Mid Sussex Health Care Patient Participation Group AGM is being held at the United Reform Church in Hassocks at 7pm on 19 March 2020.  Our main topic of the evening, after completion of the official duties will be a talk from by Mid Sussex Wellbeing, for further information regarding the evening please go to the PPG section of our website and take a look at the poster for the AGM. We look forward to seeing you there.

There has recently been a change in the process required for the application of firearms certificate.  It is best not to send your application to the police until the medical proforma is completed and can be sent accompanying the application.  The Practice may complete Medical Proformas in relation to an application for a shotgun/firearms licence or renewal of a licence, for which the fee is £100.  However the individual doctor may make the decision to decline this private service to prioritise NHS work.  If licence holders are members of the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) they can ring 01244 573010 for further advice.  Alternatively you could contact MedCert (www.medcert.co.uk).

If you are suffering flu like symptoms and have returned from China or think you have had contact with someone who has visited China recently, and are concerned you may have Coronavirus, please do not attend the surgery but call 111.  The link below contains the most recent NHS information and advice regarding the Coronavirus.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/wuhan-novel-coronavirus-information-for-the-public

We will soon be required to supply your personal and confidential medical information to the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC). This information will be taken from the practice in a form that can identify you. The practice has NO choice but to allow the HSCIC to extract this information. However, individual patients can instruct their practice to stop the transfer of their data. For more information on the reasons for this data extract and how to opt out of sending your confidential information ask the receptionist for a leaflet or go to the website at www.nhs.uk/caredata

As a practice we have elected to not offer NHS Health Checks for 40-74 year olds because of the lack of evidence of benefit, and the risks of detecting 'illness' that would not cause any harm. The recent Cochrane review of 14 trials (with 182,880 participants) demonstrates this clearly, and includes an excellent plain language summary.

Furthermore, we believe this to be a waste of public resources, not targeting the population who stand to benefit the most. Please read the Cochrane review link above for an explanation of the science behind this decision.

Patient Online Smartphone Apps

Please see links below to SystmOnline for patients smartphones and tablets (one for Apple and one for Android).

Apple iPhones and iPads: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/developer/tpp/id711398513

For Android devices: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=px.app.systmonline&hl=en_GB

Logging into Systm Online for the first time

You should have been given a username and temporary password by the receptionist after they have activated your account. You will need to log in to your new account before midnight in order to set a new password.

In order to log into your account you will need to go to the web address on your letter and then scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the logo.

You will then be prompted to enter your username and password and should then be directed to update your password.

Should you have any problems logging in or forget your password at any time please bring photo ID to the reception desk and ask for a password reset.