursday 27th January 2022
(Parkwood, Gadebridge and Boxmoor)
Dear Patients,
Although there will changes to the rules and regulations from the 27th January, 2022 those for NHS settings will continue as they have for the previous months. This means that patients visiting the surgery will need to wear a face mask, follow social distancing rules, be free of Covid symptoms and sanitise their hands. Any patients with an exemption to wearing a face mask will be expected to wear a visor.
These procedures are to protect the most vulnerable patients who need to come to the surgeries. It will also protect the staff because if our staff test positive then others may have to isolate, and it may require us to reduce the services we can offer and depending on numbers may need to close as has happened with some other GP Practices around the country.
Colin Neal
Practice Manager
The government suggests that you continue to wear a face covering in crowded and enclosed spaces where you may come into contact with other people you do not normally meet.
Please make sure that you book your appointment for your Covid Vaccination as soon as you can when invited.
If you book your appointment and cannot attend, please remember to cancel your appointment using the link shared in the message.
We have recently been having a lot of patients booking their vaccine at Maxted Road and not turning up. This takes away an appointment for another patient and wastes considerable resources at our site.
Please protect yourselves and protect those that you care about. Get your jab.
Thank you.
Dacorum GPs.
How to report an issue with your Covid Vaccination record.
UK administered Covid Vaccines
If you have received a Covid vaccine in the UK call 119 and select the vaccine record information option
119 Options
Test and Trace Service
Covid 19 Vaccination Booking System
NHS Covid Pass Service
Report an issue with your Covid vaccination record
Covid Vaccines Administered Overseas
If you have received your COVID-19 vaccination overseas, then please see the following link for information:
Further to the government’s announcement on Sunday 12th December, Parkwood surgery have provided details of all patients aged 18+ who are eligible for their booster vaccination, directly to the team at Maxted Road vaccination site.
The Maxted Road team will invite patients themselves by text or phone, dependant on vaccine availability.
Patients can also contact 119 for more information on national led vaccination sites or walk in centre availability.
Welcome to Parkwood Surgery
The aim of the Practice is to ensure that the services we provide to you are as all–embracing as possible, offering a holistic approach to providing healthcare.
Our focus is to provide all of our patient’s services in a familiar, welcoming and relaxed atmosphere. Our main surgery is located in Warners End and we have small branch surgeries in Boxmoor and Gadebridge.
We have an in-house Pharmacist and who is clinically trained to deal with many of our reviews such as Medication, Asthma, COPD, Hypertension/BP.
We are also a training practice and have trainee GPs and trainee hospital doctors.
We provide a range of services including some that were traditionally provided in hospital. This includes minor operations for the removal of lumps and bumps especially those that look possibly malignant, diabetic clinics, joint injections, warfarin monitoring and travel injections. We are also accredited for the Gold Standard in palliative care in which we work closely with Rennie Grove palliative care nurses.
Visiting the Practice during the COVID-19 Pandemic
We are still open and available for all of our patients so if you are feeling unwell or are experiencing any change in your health, please do contact us. We are still your GP Surgery and still here to look after you, our Doctors and Nurses are still working and are available to speak to you and then offer you a normal face to face appointment if they feel you need to be seen.
In these changing and challenging times , we are aware that many patients will have worries about their health and we are keen that they contact the practice to discuss them. If you have any health concerns please do ring for telephone advice initially or you can contact us through our Website if you’d prefer.
Visiting Parkwood, Gadebridge and Boxmoor Surgeries after 19th July 2021
Dear Patients,
Although there will be many changes to the rules and regulations after the 19th of July those for NHS settings will continue as they have for the previous months. This means that patients visiting the surgery will need to wear a face mask, follow social distancing rules, be free of covid symptoms and sanitise their hands. Any patients with an exemption to wearing a face mask will be expected to wear a visor.
These procedures are to protect the most vulnerable patients who need to come to the surgeries. It will also protect the staff because if our staff test positive then others may have to isolate, and it may require us to reduce the services we can offer and depending on numbers may need to close as has happened with some other GP Practices around the country.
We understand we had all hoped we would be able to reduce some of the precautions at this stage but with new strains of the virus arriving we need to keep with them for a further period.
There is a nationwide campaign that was launched by the Institute of Practice Management highlighting the abuse that general practice reception staff can face on a daily basis. We are partnering with a group of GP surgeries that also serve our local community to make an official statement and to share awareness of this campaign, as disappointingly we do experience this from a small number of our patients.
The past 18 months are likely a period in our history which no one would ever wish to see repeated; it has affected every single person. Whilst a lot of sectors and industries have shut up shop or reduced their capacity in an effort to keep their employees safe, Primary Care has not only remained open, but has increased the number of appointments available, ensured that all premises are COVID secure, changed the way we work completely to maintain services, all of this whilst at the same time managing a vaccination centre to ensure our patient populations receive their COVID Vaccines as quickly as possible. We are dealing with unprecedented levels of demand.
Your local GP practice has continued to care for patients by adapting their way of working to ensure that you could continue to receive the care you needed. Changes such as telephone and online triage were brought in not only to protect patients, but also to mitigate risk and protect the staff as much as was possible, thereby ensuring that staff were able to come into work every single day throughout this pandemic. Whilst accessing your surgery may have been and may continue to be in a different way, we have always been open and have been seeing patients that needed to be seen.
Every member of staff has gone above and beyond, sometimes at a cost to themselves (and sometimes their family) to ensure that patients get the best possible care that we can deliver under such challenging circumstances. We are all tired. We have all been pushed to our limits, and often beyond. All whilst working harder than ever before, so a patient shouting or swearing can be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.
Unfortunately, the love and appreciation that was there for the NHS has diminished and it has been replaced with aggression and frustration. The increase in abuse that our reception staff and doctors alike have had to endure is totally unacceptable. The swearing, shouting, heartless comments, and slander which is posted on social media is frankly, quite demoralising and does not always represent the truth. We do not deserve to be treated in this way and we will not hesitate to implement our zero-tolerance policy on anyone who thinks this type of behaviour is, whether in person or on social media.
We ask that you be kind to anyone you come into contact with at your surgery – we are trying our best to serve you safely and ensure your health is looked after. Everything we do is with the aim to continue to provide the best care and support needed to our patients whilst keeping everyone safe.
A number of posts are circulating on social media about the national data opt-out, containing incorrect information. View our mythbusters which look at these claims to give you the facts you need to make your choice.
If you have received your COVID-19 vaccination overseas then please see the following link for information: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-vaccination/tell-nhs-about-coronavirus-vaccinations-abroad/
There are a number of providers of online services for patients, we are unable to recommend any particular one but they are all listed below so you can look your self and make an informed decision.
Not all will allow you the full range of online facilities so make sure you sign up to a provider that is going to offer you the services that you require. Some access providers will require you to apply and register for online services via your GP surgery as an additional step and this will require you to complete the register for online services form on this website and provide the surgery with photographic ID. This is to ensure that access is only granted to the correct individual. We do not currently offer the facility for proxy registrations for online services.
The Friends of Parkwood Surgery, or FPS, is a Patient Participation Group: we are patients of Parkwood Drive Surgery who volunteer our time to share your views with the Practice, with the aim of improving the services provided to you.
The FPS Committee works with the Practice, providing the patient perspective and working together on initiatives to improve all areas of care delivered by the Partners and staff at the surgery for the benefit of all its patients.
FPS is part of a national association of Patient Participation Groups, supported by Government, encouraging your participation in your healthcare at grass roots level by engaging with the FPS to provide views, feedback and suggestions for improvements and changes to the Practice and the healthcare provided.
We represent the patient perspective, representing you in discussions with the Practice about how services might be improved.
The purpose of FPS is:-
To give patients and Practice staff the opportunity to discuss topics of mutual interest with regards to healthcare and act as a link between the patients and the doctors
To encourage health education within the Practice, for example through talks about health issues or organised activities
To raise funds for equipment of benefit to patients and Practice that cannot be provided centrally
To represent patients of the Practice when called upon to influence the local provision of Health and Social Care.
Please note that the FPS are not able to assist with complaints. The practice has a separate, defined complaints procedure if required.
The FPS Committee has defined Terms of Reference which you can read here.
Become a member of FPS
The Friends of Parkwood Surgery aims to represent all its patients: please support us by joining FPS and supporting our events and initiatives.
This is your Patient Participation Group. There are over 17,000 patients in this Practice but for FPS to make a difference we need input from you in the form of ideas, feedback and volunteers even if it’s just to help with tea and coffee. Together we can make a significant and positive difference to the benefit of the Practice and all its members.
Join FPS – complete our short form, then renew annually every September/October
Contact FPS with your feedback, good or bad, and your suggestions for improvements
Volunteer your time to assist with organising a specific event or fund raising activity
Join our FPS Committee: we meet on a monthly basis and it’s amazing what can be achieved with just a few hours work!
Health Talks
We try to arrange a number of health talks each year, with the aim of making information more widely available, helping you to make more informed choice and giving you the opportunity to ask questions of the experts.
Usually on specific Tuesdays at 19:30 they are well attended but we’re happy to review dates and times if there is the demand to support a different schedule.
Fund Raising
Over the years we have raised funds towards various items including:
Over £2,000 towards the cost of the electronic doors at Parkwood Surgery which were officially inaugurated by Mike Penning MP in June 2010. They enable much easier access for those in wheelchairs or pushing prams, and for those of us who are not as agile or strong as we once were!
Over £2,000 to replacing the bench seating in the Parkwood Drive Surgery
Most recently the Friends raised £358 at the Christmas Raffle and £550 at the 2017 Easter raffle which has been added to the £1,000 donation from Councillor Terry Douris from his local community projects budget and funds from the Practice to purchase two defibrillators, for the Gadebridge and Boxmoor surgeries.
Fund raising is achieved in two ways:
Donations from members when joining or renewing membership of FPS. membership is free but we suggest a small donation of £2 per household per year.
Specific events such as our Easter Raffle
Please support FPS – your donations enable us to fund FPS initiatives such as our health talks and to purchase items that will either improve your experience at the surgery or enable the use of much needed equipment at the Practice that may well benefit you, and which the Practice is otherwise unable to provide.
FPS Health Walks
FPS doesn’t just raise money to help buy important equipment: we also look for ways to help you stay healthy, active and independent. To this end, we have established a “First Steps” health walk designed for those who perhaps don’t walk, can’t walk very far, or are recovering from an illness or surgery.
These walks are a gentle stroll around the local park, with trained leaders to ensure you are safe and looked after. Fancy joining us? You do not have to book onto this so please just turn up. Due to the success of our pilot this year, Herts Health Walks has adopted First Steps as a permanent fixture! These walls take place every Tuesday at 10:00, meeting at Parkwood Surgery.
