Practice News

Social Media

We’re now on Facebook! Follow our page for the latest news, updates and information from the practice:

Click here!

Flu & COVID 19 Clinics

We have clinics for both COVID and Flu on the following dates:

• Saturday the 4th of October at Exminster
• Saturday the 11th of October at Starcross

Please bear in mind this is NOT a walk in service.

Text invites have started going out. If you believe you should be eligible but haven't received one yet, please bear with us as there is a large volume of invites to send out!

Upcoming Events

• October 2nd - Staff training closure from 12:30pm to 6pm at both sites

If you require medical attention during this time please call the practice number and you will be put through to an out-of-hours service.

For all upcoming event please see here

NHS Health Checks

NHS Health Checks are available to adults aged 40-74 with no pre-existing health conditions. The comprehensive check-up is designed to assess your risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes.

If you are eligible for a Health Check you will be contacted around your birth month.

Reminders

• Please let the practice know if your phone number or address changes, so we can always reach you about your healthcare.
• Due to a recent safeguarding policy change at the pharmacy, which is out of our control, we kindly ask that you allow a minimum of 3 days for all prescription requests going forward.

Patient Feedback

A big thank you to everyone who attended their appointments this month. We had a 96.4% attendance rate!

If you did miss your appointment, please follow the link below to tell us why so that we can keep missed appointments to a minimum:

DNA Questionnaire

If you have recently been in contact with us please fill out our practice survey which can be found here

Or you can fill out a paper version in our waiting rooms.

Patient Participation Group (PPG)

We are always looking for new members to join our group! If you have an idea or suggestion to improve patient experience, please let us know:

• d-icb.westbank.ppg@nhs.net
• Learn more about the PPG

Research Studies

At Westbank Practice, we think it is important to be research active and from time to time, your GP may invite you to take part in a particular clinical trial

We have the following info about a couple of studies:

• SAFER Trial - Screening for atrial fibrillation (AF) to reduce the risk of stroke. The trial aims to find out if implementing a national screening programme for AF is possible. For more info click here
• Virology Sampling - Influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) predominantly circulate during the winter season and cause acute respiratory illness (ARI). Deploying molecular point-of-care testing (POCT) in primary care can inform whether a patient presenting with an ARI has influenza or RSV. An early virological diagnosis could facilitate appropriate use of antivirals and enable better antimicrobial stewardship. This study aimed to report the impact of POCT for influenza and RSV on antimicrobial prescribing, including antiviral therapy in primary care.

See here for info on how to join a research study or see here for research at Westbank Practice

Updates from Westbank Healthy Living Center

Patient Transport

Westbank Healthy Living centre have taken delivery of a brand-new WAV (Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle)!

Any patient can request transport service. A team of 3 part-time workers take calls between 10am and 4pm to make bookings.

There are 3 employed drivers and a team of 20 volunteer drivers who between them handle around 1000 transports each month.

Events

Scams and Cybercrime Awareness Talk - Join us on Friday 10th October 2pm - 4pm at Victory Hall, Kenton Hill, EX6 8JA for a free community talk by specialised trained staff with all the info you need to protect yourself.